Windows 7 4 days ago I used Little Registry Cleaner-now System Restore does not work anymore-HELP!

Andrea Borman

Honorable Member
4 Days ago I downloaded and used a product called LITTLE REGISTRY CLEANER,which cleans the registry. But since that time now I find that System Restore on my Windows 7 Netbooks no longer works. In fact it does not work at all any more,I tried all the restore points and when I try to do a system restore. I get an error message saying" system restore did not complete your files have not been changed, the restore point is either damaged or deleted."

I have tried all of the online tips at resolving this problem including one that said to turn system restore off by turning system protection off then after wards turning it on again. This deleted the restore points so that when you turn it on again new ones will be created. and new ones were created but STILL I get the same message "system restore did not complete."

The tip I read for tuning it off then on again was for Windows XP but I have Windows 7 but I tried it anyway as I did not know what else to do. I know the cause of my problem is Little Registry Cleaner as I never had this problem before I used Little Registry cleaner.I also used CC Cleaner with it, but it is not the CC cleaner that caused it as before I was just using CC cleaner only, and then system restore was working. But since I used Little Registry cleaner now system restore does not work at all anymore.

I have now uninstalled both the CC Cleaner and Little Registry Cleaner but still system restore will not work any more and worse. I have used Little registry cleaner on my other Netbook I have 2 windows 7 Netbooks and System restore does not work on that one either.

What happens is this-I start system restore and it says the usual starting system restore restoring your files etc but-when the laptop re boots again it says system restore did not complete your files are unchanged error message.

Everything else on my 2 laptops is working-except for system restore. But as I have a Netbook I need system restore but now that now longer works anymore and the culprit is that registry cleaner.

Now system restore does not work anymore it is a big worry for me as if one day some thing were to go wrong with my 2 laptops I have no means of recovery as they now wont do system restore. So you see I need to get it fixed but I just do not know what to do.

Please can you help me. I do not know how to fix it.And I do not have a lot of computer experience.And now System Restore no longer works at all. Andrea Borman.
 
Hi Andrea,

Can you determine if this program made a backup of your registry? Nearly all professional registry cleaners will attempt to do this. According to something I am reading here, you should have backups in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Little Registry Cleaner\Backups

You should be able to use the backups the program has created to restore your system.

Clearly something in this program has deleted valid registry entries that have prevented System Restore from functioning properly. I suggest that you consider running the built-in Windows Link Removed - Invalid URL. This will help you determine if any system files were damaged, but in the event of a corrupted registry, you may be dealing with something far more serious. May I suggest you try a repair install of Windows 7 using your original installation disc if SFC does not work?

On this site, we recommend Uniblue RegistryBooster, as a Microsoft Gold Certified product. It is not a bad registry cleaner. CCleaner is also a good, free alternative. RegistryBooster, in particular, is known to keep extensive backups and give you some excellent information about what exactly it is doing and why. CCleaner is also unlikely to erase protected entries.
 
Thank you for your reply. And no Mike,I have not got any back up of the registry files as these all went when I uninstalled that registry cleaner. And as I have a Netbook there is no CD drive so I do not have anything backed up onto a CD.

So I cannot uninstall and re install Windows. And I looked on Windows search and it said you cannot uninstall Windows only restore computer to factory settings. The way it was when I bought the laptop. But because I removed Internet Explorer and the browser no longer works. At the moment it does not matter as I have other web browsers but should I restore to factory settings.Then there will only be the one browser it came with,Internet Explorer. Which does not work anymore so I will not be able to get online.

Everything else on my computer is working,it is only system restore that is not. Which is all right now but as I said in the last post. Should some thing happen when I need to use system restore,unless I can get it fixed,which I do not know how to.I will not be able to use it and I cannot use it now as it is not working.

So I really do need to get it fixed,because if some thing did happen to my laptop where I needed to do system restore now I cannot,so I will be in trouble. I just don't understand why this has happened over a simple registry cleaner. It could be because Little Registry Cleaner created restore points on my recovery disk,every time it fixed the registry. Could it have some how corrupted the recovery disk or system restore program? So how do I get system restore working again? From what I can see,Windows is creating the restore points as I can see them there and it has even given me recommended restore points. But it is just not doing the system restores they fail every time now.

I have heard of Recuva that is said to restore deleted files but won't that also put back some junk files? And I do not know what files need to be put back to get system restore working again. And I did NOT delete anything connected with System Restore. Andrea Borman.
 
I have heard of Recuva that is said to restore deleted files but won't that also put back some junk files? And I do not know what files need to be put back to get system restore working again. And I did NOT delete anything connected with System Restore. Andrea Borman.

