Ugh, not this again!
What's amazing to me is that you seem to have an inordinate number of clients who experience System Restore problems, lol. I've tried to find instances of people losing files/data/My Documents, etc. via web searches, and I'm coming up empty.
I haven't been able to find
any references to people losing Quicken data from using System Restore.
I posted a link earlier in this thread that specifically warns that System Restore CAN delete files that are saved on the Desktop.
Here is the official list of "monitored" file types by System Restore. If any application shares these extensions, it's quite possible that SR would remove them:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa378870.aspx
I don't see the Quicken file extensions in that list (from the Quicken files list that I've seen.)
Now, to your customer's situation:
Again, you're using this as some kind of concrete proof of a System Restore issue. In fact, the proof you're offering is far too weak to come to that conclusion.
1. The customer wasn't even sure what kind of "restore" her son did.
2. Who knows what he did? He could have done any number of things to the pc that might have caused problems. You were wise to suggest a limited account for him.
4. Are you saying the "couple" of restore points you added were the only ones on SR to utilize? How do you know --particularly since you don't know for a fact what he did-- which restore point (if he even used SR) he chose?
3. Since you did not mention that you tried to UNDO the restore, I will safely assume you didn't. That would have been the easiest test to do, as it would have restored any changes --files included-- from any previous restore.
4. Additionally, when running System Restore again, it would have prompted you right away to UNDO your past restore (if done).
That would have been your "proof" of an SR issue; the smoking gun, so to speak. But I don't smell any smoke here. It's apparent you didn't do that, but rather chose to restore from external backups.
5. Here's something that's equally as plausible (if not far more so) about HP and Compaq System Recoveries. HP and Compaq are used as an example here to show that it's quite possible to do a System Recovery and still have left other folders created by the user AND while still losing files in My Documents --exactly the situation you are describing:
From HP:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?cc=us&docname=bph07145&lc=en
"CAUTION: Performing a
Destructive Recovery will format the hard drive. This will delete all the information on the hard drive and reinstall Windows XP and the original software that came with the computer.
Performing a
System Recovery (as opposed to a "Destructive Recovery") replaces system files and original software with the files that originally came with the computer.
This process (System Recovery) may move or remove certain files, like those stored in My Documents. Before performing a System Recovery backup important files and the files stored in the My Documents folder."
As you can see, the System Recovery option would most certainly leave any folders created by the user (or you), and at the same time wreak havoc on the My Documents folder. So again, this is, at the very least, a likely explanation of what happened to your customer given what is known about XP's SR and this particular System Recovery process.