Backup and restore questions

[Bob]

I have two user accounts on my computer. My administrator account that I
very rarely ever use, and my normal, general user account I named "Bob1". I
use Vista Windows Mail as my email application. I just searched and found
the "hidden" folder where my Windows Mail stuff is
(C:\Users\Bob1\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\ Local Folders &
Microsoft Communities & Compact & Backup) I save everything to my Bob1 user
account to the appropriate folder (Documents in documents folder, pictures
into pictures folder, etc.) I never vary from this habit.

I have been backing up using Vista32 backup. It gives me the option to
backup "Pictures, Music, Videos, E-mail, Document, TV-shows, Compressed
files, Additional files". I check all of these options so all are backed
up. It comes on automatically every day to backup anything new or changed.

I checked the restore part of vista32 backup & restore found in control
panel. I looked up Bob1 and all my folders are there. It appeared the
application data folders were there (difficult to find because the
application data folders are hidden). I specifically checked the Windows
Mail folders in the hidden application data folders and they were there. It
appeasers everything is backed up.

I am going to reformat HD & reinstall the operating system and all
applications.

Questions:
1. Is my assumption correct that everything I saved in my user account
(Bob1) is backed up ready for restore?
2. Using vista32 restore, when I get to "select the files and folders to
restore" I just select "C:\Users\Bob1\" and that should restore everything,
right? (everything I saved that is)
3. Does restoring "C:\Users\Bob1\" restore my windows mail stuff like
"windows contacts", my email messages, "Mail Account Settings", "News
Account Settings"?
4. I was pointed to the web page http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx in an
answer to a previous question I posted. It says I needed to backup
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Mail",
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities" (maybe), and
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\IAM" for windows mail to work. Does
vista32 backup & restore backup the registry? If so where do I find these
registry entries in the backup?
5. What would happen if I restored everything in my "C:\Users\Bob1\" and did
not restore the three registry entries for windows mail. Would my contacts,
email messages, Mail Account Settings, News Account Settings work right?

Background info: I have a desktop AMD 4400+ 64X2 4GB memory 320GB HD(way
bigger than I need) Acer computer (AM3100-U3201A) I purchased new February
2008 running 32-bit MS Vista Home Premium SP2 box. I use MS auto updates.
I think it has onboard shared memory for video and sound. My ISP is Comcast
12mbps with Motorola SURFboard SB5101 Cable Modem direct to computer. No
other switches or routers or wireless or phone line or any other networking
hardware hooked up to this computer.

Thanks for the help.
Bob

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I have two user accounts on my computer. My administrator account that I
very rarely ever use, and my normal, general user account I named "Bob1". I
use Vista Windows Mail as my email application. I just searched and found
the "hidden" folder where my Windows Mail stuff is
(C:\Users\Bob1\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\ Local Folders &
Microsoft Communities & Compact & Backup) I save everything to my Bob1 user
account to the appropriate folder (Documents in documents folder, pictures
into pictures folder, etc.) I never vary from this habit.

I have been backing up using Vista32 backup. It gives me the option to
backup "Pictures, Music, Videos, E-mail, Document, TV-shows, Compressed
files, Additional files". I check all of these options so all are backed up.
It comes on automatically every day to backup anything new or changed.

I checked the restore part of vista32 backup & restore found in control
panel. I looked up Bob1 and all my folders are there. It appeared the
application data folders were there (difficult to find because the
application data folders are hidden). I specifically checked the Windows
Mail folders in the hidden application data folders and they were there. It
appeasers everything is backed up.

I am going to reformat HD & reinstall the operating system and all
applications.

Questions:
1. Is my assumption correct that everything I saved in my user account (Bob1)
is backed up ready for restore?
2. Using vista32 restore, when I get to "select the files and folders to
restore" I just select "C:\Users\Bob1\" and that should restore everything,
right? (everything I saved that is)
3. Does restoring "C:\Users\Bob1\" restore my windows mail stuff like
"windows contacts", my email messages, "Mail Account Settings", "News Account
Settings"?
4. I was pointed to the web page http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx in an
answer to a previous question I posted. It says I needed to backup
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Mail",
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities" (maybe), and
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\IAM" for windows mail to work. Does
vista32 backup & restore backup the registry? If so where do I find these
registry entries in the backup?
5. What would happen if I restored everything in my "C:\Users\Bob1\" and did
not restore the three registry entries for windows mail. Would my contacts,
email messages, Mail Account Settings, News Account Settings work right?

Background info: I have a desktop AMD 4400+ 64X2 4GB memory 320GB HD(way
bigger than I need) Acer computer (AM3100-U3201A) I purchased new February
2008 running 32-bit MS Vista Home Premium SP2 box. I use MS auto updates. I
think it has onboard shared memory for video and sound. My ISP is Comcast
12mbps with Motorola SURFboard SB5101 Cable Modem direct to computer. No
other switches or routers or wireless or phone line or any other networking
hardware hooked up to this computer.

Thanks for the help.
Bob

Your post confuses me, but if you reformat C: you will lose everything
on the C: drive. If, as I read you, that's where your backup files are,
they'll be gone too.

You should save everything on an external USB drive before formatting.

 

[Ashton Crusher]

I have two user accounts on my computer. My administrator account that I
very rarely ever use, and my normal, general user account I named "Bob1". I
use Vista Windows Mail as my email application. I just searched and found
the "hidden" folder where my Windows Mail stuff is
(C:\Users\Bob1\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail\ Local Folders &
Microsoft Communities & Compact & Backup) I save everything to my Bob1 user
account to the appropriate folder (Documents in documents folder, pictures
into pictures folder, etc.) I never vary from this habit.

