Vista Complete PC Backup

[Jeff]

I performed the complete PC backup but I don't know if it worked and if it
did, what discs are valid. It was a confusing process. I have 36 GB to
backup and it said it should take 3-5 DVD discs. When I inserted the first
disc it said to label it, including the date and time of the backup followed
by "1". It did the same thing four times, and each time the progress bar
started from the beginning. After the fourth disk, it finally went through
verifying the disc and the progress bar went further. It told me to label
the fifth disk ending in "2", wrote to the disc & verified it, then said the
backup was complete. The last two discs are readable but the other three are
not. Did the system back up all 36 GB on two DVDs? If there were errors
writing to some discs then it should tell me that the discs are not part of
the backup set.

 

[curlgirl]

Jeff, I can commiserate. Last week, after a Windows (Vista) update, my
speakers quit working. I did a Restore, after which my computer couldn't
start up & went into the repair "loop" until I went loopy. I've beenn unable
to back up onto disks--it never progresses past the 1st disk. I lost every
file, and I may again since I can't back up. Extremely frustrating!!

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Jeff, I can commiserate. Last week, after a Windows (Vista) update, my
speakers quit working. I did a Restore, after which my computer couldn't
start up & went into the repair "loop" until I went loopy. I've beenn
unable
to back up onto disks--it never progresses past the 1st disk. I lost
every
file, and I may again since I can't back up. Extremely frustrating!!

As mentioned elsewhere, try another approach, using a 3rd-party utility.
Check out the Acronis TrueImage trial version, which is full-featured but
time-limited (15 days IIRC). If you like it, it's not expensive; full
retail is around $50 and I've seen mention that some online retailers sell
it for half that. It's been extremely reliable for me.

HTH
-pk

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Patrick, you are off by a quarter.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=acronis+true+image

 

[GRITSandSLUTS]

But WHY should you HAVE to 'buy' additional programs because Microsoft
released VISTA before they had worked out its 'kinks'...that is just as
frustrating, if NOT impossible for those of us who are 'on a set income'...I
tried to 'backup' and God only knows WHERE it went! If I hear, "I'lla fixa
ita for youa" just ONE MORE TIME, I'm going to 'definitely' scream! I live
in the south and I don't 'move' that fast! But I want it 'explained' to me.
I ended up DEMANDING that Dell replace my computer, because the salesman did
NOT know, ask and definitely couldn't 'visualize what I was telling him that
I wanted my computer to do'. This 3d go round; I've gotten 'better' AT
Troubleshooting; but find every where I go...they are just trying to SELL you
something.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Oh come on now. Even Apple has their partners who develop similar software
for Mac users that Apple does not provide.

 

[Paul Smith]

But WHY should you HAVE to 'buy' additional programs because Microsoft
released VISTA before they had worked out its 'kinks'...

Personally I think for a complete image of a computer, using optical media
is a big mistake - it simply isn't reliable enough, even if it is written
perfect in the first place, which many discs and burners are unable to do at
higher speeds, the chemicals in the discs can and do break down with time.

Use a separate hard disk, network share or Windows Home Server.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/
http://www.windowsresource.net/

*Remove nospam. to reply by e-mail*

 

[smcrob]

I have to agree with Paul.
I'm in the process right at this moment of the restore part from my
"Complete PC backup/restore". I have to admit that the whole process didn't
go near as easy as i was foolishly kidding myself it would be. I backed up my
image file onto a seperate harddrive since I had 518GB's of an Image file.

I almost screwed up a couple times. If using a Hard drive for the image
file, be careful that you have the drives you are restoring and the drive the
backupfile is on in correct order when you go into the restore process.
Booting your machine from the DVD will make your drives after C: out of order
because the DVD rom drive is put at the end of the drive list instead of
following right after your C: drive in the drive order. This makes your E:
turn into D: and your F: turn into E:. This almost fatally screwed me up
since it was my C drive and E that was backed up, and my backup file was on
F: well when I booted from DVD my F: was now E and that was one of the drives
to be restored. it would have been formated when i started.

Just a little warning, pay attenting to which drives are which when using
it. After i got all the wrinkles ironed out, it's going fine.

Scot