I have an error message with System restore-And Windows Update says updates have never been installed-when they have been.What could be the problem?

I have a problem with one of my Windows 7 netbooks. I went to System Restore to delete some old restore points by turning it off then on again.When you turn System Restore on or off,a first Windows opens and then a second one does. Then to turn it on or off you select turn System Restore on or off,then click apply and then click ok. And then you get the first Windows you opened and click ok to apply setting.

But the problem I am having now is that-when I try to turn system restore on or off I get an error message saying-"could not check schedule file for the following reason: Cannot create a file when that file already exists(OX800700B7)." This happens after I click apply.

Then when I click Ok after that, I get another error message saying"there was an unexpected error in the property page.Cannot create a file when that file already exists. OX800700B7.Please close the property page and try again,ok.

So now every time I need to turn System restore on or off I have to select turn on or off. And after I click apply,and then ok-I have to select cancel,to get rid of the error message other wise Windows will not let me close the Windows in System Restore. then after that I click ok in the first setting windows that opens.and i can still turn System Restore on or off like that.

And I have tested System Restore to see if it works. And I can still restore my computer to an earlier time. So it still works but now I still keep getting that error message I told you about.

And when I went to Windows Update-it said updates have never been installed on my computer,when they have been. so it seems a fault on my netbook has wiped out my update history of the past six months. But when I did a check for updates after seeing that update message it installed some updates for me.

Yesterday I installed Windows Live Photo Gallery for Windows XP-not Windows live 2011.but Windows Live 2009 for Windows XP is for all versions of Windows and for Windows 7.I downloaded it from the Microsoft website by the way. But I had nothing but problems with Windows Live Photo Gallery. It froze on my computer-so I uninstalled it. And every since then I have had this problem with system restore on my computer. Windows Photo gallery come with Windows live sync and a lot of other software bundled into it when you uninstall. So I think that could be the problem,that is causing the problem I have got now with the error message. Which I don't know how to fix.

Why am I now having this problem with my computer-the System Restore error message and my update history has been erased from Windows update? What could be the problem? And can it be fixed without reinstalling Windows?

I have posted some images from my computer of the error messages and the message from Windows update. So what is the problem? Andrea Borman.

Not your main problem, but if my installed updates is empty, once I've done a check for updates, the installed list gets re-populated.

Thank you for your reply,Elmer. I have posted the images from my computer to show you the error messages when I try to turn off System Restore. And I know I should not be getting those error messages and I don't know how to fix it.Or why it is happening.

And as for Windows Update showing me I have never installed updates in the whole 6 months of using my netbook. Well,I do keep automatic updating turn off and set it to never install updates. So I just install updates in my own time,when I feel like it. So I just go to Windows update and scan and install manually. And it is true I did not install updates for over a week.Maybe that is why it is saying I never installed updates.

Maybe Windows only keeps your update history for a certain amount of time. But I don't know.But there is a fault, because I should not be getting that error message on System Restore. And although System Restore still works,I can still create restore points and turn System Restore on and off. And it does restore my computer,there should not be an error message. And even though Windows Update said I have never installed updates.I am still able to install updates.

But I am worried it could be some thing else.It could not be a computer virus could it? I hope not. But it is possible.

Could you look at my images again,it shows the errors.Andrea Borman.

I have a quick nose about. This is about as good as I can find (read similar in several locations)

Windows Backup .... Cannot create a file when that file already - Microsoft Answers

Others here are more up to speed with the weird and wonderful ways of the system restore workings. HTH.

Andrea may I suggest you open a cmd prompt with admin rights and run sfc /scannow and after that install Microsoft Security essentials and run a full system scan.
NmsUK

Originally Posted by nmsuk

Andrea may I suggest you open a cmd prompt with admin rights and run sfc /scannow and after that install Microsoft Security essentials and run a full system scan.
NmsUK

As you can see by my images it seems Windows is saying there is a duplicate file in the system already. I have Googled my problem and I have been directed in the search to different pages on other websites. And some say something about deleting a registry key. But whenever I touch the registry it always ends in disaster. And I end up reinstalling Windows by doing a factory restore.

But yes,I will try that system scan in the command prompt. And there is a possibility that there could be malware on the computer. Does not mean there is, but if I do a scan that will rule it out.

But it does seem strange that ever since I installed and uninstalled Windows Live Photo Gallery-the Windows XP version not the 2011 version. That I have had this problem with my computer. But that could be just a coincidence. Andrea Borman.

