problems with restored files from xp bkf backups

[[email protected]]

Hello,

I'm running xpsp2, and have noticed certain restored files having
problems.

I restored some recent bkf files just to see if everything was working.
I did a quick check of selected files out of about 16gb of restored
data. The data was restored into an alternate location. Most everything
was intact, but what wasn't is worrisome.

First, there was a folder with several subfolders located originally on
the desktop. Several of the subfolders couldn't be highlighted or
selected, several folders could be selected and opened but the jpg
contents couldn't be opened, nor could thumbnails be generated. And,
several folders were fully usable. To be sure the original folders and
contents were good, I went to the original location and checked
them...........they were all fine.

Second, restored Outlook Express dbx files would not import into
Outlook Express. As a test, I created another identity in Outlook
Express and imported the files from the main identity, which was
successful.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Who has a superior backup utility to windows? I'm thinking it can't be
fully trusted.

Thanks,

GS

[Rock]

wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I'm running xpsp2, and have noticed certain restored files having
> problems.
>
> I restored some recent bkf files just to see if everything was working.
> I did a quick check of selected files out of about 16gb of restored
> data. The data was restored into an alternate location. Most everything
> was intact, but what wasn't is worrisome.

<snip>

> Who has a superior backup utility to windows? I'm thinking it can't be
> fully trusted.
>
> Thanks,
>
> GS

One option - and the one I recommend - is to use a drive imaging
program. This makes an exact image of the partition which can be saved
on CD/DVD or to another drive - internal or external. Best to store
backups on an external device or networked drive rather than on a second
internal hard drive. Restores can be done of the entire partition or
individual files / folders. These work well and make it easy to recover
from a drive crash. Examples of this are:

Norton Ghost
Acronis True Image
Terabyte Unlimited's Image for Windows

The second option is a traditional backup program such as Stompsoft's
Backup My PC. This is an excellent tool. It is the evolution of
ntbackup. There are other good backup programs out there as well. This
can do a complete backup or backup individual files and folders to
DVD/CD and other drives.


--
Rock
MS MVP Windows - Shell/User

[[email protected]]

Rock wrote:
> wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > I'm running xpsp2, and have noticed certain restored files having
> > problems.
> >
> > I restored some recent bkf files just to see if everything was working.
> > I did a quick check of selected files out of about 16gb of restored
> > data. The data was restored into an alternate location. Most everything
> > was intact, but what wasn't is worrisome.
>
> <snip>
>
> > Who has a superior backup utility to windows? I'm thinking it can't be
> > fully trusted.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > GS
>
> One option - and the one I recommend - is to use a drive imaging
> program. This makes an exact image of the partition which can be saved
> on CD/DVD or to another drive - internal or external. Best to store
> backups on an external device or networked drive rather than on a second
> internal hard drive. Restores can be done of the entire partition or
> individual files / folders. These work well and make it easy to recover
> from a drive crash. Examples of this are:
>
> Norton Ghost
> Acronis True Image
> Terabyte Unlimited's Image for Windows
>
> The second option is a traditional backup program such as Stompsoft's
> Backup My PC. This is an excellent tool. It is the evolution of
> ntbackup. There are other good backup programs out there as well. This
> can do a complete backup or backup individual files and folders to
> DVD/CD and other drives.
>
>
> --
> Rock
> MS MVP Windows - Shell/User


Thanks for the advice.

It's too bad Windows Backup is not restoring properly, because the full
and differential backups I had scheduled monthly and weekly were ideal
for a "hands off" operation. I'd bet that 99.999% of the files are
restoring properly, too. But if certain jpgs and Outlook Express dbx
files are not restoring properly, then that's the red flag that'll move
me to another product. But, with so many unique variables in any given
PC, it's difficult to identify the real culprit without perhaps hours
of analysis and experimentation.

I'm also guessing that most, if not all, backup programs create their
own file much like the .bkf files in Windows Backup, as opposed to
creating a folder with all the subfolders and files. This is one reason
I like to simply copy my data, because I can instantly see if the
copied files are intact. The downside is that this only works for data,
and not the whole drive. Plus, it's time consuming.

GS

[Rock]

wrote:


> Thanks for the advice.

You're welcome.

--
Rock
MS MVP Windows - Shell/User