Without backups, you have a serious problem. Any deleted file recovery software would need to be used immediately. The files will start degrading as bits are written over the deleted files. When you delete files off your hard drive, the deleted bits stay around until the hard drive needs to overwrite them. But this is arbitrary. The bits are marked for deletion. Its possible you could get the files back, but you need to hurry. Even restarting the computer could create enough disk activity that the files will not be recoverable. You could give it a try, but once files are deleted there are no guarantees. Even using this site means you're going to have a problem.

You could try this first, because who knows what registry entries were lost.

Next, disable System Restore again, and then used the Disk Cleanup utility to make sure you completely wipe out all restore points.

Try enabling system restore again, after reboot.

If this does not work, try the method in safe mode.

Make sure your anti-virus is uninstalled while performing the procedures to "restore system restore". The outlook does not look good for this one.

There are entries in the registry that control how System Restore works.
 
Well,I tried the system file integrity checker using that command prompt thing and it created a document on my desktop that said all files and registry keys repaired. But I ran system restore again to test it out and still system restore did not complete so nothing has changed nor did it work when I tried-system restore undo.

Now when you say disable system restore again and then use disk clean up utility,Do you mean CC Cleaner or just delete the restore points?And I do not have an anti virus program. I have never had one and I have scanned my computer using the Microsoft malicious software removal tool and it found no virus at all. So it is not a virus. But if the worse comes to the worse and I cannot fix system restore,then I will still be able to use my laptop. But I won't be able to restore my laptop to an earlier point in time if some thing goes wrong and I need to.

If only we can get to the bottom of why I have got this problem. Although it is obvious why as I have the same problem on the other Netbook. And on both Netbooks I have used Little Registry Cleaner,so it has got to be that. But should I try that Recuva or will that make the problem worse? Andrea Borman.
 
I doubt Recuva will help that's more for deleted or missing files. Get rid of theLittle Registry Cleaner. I've never had problems with Ccleaner and I save what it removes. I had bad experiences in the past with other registry cleaners. You also better get an anti virus program. In the mean time go to Trend Micro they have a free online scan. Mike means use Windows cleanup. It looks like you are headed for a reinstall.
Joe
 
So I cannot uninstall and re install Windows. And I looked on Windows search and it said you cannot uninstall Windows only restore computer to factory settings. The way it was when I bought the laptop.
You need to use the factory restore, put your computer back to original configuration and leave all the programs that are part of Windows there. The reason you have these problems is because you keep tearing integral pieces out of your operating system.
 
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Thank you for your reply but the problem is that I have a Netbook and that has no CD drive. And so my files are not backed up on a CD. In Windows search it said you cannot uninstall Windows but you can restore the laptop back to factory condition. That would restore my Netbook back to the way it was when I bought it. But when I bought it as you probably you probably know,the laptop only came with one web browser,Internet Explorer. But because I have edited the IE file in the past to take ownership of it in order to delete it,which I did. Now I find IE will not work anymore as a browser when I download it. I have tested this out.

So if I restore my Netbook to factory condition. Then all my personal files and settings and other web browsers I have installed will be removed by this,leaving only Internet Explorer. But because of what I did with the IE file edited it and deleted it,so the browser no longer works.If I restore to factory settings but it may put Internet Explorer back as it is now,a broken web browser. And as when I bought the laptop the only web browser it has was Internet Explorer and nothing else. I will then not be able to get onto the Internet. As when I bought the laptop,I still had to use IE the only web browser on there. To download Firefox from the Internet to install it before I could stop using IE.

So if restore to factory settings,IE could be broken,leaving me no means to get online,not even to download another web browser.Do you see the problem? And there is also possible that restore to factory condition may not work anyway. As it is a possibility that because the registry cleaner removed or corrupted some thing to do with system restore. That it may have removed the original factory made image of how my computer was when it was bought as well.

Basically it seems the restore to factory setting is an original image of how my computer was when it was bought put on there by the makers of my computer-HP. But how do we know that image is still there or it could be there but could be corrupted? Although I do not know if the reason system restore does not work is because it is corrupted. But I do know that it was that registry cleaner that caused the problem.But I do not know how to fix it. Maybe I should try Recuva to see if it can put all the files taken from Little registry cleaner back. I have got nothing to loose but I do not know if it will work or not. Andrea Borman.
 
Basically it seems the restore to factory setting is an original image of how my computer was when it was bought put on there by the makers of my computer-HP. But how do we know that image is still there or it could be there but could be corrupted?

Andrea, you could always use a USB flash drive to back up your files, including a copy of Firefox or Chrome setup. Also, unless you have direct access to the restore partition, you should be OK. If HP was smart, they hopefully hid this partition from access and also programmed the recovery partition to perform a file integrity check before the restore to factory defaults happens. Its unlikely you corrupted this partition, but if you did, you may simply have to contact HP and ask for a physical restore disc. I suggest you backup your important files first. You can also do this backup online, with free online storage such as SkyDrive or Dropbox. Because its a restore partition, either the restore will crash and burn, or everything will be set back to the condition you purchased the computer in. I also agree with stueycaster about this IE removal issue...
 
