I'm trying to restore to a point a few days ago and keep receiving the error message: The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable. (0x80070570) I then have the option to close the dialog box or 'run system restore,' which then brings up the error message: Catastrophic failure (0x8000FFFF) Please close System Restore and try again. I've tried several different restore points but receive the same error message on all of them. Any help is greatly appreciated.

1.Uninstall 3p security software -firewall,antivirus,antispyware. 2.Diagnose your hdd

I removed Avira Anti-Virus and Comodo Firewall, then diagnosed my HD and still receive the same error messages. Any other suggestions?

Consider running a chkdsk /r on the hard drive.Running a chkdsk/r has the potential to take a long time and you may want to back up any critical files beforehand as a general precaution.

Ben, I am having the very same issue: after I try the system restore: System Restore File Corrupt and unreadable 0x80070570, I also got the same catastrophic failure error message. I began to suspect a problem when I received an error message when I opened my email. After I did all the diagnostics on my Outlook, I finally thought a system restore would be the ticket. However, I am getting all the same error messages you are getting. So, I am wondering if you ever found a solution to this problem without having to reinstall windows. btw, I am running Windows 7, what system do you have?