Re-Installing backups

[Guest]

Hell
I need someone's assistance, and PLEASE keep in mind that this is the user sites for NEW users, and that I am a newbie to computers
Okay .... I have been trying to save programs to the CD burner ( for CD-RWW ) to TRY to figure out how to backup programs, save them, which I have been successful in doing
On to the next step
I deleted a small program that I am using, rebooted, and NOW, the problem
When I try to reinstall the program, I get the screen that can be explored for Header sites, and chose the Program Files which is where the program was
The box I'm getting is asking what folder I want to OPEN ( ? ) and when I click on the Program Files, it keeps referring to the prompt for "opening", and it just works its way through the folder sites
I have tried going to Control Panel, and chose installation ... I chose the site that the program comes from a CD-ROM
I still keep getting prompts for OPENING the folders
How can I get this program to be reinstalled in the pathway (PROGRAMS) where it was when I backed it up to the CD, and then removed using the Add/Remove controls
Okay, keep in mind that I am a "newbie", but, hey, I'm TRYING to learn
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Michelle

 

[billh]

Hello
I need someone's assistance, and PLEASE keep in mind that this is the user

sites for NEW users, and that I am a newbie to computers.

Okay .... I have been trying to save programs to the CD burner ( for

CD-RWW ) to TRY to figure out how to backup programs, save them, which I
have been successful in doing.

On to the next step:
I deleted a small program that I am using, rebooted, and NOW, the problem.
When I try to reinstall the program, I get the screen that can be explored

for Header sites, and chose the Program Files which is where the program
was.

The box I'm getting is asking what folder I want to OPEN ( ? ) and when I

click on the Program Files, it keeps referring to the prompt for "opening",
and it just works its way through the folder sites.

I have tried going to Control Panel, and chose installation ... I chose

the site that the program comes from a CD-ROM.

I still keep getting prompts for OPENING the folders.
How can I get this program to be reinstalled in the pathway (PROGRAMS)

where it was when I backed it up to the CD, and then removed using the
Add/Remove controls?

Okay, keep in mind that I am a "newbie", but, hey, I'm TRYING to learn.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Michelle

I am not sure I really understand your description of what is happening but
there is one very important thing you must realize. When a program is
installed in Windows the necessary files are copied to a folder, usually a
sub-folder under Program Files. Now the important part. Various complex
entries are made in a large file called the registry and without these
entries a program will not usually run. If you just back up the files under
Program Files and then do an Uninstall the registry entries are deleted. To
put the program back into workable condition requires more than just putting
the files back; you have to get the registry entries back which normally
means running the program's Setup again. The setup likely will not work with
the files since it often is looking for certain files that contain the
program's files in a compressed format or other files that do not remain
with the installed files.

If you want to remove a single program, do not delete the files just use the
Windows Control Panel Remove Program feature but you will need to have the
original CD or file to re-install the program.

billh

 

[Sharon F]

Hello I need someone's assistance, and PLEASE keep in mind that this is
the user sites for NEW users, and that I am a newbie to computers. Okay
.... I have been trying to save programs to the CD burner ( for CD-RWW )
to TRY to figure out how to backup programs, save them, which I have
been successful in doing.

Michelle,

In most cases, one does not create copies of a program that is already
installed and use it as a backup. The only thing that you can do with a
copy is copy it right back to the original location. Since all shortcuts
and registry entries still exist in other parts of Windows, you would not
uninstall first and then try reinstalling.

A more common method of restoring a program is to save the media that the
program was installed from. If you have the original CD that the program
was installed from - that's your "backup." If the program was installed
from a downloaded setup file - that's the file that you want to burn to CD
for safekeeping. You might even add the downloaded updates to the CD you're
burning. Updates that were added to the original installation.

You've kind of combined these two methods: You created a copy. But instead
of copying the files back to their original location to restore the program
folders and files (Windows still thinks its installed as long as you don't
uninstall) -- you went ahead and uninstalled.

So now not only have the program folders/files been removed - the necessary
registry information that Windows needs to know about this program has been
removed as well.

To get this program back unto your system, it needs to be reinstalled from
the original media - not from the copy that you created.

If I'm understanding your description of how you are trying to reinstall
correctly, I think that you are getting the screens with the folders
because you are asking Windows to install a program. It's expecting to see
a "setup.exe" "install.exe" or an *.msi file (extension for setup files
that use the newer windows installer). Instead, you are showing it the
files that were copied from an already installed program. The results are
that the efforts to restore the program go nowhere.

 

[Guest]

This is really much easier than you may think. In the first place you need to be sure when downloading programs that you use the "save to" feature and not the "open" feature. This means that you will save the entire program to a location of your choice like "My Documents". This download will include all the necessary bits and pieces to install a complete program not just the shortcut to execute the program. Once you have saved the program to "My Documents" or wherever you have chosen using the "browse" button on the download window, you simply right click on the file and then choose the "send to" and then the drive that has your CD Writer on it. This is usually the D: drive. Once you have all the files ready to be written to a CD or even just the one file you double click the icon that appears in what is known as the system tray. This is the area near the clock and is usually found on the lower right of your screen. This will open a window showing the files ready to be written to the CD. Then you click the word file at the top left of the screen and then click the "write these files to CD and follow any on screen prompts that you may get. If you need more help feel free to e:mail me. Good luck.