Originally Posted by Andrea Borman

But it does seem strange that ever since I installed and uninstalled Windows Live Photo Gallery-the Windows XP version not the 2011 version. That I have had this problem with my computer. But that could be just a coincidence. Andrea Borman.

Any software installs will likely write registry entries which are not always removed with an uninstall. If you suspect that this is the problem or part of the problem and as you state;

And I have tested System Restore to see if it works. And I can still restore my computer to an earlier time. So it still works but now I still keep getting that error message I told you about.

I would suggest performing a system restore to a point in time prior to that install. That should put your registry back to the way it was prior to that install.
And perform the sfc /scannow as nmsuk has already suggested.
And if there is even the slightest suspicion of an infection then you should absolutely employ]
Anti-Malware, Virus, Spyware Protection | Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft Safety Scanner - Antivirus | Remove Spyware, Malware, Viruses Free
Malware, Malicious Software Removal Tool, Protect Your Computer
Malwarebytes : Malwarebytes Anti-Malware PRO removes malware including viruses, spyware, worms and trojans, plus it protects your computer
All free and time well spent.

The above images are of the error message I am still getting when I turn System Restore on or off. And I have scanned my computer using that command prompt command.And the results are displayed in my first image. And it said some files were corrupt but Windows repaired them. But that did not work because I am still getting the same error message in System Restore as before.

And yes I did do a scan with Malwarebytes but it did not find any infected files nor did Windows Defender.

But note that I can still turn my System Restore on or off but I get the error message OX800700B7,which I don't know what that means,when I do so. To turn it on or off I first open the first and then the second setting Window,then select turn on or restore system settings to turn on. But when I click apply I get the error message and when I click ok I get the same error message. So I have to click cancel to close the second Window. But my settings to turn on or off are saved and then I click ok in the first windows I opened.

So I can still turn System restore on or off and it still restore my computer to an earlier time despite the error message.But because I have deleted earlier restore points from before this happened, I don't have a restore point from an earlier time before this happened.

So the file checker and repairer in the command prompt that nmsuk told me about did repair some corrupt files but did not fix my System restore error message. So I still have the fault. And Malwarebytes found no malware so it is not that.

I clicked that link that Elmer gave me and it says to fix that problem I have to go into the registry and delete a registry key. But I know I would be taking a risk doing that. Because deleting registry keys could make Windows unusable if I made a mistake. And from that link it seems that other people who had the same error code as me could not use System Restore at all. But I can but I just get that annoying error message.

It could be that Windows Live Photo Gallery because it takes over as the default file and photo manager it corrupted some of my files. Hence the error message with System Restore. Or it could be my updated version of C Cleaner as they have added a lot of new features to it. It could be that after I uninstalled Photo Gallery that C Cleaner may have deleted some thing it should not have done in my registry. But I don't know,that is just a guess. So what should I do now? I still have the problem. Andrea Borman.

Here is a link, that includes information and options that will likely help you with your issue.
"Could not create the scheduled task for the following reason: Cannot create a file when that file already exists. (0x800700B7)." system restore error ~ Solvers
Whether or not you choose to use those techniques is entirely up to you.

Well I looked at that link and I could not even find some of the registry keys mention in that post. Well,the registry is very long and has a lot of entries,and so you cannot find every single entry.And the search in the registry is not very user friendly either.So it does not find a lot of things.

And the post is about the same error on Windows Vista,but the laptop that has the problem is Windows 7. But it could work on Windows 7.

But I don't understand my I have this problem. So if I cannot fix the error message problem,it seems I have two choices.

One,I could just carry on using the laptop as it is. And as System Restore still works and I can use it as normal.Despite the error message, I could just leave it.

Or I could reinstall Windows,but as it is a netbook with no CD drive. And as I do not have a Windows CD. My only option is to restore my laptop back to factory condition. This puts the computer back to the way it was when it was bought.And will reinstall Windows from the factory image on the recovery partition,created by the makers,HP.

But that means that I will have to upgrade back up to Windows 7 Professional again.Using my upgrade key that I have kept written down. As the netbook only came with Windows 7 Starter, and also I will have to install the service pack again.As my netbook came with no service packs installed.

So a factory restore will be a lot of hard work for me, taking several hours. But I may not have a choice. Andrea Borman.