Feedback: System Restore Manager for Windows 7

[LeeW]

I apologize. I didn't finish up like I wanted due to waking up at 1 am finding my neighbors house fully engulfed in flames. So I didn't get any sleep, I'm sick as throat and my sinuses are fubard thanks to breathing the blackest smoke on this planet while knocking out windows and kicking in doors trying to find if anyone was home, thankfully noone was. So, I decided to give it this week to finish up. Check out the Shoutbox or my Deviantart page. I am offering if anyone would like to help with it. This will be the final version of all the System Restore apps. So everyone be patient, it will be updated this week, including a few new features and the XP bug fixes

[Hulk]

Have Windows 7 (64 bit). Installed SRM. Tried to change "Restore Point Time to Live" from Default 90 days by changing only days field. Closed and Returned. Change did not stick. Changed days again and clicked Change button. Surprise: All except currently selected Checkpoints were deleted.
What is the purpose of the Change Button... and how do I prevent the unwanted eradication of unselected checkpoints?

The same thing happened to me too ! A surprise and disappointment.
Is there a way to get back my restore points ?

I lost all my restore points except one. I think what happened is when you click the <change> button, your program reduced my disk-space allowed to only 2 GB which is the default space in your program indicated used space (2 GB).

I hope your program will give a warning so that when a member reduced the disk-space and restore points will be deleted.

Another point is can your program included an additional field to accept the new disk-space amount entered by the member. Now there is only one field indicating the USED disk space, quite confusing.
Is this accurate ?

Thanks !

[LeeW]

If I extend the application further I'll add the warning. My apologies. I assumed everyone knew if you reduce the size used yes, this definately will reduce the amount of Resore Points as well as is the intended result of reducing the disk space to use. I'll look at it some more and see the other issues.

[Hulk]

If I extend the application further I'll add the warning. My apologies. I assumed everyone knew if you reduce the size used yes, this definately will reduce the amount of Resore Points as well as is the intended result of reducing the disk space to use. I'll look at it some more and see the other issues.

Thanks. It definitely need some changes.

For my case, I did not make any changes. I made the mistake of clicking the <Change> button, thinking it will bring me to another screen where I can make the changes. A MISTAKE !

To my horror, your program took the default 2 GB and reduce my disk space for the restore points.

Someone also comment that changing the restore interval and duration WILL ALSO REDUCE the disk space to your default value of 2 GB. Why 2 GB ?

There are 3 parameters to change, the program must update the change for the requested parameter only and NOT ALL of them. It is HANDS OFF for me until you amend your program.

I understand it is a freeware program but it should also be a SAFE one too. Correct ? Thanks anyway.

[LeeW]

Thanks. It definitely need some changes.

For my case, I did not make any changes. I made the mistake of clicking the <Change> button, thinking it will bring me to another screen where I can make the changes. A MISTAKE !

To my horror, your program took the default 2 GB and reduce my disk space for the restore points.

Someone also comment that changing the restore interval and duration WILL ALSO REDUCE the disk space to your default value of 2 GB. Why 2 GB ?

There are 3 parameters to change, the program must update the change for the requested parameter only and NOT ALL of them. It is HANDS OFF for me until you amend your program.

I understand it is a freeware program but it should also be a SAFE one too. Correct ? Thanks anyway.

Ah, now I see your point. Yes I agree confirmation before changing would be better. I honestly do have several changes/features once I can work on it some more that I'd gladly implement. The 2GB paramater is a default parameter set by Windows. Possibly giving the option to set your own default parameter may be better. As far as limiting the change parameter to only one action at a time, I'll look into that. I may can implement an option that while getting the job done won't be an annoyance to some users, as alot of users like to be able to set a bunch of changes and click one action to apply.

[BTMas2k]

Same problem as above, very annoyed that the software deleted all of my restore points. Using Win7 x64... had about ten restore points, one of which being very important (just reformatted, had a restore point I planned on using as a "factory default" recovery option). I have used MANY different OS tweaking applications in Windows, and have never seen a UI flaw that had consequences anywhere close to this level. Here is what I did, step by step:
1. Opened the software. Created a restore point through the program's interface. All good so far.
2. Saw the option for "Restore Point Time to Live," and entered "120" in the box.
3. Here is apparently where I "went wrong," at least according to other posts. After my entry in the "time to live" dialog box, I did what EVERY other tweaking software has trained me to do, and clicked "change" (which, I assumed, meant "save," more or less). I've always gone the route of hitting the save option every time a system setting had been updated.
4. Lo and behold, all but the most recent restore point created by the software was instantly deleted.

