xcopy

[Ted Gervais]

I just ran 'xcopy /e /c /h /o c: h: and it copies everything I had from
drive c to h.

My question now is, did it copy anything that was needed to boot that drive
to the mbr or whereever, so that if I tried to boot from drive H (this is a
separate physical drive) that it would in fact boot?

I have the feeling even though xcopy is a great thing it misses those tiny
things that will permit a new drive to boot up after a current system was
transferred to it.

Any comments guys on what I did? Perhaps there is a better way but I
thought that where I have this second drive already mounted in the computer
and it would take the place of the old drive, why not xcopy everything over
from one to the other??
Did I do wrong..??

 

[LVTravel]

Because you specified the /c switch, you would not be notified of all the
"files in use" when you did this copy. Xcopy can't copy those files. It
also won't normally copy files that are "system" files. Therefore, what you
have done is copied most of the program files, windows files and data files
from your C drive to your H drive. The data files are useful but the
Windows and Program files won't work because not all the files were copied.

To clone a hard drive you need a specific program that will do this. If you
Google the words "clone hard drive" (type the quotes) you will get many
program options to do just that. The hard drive manufacturer may have
shipped a CD with the drive that also may have a program that will copy the
drive for you.

 

[BR549]

I just ran 'xcopy /e /c /h /o c: h: and it copies everything I had from
drive c to h.

My question now is, did it copy anything that was needed to boot that
drive to the mbr or whereever, so that if I tried to boot from drive H
(this is a separate physical drive) that it would in fact boot?

I have the feeling even though xcopy is a great thing it misses those tiny
things that will permit a new drive to boot up after a current system was
transferred to it.

Any comments guys on what I did? Perhaps there is a better way but I
thought that where I have this second drive already mounted in the
computer and it would take the place of the old drive, why not xcopy
everything over from one to the other??
Did I do wrong..??

I use Ghost 2003 to do my imaging and cloning, works every time. Why don't
you just try to boot from the drive?

 

[Kerry Brown]

You can't use xcopy to copy the drive that the Windows that is running xcopy
is on. You could use xcopy to make a copy of a Windows drive if you
installed that drive in another computer that was running Windows from a
different drive. Hope that made sense. The short answer is what you did may
boot but you will have problems. You should use a disk imaging or cloning
program to do what you want to do.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I just ran 'xcopy /e /c /h /o c: h: and it copies everything I had from
drive c to h.

Not exactly.

My question now is, did it copy anything that was needed to boot that
drive to the mbr or whereever, so that if I tried to boot from drive H
(this is a separate physical drive) that it would in fact boot?

Nope. Xcopy isn't capable of doing this.

I have the feeling even though xcopy is a great thing it misses those tiny
things that will permit a new drive to boot up after a current system was
transferred to it.

Critical boot files in precise locations aren't actually tiny things.
Xcopy is simply the wrong tool.

Any comments guys on what I did? Perhaps there is a better way but I
thought that where I have this second drive already mounted in the
computer and it would take the place of the old drive, why not xcopy
everything over from one to the other??
Did I do wrong..??

You need to use a disk cloning utility, which will copy *all* of the files
including the ones you do not have access to, and put the critical boot
files in the precise locations they need to be. I use Acronis True Image
with good success, and it has a free 15-day trial.

http://www.acronis.com/

And as a bonus, you'll probably find that cloning/imaging takes
significantly less time than running xcopy, sometimes hours less.

HTH
-pk

 

[Pappion]

Would Acronis be a good program to use if I'm going to clean my HD, instead
of backing up files on CDs?

I use Roxio, and cannot for the life of me figure out how to put in a CD
with say A-D files on it, and add anything new to it without replicating
those already burned.

Also, it take 3-6 CDs, and right now I want to back up my C Drive (only one
I use for documents) and do it daily, instead of now and then.

How do I accomplish this easy backup on a daily basis?

 

[Chuck Davis]

I would buy an external hard drive. They are connected via USB. A 300 GB
drive can be bought for about 80USD. You didn't mention your version of
Windows, but Windows XP Pro already has a backup program, that will back up
your data and system settings. It will make incremental backups. If you are
using Windows XP Home, you can Google search for ntbackup.msi file. Download
and install. This version will not backup system settings, but is otherwise
identical.

 

[Ken Blake]

I would buy an external hard drive. They are connected via USB. A 300 GB
drive can be bought for about 80USD. You didn't mention your version of
Windows, but Windows XP Pro already has a backup program, that will back up
your data and system settings. It will make incremental backups. If you are
using Windows XP Home, you can Google search for ntbackup.msi file.

