restoring from ASR back up

[Guest]

Hello forum,
Lucky me - I have to reinstall everything. And I did so, and have retrieved
my data from back up as well. But - things just aren't quite the same....
A while ago, I tried to make an ASR backup, but since I didn't have a
floppy, I couldn't make the boot floppy.
However, I do still have the .bkf file that was created on my external HDD.
Is there any way I can get that all that back on my computer so it looks like
it used to, and has all the Dell components that aren't on the reinstallation
CD's??
Right now things look different - different fonts, different help utilities
etc., wireless is not working, and I just want things back to the way they
were!! Is there any way I can use this older ASR file, then use the more
current data file to get things up to date afterwards??
(I really regret not springing for the floppy drive - think I'll buy one
this week!)
Thanks!!

 

[Guest]

Okay I found out how to make the disk retroactively here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?Product=winxp&scid=kb;en-us;299526
And I went out and bought a USB floppy drive.
More questions:
Will this work using a USB floppy drive vx. integrated one?
When I look at the ASR backup file I created, I noticed a yellow question
mark on top of the system state icon. Will this create a problem?
Right now I am going to make a NEW ASR backup, just in case!!! (Using my new
USB flppy drive!)
Thank you all!

 

[SlowJet]

What device(type,location) did you use for the bkf file?

You can make an ASR floppy from the bkf. Two files?

USB floppy? Let me know what hapens, pleae. I'm trying to find the true
limits of ARS.

If your USB floppy does not work you may be up a creek without an OS.

SJ

 

[Guest]

I used an external HDD for the ASR backup (but didn't make floppy at the
time) and for a more current data only back up.
I've reinstalled windows, and my data from the data only backup, but since
things are a bit different (not everything Dell puts on the computer is on
the reinstallation Cd's), I wanted to try reinstalling from the older ASR
back up file, and then restore the newer data later. If it works, it will
recover what's not on the installation CD's (like a nice integrated help
system incuding driver manuals, etc, and other things I had no idea were not
included on the CD's) and will save me from reinstalling all the software
again!
I'm told that my BIOS will indeed allow me to boot from USB floppy.
Actually rebooted once accidentally leaving a disc in the USB drive, and it
let me know it that it was not a system disk, so I am encouraged that it
tried!
If the floppy doesn't work, I'll just have to reinstall again the way I did
yesterday - and put up with these annoyances of missing things and different
appearances...
But yes, I can make that floppy that I couldn't make earlier after the fact,
as explained in the link I quoted below.
I'll let you know.
Fingers crossed!!

 

[SlowJet]

OK, I'll be right here.

SJ

I used an external HDD for the ASR backup (but didn't make floppy at the
time) and for a more current data only back up.
I've reinstalled windows, and my data from the data only backup, but since
things are a bit different (not everything Dell puts on the computer is on
the reinstallation Cd's), I wanted to try reinstalling from the older ASR
back up file, and then restore the newer data later. If it works, it will
recover what's not on the installation CD's (like a nice integrated help
system incuding driver manuals, etc, and other things I had no idea were
not
included on the CD's) and will save me from reinstalling all the software
again!
I'm told that my BIOS will indeed allow me to boot from USB floppy.
Actually rebooted once accidentally leaving a disc in the USB drive, and
it
let me know it that it was not a system disk, so I am encouraged that it
tried!
If the floppy doesn't work, I'll just have to reinstall again the way I
did
yesterday - and put up with these annoyances of missing things and
different
appearances...
But yes, I can make that floppy that I couldn't make earlier after the
fact,
as explained in the link I quoted below.
I'll let you know.
Fingers crossed!!

 

[Guest]

I saw in some MS documentation that a USB FDD "may" not be available when
tgrying to recover using ASR.
Has anyone done it?

 

[Guest]

Nope didn't work.
"Set up did not detect a floppy drive..."
Even though I've determined I COULD boot from the thing.
I did notice that Windows wouldn't recognize it without installing the driver.
If I can find one that works without a driver then maybe...
So close but yet so far...

 

[SlowJet]

That's what I was thinking, can't install a floppy driver from a floppy that
does not have a driver.
The next question is, will the USB disk be available?
Maybe, with a driver on a floppy ready to load?

Why not get a standard floppy drive?

SJ

 

[Guest]

Standard floppy not an option on my laptop!! Besides, who would have known
I'd need one!!
Irritating, since I can boot from the thing, it's just that XP Set Up won't
detect it, and it can't go through the restore process without. Again, maybe
I just need to find a different one. One that doesn't need a driver for
windows to see. (I needed a driver for this one, but someone said that their
Sony workied without a driver...)
Did some checking around to see if Dell could lead me in the right
direction, but of course, they are clueless.

 

[Guest]

I did it!! Ran ASR with USB FDD AND USB HDD that contained the back up.
Didn't do anything special except go out and buy a USB FDD that windows would
recognize without a driver.
Yipeee. You should have seen me dancing!
(I also went out and bought Norton Ghost!)