Computer Backups [NA]

[Let'sgoflying!]

I had been using a program to backup stuff to CD. It doesn't recognize the driver on this new computer... so maybe I will just drag and drop stuff onto the CD/DVD icon.
But what a pain to find my bookmarks and inbox each time... maybe I can make a 'folder of shortcuts', and in that folder, place a shortcut of everything I want backed up. Think it will work or will I end up with a tiny file on my CD, with a bunch of 'empty' icons?

 

[sshekels]

You would just endup with a backup of the shortcut. In setting up the new PC, I would just place everything you want in the My Documents folder, and back that up. Otherwise, just backup:

C: / Documents and Settings / (Your name) / (Stuff You Want)

There you can find favorites, desktop, documents, etc.

S.

 

[Brian Austin]

To confirm that we're talking apples to apples here, Dave...

1. What operating system are you using? Win95, Win98, WinXP Home, Win2000?

2. What 'driver' is not recognized?

3. What backup program were you using?

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

WinXP
"NTI Backup Now"
http://www.ntius.com

Toshiba DVD CD/RW drive MK4025GAS

Its not in their list of supported disk drives
I tried their fix of adding the cdrw32 file to the database folder and restarting but no go...
I think I'd rather find a more elegant solution to backups anyway..
Whatd you think of my shortcuts idea?

 

[Brian Austin]

Whatd you think of my shortcuts idea?

Scott was correct. A shortcut is merely a pointer to another file. Backups don't 'follow' the pointers, they merely read them as separate files.

Aside from a direct copy of critical files or a complete image burned to a DVD (my favorite), the old standby "ntbackup.exe" in your Windows\System32 folder is always a choice. Simple, rather foolproof and comes with every WinXP and Win2000 system by default.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Dave,

If your new DVD CD/RW drive allows you to "drag and drop" files onto it, see if it will let you do it with a COPY command. If so, you can create a "batch file" on your desktop that you double-click on that copies all of your files that you want backed up to the CD/RW.

Try this: put a blank CDR in the drive. Click Start/Run, type cmd and press enter. You should get a command prompt. Type COPY C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\*.* e: and press enter(presuming e: is your drive letter for the CDROM drive; you can also use any other directory that you want to test with... your "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop" folder might not have any files in it, so check first, and use a directory name that has some stuff in it).

To close the command window, type exit and press enter.

Use Windows Explorer now to see if you have files waiting to be burned to the CDR; if you do, then this method will work and I can tell you how to set up a batch file on your desktop that will back things up with a single double-click of the mouse.

Troy

 

[Brian Austin]

You might run into sharing violations/open file issues with a copy command/drag-n-drop solution. Backup programs have special OS access to read an open file without triggering the "can't access open files" access issues.

Even if you have NO apps running, some of the key files you'll want to backup are open in another background process.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

I typed exactly this, because this is where a bunch of files are, and d is the only drive on this computer:

Copy C:\Documents and Settings\My Documents\1\*.*d:

It returned "The system cannot find the file specified"

Does 'copy' have to be caps?
The slashes are not my usual slashes, I guess they have to be that one specifically.

 

[Brian Austin]

Copy C:\Documents and Settings\My Documents\1\*.*d:

There needs to be a space between the * and d (bold above).

DOS isn't case-sensitive.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Not getting anywhere.
I even tried
copy C:\documents and settings\*.* d:
to catch anything at all and it couldnt find. (note I included the space.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

You might run into sharing violations/open file issues with a copy command/drag-n-drop solution. Backup programs have special OS access to read an open file without triggering the "can't access open files" access issues. Even if you have NO apps running, some of the key files you'll want to backup are open in another background process.

How do you back things up?
How does anyone?
What about those tiny usb chips people just shove into the port?

 

[Brian Austin]

Not getting anywhere.
I even tried
copy C:\documents and settings\*.* d:
to catch anything at all and it couldnt find. (note I included the space.

Ah...spaces again, this time opposite.

Try this:

copy "c:\documents and settings\all users\*.*" d:

It's a DOS thing.

 

[Brian Austin]

copy "c:\documents and settings\all users\*.*" d:

Just a note here: "all users" doesn't actually GET all users. It's a generic setup for all of the users that login. You need to either backup EVERYTHING under documents and settings or also get your specific login.

 

[sshekels]

One more note, use this format:

xcopy "c:\documents and settings\all users\*.*" d: /s


OR (to address Brian's note)


xcopy "c:\documents and settings\*.*" d: /s



that will copy the "all users" folder and ALL folders below it. Note that this will include LOTS of junk files - temporary internet files, etc.


The xcopy command can do subdirectories, copy does not.

S.


NOTE2: this also presumes you have some CD burning software running that will mount the CD in such a way to allow copy/xcopy to access it.

 

[Don Jones]

How do you back things up?
How does anyone?
What about those tiny usb chips people just shove into the port?

Dave,
I use one of these to backup my work computer. I have several of them and
rotate them, using a different one each week. I did as was suggested by others
and wrote a batch file that copies everything I need backed up and placed it on the desktop. If the program is running it will not work as has been mentioned. It used to take 30 minutes to back the thing up on a tape drive, now with the usb jump drive it takes about 30 seconds. Works great. I also used the xcopy command with the /s switch. Keep hacking at the dos syntax and you will get it. Good luck,
Don