It's not normally necessary to download ntbackup, even with XP Home. It
comes with both Professional and Home. Backup is installed automatically on
XP Professional, but not on XP Home. If you have the complete XP Home CD,
find backup on the CD, in \ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBACKUP and install it yourself by
doubleclicking the file ntbackup.msi.

But if you don't have an XP CD, you can download ntbackup.msi at
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi.


However, as backup programs go, this is perhaps the [poorest choice
available, and almost any third-party choice, such as Acronis True Image, is
better.

 

[Pappion]

Yes, I have XP Pro, and my computer is a year old. and all Windows updates
are current, and use IE--all patches installed. Do you suggest using Acronis
as a one-time event?

I would use my CD burner, but cannot see to find out how to simply add to
the CDs each day to create backups. I'm visually-impaired, and utilize
adaptive software, extensively, including Kurzweil, and Dragon. At times,
the screen reader isn't too helpful in attempting new programs or
delineating their variables. As a writer, I am concerned, although owning a
computer since the late 1970s I've never had a crash, or Virus, Trojan, et
al, and run all utilities purposefully, incl AVG, Spyblaster, AdAware, +
Trendmicro every few weeks, and have Zone Alarm, and don't permit
pop-ups--et al.

Thank you for your time and opinion.

I would buy an external hard drive. They are connected via USB. A 300 GB
drive can be bought for about 80USD. You didn't mention your version of
Windows, but Windows XP Pro already has a backup program, that will back
up your data and system settings. It will make incremental backups. If you
are using Windows XP Home, you can Google search for ntbackup.msi file.

It's not normally necessary to download ntbackup, even with XP Home. It
comes with both Professional and Home. Backup is installed automatically
on XP Professional, but not on XP Home. If you have the complete XP Home
CD, find backup on the CD, in \ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBACKUP and install it
yourself by doubleclicking the file ntbackup.msi.

But if you don't have an XP CD, you can download ntbackup.msi at
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi.


However, as backup programs go, this is perhaps the [poorest choice
available, and almost any third-party choice, such as Acronis True Image,
is better.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

Download and install. This version will not backup system settings, but
is otherwise identical.

 

[Pappion]

On my C Drive, General tab there's an option to back up files, and on Quota
there's a box to check to initiate a quota. What does that one mean? I
couldn't get an explanation when I did a right click on it. It isn't
checked, though.

Thank you.

I would buy an external hard drive. They are connected via USB. A 300 GB
drive can be bought for about 80USD. You didn't mention your version of
Windows, but Windows XP Pro already has a backup program, that will back
up your data and system settings. It will make incremental backups. If you
are using Windows XP Home, you can Google search for ntbackup.msi file.

It's not normally necessary to download ntbackup, even with XP Home. It
comes with both Professional and Home. Backup is installed automatically
on XP Professional, but not on XP Home. If you have the complete XP Home
CD, find backup on the CD, in \ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBACKUP and install it
yourself by doubleclicking the file ntbackup.msi.

But if you don't have an XP CD, you can download ntbackup.msi at
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi.


However, as backup programs go, this is perhaps the [poorest choice
available, and almost any third-party choice, such as Acronis True Image,
is better.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

Download and install. This version will not backup system settings, but
is otherwise identical.

 

[Ken Blake]

Yes, I have XP Pro, and my computer is a year old. and all Windows
updates are current, and use IE--all patches installed. Do you
suggest using Acronis as a one-time event?

Sorry, I'm lost. Why are you asking about a one-time event? Backup is
something that needs to be done regularly.

I would use my CD burner, but cannot see to find out how to simply
add to the CDs each day to create backups.

I don't recommend that at all.CDs cost next to nothing. Just use a new set
of CDs each time you create a backup. That has the added that you can
restore by going back more than one generation if you need to.

And as Chuck suggested below, using an external USB hard drive (or better,
two, and alternating between them, is a much easier way to back up.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

I'm visually-impaired, and
utilize adaptive software, extensively, including Kurzweil, and
Dragon. At times, the screen reader isn't too helpful in attempting
new programs or delineating their variables. As a writer, I am
concerned, although owning a computer since the late 1970s I've never
had a crash, or Virus, Trojan, et al, and run all utilities
purposefully, incl AVG, Spyblaster, AdAware, + Trendmicro every few
weeks, and have Zone Alarm, and don't permit pop-ups--et al.

