Stop system restore on new USB drives by default

I have Win XP Pro SP3.

I have system restore active on my laptop's internal drive, but when I insert a USB external drive or stick, I would like system restore to be turned off by default on that new drive, i.e. I only want it to be active on the internal hard disk. I know I can turn it off using system properties in Control Panel, but by then it has usually written the "system volume information" directory on the new USB stick. And even if I turn it off and delete the directory, if the next time I insert the USB it has a different drive letter (e.g. the drive letter it used last time is now taken by something else), it turns on system restore again, and again I have to turn it off and then delete the "system volume information" directory again. As well as being a pain, it could be causing me problems - I want a completely blank USB with some of the things I am trying at the moment (which is another story).

Is there some way to leave system restore active on C:, but by default have it turned off on all other drives, i.e. when a new drive is inserted, system restore is turned off unless/until you explicitly turn it on?

 

I have System restore turned off on all my drives. It's a resource hog and does very little. The few times I did use it, the damage was never restored.

I now scan every file I load with a virus checker.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but that's my suggestion.

 

above from here, under the section Removable or what? , so check to see if your flash drive is listed as a removable drive or a hard drive

====

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/topi...e-information-from-getting-on-external-drive/

read above thread for more info on this