How does XXCOPY generate long filenames from 8.3 files copied over with xxcopy16

[RNelson]

I am trying to backup a fresh install off Win98se using xxcopy and
xxcopy16.

1. I ran the command xxcopy c: d: /clone to copy all my files over to
D (save drive, extended partition) drive.

2. Then I reformatted C and using a Windows startup boot disk I ran
xcopy16 d: c: /clone .

3. Rebooted and Windows came up.

4. From the "run" menu in Windows I then ran xxcopy d: c: /nl /s .
This converted a majority of the 8.3 names to Windows longnames.

Things were not as perfect as I hoped but I continued on backing
up the files on D to a CD. Selected all the files on D from Windows
and copied them over my home network to my desktop and burned a CD.

To verify I could use the CD I reformatted "C" and used
xxcopy16 e: c: /clone .

This ran copying almost all the files. Get a "insufficient memory" error
and reran xxcopy16 e: c: /clone again to get the rest of the files.

Boorted into Windows and from the "run" option did the command
xxcopy e: c: /nl /s . Hardly any perhaps none of the files were
renamed to the longfilename.

This leads me to my question of "How does XXCOPY generate
long filenames from 8.3 files copied over with xxcopy16 ?"

Randy

 

[RNelson]

Thanks Kan for the info especially for the difference between the
"c:" and the "c:\" syntax.

I guess in a very loose sense I am trying to clone Windows on "C:\"
to "C:\" with a file backup in the middle..

But I do not think what I was trying to do was actually cloning.
I am trying to backup a fresh Win98se install somehow so
that when my daughter crashes the system I could easily
recover. This is a laptop without a cd burner so I wanted
to copy all the files over to the D:\ partition (use xxcopy); move the files
to another computer over the network and burn a CD.

Then when needed I would copy over all the files, with long filenames,
back onto a formated "C:\" partition. This is where I am confused. At this
time I do not have Windows environment on my laptop so I cannot
use xxcopy. Your xxcopy10.htm article in the Q&A section indicates
I would use xxcopy16 to copy the 8.3 files over then boot into Windows
and use xxcopy with the "/S /nl" switches to udate the names.

But you also give two warnings. Xxcopy16 cannot handle paths
that are too long. Also needed is handling files created before running
xxcopy. You finally end with "In short, this procedure is troublesome
at best and we don't recommend it to anyone who asks this question
in the first place."

So is there a reliable process using xxcopy and or xxcopy16 to
produces a copy of a Windows system that can be archived on
a cd and then installed back on a machine which does not have
Windows already running?

Thanks for any clarification.

Randy