I have been backing up using Vista32 backup. It gives me the option to
backup "Pictures, Music, Videos, E-mail, Document, TV-shows, Compressed
files, Additional files". I check all of these options so all are backed
up. It comes on automatically every day to backup anything new or changed.

I checked the restore part of vista32 backup & restore found in control
panel. I looked up Bob1 and all my folders are there. It appeared the
application data folders were there (difficult to find because the
application data folders are hidden). I specifically checked the Windows
Mail folders in the hidden application data folders and they were there. It
appeasers everything is backed up.

I am going to reformat HD & reinstall the operating system and all
applications.

Questions:
1. Is my assumption correct that everything I saved in my user account
(Bob1) is backed up ready for restore?
2. Using vista32 restore, when I get to "select the files and folders to
restore" I just select "C:\Users\Bob1\" and that should restore everything,
right? (everything I saved that is)
3. Does restoring "C:\Users\Bob1\" restore my windows mail stuff like
"windows contacts", my email messages, "Mail Account Settings", "News
Account Settings"?
4. I was pointed to the web page http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx in an
answer to a previous question I posted. It says I needed to backup
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Mail",
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities" (maybe), and
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\IAM" for windows mail to work. Does
vista32 backup & restore backup the registry? If so where do I find these
registry entries in the backup?
5. What would happen if I restored everything in my "C:\Users\Bob1\" and did
not restore the three registry entries for windows mail. Would my contacts,
email messages, Mail Account Settings, News Account Settings work right?

Background info: I have a desktop AMD 4400+ 64X2 4GB memory 320GB HD(way
bigger than I need) Acer computer (AM3100-U3201A) I purchased new February
2008 running 32-bit MS Vista Home Premium SP2 box. I use MS auto updates.
I think it has onboard shared memory for video and sound. My ISP is Comcast
12mbps with Motorola SURFboard SB5101 Cable Modem direct to computer. No
other switches or routers or wireless or phone line or any other networking
hardware hooked up to this computer.

Thanks for the help.
Bob

It's not clear to me what you are trying to do. If you are wanting to
protect yourself against a hard drive failure you need to back up
"your entire computer", not just the data files, if you want to
restore EVERYTHING to a new drive. If all you want is to be able to
save your data files that what you are doing will probably work, more
or less although I'm not sure there isn't some Microsoft utility that
will just move the stuff from an old drive to a new drive as you are
installing a new OS on it.

 

[Bob]

I am backing up to a DVD. I just want to save data. I will install the
apps individually. Thanks for the help. Bob

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

OK, looks good then.

For additional security you could make extra copies of your data to
DVDs as just plain files, so you wouldn't be stuck if Windows Backup
fails you.

I use two forms of backkup, clones and images or the *entire* hard
drive, on separate external hard drives. Sort of belts and suspenders.

If only I did it more often

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Looks like I forgot to speell-chekc
Here's a corrected copy of part of a line below:

"...backup, clones and images of the *entire* hard drive..."

I.e., one 'k' in 'backup', 'of' instead of 'or'.

OK, looks good then.

For additional security you could make extra copies of your data to DVDs as
just plain files, so you wouldn't be stuck if Windows Backup fails you.

 

[John]

OK, looks good then.

For additional security you could make extra copies of your data to DVDs
as just plain files, so you wouldn't be stuck if Windows Backup fails you.

What if the DVD media fails him? I trust magnetic media (ext hard disks)
more than optical media. I got so many 3-5 year old CD media that I can't
read anymore. No scratches, no dust on the media but I still can't copy data
off of the CD.

 

[John]

You're a perfectionist, aren't you? You can write "baKCup"... we'd still
understand it.

 

[xfile]

I am going to reformat HD & reinstall the operating system and all

applications.

My two cents,

In this case, you could also consider using copy/paste to move
non-application user files
(documents, pictures, etc.) to an external drive and simply move them back
when you're ready, which should be easier than using backup/restore.

For email messages and accounts, you could also investigate the
import/export function, but I don't know Windows Mail enough to tell you the
procedures and the possible outcome.

Good luck.

 

[Bob]

Thank You all for your very kind help and suggestions!!! Bob

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

A kind-hearted perfectionist

Not everyone here is a native speaker of English, so why not make it
easier for them (as well as native speakers)?...

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

What if the DVD media fails him? I trust magnetic media (ext hard disks) more
than optical media. I got so many 3-5 year old CD media that I can't read
anymore. No scratches, no dust on the media but I still can't copy data off
of the CD.

The OP seemed interested in a backup that would last a week or two, not
a decade or two. He apparently just wants to be sure that his data will
survive an upgrade, and he seems reluctant to use an external hard
drive.

For long-term backup, of course I agree with you, as you can easily
tell from what I said in the part of my reply that you clipped.

 

[xfile]

You are welcome and glad to help.

Thank You all for your very kind help and suggestions!!! Bob

 

[John]

Ok, my fault... I admit that I didn't read Bob's long post.
<grin>

 

[John]

You should save everything on an external USB drive before formatting.

THERE IT IS! I should've read the whole threads before replying

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Ok, my fault... I admit that I didn't read Bob's long post.
<grin>

Yeah, same here. I had trouble following what he meant, so I just had
to hope that my replies were useful to him.

(No grin, sorry!)

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

THERE IT IS! I should've read the whole threads before replying

Clip happens