Make a Bootable XP backup disk?

[Terry Smythe]

I recently acquired a used IBM R32 Thinkpad laptop, running a legal
copy of WinXP Home, but no disks came with it.

Over the years, I have encountered numerous situations where I found
it necessary to re-install Win95, Win98, Win98SE, and WinME. It was
always possible to do so without disturbing my additional software, my
settings and my files.

I know I can clone this little hard drive to another, no trouble
there. But that clone is fundamentally a "recovery" disk, which will
only restore this hard drive to the state it is in today, wiping out
all my files, et al.

Is there a way I can create a backup disk of this WinXP Home OS in
such a way that when time comes, I can restore WinXP all by itself,
leaving my files and additional software untouched?

I have networked this little laptop to my main computer that does have
a DVD-RW/CD-RW burner in it. In theory I should be able to
replicate the little hard drive onto a disk on a main computer.

Or, is there a mechanism within Microsoft where I can acquire a
replacement disk that will make possible non-destructive OS
replacement? If there is one, I could not find it on the Microsoft
site.

Thoughts of others?

Terry Smythe
Winnipeg, Canada

 

[Guest]

If you "clone" youre current hd,how do you figure it'll "wipe out all my
files".
Useing XCOPY,the cloned hd replicates in its entirety,C: drive.Of course you
need another hd to do this,but as far as files/settings go it's as good of a
backup as youll need.

 

[Bob Harris]

It would probably be wiser to make a frequent backup of personal files, and
infrequent backups of the whole C: drive. Then, if necessary, restore the
drive first, and the more recent personal files second.

To image a drive, use something like Norton GHOST or Acronis True Image.

To backup personal file very easily, use the Microsoft routine called XCOPY,
run in a commmand prompt. Note that the /D option can be used to backup
only new/changed versions of files. Thus, after the initial backup of
personal file, each incremental backup of new/changed file will take only a
a minute, or less. So, you can do it every day. Other XCOPY options
include /S /R /V /H.

I highly recommend backing up to an external USB 2.0 disk. They are a lot
fast and larger than CDs or even DVDs. However, occassionally writing some
important personal files to optical media is not a bad idea.

You might also consider partitioning the hard drive into operating system
plus programs on C: and personal data on D:. That way, if you need to
restore C:, D: will not be impaced. Partition Magic is the program I would
use for a hard drive that already contains data I want to keep.

 

[Terry Smythe]

If you "clone" youre current hd,how do you figure it'll "wipe out all my
files".

Using XCOPY,the cloned hd replicates in its entirety,C: drive.Of course you
need another hd to do this,but as far as files/settings go it's as good of a
backup as youll need.

Agreed. XXCopy is what I would ordinarily use to make a bootable
backup harddrive. To work it in reverse, it cleans the target drive
before doing the copying.

What I'm hoping for is to be able to make the equivalent of a
non-destructive recovery disk. The computer at the moment contains
only the WinXP Home operating system, complete up to Service Pack 2.
It would be nice to have a recovery disk nearby at some unknown time
in the future when I may be motivated for whatever reason to reinstall
just WinXP.

Regards,

Terry

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

I recently acquired a used IBM R32 Thinkpad laptop, running a
legal copy of WinXP Home, but no disks came with it.

Or, is there a mechanism within Microsoft where I can acquire a
replacement disk that will make possible non-destructive OS
replacement? If there is one, I could not find it on the
Microsoft site.

Thoughts of others?

The XP Home that came installed on your laptop is probably an OEM
version installed by IBM and Microsoft would have nothing at all to do
with it.

Contact IBM about getting replacement disks. Whether or not the
restore disks will do a non-destructive restore is "maybe, maybe not".
Some restore disks will begin by formatting the harddrive and then will
install the OS and all software originally installed on the computer,
some will give you an option.

Good luck.