Microsoft KB Archive/945681

= System restore points and shadow copies of files are missing after you install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 =

Article ID: 945681

Article Last Modified on 12/5/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Windows Vista Service Pack 1
 * Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition
 * Windows Vista Ultimate
 * Windows Vista Enterprise
 * Windows Vista Business
 * Windows Vista Home Premium
 * Windows Vista Home Basic
 * Windows Vista Starter

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SYMPTOMS
After you install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1), existing system restore points may no longer be available. Additionally, shadow copies of files may have been removed as part of the service pack installation.

Note To view the shadow copies of a file, right-click the file, click Properties, and then click the Previous Versions tab.



CAUSE
This issue occurs when you install Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Vista on a computer that is low on available disk space. When you try to install the service pack on a computer that is low on available disk space, the installation process frees disk space by removing any existing system restore points and by creating a single new system restore point.



WORKAROUND
To work around this issue, free additional disk space before you try to install Vista SP1. The more free space that is available when you install the service pack, the less likely it is that existing restore points and shadow copies of files will be deleted.

For more information about how to free disk space in Windows Vista, see Windows Vista Help and Support. To see Windows Vista Help and Support, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Startvistastartbutton.jpg], and then click Help and Support.
 * 2) In the Search Help box, type disk cleanup, and then press ENTER.



MORE INFORMATION
If available disk space on the computer causes existing system restore points to be removed during a Windows Update installation of the service pack, a new system restore point is created immediately before the service pack is installed.

This new system restore point captures the system state after any permanent prerequisite releases for the service pack are installed but before the service pack itself is installed. Therefore, you may be unable to restore the computer to the exact state the computer was in before you began installing the service pack.

For more information about Windows Vista Service Pack 1, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

936330 Release notes for Windows Vista Service Pack 1

Keywords: kbtshoot kbprb kbexpertisebeginner KB945681

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