Windows Backup " The saved selection file ... not found " or "skipped files in folder ... folder no

[Matthew Mucklo]

Discovered why a perfectly good Windows 2000 backup set will fail on
Windows XP(maybe this isn't a mystery for some, but I couldn't find
the answer on Google, so I'm posting it for your benefit).

This is useful to anyone who has tried to modify the bks files that
windows produces to create custom windows backup scripts.

Windows 2000 .bks files - Need to contain the magic number "FF FE" at
the beginning of the file (visible in any Hex editor). Solution -
edit the file in Notepad.

Windows XP .bks files (at least for XP Pro which was my test case) -
Need a regular MSDOS text file (no magic number). Solution - edit the
file in 'Edit' from a DOS prompt.

Unfortunately they don't seem to be compatible with one another. A
real mystery until I started viewing the files in a hex editor.

However if you automate a backup you can place these .bks files
anywhere, even on a mapped network drive to which you later backup to
(contrary to some opinions).

Here is an example using an SBS 2000 based network:

DOS Batch file. Make a shortcut to this on the person's desktop by
browsing over the network (using My Network Places) to find the file,
then even the backup script itself willc live on the network:
------------------------------------------------------------
REM Example Full Backup Script

REM Map the Backup Drive
net use t: "\\your-server\Backup Drive"

REM Map the user's home directory
net use u: "\\your-server\Users\%USERNAME%"

REM Make a directory on the backup drive for the user should one not
exist
mkdir t:\%USERNAME%

REM The .bks file lives on the mapped drive u:, then you backup to the
other mapped drive t:

%SystemRoot%\system32\NTBACKUP.EXE backup "@u:\Backup
Scripts\BackupSet.bks" /n "Media created %USERNAME%" /d "Set created
%USERNAME%" /v:no /r:no /rs:no /hcff /m normal /j "FullBackup" /l:s
/f "T:\%USERNAME%\%USERNAME%.bkf"

net use u: /DELETE

net use t: /DELETE

 

[Matthew Mucklo]

New/Corrected information on Windows XP Backup File Format:

Turns out it's even more jinky than what I had first believed. So the
XP .bks file has no Magic Number "FF FE", but in every other way it
looks like a Windows Text File, in that it's saved in Unicode
(2-byte's for each character), and the ending of the line has the
Unicode Carriage return + Line Feed sequence ('\r\n' for C
programmers). So while you must edit the file in MSDOS Edit (so that
the magic number isn't prepended), what you edit looks in UNICODE
format (basically spaces in between each character and a CR arrow '->'
at the end of the line).

Probably the best way to edit it the file is just to create a new one
using the Windows XP Professional Backup utility (do an advanced
scheduled backup for some time in the future using the backup wizard),
and then copy the file in to place where you want it.

I can give detailed instructions if you need, but if you are unsure
where this file is, try looking in this directory (you'll have to turn
on hidden and system files if you want to browse to it):

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Windows NT\NTBackup\data\