Each time system restore is run, even if you only open the UI a log gets created. These logs dont affect system restore points or functionality. I've found it safe to remove these files and used system restore without any side effects. These logs add up in file size and use a good amount of space.

Add the following to your winapp2.ini file to clean up these up...


NOTE This does NOT remove any restore points and I have tested this on 2 different Vista systems without any trouble. The actual system restore files are located in C:\SystemVolume Information\ and is a protected system folder.

Just an update: System Restore is still working perfectly and I removed over 80 MB's of ETL log files. Each time you open system restore it creates a log. Even if you dont use it.

I noticed the same behavior with Windows Backup. Simply opening the app creates ETL logs in: C:\Windows\Logs\WindowsBackup

Hi,

I experienced that the data-backup-function of Vista isn't working properly, and maybe it has to do with CCleaner deleting the Windows LOG-files?

Vista, when running the backup for the first time, safes all personal or otherwise important data. From then on, i. e. when running Vista-Backup the second, third, fourth time and so on, it should only add the files which have either been changed or which have been created recently.

The phenomenon I noticed, however, is that Vista does no incremental backups after using CCleaner, so that with every backup a very large file is created and added to the already existing original backup-file, so that a lot of space is used on the hard disk. Instead of only saving the files that have been modified, Vista stores all the files that it stored the first time again.

My question now is: Do you think that by not deleting the Windows-Log-Files when running CCleaner I can avoid the problem?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,
Kai

I have the 'Windows Log Files' checked and havent had a problem with incremental backups. The log files that get cleaned are located in the Windows folder. The logs for Windows Backup are located in: C:\Windows\Logs\WindowsBackup

Has a backup ever failed telling you the last backup couldnt be found? After you run backup and a full backup set is created, what happens if you run backup again?

Hi, thanks for your quick reply.

After reading your post, I ran a full backup, started CCleaner and, after that, ran backup again. And this time it worked: only some small files were added to the backup-file.

This is the proof that CCleaner has got nothing to do with the backup-problem I experienced. That's what I now know for sure (even if I'm still wondering what might have been the cause for it). So thank you very much for your aid!

Best regards,
Kai

P.S. Concerning your question: Vista never told me it could not find the last backup. It was just my observation that, after running backup several times, the backup-files used more space than the original data alltogether - even if I did not carry out any major changes, installing programmes or copying large files and so on. And I don't think that this is the "normal" way it should work...

Determining what went wrong isnt easy. Something though that helped me to understand when a full set is created vs an incremental is the attached flowchart. If nothing else it will give you a better idea how it works. Its a large image so you'll have to view it at 100% and scroll up and down

Click to view attachment