No floppy drive- can I still recover from external storage device?

Hi, I'm finally getting around to upgrading to Vista. So I purchased an
external drive (Maxtor 3200) to back up everything on my Dell Dimension E520
prior to installation. I waited for an hour and a half while everything
backed up to the drive, then after all that, an error message popped up that
said I don't have a floppy drive (which,btw, I already knew) and that I can't
restore my backed up information without a floppy disk. I understand that I
can't use a CD-R or RW to solve this issue. Does this mean that its
pointless for me to back everything up because I can't get into the info
again, or does it mean that I won't be able to do a full system restore in
case of crash but I can still access the info on my external drive? Thanks
for any help you can offer!

What baclup program did you use? Is XP or 2000 on the computer?

"RockportCatLady" <RockportCatLady@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:663E20CA-35A3-4DB4-A9EF-559EB13935A5@microsoft.com...
> Hi, I'm finally getting around to upgrading to Vista. So I purchased an
> external drive (Maxtor 3200) to back up everything on my Dell Dimension
> E520
> prior to installation. I waited for an hour and a half while everything
> backed up to the drive, then after all that, an error message popped up
> that
> said I don't have a floppy drive (which,btw, I already knew) and that I
> can't
> restore my backed up information without a floppy disk. I understand that
> I
> can't use a CD-R or RW to solve this issue. Does this mean that its
> pointless for me to back everything up because I can't get into the info
> again, or does it mean that I won't be able to do a full system restore in
> case of crash but I can still access the info on my external drive?
> Thanks
> for any help you can offer!

Need more information...What OS are you running now? How are you copying
your files to the external drive (i.e. are you using a program...and if so,
what is the name of it, or are you using the drag-and-drop method)? What
file name is it trying to copy when it stops to ask about a floppy? Are you
backing up your entire drive (including the Windows folder) or just your
data?

Done correctly, using an external HD is a very good way to backup your data
in preparation for an upgrade. It doesn't make sense that it's asking for a
floppy so there must be something odd about how you are copying your files.
Please post back with the additional information and I'm sure it will get
straightened out.

Tim

"RockportCatLady" <RockportCatLady@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:663E20CA-35A3-4DB4-A9EF-559EB13935A5@microsoft.com...
> Hi, I'm finally getting around to upgrading to Vista. So I purchased an
> external drive (Maxtor 3200) to back up everything on my Dell Dimension
> E520
> prior to installation. I waited for an hour and a half while everything
> backed up to the drive, then after all that, an error message popped up
> that
> said I don't have a floppy drive (which,btw, I already knew) and that I
> can't
> restore my backed up information without a floppy disk. I understand that
> I
> can't use a CD-R or RW to solve this issue. Does this mean that its
> pointless for me to back everything up because I can't get into the info
> again, or does it mean that I won't be able to do a full system restore in
> case of crash but I can still access the info on my external drive?
> Thanks
> for any help you can offer!

"RockportCatLady" <RockportCatLady@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:663E20CA-35A3-4DB4-A9EF-559EB13935A5@microsoft.com...
> Hi, I'm finally getting around to upgrading to Vista. So I purchased an
> external drive (Maxtor 3200) to back up everything on my Dell Dimension
> E520
> prior to installation. I waited for an hour and a half while everything
> backed up to the drive, then after all that, an error message popped up
> that
> said I don't have a floppy drive (which,btw, I already knew) and that I
> can't
> restore my backed up information without a floppy disk. I understand that
> I
> can't use a CD-R or RW to solve this issue. Does this mean that its
> pointless for me to back everything up because I can't get into the info
> again, or does it mean that I won't be able to do a full system restore in
> case of crash but I can still access the info on my external drive?
> Thanks
> for any help you can offer!
If you are moving from XP, and if you are using NTBackup, you are needlessly
doing a complete
backup of the disk. When NTbackup says it needs a floppy, nothing else will
suffice.

The only files that will ever be of use to you are in the Documents and
Settings folder
and subfolders. You can backup this folder to a file and never go near the
floppy.

NTBackup on an XP machine will not save a backup file to a CD if the file is
too big to fit on a single CD.
You will need packet writing software such as Nero or Easy CD Creator to
save a large file to several
CDs.