Thank you for your reply Mike but I do not understand. That is I do not know what a usb flash drive is or how to back up my files. I know I have 3 plug sockets on the side of my Netbook,and these are usb sockets and that when I used to have mobile broadband T mobile. Then I plugged this black T mobile stick into one of the 3 plug or usb sockets. Is that what a usb flash dive is? Or is it a CD? I have been told by some one,well a shopkeeper in an electrical shop that I could buy a CD drive and plug one end of the lead into the usb socket in the Netbook and the other end of the lead into the drive. Which could go under the desk where the Netbook is. But they did not know what type of CD to use to back file up on. I have re writable DVDs that I use to record off of the television to record and play my TV programs on in my DVD recorder and player.I play these on the TV from my DVD player not on my laptop. Is this all right to back files up on a laptop?

That is can I back my computer files up in one of my re writable DVDs I use for the DVD recorder and DVD player? I am sorry but I do not know how to back up my files. I could not find anything in Google search. So how do I do it?

And you also told me I could back up my web browsers and the installer from Firefox that is saved in downloads when you download Firefox from the internet. And you then open the installer and it installs the web browser. Now that is a good idea as if I have to restore to factory settings and IE does not work,I could just open the Firefox installer from downloads or desktop folder and install it,without going onto the web.

On my computer now I have a number of installers from web browsers I have downloaded in the past that will install the browser,if I click on it.It saves searching the web for a download link.But I do not know how to do a back up or what tools I need to buy or DVDs or CD I should or should not use. Can you explain or show me an easy to understand post please? As I cannot find anything on the web that I understand. Andrea Borman.
 
I have some very good news for readers of this thread. You remember me telling you that after using LITTLE REGISTRY CLEANER system restore no longer worked on both my 2 laptops. Both HP Mini 210 Netbooks. And I was advised here on this site that the only solution was to restore my computer to factory condition. This restores your computer to the way it was before you bought the computer.When you buy a computer there is an image put on there from the factory where the computer was made,before it was sold.In my case it was put on there by HP-the makers of my laptop.

But I was worried that because I removed Internet Explorer 8 and after which it was disabled so I could not install it again. That if i restored to factory settings,that because,it only had IE,when I bought the laptop. That IE would still be broken and as it was the only web browser it came with.I would not be able to get onto the Internet,which you need to do to download Firefox for example.

But after many attempts to try to repair system restore,which no longer worked due to the damage done by the registry cleaner.It became apparent that I had 2 choices.I could leave my 2 laptops as they were and sooner or later I would get stuck as if some thing happened to my computer. System restore no longer worked. Or I could try restore to factory condition recovery.

And I thought that I would try it on one of my 2 laptops both of which had the same problem,because I was stupid enough to use that registry cleaner on both of them.I thought if the factory setting put my Netbook back to how it was before I bought it and IE was still broken,meaning I would no longer be able to get onto the Internet. The worst thing that would happen is that I would have to buy another laptop. And I would have been faced with the prospect of having to do a restore to factory condition recovery anyway in the future.

So I did the restore to factory condition recovery and it worked,too well. Internet explorer 8 was back but working again which was good,so I could get onto the Internet. The down side was that all of the other unwanted software,all products from HP was back as well.So I had to uninstall all of that,in all I had to uninstall over 10 items of HP and other unwanted software.And it took ages as uninstall was slow.And also I was now back on Windows 7 Starter,not Windows 7 Ultimate as I was before,the factory restore. As both my laptops came with Windows 7 starter when I bought them.

Then I downloaded Safefox again using Internet Explorer,then after that I used Safefox and other browsers I installed to download the rest of my software,ICQ messenger etc. And then I put back my pink desktop theme.Windows 7 Starter does let you change the desktop color theme and other things,task bar color for example,but the settings are not so obvious as they are in other editions.And on Starter,you cannot save your theme or download wallpapers from the Internet,like you can on other editions.And then I removed Internet Explorer web browser and Windows Media player again,of course. But this time I did not delete any of the registry keys.I just deleted the program files and turned IE and WMP off in turn Windows features on or off settings.

After I had got my computer back to the way I wanted it to be,there was one small problem. I now only had Windows 7 Starter,as that was what the laptop had on there when I bought it.But I wanted my Windows 7 Ultimate back.But fortunently I had kept a note of my upgrade key that I had written down in my notebook. And so I was able to use it to upgrade back to Windows 7 Ultimate,without having to pay for another upgrade. And Windows upgraded my laptop,without Internet Explorer being on there,in case anybody is wondering.

