Docs & Sets Backup Burning Snag re; "ntuser.dat"

[rooster]

Happy New Year, y'all;

I'm trying to burn a DVD of my XP-Home Documents and Settings folder but
the program I use (ImgBurn) aborts and gives the message:

"...cannot open file C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\ntuser.dat"
.... being used by another process".

Is there a safe way to deal with this?

Happy trails,

rooster
boundary bay, bc

Windows XP-Home (OEM eMachines T2893)
Logitech Setpoint 2.4a Optical Mouse
Kerio Personal 2.1.4
Firefox (1.5.0.9)(Dec 21.06) (Default)
Thunderbird (1.5.0.9)(Dec 21.06)(Default)
*IE/OE 6 SP2,
*Netscape 8.1
*Opera
Ad-Aware SE Personal v 1.06
Spybot S&D 1.4
SpywareBlaster v3.4
AVG Free Edition 7.1.394
Ewido 4.0
WinPatrol
BigFix 2.0.2.3


Adobe Reader 7.0
Nvu 1.0
Winamp5 (default)
*Windows Media Player 10
*RealTime (disabled)
ImgBurn 2.1.0.0

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

This file is part of your registry and it is locked while
you are logged on. You must reboot and log on under
a different account in order to unlock it.

 

[rooster]

This file is part of your registry and it is locked while
you are logged on. You must reboot and log on under
a different account in order to unlock it.

Ta Pegasus;

Dim bulb that I am; as far as I know, I only have one log on option. I'm
the onliest one who has ever had access to this home PC. Am I to
understand that if I click on "Administrator" or something, I can get
back on and run the ImgBurn Program to copy all my docs & sets?

I know this probably sounds stupid, its just that log in
variables/options/issues have never come up since I installed XP-Home.

 

[Rock]

Happy New Year, y'all;

I'm trying to burn a DVD of my XP-Home Documents and Settings folder but
the program I use (ImgBurn) aborts and gives the message:

"...cannot open file C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\ntuser.dat"
... being used by another process".

Is there a safe way to deal with this?

<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. 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.

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.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Yep, logging on as administrator qualifies as "different user".

 

[rooster]

Pegasus;

Swell, I'll give it a go once I catch some din-dins.(20:42 PST)


I see a response to the same Q I posted on the ImgBurn Forum tells me:

Don't you just want to backup your documents?! i.e. the 'Documents'
folder within your user area?

There's a whole load of other cr@p in the 'Document and
settings\[username]' folder that you really don't need.

The one you're stuck on there is a file that your registry maps to - as
such, it's always in use and no other program can read it.

If you want to backup that stuff, use a proper backup program.

I'll try your suggestion anyway. What could I lose; eh?

rooster

 

[rooster]

<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

 

[Rock]

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

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.

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.

The root of this problem stems from the OEM and how they set up this system.
It goes further to the decision to buy this system. eMachines is a low cost
system. To keep the cost low OEMs do things to save money. The fact that
there is no recovery console on the installation CD or that you need to
purchase something from eMachines to recover the system is part of their
cost savings measures.

I would never get a computer that did not come with an installation CD and
had the capabilities for running the recovery console and a repair install.

But even with that, I still use a disk imaging system to backup my computer.
I have found that the small cost investment is returned many times over when
something hoses the system and you need to restore things. It's just a part
of smart computing.