(F.A.S.T.) Files and Setting Transfer wizard - does it work well?

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topwebchoice

Any tips to be sure I get all the data stored by ALL of my windows xp
home edition applications ( such as the data some programs store under
thier ../programs/.... folders?

Any ways to SIMPLIFY the process? Is this COMPREHENSIVE?

Can I store this data on an online folder such as my
onlinefilefolder.com (which we use for remote storage in my office)?

Gotchas?

Have you succeeded (or failed) using F.A.S.T. ?

Thanks!
 
PA Bear said:
Works great, less filling!

Using WinXP's FAST Wizard, by MVP Gary Woodruff
(Please read the caveats about Outlook Express)
http://aumha.org/win5/a/fast.htm --
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE, Shell/User, Security), Aumha.org VSOP, DTS-L.org
Click to expand...

it takes your standard settings , along with documents ..and you can select
specific folders as you desire
 
(e-mail address removed),
Any tips to be sure I get all the data stored by ALL of my
windows xp home edition applications ( such as the data some
programs store under thier ../programs/.... folders?

Any ways to SIMPLIFY the process? Is this COMPREHENSIVE?

Can I store this data on an online folder such as my
onlinefilefolder.com (which we use for remote storage in my
office)?

Gotchas?

Have you succeeded (or failed) using F.A.S.T. ?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

FAST works fine most of the time. I've found it very useful
when used to transfer files and settings from one computer to
another.

What I don't recommend is using it as if it was a backup
program. Using it when a single computer is involved in the
procedure is asking for trouble. Say your plan is to do a clean
installation of XP on your computer. You run the FAST wizard
and store the USMT2.unc folder someplace safe. Once you wipe
out the hard drive, you're gambling that you'll be able to use
the FAST wizard to restore your files and settings. These
newsgroups are littered with posts from users who did just that
and for whatever reason now have no access to their valuable
data.

Do yourself a favor and backup any files and folders that you
consider irreplaceable to removable media (CD/DVD) or at least
an external USB hard drive. And once you've made the backup,
see if you can restore the data to an alternate location.

I also have no faith in online storage.

Good luck

Nepatsfan
 
Nepatsfan said:
What I don't recommend is using it as if it was a backup
program. Using it when a single computer is involved in the
procedure is asking for trouble. ..
Click to expand...

Why? If I have to use the 'restore cd' that came with my pc (which
takes it back to factory default condition) - will FAST not just
restore everything I told it to (after I've reinstalled my applications
first)?

Someone please explain why it should not be used on the same pc as a
backup method. It seems ideally suited for this purpose.
I also have no faith in online storage.
Click to expand...

I have more faith in online storage than 'local' backups.

I do agree that a proper back up seems the way to go- but the idea
behind FAST is to do that more efficiently than trying to figure out
where everything is scattered on your drive, piece by piece. If there
is a genuine reason not to use FAST like this, I sincerely want to know
precisely why - in detail.
 
(e-mail address removed),
Why? If I have to use the 'restore cd' that came with my pc
(which takes it back to factory default condition) - will
FAST not just restore everything I told it to (after I've
reinstalled my applications first)?

Someone please explain why it should not be used on the same
pc as a backup method. It seems ideally suited for this
purpose.


I have more faith in online storage than 'local' backups.

I do agree that a proper back up seems the way to go- but
the idea behind FAST is to do that more efficiently than
trying to figure out where everything is scattered on your
drive, piece by piece. If there is a genuine reason not to
use FAST like this, I sincerely want to know precisely why -
in detail.
Click to expand...

Your original post left me with the impression that all
you were going to do was run the FAST wizard before wiping out
your XP Home Edition installation. Relying solely on the FAST
wizard would, in my opinion, be a mistake. While you can
use the FAST wizard to save and restore files and settings on
the same computer, you would be wise to also have an
independent
and reliable backup available in case something went wrong with
the FAST procedure. That's the point I was trying to make.
Sorry for the confusion.

The blanket statement I made, "Using it when a single computer
is involved in the procedure is asking for trouble.", should
have included the qualifier "unless you've already backed up
all your files to CD/DVD or an external hard drive".

If you're looking examples of why you shouldn't rely solely on
the FAST wizard to protect your valuable files, I suggest you
read a few of these old threads:

http://groups.google.com/groups/search?q=http://windowsxp.mvps.org/fast.htm&start=0&hl=en

Good luck

Nepatsfan
 
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