Backup and Restore failure

[Benzmum]

I used the Backup Status and Configuration software in Vista Home Premium to
back up my data on a DVD. Now when I put that disk in my optical drive, I'm
getting an error message when I try to use Restore:
"Windows was not able to find any backup sets on E:\ for the following reason.
The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable. (0x80070571)
Verify that this location is valid and contains backups or try a different
location."

Can anyone help?

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

There isn't much you can't do, simply means the disk is corrupt. You could
probably copying off the back up sets to a folder on the drive and try
pointing to it using the Restore wizard.

 

[Benzmum]

Well that's really annoying. I used a new Maxell DVD and ran the Vista Backup
facility, getting no errors along the way. Now it appears the disk is empty
and also there's no free space. Stupid Vista....

 

[John Hanley]

Benz -- I gave up on using DVD as my backup destination with Vista Backup.
I bought an external, USB hard drive for about $60 and use it as my backup
destination. No more problems as you are experiencing, very good return on
the cost.

 

[Benzmum]

Thanks, John. That's helpful to here. I thought external drives cost more
like $100. I'll probably go that route too.

 

[Benzmum]

....oops - make that "helpful to HEAR."

Thanks, John. That's helpful to here. I thought external drives cost more
like $100. I'll probably go that route too.

 

[DarkSentinel]

Thanks, John. That's helpful to here. I thought external drives cost more
like $100. I'll probably go that route too.

Me being the overly anal network admin type, I use multiple solutions. I had
had zero problems using DVD media for my back ups under Vista. That being
said, I also b/u to hard drive as well. Media can get scratched or damaged.
Hard drives can fail. Just do my best to be a covered as possible.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks, John. That's helpful to here. I thought external drives cost more
like $100. I'll probably go that route too.

Their cost, of course, varies with their size.

Bear in mind that a USB external drive is nothing more than a regular
IDE drive in a USB external enclosure. Although you can buy
pre-assembled external drives, you can also assemble your own. It
takes under five minutes to put a drive into one of these boxes, and
even someone who is all thumbs can easily do it.

You can buy one of these enclosures for around $25, so don't rule out
that choice if the combination of that and a separate drive at a good
price presents itself.

By the way, I agree that an external drive is a better backup choice
than DVDs. But if your data is really important to you, you might want
to consider the choice of having two such drives and alternating
between their use. It's obviously twice the cost, but it never puts
you in the position of having the act of backing up also being the act
of erasing your only backup. It also permits you to go back an extra
generation to restore data, if you need to.

 

[Benzmum]

Wow, build my own external drive! Way cool. I must investigate. Thanks so
much for the suggestion, Ken.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Wow, build my own external drive! Way cool. I must investigate. Thanks so
much for the suggestion, Ken.

You're welcome, but the word "build" makes it sound much more
complicated than it is. This is trivially easy. you open the box, put
the drive in, plug in the power and data cables, close the box and put
in a couple of screws to stop it from opening accidentally. I said
"under five minutes," but it's probably more like two or three.

 

[Benzmum]

Even more encouraging - thanks, Ken.

You're welcome, but the word "build" makes it sound much more
complicated than it is. This is trivially easy. you open the box, put
the drive in, plug in the power and data cables, close the box and put
in a couple of screws to stop it from opening accidentally. I said
"under five minutes," but it's probably more like two or three.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Even more encouraging - thanks, Ken.

You're welcome.