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#1
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Restoring the registry
I recently had to rebuild C: from scratch, which included restoring
the directory from tape along with a full file restore. Everything went well, but I've wondered since whether this should be credited to good design in Colorado Backup (which notes the restoration of the registry so I can notice I should restart), or would have worked with just a simple-minded copy from whatever backup medium I used. That is, can SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT be restored at any old time during a full file restore, say from multiple DVD's, or do they need to be restored first, or last, so that their numerous references to other files will all work? (Clearly, I'm a registry newbie with a healthy fear of screwing the thing.) |
#2
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The order wouldn't matter. But, should you attempt to boot before you've
restored the Registry files, who knows what could happen? Therefore, do them first, if you can. (And STILL don't boot until you've got the rest. I guess that too would be a mess.) Naturally, the folder System/User.dat go into... C:\WINDOWS... would have to be there. BUT, (although you have apparently been successful)... MSBackup is visually impressive & certainly has endless docs. But it is a poor tool for a full system backup. It has a 2 GB file size limitation, (well, maybe it's 4 GB). You will not upgrade to a new OS with it, as it is incompatible with other versions of itself. (Someone did say you may install the old version to the new system, though.) Also, you will go nuts trying to do incrementals, archive bits, etc., I'm sure. To do a full system restore from it, you need to fresh install Windows first. (But Fuzzy Logic says no, per one of the following URLs.) And there is tweaking involved. It WON'T be pretty. Take a look at... http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];Q166172 Duplicating Windows 95/98/98 Second Edition Installation to a New Hard Disk http://support.microsoft.com:80/supp.../q187/5/26.asp How to Restore Windows 98 from a Full System Backup ....or that, which still is a ton of potential trouble, & do you have a "pcrestor"? Well, perhaps get it from this ton of additional documentation... http://www.vanwijk.com/-=%20Bookz%20.../ch10/ch10.htm Special Edition Using Windows 98 -10- Backing Up Your Data Once you have a functioning system, especially one close to a clean install, do a full system backup. If you have multiple partitions, I guess a backup is a bit more complex. It depends upon the ties between the Registry & the other partitions, as to whether they must be backed up concurrently. Also, if you've changed the hardware since the backup, you may need to change it back before a restore. http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/index.html Backup & partitioning strategy http://home.wanadoo.nl/geurt/home.html Extended Operating System Loader http://powerquest.com/driveimage/ Drive Image http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/ TrueImage http://www.arjsoftware.com ARJ Archiver http://www.betterbackup.com/ Retrospect CD Backup http://www.bootitng.com/ 's BootIt NG, has a variety of backup capabilities: Copy to HDD, or Image to HDD or to CD. (TBIView, freely downloadable, can retrieve individual files from an Image.) Shrink/expand your partitions without data loss. Multi-boot, if you dare. Free, run from floppy, but pay up as I did if satisfied. To install & use beyond 30 days, $34.95. http://www.cdrfaq.org/ CD R/W Backup http://www.cyberiapc.com/backup.htm MyOwnBackup (MOB) (Free) http://www.han-soft.com/habt.php Auto Backup (30-day free trial) http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/cposupport...&p=hpcdwriter2 Simple Backup http://www.karenware.com/ PtReplicator (Free) http://www.lifesaverbackup.com/ http://www.mvps.org/links.html Should have good info http://www.pcmag.com/ Lots & lots of sturdy downloads. There is a $20 yearly charge now. http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic Partition Magic http://www.ranish.com/part/ Ranish Partition Manager http://www.rescue-me.net/gold.html http://www.simtel.net/pub/dl/58307.shtml Backups http://www.stompinc.com/bump/bump_details.phtml?stp Backup MyPC http://www.thirdstar.net/thirdstar_datarecovery.htm Data recovery http://www.tomsterdam.com/ BU process, performance, etc. http://www.v-com.com/product/pc_ind.html Partition Commander http://www.veritas.com Backup apps http://www.xxcopy.com/ Detailed Procedure Copy (Free) http://www.zeleps.com/ Partition re-sizer (Free) All gathered at this site. Whichever you choose, approach it carefully and verify all is well. After making a copy, run Scandisk/Defrag on it. If it's an Image, use it's verify option; perhaps, restore it and do a Scandisk/Defrag. http://www.pchelpandconsulting.com/links/windows.html WinDrvExpert http://www.jermar.com/wdrvbck.htm WinDrvBckup free version Those last two supposedly back up all currently installed drivers, such that they can be reinstalled. I never tried it but have seen a favorable report/two. -- Thanks or Good Luck, There may be humor in this post, and, Naturally, you will not sue, should things get worse after this, PCR "Anthony Buckland" wrote in message ... | I recently had to rebuild C: from scratch, which included restoring | the directory from tape along with a full file restore. Everything | went well, but I've wondered since whether this should be | credited to good design in Colorado Backup (which notes the | restoration of the registry so I can notice I should restart), or | would have worked with just a simple-minded copy from whatever | backup medium I used. | | That is, can SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT be restored at any old time | during a full file restore, say from multiple DVD's, or do they | need to be restored first, or last, so that their numerous | references to other files will all work? (Clearly, I'm a | registry newbie with a healthy fear of screwing the thing.) | |
#3
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A full restore using a Windows application is a tricky task, and the
Colorado software has a number of design features that make it possible, including the special processing of the registry files that you noticed. The exact point in the process at which it occurs is critical - too early and the matching files that the registry expects to see won't be there, too late and the system might be executing critical tasks with the default (inappropriate) registry values. Other backup strategies avoid the problem by doing the restore from a DOS boot, which is pretty close to a 'clean' machine as far as Windows is concerned. Of course, this raises issues of its own, such as exactly what backup devices can be supported from a DOS boot. -- Jeff Richards MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User) "Anthony Buckland" wrote in message ... I recently had to rebuild C: from scratch, which included restoring the directory from tape along with a full file restore. Everything went well, but I've wondered since whether this should be credited to good design in Colorado Backup (which notes the restoration of the registry so I can notice I should restart), or would have worked with just a simple-minded copy from whatever backup medium I used. That is, can SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT be restored at any old time during a full file restore, say from multiple DVD's, or do they need to be restored first, or last, so that their numerous references to other files will all work? (Clearly, I'm a registry newbie with a healthy fear of screwing the thing.) |
#4
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"Jeff Richards" wrote in message
... Of course, this raises issues of its own, such as exactly what backup devices can be supported from a DOS boot. Just about any device that you can get the drivers on the media for the device to be used. USB, LPT, TCP/IP, SCSI/ASPI, Firewire and CD/DVD, and then of course the Hard drive. Although I don't know if Colorado aka Eagle aka Seagate can utilize all of them, they can utilize CD/DVD, Tape and the HD. Ghost on the other hand uses them all. -- Brian A. Conflicts start where information lacks. http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm |
#5
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Thanks for all the replies.
It sounds safer to stick with what I have tried once and found true: - restore the factory state of the hard drive - install Colorado backup - do a full restore from tape - deinstall, and reinstall, Colorado backup (to clean up the small problem of having it restore itself on top of itself during the full restore) But I certainly have plenty of sources to go to now for alternatives (now that I have a DVD-RW drive, I intend to do a full save on DVD; I would have lost a _lot_ if the tape, drive or restore process from tape had failed). Even a DVD of My Documents would achieve a lot, although losing all that stuff that software insists on storing in Program Files and Windows -- grrr. |
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