Do you back up System Volume Information?

When you back up files, do you include System Volume Information?

There are so many of them and they're so big and yet they are always
changing?

I see two povs.

If you're restoring from a backup, your Restore Points weren't good
enough to solve your problem.

OTOH, AFTER you restore from the backup, you might still need to go to
a restore point, and if you haven't backed them up, you might delete
them all when you restore. Then you'll have only one setup.

Which do you do?

Thanks.

mm wrote:
When you back up files, do you include System Volume Information?

Individually, you mean? No. But then again, I routinely use Acronis
True Image Home to image the system. (I can see the point in backing up
some personal files, but not this).

There are so many of them and they're so big and yet they are always
changing?

Yup. And typically each XP restore set is around 50-100 MB in size for
each date.

I see two povs.

If you're restoring from a backup, your Restore Points weren't good
enough to solve your problem.

OTOH, AFTER you restore from the backup, you might still need to go to
a restore point, and if you haven't backed them up, you might delete
them all when you restore. Then you'll have only one setup.

Why would you delete them all? I've used System Restore and haven't
deleted them, so I don't know what you mean. However, if you figure you
are going to do a lot of restores, it would be best to reservve a larger
amount of disk space for more of them at the outset (keeping in mind each
one uses about 50-100 MB).

I generally rely on keeping a few generational C: image backups on my second
HD, and/or using ERUNT, instead of System Restore, however.

On Mon, 1 Nov 2010 13:14:42 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:

mm wrote:
When you back up files, do you include System Volume Information?

Individually, you mean?

Yes.

No. But then again, I routinely use Acronis
True Image Home to image the system. (I can see the point in backing up
some personal files, but not this).

As I understand it, Win98 doesn't have to be imaged**, it's enough
that all the files be backed up. If one backs up file by file, only
the ones that have changed, it takes much less time than making an
image does. **Maybe it requires sys'ing or something after a
restore, but that would be a worthwhile trade-off.

Or one could make an image once in a while, and also make a file by
file copy every day, or more than once a day. Then restore the image,
and restore all of this mornings files on top of that.

There are so many of them and they're so big and yet they are always
changing?

Yup. And typically each XP restore set is around 50-100 MB in size for
each date.

Yeah.

I see two povs.

If you're restoring from a backup, your Restore Points weren't good
enough to solve your problem.

OTOH, AFTER you restore from the backup, you might still need to go to
a restore point, and if you haven't backed them up, you might delete
them all when you restore. Then you'll have only one setup.

Why would you delete them all?

Sorry, what I meant was: If I backed up all the files but say, the
swapfile, the pagefile, the temporary internet files, and the recycle
bin, and also didn't back up the Restore files, then if I had to
reformat the win98 partition, I wouldn't have the Restore files
anymore.

I've used System Restore and haven't
deleted them, so I don't know what you mean. However, if you figure you
are going to do a lot of restores,

I don't plan to do any restores. Certainly not a lot.

it would be best to reservve a larger
amount of disk space for more of them at the outset (keeping in mind each
one uses about 50-100 MB).

I guess I have the diskspace, but the time spent backing up is a major
annoyance.

I generally rely on keeping a few generational C: image backups on my second
HD, and/or using ERUNT, instead of System Restore, however.

I have ERUNT running, but haven't figured out yet what it does. :-)

"mm" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 1 Nov 2010 13:14:42 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:
snip

Why would you delete them all?

Sorry, what I meant was: If I backed up all the files but say, the
swapfile, the pagefile, the temporary internet files, and the recycle
bin, and also didn't back up the Restore files, then if I had to
reformat the win98 partition, I wouldn't have the Restore files
anymore.
snip

What are you talking about? This is a win98 group, your talking about a
win98 partition....there is no system restore in win98. If you have a
dual-boot system with 98 and XP, then from XP go turn off system restore
for the 98 partition...there's no reason to have it on except for the XP
partition. The SVI folder tree is created by XP's system restore
utility....there is no reason to have SR turned on for the win98
partition.
--
Glen Ventura
MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
CompTIA A+
http://dts-l.net/

mm wrote:
On Mon, 1 Nov 2010 13:14:42 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:

mm wrote:
When you back up files, do you include System Volume Information?