...now, I have a few problems with this. First, your explanation is that since the "space used" dialog box had a default setting of 2gb, it deleted all of my restore points in order to make it fit that maximum requirement... if I understood you correctly. At first, this seems to make sense... but then I noticed you said that the insanely small 2gb setting was the Windows default. I'm confused... if the Windows default was 2gb, how come I had 10 restore points in the first place, filling up way more than the 2gb?
Now, it's possible (and very like me) that I went and upped the maximum myself right after reformatting, to something like half of my terabyte drive's space. If that's the case though, how come you would ASSUME that people, having not used your software, have their system settings set to the default piddly-sized windows allowance? Especially when that assumption comes with the more-or-less guaranteed deletion of nearly all of your user's restore points (which, for some people, could hold very valuable, unrecoverable data) without ANY sort of quick confirmation box or warning? It seems like it would be very easy to have a pop-up box notify the user in the event that his/her changes will cause the deletion of everything they have. Most of them probably don't want this to happen, especially if the cause was a setting they did not set themselves in the first place.
Couldn't the "maximum size" setting be defaulted to detect whatever the user's CURRENT settings already are, in the very real and likely event they already changed it prior to the installation of your software? Setting it to the Windows default makes NO sense and is INCREDIBLY dangerous.
I have complained about something online in a forum MAYBE three or four times, ever... and never about a freeware program someone spent time and effort on, whether I liked it or not. Until just now, when I registered just for this one post. I've tested more software than I can count, so I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly... but I am thankful for you freeware developers, and I do not make it a habit to flame anyone for their work. If I don't like it, I delete it, and it's settled. That's just where I'm coming from man; I don't enjoy bitching at people for their free work, as I appreciate everything ya all do. That said though, never had ANY software screw things up for me this bad because of a completely avoidable minor flaw with huge consequences. That's about three days of wasted time dedicated to setting up my PC back to its fully functional, optimized state.
Its a shame though, because the situation ****s a bit extra as a result of my being more excited about finding your software than I have been for, well, pretty much any software I've found online. I'd been needing an app that was able to delete specific restore points for quite a while now, but hadn't found much that worked for me till SRM came around. The disappointment made it worse (and probably part of the reason I decided to write so damn much on your forum).
Please fix this ASAP; it is a very critical design flaw that ruins the entire software, and was completely unexpected. I'm honestly surprised I even came across it... if a flaw that big was found in just about any other program, the developer most likely would remove it from his site, take the link down, and fix the issue before re-posting it online. Who wants to make dangerous software available to users?
Hope to see an update, but until then the software is unusable. Otherwise... the potential for this to be one of the most useful apps out there is ALL there. Please, just fix it up and make it right.

- Brian

[BTMas2k]

Just noticed one more thing that is even more troubling... the first person to have the same problem I had made their post about 7 months ago, and you acknowledged the problem and identified its cause almost instantly. So when I discover the software and download it (again, 7 months later) and it deletes all my restore points because of the same, unfixed problem, something about that really pisses me off. I don't pretend to know your availability or what is going on in your life, so I'm not about to make demands and say how it should be fixed by now. It's freeware; you could never update it again in your lifetime, sell it to terrorists, whatever the hell you want to do, because the bottom line is that it is YOURS. Still, if you develop something and it has a critical error that is erasing user data, it is your RESPONSIBILITY to either fix it, or TAKE DOWN THE LINK. Since you have made the choice to NOT fix it (again, totally your choice), you should remove it from your server and take down any links you are capable of taking down. Especially when its on your own damn site. If not, then explain to me how what you are doing is anything other than spreading a virus... since its usage seems to lead to the same outcomes. Thank you.

[LeeW]

In short, I apologize. Nothing really I can say other than I agree that is definately a flaw that needs addressing and as such I give you my word all other programs are set aside while I update the application. Alot of times when a developer writes programs we can't always foresee every situation no matter how much we would like to. That being said, I'll make sure the next release by me will be an updated version of this program and hopefully satisfy all situations.

Lee

[Hulk]

It is a free program and we thank you for it.

But it is a time-bomb waiting to explode. The bugs were highlighted 7 months ago and you did nothing about it.
That I understand as it is a free program but you should have removed or disabled the program first. It is a time-bomb you know. Once the restore points are erased, they are gone forever.

Please remove program until you have fully debug and amend it to run correctly.

Anyway there are similar programs that I am using now. I would not touch your amended program even with a ten foot pole. Thanks anyway .... sigh ...
You can take as much time as you need to amend the program.

8 ( 8 O

[LeeW]

Hulk: It's great you have other programs to use and while it is said the program has bugs, in truth there are no bugs with how the application works. It does exactly as it is supposed to do. It was laid out months ago that the application does not retrieve the disk size and would have to be manually entered. In saying that, glad you found a program that you use but there are no other programs that do exactly what System Restore Manager does.