Thank you for your time and opinion.

I would buy an external hard drive. They are connected via USB. A
300 GB drive can be bought for about 80USD. You didn't mention your
version of Windows, but Windows XP Pro already has a backup
program, that will back up your data and system settings. It will
make incremental backups. If you are using Windows XP Home, you can
Google search for ntbackup.msi file.

It's not normally necessary to download ntbackup, even with XP Home.
It comes with both Professional and Home. Backup is installed
automatically on XP Professional, but not on XP Home. If you have
the complete XP Home CD, find backup on the CD, in
\ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBACKUP and install it yourself by doubleclicking
the file ntbackup.msi. But if you don't have an XP CD, you can download
ntbackup.msi at
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi.


However, as backup programs go, this is perhaps the [poorest choice
available, and almost any third-party choice, such as Acronis True
Image, is better.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

Download and install. This version will not backup system settings,
but is otherwise identical.
Would Acronis be a good program to use if I'm going to clean my HD,
instead of backing up files on CDs?

I use Roxio, and cannot for the life of me figure out how to put
in a CD with say A-D files on it, and add anything new to it
without replicating those already burned.

Also, it take 3-6 CDs, and right now I want to back up my C Drive
(only one I use for documents) and do it daily, instead of now and
then. How do I accomplish this easy backup on a daily basis?

I just ran 'xcopy /e /c /h /o c: h: and it copies everything
I had from drive c to h.

Not exactly.


My question now is, did it copy anything that was needed to boot
that drive to the mbr or whereever, so that if I tried to boot
from drive H (this is a separate physical drive) that it would
in fact boot?

Nope. Xcopy isn't capable of doing this.


I have the feeling even though xcopy is a great thing it misses
those tiny things that will permit a new drive to boot up after
a current system was transferred to it.

Critical boot files in precise locations aren't actually tiny
things. Xcopy is simply the wrong tool.


Any comments guys on what I did? Perhaps there is a better way
but I thought that where I have this second drive already
mounted in the computer and it would take the place of the old
drive, why not xcopy everything over from one to the other??
Did I do wrong..??

You need to use a disk cloning utility, which will copy *all* of
the files including the ones you do not have access to, and put
the critical boot files in the precise locations they need to be.
I use Acronis True Image with good success, and it has a free
15-day trial. http://www.acronis.com/

And as a bonus, you'll probably find that cloning/imaging takes
significantly less time than running xcopy, sometimes hours less.

HTH
-pk

 

[Pappion]

GOT it

Yes, I have XP Pro, and my computer is a year old. and all Windows
updates are current, and use IE--all patches installed. Do you
suggest using Acronis as a one-time event?

Sorry, I'm lost. Why are you asking about a one-time event? Backup is
something that needs to be done regularly.

I would use my CD burner, but cannot see to find out how to simply
add to the CDs each day to create backups.

I don't recommend that at all.CDs cost next to nothing. Just use a new set
of CDs each time you create a backup. That has the added that you can
restore by going back more than one generation if you need to.

And as Chuck suggested below, using an external USB hard drive (or better,
two, and alternating between them, is a much easier way to back up.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

I'm visually-impaired, and
utilize adaptive software, extensively, including Kurzweil, and
Dragon. At times, the screen reader isn't too helpful in attempting
new programs or delineating their variables. As a writer, I am
concerned, although owning a computer since the late 1970s I've never
had a crash, or Virus, Trojan, et al, and run all utilities
purposefully, incl AVG, Spyblaster, AdAware, + Trendmicro every few
weeks, and have Zone Alarm, and don't permit pop-ups--et al.

Thank you for your time and opinion.

"Chuck Davis" <newsgroup at anthemwebs dot com> wrote in message

I would buy an external hard drive. They are connected via USB. A
300 GB drive can be bought for about 80USD. You didn't mention your
version of Windows, but Windows XP Pro already has a backup
program, that will back up your data and system settings. It will
make incremental backups. If you are using Windows XP Home, you can
Google search for ntbackup.msi file.


It's not normally necessary to download ntbackup, even with XP Home.
It comes with both Professional and Home. Backup is installed
automatically on XP Professional, but not on XP Home. If you have
the complete XP Home CD, find backup on the CD, in
\ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBACKUP and install it yourself by doubleclicking
the file ntbackup.msi. But if you don't have an XP CD, you can download
ntbackup.msi at
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi.


