Back up

[Simone Marchi]

I've read that in XP Home Edition the back up utility isn't installed by
default but I can install it from the CD. The problem is XP Home Edition was
preinstalled on my PC and I have only the recovery CDs which I browsed but I
didn't find Ntbackup.msi. I also checked out the System Tools in the
Accessories menu with no success so I think the back up utility wasn't
preinstalled togheter with the OS. How can I install Ntbackup.msi on my PC?
Thank you in advance --
Simone Marchi

 

[Joan Archer]

I don't know whether you can get this from Microsoft now as it's very old
and outdated, I think you would be much better off looking for a proper back
up program or imaging program to use with XP.

Acronis True Image is one such program, there are others but it depends on
just what you want to do and how much you want to spend or not spend as the
case may be.

You'll probably get lots of advice from the experts here so I'd wait and see
what others suggest.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I've read that in XP Home Edition the back up utility isn't installed by
default but I can install it from the CD. The problem is XP Home Edition
was
preinstalled on my PC and I have only the recovery CDs which I browsed but
I
didn't find Ntbackup.msi. I also checked out the System Tools in the
Accessories menu with no success so I think the back up utility wasn't
preinstalled togheter with the OS. How can I install Ntbackup.msi on my
PC?
Thank you in advance --
Simone Marchi

There is a simple answer for such questions: Type the following phrase into
a Google search window
download "ntbackup.exe"
and check the replies. One of the first links points you to
http://www.ntbackup.us/Articles/install-ntbackup-xp-home.htm
which has a download link in its sixth paragraph.

However . . . as Joan pointed out, ntbackup is not the best of backup
utilities. It can be difficult to use and file retrieval is not that easy
either.
Depending on your needs, a commercial solution such as Acronis
might be better for you. Alternatively a humble batch file with a few
xcopy.exe commands inside could work too.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I've read that in XP Home Edition the back up utility isn't installed by
default but I can install it from the CD.

That's correct.

The problem is XP Home Edition was
preinstalled on my PC and I have only the recovery CDs which I browsed but I
didn't find Ntbackup.msi. I also checked out the System Tools in the
Accessories menu with no success so I think the back up utility wasn't
preinstalled togheter with the OS. How can I install Ntbackup.msi on my PC?

If you don't have an XP CD, you can download ntbackup.msi at
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi Also see
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=302894

However, in my view, the built-in Windows backup program is probably
the worst possible choice for backup. There are many third-party
choices available that are far better, and not expensive. I recommend
that instead, you look into getting one of these, such as the
excellent Acronis True Image.

 

[Moi]

I'm no expert but I swear by Acronis. After having to spend four weeks full
time restoring an extremely complex system (and writing a manual to do it in
case I had to again) I bought a large external drive (very cheap) and
Acronis, and have never looked back! I have, in the course of experiments,
done two complete erase disks and restore from Acronis./ Prefect every time.

 

[Simone Marchi]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think I'll invest a few euros to buy a
dedicated software.