System Restore

[hash]

Hello

I've vista ultimate.

I'd like to know how to do system restore in vista. I believe it is not
same as restore in the xp home edition.

When can I use the file restore or a complete computer back-up ? How do I
decide whether I need a file back-up or a complete computer back-up ? After
backing up files or computer what procedure do I follow to restore it ?

Sorry, no more questions. Please give answers in detail to the above
questions. Thank you.

hash

 

[Cal Bear '66]

Did it occur to you to use Vista's own Help and Support?

 

[hash]

Sorry, yes it has occurred to me to use the Help and Support but sometimes
(not always) I find it little difficult to follow it. So simplified answers
from the Newsgroup would be a great help. Or do please recommend easy to
follow websites covering the topic in question so I can print it out. Thank
you.

hash

 

[Cal Bear '66]

Basically System Restore can "mostly" recover a system to a usable state when a
driver install, a program install or a misguided user configuration change can
cause a system to not boot at all or not run without problems. There are cases
when System Restore just does not work.

A Complete PC Backup (or "image") of a system can quickly restore a system to a
known usable state when System Restore does not help. A Complete PC Backup
(image) restores all of the system and programs and configurations. Some people
make regular and fairly frequent images of their systems, which is a very good
idea. A Complete PC Restore can save hours and hours of work installing the
system, programs and configurations and is well worth the investment in hard
drive space.

 

[Gary G. Little]

I develop disk drive diagnostic software as well as kernel drivers and have
been known during debug to clobber the ability to boot. Complete PC Restore
has already been a life saver; 20 minutes to do a restore as opposed to a 2
to 3 hour re-install. It's also very handy to create an image to upgrade to
a larger drive.

Gary G. Little

 

[hash]

ty for the info. i did complete back of my pc yesterday. the image was
saved automatically into my second hard disk.
during the process i was informed the saved image of the complete computer
is about 14gb. when i hover the mouse over the image (called
WindowsImageBackup) it reads only 9gb. where has approx. 4gb disappeared ?

on double clicking the saved image folder > Home-PC - 3 folders > Backup
2007-07-03 (6 digit number) folder; Catalg folder; MediaId folder. upon
double clicking Backup folder > 10 items are revealed. All the items begin
with characters 5e... except one which begins with 3709e... .

upon double clicking Catalog > two other folders open up called
BackupGlobalCatalog and GlobalCatalog. both these folders need a program to
open with and i don't know which program to choose. upon double clicking
MediaId folder i have to choose the program to open this file with and again
i've no idea don't which program to choose.

from here i don't know how to restore the saved image of my complete
computer in an event of crash. Any suggestions please.

gary the info you gave is a bit too much technical for me. i love to
understand it if you can it put in simple abc. thank you.

hash

 

[Cal Bear '66]

14 GB is only an ESTIMATE (the image is compressed).

You access your File Backups and your Complete PC Backup from Control Panel >
Backup and Restore Center.

You can also access Complete PC Backup when you boot from the Vista DVD.

 

[Bert Kinney]

Hi Hash,

These two pages should help answer your questions.

How to use System Restore in Windows Vista:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/restoresysv.html

Windows Complete PC Backup:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/pcbackupv.html

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

 

[Ian Betts]

I have never relied on the restore in XP of now in Vista. It is a mixed
blessing at best and hardly ever works when you want it most.

The best policy by far is to always keep a separate back up of your personal
files to a RW/CD or a External HD or a big Memory Pen.

Make sure you have a Vista CD and all your original appliaction CDs to
reload the system if your computer gives unsolvable problems and format the
HD.

Reload Vista.

 

[Bert Kinney]

Hi Ian,

My experience is just the opposite. System Restore in XP and Vista has saved
me several times. For best results System Restore should be used as soon as
possible after a problem is identified.

Here are some troubleshooting steps to take when System Restore fails to
restore in Windows XP:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/srfail.html

And yes, important data should be backed up to removable media.

Another option is too create a partition image using imaging software such
as Acronis True Image.
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage

For non-home versions of Vista Complete PC Backup can be used to create an
image of the partition.
Windows Complete PC Backup:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/pcbackupv.html

Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org