However, as backup programs go, this is perhaps the [poorest choice
available, and almost any third-party choice, such as Acronis True
Image, is better.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup




Download and install. This version will not backup system settings,
but is otherwise identical.
Would Acronis be a good program to use if I'm going to clean my HD,
instead of backing up files on CDs?

I use Roxio, and cannot for the life of me figure out how to put
in a CD with say A-D files on it, and add anything new to it
without replicating those already burned.

Also, it take 3-6 CDs, and right now I want to back up my C Drive
(only one I use for documents) and do it daily, instead of now and
then. How do I accomplish this easy backup on a daily basis?

I just ran 'xcopy /e /c /h /o c: h: and it copies everything
I had from drive c to h.

Not exactly.


My question now is, did it copy anything that was needed to boot
that drive to the mbr or whereever, so that if I tried to boot
from drive H (this is a separate physical drive) that it would
in fact boot?

Nope. Xcopy isn't capable of doing this.


I have the feeling even though xcopy is a great thing it misses
those tiny things that will permit a new drive to boot up after
a current system was transferred to it.

Critical boot files in precise locations aren't actually tiny
things. Xcopy is simply the wrong tool.


Any comments guys on what I did? Perhaps there is a better way
but I thought that where I have this second drive already
mounted in the computer and it would take the place of the old
drive, why not xcopy everything over from one to the other??
Did I do wrong..??

You need to use a disk cloning utility, which will copy *all* of
the files including the ones you do not have access to, and put
the critical boot files in the precise locations they need to be.
I use Acronis True Image with good success, and it has a free
15-day trial. http://www.acronis.com/

And as a bonus, you'll probably find that cloning/imaging takes
significantly less time than running xcopy, sometimes hours less.

HTH
-pk

 

[Bullwinkle]

I use Acronis but not as a backup program. I use it to clone the C drive so
that when windows fails I can recover my C drive easily.

If what you are looking for is a data backup file I would recommend the
program I use called Avantrix DVD Backup. This program backs up data to a
DVD and I've used it for a long time.

I do not work for either company. It's just that They have saved my bacon on
more than one occasion.

Regards,

On my C Drive, General tab there's an option to back up files, and on
Quota there's a box to check to initiate a quota. What does that one mean?
I couldn't get an explanation when I did a right click on it. It isn't
checked, though.

Thank you.

I would buy an external hard drive. They are connected via USB. A 300 GB
drive can be bought for about 80USD. You didn't mention your version of
Windows, but Windows XP Pro already has a backup program, that will back
up your data and system settings. It will make incremental backups. If
you are using Windows XP Home, you can Google search for ntbackup.msi
file.

It's not normally necessary to download ntbackup, even with XP Home. It
comes with both Professional and Home. Backup is installed automatically
on XP Professional, but not on XP Home. If you have the complete XP Home
CD, find backup on the CD, in \ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBACKUP and install it
yourself by doubleclicking the file ntbackup.msi.

But if you don't have an XP CD, you can download ntbackup.msi at
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi.


However, as backup programs go, this is perhaps the [poorest choice
available, and almost any third-party choice, such as Acronis True Image,
is better.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

Download and install. This version will not backup system settings, but
is otherwise identical.
Would Acronis be a good program to use if I'm going to clean my HD,
instead of backing up files on CDs?

I use Roxio, and cannot for the life of me figure out how to put in a
CD with say A-D files on it, and add anything new to it without
replicating those already burned.

Also, it take 3-6 CDs, and right now I want to back up my C Drive (only
one I use for documents) and do it daily, instead of now and then.

How do I accomplish this easy backup on a daily basis?

I just ran 'xcopy /e /c /h /o c: h: and it copies everything I had
from drive c to h.

Not exactly.


My question now is, did it copy anything that was needed to boot that
drive to the mbr or whereever, so that if I tried to boot from drive
H (this is a separate physical drive) that it would in fact boot?

Nope. Xcopy isn't capable of doing this.


I have the feeling even though xcopy is a great thing it misses those
tiny things that will permit a new drive to boot up after a current
system was transferred to it.

Critical boot files in precise locations aren't actually tiny things.
Xcopy is simply the wrong tool.


Any comments guys on what I did? Perhaps there is a better way but I
thought that where I have this second drive already mounted in the
computer and it would take the place of the old drive, why not xcopy
everything over from one to the other??
Did I do wrong..??