Individually, you mean?

Yes.

No. But then again, I routinely use Acronis
True Image Home to image the system. (I can see the point in backing up
some personal files, but not this).

As I understand it, Win98 doesn't have to be imaged**, it's enough
that all the files be backed up. If one backs up file by file, only
the ones that have changed, it takes much less time than making an
image does. **Maybe it requires sys'ing or something after a
restore, but that would be a worthwhile trade-off.

Or one could make an image once in a while, and also make a file by
file copy every day, or more than once a day. Then restore the image,
and restore all of this mornings files on top of that.

Wait a minute, I'm getting confused here, I thought we were talking about
Windows XP. As Glen says, this doesn't apply to Windows 98. As Glen
mentioned, there is no "System Restore" for Win98. About the only
"built-in" restore like fallback you have in Win98 is to use "scanreg
/restore", to restore an older backup of the registry (which is similar to
what ERUNT does for Windows XP)

There are so many of them and they're so big and yet they are always
changing?

Yup. And typically each XP restore set is around 50-100 MB in size for
each date.

Yeah.

I see two povs.

If you're restoring from a backup, your Restore Points weren't good
enough to solve your problem.

OTOH, AFTER you restore from the backup, you might still need to go to
a restore point, and if you haven't backed them up, you might delete
them all when you restore. Then you'll have only one setup.

Why would you delete them all?

Sorry, what I meant was: If I backed up all the files but say, the
swapfile, the pagefile, the temporary internet files, and the recycle
bin, and also didn't back up the Restore files, then if I had to
reformat the win98 partition, I wouldn't have the Restore files
anymore.

I've used System Restore and haven't
deleted them, so I don't know what you mean. However, if you figure you
are going to do a lot of restores,

I don't plan to do any restores. Certainly not a lot.

it would be best to reservve a larger
amount of disk space for more of them at the outset (keeping in mind each
one uses about 50-100 MB).

I guess I have the diskspace, but the time spent backing up is a major
annoyance.

There is nothing like having a guaranteed clean system, and the only way to
get that is to either use an image or a clone backup of your system, even if
it takes half an hour to back it up.

I generally rely on keeping a few generational C: image backups on my
second
HD, and/or using ERUNT, instead of System Restore, however.

I have ERUNT running, but haven't figured out yet what it does. :-)

ERUNT is useful for Windows XP, but is not really necessary for Win98 since
Win98 normally makes its own registry backups each day (assuming you turn
your computer off each night) And you can later restore some of them with
"scanreg /restore" (at the DOS level), if needbe. If you need more backups
you can modify the appropriate ini file, or just save the older backups in
another directory for safe keeping, since only 5 are normally retained.

glee wrote:
"mm" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 1 Nov 2010 13:14:42 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:
snip

Why would you delete them all?

Sorry, what I meant was: If I backed up all the files but say, the
swapfile, the pagefile, the temporary internet files, and the recycle
bin, and also didn't back up the Restore files, then if I had to
reformat the win98 partition, I wouldn't have the Restore files
anymore.
snip

What are you talking about? This is a win98 group, your talking about a
win98 partition....there is no system restore in win98. If you have a
dual-boot system with 98 and XP, then from XP go turn off system restore
for the 98 partition...there's no reason to have it on except for the XP
partition. The SVI folder tree is created by XP's system restore
utility....there is no reason to have SR turned on for the win98
partition.

I think he's talking about Windows XP now - either that, or one of us is
losing our mind. :-)

However, since this is allegedly a Windows98 group, who knows. :-)

On Tue, 2 Nov 2010 01:39:59 -0400, "glee"
wrote:

"mm" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 1 Nov 2010 13:14:42 -0600, "Bill in Co"
wrote:
snip

Why would you delete them all?

