System restore error with error 0x81000203

You may have problems with system restore if it refuses to work in Windows 10 or other versions of Windows. This error occurs when trying to restore the system and ends with a crash with error code 0x81000203. System Restore utility is an essential part of Windows system that helps you get back files, apps and settings causing system malfunction.

This error occurs when Windows users with TuneUp Utilities 2009/2010/2011 they have activated the “Turbo mode”. TuneUp Utilities has been the reason for several Windows errors. What's more, This problem occurs when the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider is disabled or not running and when System Restore is disabled.

To correct this error, we will uninstall the tuning utilities or disable the Turbo mode, We will activate Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider and enable System Restore from Group Policy and Registry. If you don't have TuneUp Utilities installed, go to the second and subsequent methods of this article.

Method 1: Desinstalar Tuning Utilities / Disable Turbo mode

1. Launch the Programs and Features window by holding down the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog and then type appwiz. cpl and press OK.

   

2. Search for TuneUp Utilities (and its related programs) and double click on it. The uninstaller will launch and then go through the prompts to complete the uninstall. Reboot when done and try to restore.

3. Try to perform a System Restore again and the problem should not appear this time (and the System Protection tab should appear).

Disable turbo mode

Turbo mode disables a service or component responsible for restoring the system. If you want to keep Tune Up, you can also disable Turbo Mode to use System Restore.

1. Open the Tune Up utility Launch Center

2. At the bottom left of the window there is the area »PC optimization mode«. Select »Economy» or »Standard«. You can also click on the little wrench icon below “Turbo” and disable option options.

3. Try to perform a System Restore again and the problem should not appear this time.

In other versions of the Tune Up utilities, you can click the Turbo icon at the bottom left of the window to disable it.

Method 2: activate the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider service

Si TuneUp (or other tuning utilities) have not been installed on your system, Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider service may not work. Then, explains how to activate the service.

1. Open the start menu and type »services«. Right-click and »Run as administrator«. You can also do this by pressing the Windows key + R at the Run prompt, typing »services.msc» and hitting Enter.

   

2. Find the service »Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider» and double-click it.

3. Set the startup type to “Automatic” and click Start to start the service.

   

4. Open Control Panel and navigate to System and Security> System protection, then select drive, click the Settings button and set the maximum disk space usage to just over zero (depending on the number of restore points you want). Remember to activate the System Protection from here is that you have not done it.

   

5. Click ok, restart your computer and check the problem again.

If you are still having trouble starting this service, a system policy can prevent it. The following methods provide a job for this.

Method 3: enable System Restore from Group Policy Editor

This method works for Windows Pro editions / Enterprise, because Windows Home doesn't have gpedit.msc.

1. Press the Windows key + R, type »gpedit.msc» and hit Enter. This opens the Group Policy Editor console.

2. Go to Navigate to Computer Settings> Administrative template> System> Restore system.

3. Double-click on »Disable System Restore» and select »Not Configured«.

   

4. Restart your PC and the system restore should work.

Method 4: use the registry

If you are using a Home Edition, gpedit.msc wouldn't work for you, so try the following steps using Registry Editor.

1. Press the Windows key + R for the run prompt and type »regedit.exe» then click OK. If the UAC asks you to, accept it.

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINENSOFTWARENPoliciesNMicrosoftNWindows NT and find the subentry called »SystemRestore«. If it exists (you can create a new subentry if you want), check if subkey contains DWORD value DisableConfig. If that value is present and is set to 1, means System Restore is locked. Clear DisableConfig or edit and set to 0.

3. Restart your PC and try using system restore again.

Method 5: Checking the Upper Filters Parameter

UpperFilter values ​​exist in different register classes and, if configured incorrectly, may cause a problem during the restore process. Therefore, in this step we will check if they have been entered correctly. For it:

1. Pulse »Windows» + »R» to open the run prompt.

2. Escribe ‘regedit’ and press 'Enter'. Type Regedit in Run to open the registry editor

3. Navigate to the following address within the registry

   Computadora HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_SYSTEM_CurrentControlSetControlNClase{71a27cdd-812a-11d0-bec7-08002be2092f}

4. In the right panel, check if the value »volsnap» was entered for the entry »UpperFilters«. Checking the value “Volsnap” for UpperFIlters input

5. Otherwise, double click the entry “UpperFilters” and enter “volsnap” in option “Value information”.

6. Click on “To accept” and check if the problem persists.