Search XP backup bkf files

[David R Thiessen]

I've been using XP backup utility in Accessories to back up Docs & Settings
for two years now (to an external HD) and have even successfully restored
programs by manually searching for the file I want. But...I now have 19
appended incremental back up folders and searching for a file from say, 1
year ago, takes a lot of time. Is there a free or inexpensive SEARCH utility
to search in the BKF folder for a paticular file by name? Commercially,
SysTools claims to have such a utility for $89 but that is more than this
poor retired 70 yr. old pensioner can afford. Being retired, I can do a lot o
manual searches for that price. Does M$ have such a utility?

Thanks, David R

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

I've been using XP backup utility in Accessories to back up Docs &
Settings
for two years now (to an external HD) and have even successfully restored
programs by manually searching for the file I want. But...I now have 19
appended incremental back up folders and searching for a file from say, 1
year ago, takes a lot of time. Is there a free or inexpensive SEARCH
utility
to search in the BKF folder for a paticular file by name? Commercially,
SysTools claims to have such a utility for $89 but that is more than this
poor retired 70 yr. old pensioner can afford. Being retired, I can do a
lot o
manual searches for that price. Does M$ have such a utility?

Thanks, David R

Hello poor retired 70 year old pensioner,

After reading your post it took me a while to wipe the tears from my eyes
before I could see my keyboard again.

I do not know if Microsoft have such a utility but you can perform the
search with a Command Line tool like the one I wrote a little while ago. It
does not come with a pretty GUI but it works. By the way, I think you're
doing yourself a disservice by using ntbackup.exe to back up your files.
There are several reasons for this:
- It's hard to locate backed up files.
- It's tedious to restore them.
- The program is no longer included in Windows 7.
I suggest you use an ordinary batch file based on robocopy.exe. It gets
around each of these problems.

The tool I wrote works if your .bkf file is not compressed. Here is how you
use it from the Console:

cscript //nologo c:\TextSearch.vbs /s "biography.doc"

I would include TextSearch.vbs here if it wasn't for its length (320 lines
of solid code). However, if you send your valid EMail address to
pegasus_fnlATyahooDOTcom then I will send it to you by EMail.

Another poor retired pensioner (66 years old)

 

[Jim]

I've been using XP backup utility in Accessories to back up Docs & Settings
for two years now (to an external HD) and have even successfully restored
programs by manually searching for the file I want. But...I now have 19
appended incremental back up folders and searching for a file from say, 1
year ago, takes a lot of time. Is there a free or inexpensive SEARCH utility
to search in the BKF folder for a paticular file by name? Commercially,
SysTools claims to have such a utility for $89 but that is more than this
poor retired 70 yr. old pensioner can afford. Being retired, I can do a lot o
manual searches for that price. Does M$ have such a utility?

Thanks, David R

AgentRansack ? ( free)

 

[David R Thiessen]

Thanks Pegasus for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it. I
will take your advice to not continue to use ntbackup.exe for backup (which I
put on a Western Digital Passport external HD). It was one of two backups
that I use. The other backup is that I use PowerDesk Pro 7 to do a one way
synchronization of newer and modified files from my computer HD to a 2nd WD
Passport. This one is very easy to use XP search and restore by dragging.
I've a friend who uses Click-Free backup and is very happy with it and your
response has convinced this poor retired pensioner to go in this direction
rather rather than buy a utility to search the BKF files. Unlike you, I am
not sure that I am computer literate enough to use your software. Thanks
again for your response.

David

 

[David R Thiessen]

Thanks Jim for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it. I
Googled AgentRansack and it looks interesting but I have not had time to
investigate whether or not it works with BKF files.

 

[Jim]

Thanks Jim for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it. I
Googled AgentRansack and it looks interesting but I have not had time to
investigate whether or not it works with BKF files.

Also Super Finder XT .