Sorry, what I meant was: If I backed up all the files but say, the
swapfile, the pagefile, the temporary internet files, and the recycle
bin, and also didn't back up the Restore files, then if I had to
reformat the win98 partition, I wouldn't have the Restore files
anymore.
snip

What are you talking about? This is a win98 group, your talking about a
win98 partition....there is no system restore in win98. If you have a
dual-boot system with 98 and XP, then from XP go turn off system restore
for the 98 partition...there's no reason to have it on except for the XP
partition. The SVI folder tree is created by XP's system restore
utility....there is no reason to have SR turned on for the win98
partition.

You're right. I was very confused. By the time I noticed Restore
files in the 98 partition, I'd forgotten that they weren't there when
I used only 98. (In fact it took me months to notice there were
Restore files in XP, let alone 98. I will turn off Restore as soon as
I get back to XP.

Thanks and sorry for the confusion to you and Bill.
Sorr

"Bill in Co" wrote in message
m...

ERUNT is useful for Windows XP, but is not really necessary for Win98
since Win98 normally makes its own registry backups each day (assuming
you turn your computer off each night) And you can later restore
some of them with "scanreg /restore" (at the DOS level), if needbe.
If you need more backups you can modify the appropriate ini file, or
just save the older backups in another directory for safe keeping,
since only 5 are normally retained.

It's not a matter of "not necessary" ....ERUNT is NOT for any Win9x
system, it's for NT-based systems only. For Win9x, you can use the
older utility, ERU, which was developed originally for Win95. ERUNT is
ERU for NT.
--
Glen Ventura
MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
CompTIA A+
http://dts-l.net/

"mm" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 2 Nov 2010 01:39:59 -0400, "glee"
wrote:

What are you talking about? This is a win98 group, your talking about
a
win98 partition....there is no system restore in win98. If you have a
dual-boot system with 98 and XP, then from XP go turn off system
restore
for the 98 partition...there's no reason to have it on except for the
XP
partition. The SVI folder tree is created by XP's system restore
utility....there is no reason to have SR turned on for the win98
partition.

You're right. I was very confused. By the time I noticed Restore
files in the 98 partition, I'd forgotten that they weren't there when
I used only 98. (In fact it took me months to notice there were
Restore files in XP, let alone 98. I will turn off Restore as soon as
I get back to XP.

Thanks and sorry for the confusion to you and Bill.
Sorr

Don't turn SR off completely in XP, just turn it off for the non-XP
partitions. System control panel (WinKey+Pause/Break) System Restore
tab, select the drive where you want to turn SR off, click the Settings
button, put a check in the box for "Turn off System Restore on this
drive", click OK all the way out.

For the partition(s) you are still monitoring (leaving it on), select
that partition, click Settings, and move the slider for "Disk space to
use" for SR down till it uses only about 1000 to 1200 MB, then click OK
all the way out.

How to Adjust the amount of disk space System Restore uses to hold
restore points (XP):
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/diskspace.html

--
Glen Ventura
MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
CompTIA A+
http://dts-l.net/

glee wrote:
"Bill in Co" wrote in message
m...

ERUNT is useful for Windows XP, but is not really necessary for Win98
since Win98 normally makes its own registry backups each day (assuming
you turn your computer off each night) And you can later restore
some of them with "scanreg /restore" (at the DOS level), if needbe.
If you need more backups you can modify the appropriate ini file, or
just save the older backups in another directory for safe keeping,
since only 5 are normally retained.

It's not a matter of "not necessary" ....ERUNT is NOT for any Win9x
system, it's for NT-based systems only. For Win9x, you can use the
older utility, ERU, which was developed originally for Win95. ERUNT is
ERU for NT.

Thanks for the correction Glen. Hadn't even realized that! Now, where's
my rocking chair....