Jim

I'm sorry, I should've given that info. I'm currently using Windows XP. I'm
using the XP system backup wizard (start:all programs:accessories:system
tools:backup), which starts copying all the files automatically. I think it
said something about a "shadow method." So no drag and drop. It completely
finishes the backup, says backup is complete, lets me view a report showing
that its completely backed up to the external drive, then a little windows
error box pops up and says that since no floppy drive is available none of
the backed up information will be restored. I'd copy the report but since my
original post the hard drive has broken, so I can't access anything on it
anyway. It's been a long day, lol. I backed up the entire drive to what was,
at the time the external drive was attached, the J: drive. Thanks for the
assistance!

"Tim" wrote:

> Need more information...What OS are you running now? How are you copying
> your files to the external drive (i.e. are you using a program...and if so,
> what is the name of it, or are you using the drag-and-drop method)? What
> file name is it trying to copy when it stops to ask about a floppy? Are you
> backing up your entire drive (including the Windows folder) or just your
> data?
>
> Done correctly, using an external HD is a very good way to backup your data
> in preparation for an upgrade. It doesn't make sense that it's asking for a
> floppy so there must be something odd about how you are copying your files.
> Please post back with the additional information and I'm sure it will get
> straightened out.
>
> Tim
>
> "RockportCatLady" <RockportCatLady@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
> message news:663E20CA-35A3-4DB4-A9EF-559EB13935A5@microsoft.com...
> > Hi, I'm finally getting around to upgrading to Vista. So I purchased an
> > external drive (Maxtor 3200) to back up everything on my Dell Dimension
> > E520
> > prior to installation. I waited for an hour and a half while everything
> > backed up to the drive, then after all that, an error message popped up
> > that
> > said I don't have a floppy drive (which,btw, I already knew) and that I
> > can't
> > restore my backed up information without a floppy disk. I understand that
> > I
> > can't use a CD-R or RW to solve this issue. Does this mean that its
> > pointless for me to back everything up because I can't get into the info
> > again, or does it mean that I won't be able to do a full system restore in
> > case of crash but I can still access the info on my external drive?
> > Thanks
> > for any help you can offer!
>

No worries...

I suspected that was what you were doing. See Jim's reply...he is correct.
That is how I backup my data in preparation for an OS re-install. The only
thing I would add is if you have created additional accounts on the PC
(perhaps for a spouse or children), you need to copy data from their
respective "My Documents" folders.

But the most important thing to realize here is that you would have had a
hard time restoring your files had you continued using XP's backup utility.
Vista's is different (personally, I don't like it). I seem to remember that
after Vista was released, Microsoft came out with a free utility that would
allow Vista PCs to read (but not write) files from XP's Backup program. Save
yourself potential grief...use drag-and-drop using Jim's suggestion.

Tim

"RockportCatLady" <RockportCatLady@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news1883954-0B6D-4CCA-A38F-399B6EC27F38@microsoft.com...
> I'm sorry, I should've given that info. I'm currently using Windows XP.
> I'm
> using the XP system backup wizard (start:all programs:accessories:system
> tools:backup), which starts copying all the files automatically. I think
> it
> said something about a "shadow method." So no drag and drop. It
> completely
> finishes the backup, says backup is complete, lets me view a report
> showing
> that its completely backed up to the external drive, then a little windows
> error box pops up and says that since no floppy drive is available none of
> the backed up information will be restored. I'd copy the report but since
> my
> original post the hard drive has broken, so I can't access anything on it
> anyway. It's been a long day, lol. I backed up the entire drive to what
> was,
> at the time the external drive was attached, the J: drive. Thanks for the
> assistance!
>
> "Tim" wrote:
>
>> Need more information...What OS are you running now? How are you copying
>> your files to the external drive (i.e. are you using a program...and if
>> so,
>> what is the name of it, or are you using the drag-and-drop method)? What
>> file name is it trying to copy when it stops to ask about a floppy? Are
>> you
>> backing up your entire drive (including the Windows folder) or just your
>> data?
>>
>> Done correctly, using an external HD is a very good way to backup your
>> data
>> in preparation for an upgrade. It doesn't make sense that it's asking for
>> a
>> floppy so there must be something odd about how you are copying your
>> files.
>> Please post back with the additional information and I'm sure it will get
>> straightened out.
>>
>> Tim
>>
>> "RockportCatLady" <RockportCatLady@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>> message news:663E20CA-35A3-4DB4-A9EF-559EB13935A5@microsoft.com...
>> > Hi, I'm finally getting around to upgrading to Vista. So I purchased
>> > an
>> > external drive (Maxtor 3200) to back up everything on my Dell Dimension
>> > E520
>> > prior to installation. I waited for an hour and a half while
>> > everything
>> > backed up to the drive, then after all that, an error message popped up
>> > that
>> > said I don't have a floppy drive (which,btw, I already knew) and that I
>> > can't
>> > restore my backed up information without a floppy disk. I understand
>> > that
>> > I
>> > can't use a CD-R or RW to solve this issue. Does this mean that its
>> > pointless for me to back everything up because I can't get into the
>> > info
>> > again, or does it mean that I won't be able to do a full system restore
>> > in
>> > case of crash but I can still access the info on my external drive?
>> > Thanks
>> > for any help you can offer!
>>