You need to use a disk cloning utility, which will copy *all* of the
files including the ones you do not have access to, and put the
critical boot files in the precise locations they need to be. I use
Acronis True Image with good success, and it has a free 15-day trial.

http://www.acronis.com/

And as a bonus, you'll probably find that cloning/imaging takes
significantly less time than running xcopy, sometimes hours less.

HTH
-pk

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I use Acronis but not as a backup program. I use it to clone the C drive so
that when windows fails I can recover my C drive easily.

If what you are looking for is a data backup file I would recommend the
program I use called Avantrix DVD Backup. This program backs up data to a
DVD and I've used it for a long time.

I do not work for either company. It's just that They have saved my bacon
on more than one occasion.

Regards,

I also use Avantrix BackupPLus, which is what DVDBackup is based on. The
difference is basically that DVDBackup can only write to DVD, while Backup
Plus can write to wherever you point it (as long as your system has packet
writing software installed, like Sonic DLA, DirectCD or Nero InCD).

The price difference isn't great and I find the flexibility valuable. For
example, I sometimes schedule systems to backup to a hard disk folder first
and then follow that with a second backup of that folder to DVD. This
gives a redundant copy so that if for some reason the DVD write fails, there
is probably a good copy on the disk.

And you can also create another backup set for mobile use of personal,
critical files. Simply place an shortcut to that backup set on the
desktop, and run it when needed.

It's also important to use more than one DVD/RW or CDRW in case of media
failure. We often set the backups to run at night and have the office
manager swap disks as the first task in the morning. We use a set of five,
named Monday to Friday.

And, it's very important to periodically verify the backups. Open a backup
file and restore some files (to a different location). Verify that you can
open them properly.

HTH
-pk

On my C Drive, General tab there's an option to back up files, and on
Quota there's a box to check to initiate a quota. What does that one
mean? I couldn't get an explanation when I did a right click on it. It
isn't checked, though.

Thank you.

"Chuck Davis" <newsgroup at anthemwebs dot com> wrote in message

I would buy an external hard drive. They are connected via USB. A 300
GB drive can be bought for about 80USD. You didn't mention your version
of Windows, but Windows XP Pro already has a backup program, that will
back up your data and system settings. It will make incremental backups.
If you are using Windows XP Home, you can Google search for ntbackup.msi
file.


It's not normally necessary to download ntbackup, even with XP Home. It
comes with both Professional and Home. Backup is installed automatically
on XP Professional, but not on XP Home. If you have the complete XP Home
CD, find backup on the CD, in \ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBACKUP and install it
yourself by doubleclicking the file ntbackup.msi.

But if you don't have an XP CD, you can download ntbackup.msi at
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software/ntbackup.msi.


However, as backup programs go, this is perhaps the [poorest choice
available, and almost any third-party choice, such as Acronis True
Image, is better.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup




Download and install. This version will not backup system settings, but
is otherwise identical.
Would Acronis be a good program to use if I'm going to clean my HD,
instead of backing up files on CDs?

I use Roxio, and cannot for the life of me figure out how to put in a
CD with say A-D files on it, and add anything new to it without
replicating those already burned.

Also, it take 3-6 CDs, and right now I want to back up my C Drive
(only one I use for documents) and do it daily, instead of now and
then.

How do I accomplish this easy backup on a daily basis?

I just ran 'xcopy /e /c /h /o c: h: and it copies everything I
had from drive c to h.

Not exactly.


My question now is, did it copy anything that was needed to boot
that drive to the mbr or whereever, so that if I tried to boot from
drive H (this is a separate physical drive) that it would in fact
boot?

Nope. Xcopy isn't capable of doing this.


I have the feeling even though xcopy is a great thing it misses
those tiny things that will permit a new drive to boot up after a
current system was transferred to it.

Critical boot files in precise locations aren't actually tiny things.
Xcopy is simply the wrong tool.


Any comments guys on what I did? Perhaps there is a better way but
I thought that where I have this second drive already mounted in the
computer and it would take the place of the old drive, why not
xcopy everything over from one to the other??
Did I do wrong..??

You need to use a disk cloning utility, which will copy *all* of the
files including the ones you do not have access to, and put the
critical boot files in the precise locations they need to be. I
use Acronis True Image with good success, and it has a free 15-day
trial.

http://www.acronis.com/

And as a bonus, you'll probably find that cloning/imaging takes
significantly less time than running xcopy, sometimes hours less.

HTH
-pk

 

[henry]

A good choice for backup to usb drive is uplus sync. It can help you to
backup files automaticaly and scheduled.
"Chuck Davis дµÀ£º
"