So after I restore my first Netbook,I then did the restore to factory setting recovery on my second Netbook and it work on that as well. And so now my second Netbook was restored successfully just like my other laptop was. And I then spent more hours doing the same thing that I had to do with my first laptop,remove the unwanted software,install my own software,remove Internet Explorer,WMP etc. Then use my upgrade key to upgrade again from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Ultimate again.

So I did do the restore to factory condition recovery on both my laptops and it worked,I have got my computers back again. And now I even have more hard disk space than what I had before. I now have 123gb or mb on both Netboks before I had 102 on the first one and 118 on the second Netbook.

But when I say the factory restore worked too well,I think it did. As from what I have been told,the makers of the laptop-HP or other put a recovery image in a hidden recovery partition on your computer. In the factory before they sell it. It could be one image or more i do not know. So when I restored the laptops back to factory condition,it must be an image as long ago as 2 years ago. As I only bought the first laptop in April 2010 and the other in June 2010. And there were programs on there,such as Skype and Ebay short cut and even Windows live Messenger and Windows Live Essentials,that I do not remember being on there when I bought both the laptops.So both the software and restore image of my computers are 2 years old long before I even bought my 2 laptops. Which I only bought a few months ago. So that is a sure sign of the makers HP playing safe.

But restore to factory setting is hard work as everything you have installed is replaced by their software and computer image-HPs,and you even loose your upgraded version of Windows. For example if your computer came with Windows XP or Windows Vista or in my case Windows 7 Starter. Then,when you restore to factory settings,that is exactly what you will get back on your computer. So always keep your upgrade key number or code written down some where safe or you will have to buy a new copy of Windows to upgrade again,all over again. Andrea Borman.
 
Glad you got it sorted Andrea.

Now you're just how you want to be is the best time to make a back up/image of your set up. You'll never have to see the bloatware again!!
 
Buy an external HD and use third pary backup program that will make an image and also a bootable rescue disk. Paragon and Macrium both have free ones. Then remove the drive and store it where it will be safe from getting banged around.
Joe
 
Thank you for your reply. I think that the restore to factory setting,that is restore your computer to factory condition. So that your computer is restored to the way it was before you bought it,is a recovery setting or option that is on every shop bought computer or laptop. Isn't it? As Mike first told me the recovery partition is hidden by the makers of the computer so that you or I cannot touch or alter it accidentally. And that restore to factory condition recovery is kept separate or is different from system restore,I think that's what he and other people who have respond to my post have been trying to tell me. And it is one way of solving a serious problem.

But by doing this it also removed your present copy of Windows. So if you upgraded from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7,it removes it and puts your computer back on the version of Windows your computer came with before you bought it. Like it did to me. I had Windows 7 ultimate which I upgraded from Windows 7 starter. But when I restored to factory condition,after the recovery had finished,I then only had Windows 7 starter again. Because that is what was put on the laptop before I bought it.

So I had to upgrade again to get Windows 7 Ultimate back on my computer again. But it was lucky I had the upgrade key written down or I would have had to pay again for another upgrade of my Windows 7.

But I do not understand about this back up thing could you explain or show me a tutorial post about it? But you cannot uninstall Windows so I think the only choice open to me was to do the restore to factory condition. At least that was what I was advised to do,as there was no way to undo the problem without this,as nothing could fix it.

But I think people should be warned about products and although Little Registry Cleaner is free,look what it did to my computer,it damaged or corrupted system restore. And I and other people who see this product online are mislead into believing that it only removes old files of program no longer there. When it clearly does NOT do this and instead damaged system restore or corrupted it. So how many more people is this going to happen to?

It seems that the makers of these products that claim to look after your computer better than what Windows does are taking advantage of people like me who did not know any better and believed it. So in future the best advice is do not trust third party products,unless they are proven to be safe. I now have CC Cleaner only which I never had problems with before and this only remove files that are safe. So I think I should be safe to just stick to CC Cleaner but if I notice a problem,then obviously I will have to uninstall it. Andrea Borman.
 
And yup, it is definitely a lot of work to restore a computer. But sometimes it's your only choice. It's a good thing you kept your Windows 7 Ultimate product key. That's what you pay for when you buy Windows. It's the license to use it.
 
It seems that the makers of these products that claim to look after your computer better than what Windows does are taking advantage of people like me who did not know any better and believed it. So in future the best advice is do not trust third party products,unless they are proven to be safe. I now have CC Cleaner only which I never had problems with before and this only remove files that are safe. So I think I should be safe to just stick to CC Cleaner but if I notice a problem,then obviously I will have to uninstall it. Andrea Borman.
There's a lot of good third party software out there but a lot of bad too. Just keep coming to this forum. There are a lot of good people who won't steer you wrong.
 
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