Rock said:
<snip>
That file is the user part of the registry. You can't back it up from
within the account it's for, it is locked. Login to another account
that has admin privileges, either create another account, or use the
built in Administrator account, and back it up. That being said,
backing up the user portion of the registry is not going to do you any
good so don't bother with it.
Putting aside what follows for the moment; "... don't bother with it"
implies I have the option to de-select the "user portion" in the copying
process. I don't think that is possible with the program (ImgBurn)I
cited... which goes in support what you say further along.
System restore creates a backup of the
registry. Or use another tool such as ERUNT which can be set up as a
scheduled task to make a backup of the registry on a periodic basis ( I
have mine set to do so every day). This registry backup can be restored
from the recovery console if need be.
This is where things get really complicated for me. And I'll probably
have to ask you to trust me a bit (although I'm open to being
corrected)on this, because a lot of people don't believe it and it tends
to spawn lengthy arguments. There is no "Recovery Console" in this
emachines T2893 OEM distribution. Neither is there a way to access the
Directory from within Windows (a "DoD" protection something-or-other);
neither can the machine be booted using the Recovery DVD that comes with
it.
To re-boot after a major crash, or a "Boot Sector" problem, a "Restore"
DVD has to be purchased from eMachines for an additional $20 US. Suffice
it to say, recovering from a major crash of this unit is a major PITA;
essentially starting from scratch to rebuild the "Profile" and settings
even though the essential docs, including mail client backup, should
have been saved to external/removable disk if the operator had a lick of
sense.
ERUNT
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/
http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/erunt.txt
Installing and Using ERUNT
http://www.silentrunners.org/sr_eruntuse.html
http://www.winxptutor.com/regback.htm
Best yet is to use a drive imaging program such as Acronis True Image to
regularly save a compressed image of the drive to external media such as
an external USB hard drive.
This makes good sense, of course; and thank you for offering it. I shall
probably avail myself of it, or a variation thereof, soon.
In closing, I want to add that for a non-tech, stand-alone, home desktop
camper like me, finding out well after the fact that the unit I
purchased requires a minimum of $60 additional software, and possibly
upwards several hundred dollars for additional installed or peripheral
hardware in order to perform routine backups from which a system or HDD
failure can be done, is annoying. Without going into the details, the
inference given by the description of the Windows XP-Home OS as it
pertains to data security and backup regimes is that these requirements
are fully considered and covered without the need for substantial
additional investments; ... not to mention the significant amount of
time it takes for a non-tech type to figure all that out.
rooster
boundary bay. bc