"RockportCatLady" wrote
> Hi, I'm finally getting around to upgrading to Vista. So I purchased an
> external drive (Maxtor 3200) to back up everything on my Dell Dimension
> E520
> prior to installation. I waited for an hour and a half while everything
> backed up to the drive, then after all that, an error message popped up
> that
> said I don't have a floppy drive (which,btw, I already knew) and that I
> can't
> restore my backed up information without a floppy disk. I understand that
> I
> can't use a CD-R or RW to solve this issue. Does this mean that its
> pointless for me to back everything up because I can't get into the info
> again, or does it mean that I won't be able to do a full system restore in
> case of crash but I can still access the info on my external drive?
> Thanks
> for any help you can offer!

You are using the ASR wizard in XP Pro, is that correct? That wizard needs
a floppy disk. Without it you can't use the ASR function to do a complete
restore of XP in the case of a failure. You can use Ntbackup to backup
files but don't use the ASR wizard.

There is a way to recover files from a backup created by Ntbackup in XP to
Vista, see this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...&DisplayLang=en

I have not used that in Vista so I can't attest to how it works.

If what you want to do is make a backup of your current XP installation so
it can be restored in case of a problem with the Vista install, that's very
smart thinking. I suggest you use Acronis True Image Home, version 10.
This is a drive imaging program. It works in both Vista and XP so you can
use it in the Vista installation.

It creates a compressed image of the drive which you can store on the
external drive. After a full image subsequent images can be differential or
incremental saving time and space. Images can be done on a partition or
drive basis, and restores done on a file, partition or drive basis. It also
does file backup and disk cloning. It's an excellent choice for backup and
recovery.

Now to migrate your data to the new Vista installation it depends on how you
plan to make the move to Vista. If you are going to try an upgrade, then
data, settings and programs will be migrated in the upgrade process. You
need to do careful homework before making the move to Vista. Are Vista
drivers available for all the hardware? Check on the computer
manufacturer's site for this info, and on the sites for all the added
hardware, including the manufacturer's sites for all retail add in cards,
and for the printer and scanner. It's common that manufacturers of printers
and scanners do not support legacy hardware with new drivers.

Also make sure you use the Vista upgrade advisor and take care of any issues
it flags as potential problems including uninstalling any potentially
problematic software. Uninstall the AV program, any 3rd party firewalls, CD
burning software, any other software that uses drivers, and any system level
utilities such as Partition Magic which is not Vista compatible. Know that
the Vista Upgrade Advisor is just a guide, it is not always accurate or
complete. It is not a guarantee of success.

Sometimes the upgrade just doesn't work out right. In that case do a clean
install. Personally I recommend a clean install going to Vista. To migrate
data and settings from your original XP installation to the Vista
installation, use the Windows Easy Transfer Utility on the Vista DVD. Run
that on the XP installation to create a file containing the settings and
data on the external hard drive. Then after Vista is installed use WET to
bring in the data and settings. Programs will have to be installed from
original media. Always have redundant backup of important data. Don't just
rely on WET to safeguard the data.

How to use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate files and settings from one
Windows-based computer to another Windows Vista-based computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928634/en-us

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]