Backing up all my files on laptop

I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or accepting
Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using the
suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides this, it
shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my system files in a
floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the boot files from system?
--
EJM

If you are using the Ntbackup.exe, which came with XP, it does not support
direct writing to CDs. It is "free" with XP, so you get what you paid for,
sort of. It can write to any internal disk partition, or to older
removeable media like floppy or ZIP. However, both of those are really too
small to be practical for XP. It may be able to write to a network drive,
but few home users have those.

If you are serious about backup, get a good third-party software, such as
Norton GHOST or Acronis True Image. I prefer True Image (version 8), since
it has better support for external USB hard drives than my version of GHOST
(2003). But, there is a newer GHOST (version 9), and maybe it has imporved.
There are also several other progams out there that are similar.

Anyway, either of these programs can write to CDs and maybe even some DVDs.
However, for the fastest backup I suggest you get an external USB 2.0 disk.
If you want to occassionaly transfer an image to CDs or DVDs, be aware that
both these progams can write images in user-controlled slices. Both can
also recover single files and/or directory trees, as well as restoring the
whole disk.

"maynardes" wrote in message
...
I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or
accepting
Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using
the
suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides this, it
shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my system files
in a
floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the boot files from
system?
--
EJM

Thanks Bob; but this xp is a Gateway600 Series which cost me over three
thousand dollars; and I am beginning to wonder whether all Microsoft isn't a
rip off; why did they say it is a re-writable, when it cannot copy to CD? I
still don't grab that!

maynardes

"maynardes" wrote:

I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or accepting
Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using the
suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides this, it
shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my system files in a
floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the boot files from system?
--
EJM

maynardes wrote:
Thanks Bob; but this xp is a Gateway600 Series which cost me over three
thousand dollars; and I am beginning to wonder whether all Microsoft isn't a
rip off; why did they say it is a re-writable, when it cannot copy to CD? I
still don't grab that!

maynardes

"maynardes" wrote:


I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or accepting
Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using the
suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides this, it
shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my system files in a
floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the boot files from system?
--
EJM

This post and the original one indicate that you have no clue what
you're trying to do, or what your system is capable of. One wonders
where you got $3000 for a computer to begin with. Bob's response was
correct in every respect; if you want to use NTbackup you're going to
have to backup to your HD first and then copy to optical media. But what
you're trying to do--backup everything prior to installing updates--will
be better done, as Bob said, with imaging software.

Newbie or not, the man has a point. With all the additions to windows, and
all the ensuing complications, not to mention the size and complexity, It's
almost criminal to not have an easily understood way to back up a system
included with windows. As I understand it, there is such a utility, (sort
of) that is mainly intended to transfer the software to another PC. Never
having used it, I cannot say how well it works or what the pitfalls might
be.

"Phil McCracken" wrote in message
...
maynardes wrote:
Thanks Bob; but this xp is a Gateway600 Series which cost me over three
thousand dollars; and I am beginning to wonder whether all Microsoft
isn't a rip off; why did they say it is a re-writable, when it cannot
copy to CD? I still don't grab that!

maynardes

"maynardes" wrote:


I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or
accepting Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using
the suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides
this, it shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my
system files in a floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the
boot files from system?
--
EJM

This post and the original one indicate that you have no clue what you're
trying to do, or what your system is capable of. One wonders where you got
$3000 for a computer to begin with. Bob's response was correct in every
respect; if you want to use NTbackup you're going to have to backup to
your HD first and then copy to optical media. But what you're trying to
do--backup everything prior to installing updates--will be better done, as
Bob said, with imaging software.


---
Outgoing mail is AVG certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.799 / Virus Database: 543 - Release Date: 11/19/2004

Thanks Chuck; I have no need to prove my words on this network; if anybody
doubts my ownership of a Gateway 600 Series purchased precisely by a Spanish
prayer group as a gift when I graduated from CEI in Software education; I was
not boasting to anyone that I am an expert; Gateway took my money and then
tried to get me to buy instructions how to use the monster. So far, its good
to know it is possible; Chuck, I will keep searching elsewhere until I
satisfy my own need to do back up before accepting XP2 Updates for which
NOBODY at Windows has done a clear sense of why i need it...maynardes

"Chuck" wrote:

Newbie or not, the man has a point. With all the additions to windows, and
all the ensuing complications, not to mention the size and complexity, It's
almost criminal to not have an easily understood way to back up a system
included with windows. As I understand it, there is such a utility, (sort
of) that is mainly intended to transfer the software to another PC. Never
having used it, I cannot say how well it works or what the pitfalls might
be.

"Phil McCracken" wrote in message
...
maynardes wrote:
Thanks Bob; but this xp is a Gateway600 Series which cost me over three
thousand dollars; and I am beginning to wonder whether all Microsoft
isn't a rip off; why did they say it is a re-writable, when it cannot
copy to CD? I still don't grab that!

maynardes

"maynardes" wrote:


I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or
accepting Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using
the suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides
this, it shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my
system files in a floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the
boot files from system?
--
EJM

This post and the original one indicate that you have no clue what you're
trying to do, or what your system is capable of. One wonders where you got
$3000 for a computer to begin with. Bob's response was correct in every
respect; if you want to use NTbackup you're going to have to backup to
your HD first and then copy to optical media. But what you're trying to
do--backup everything prior to installing updates--will be better done, as
Bob said, with imaging software.


---
Outgoing mail is AVG certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.799 / Virus Database: 543 - Release Date: 11/19/2004

Disagree.

Somebody else might say "With the universal acceptance of CD and DVD
recording it's "almost criminal" for Microsoft not to include comprehensive
burning software in Windows. Or a fully featured firewall. Or anti-spam
software. Didn't Microsoft get into enough trouble by bundling a browser?

Ted Zieglar

"Chuck" wrote in message
...
Newbie or not, the man has a point. With all the additions to windows, and
all the ensuing complications, not to mention the size and complexity,
It's almost criminal to not have an easily understood way to back up a
system included with windows. As I understand it, there is such a
utility, (sort of) that is mainly intended to transfer the software to
another PC. Never having used it, I cannot say how well it works or what
the pitfalls might be.

"Phil McCracken" wrote in message
...
maynardes wrote:
Thanks Bob; but this xp is a Gateway600 Series which cost me over three
thousand dollars; and I am beginning to wonder whether all Microsoft
isn't a rip off; why did they say it is a re-writable, when it cannot
copy to CD? I still don't grab that!

maynardes

"maynardes" wrote:


I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or
accepting Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using
the suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides
this, it shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my
system files in a floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the
boot files from system?
--
EJM

This post and the original one indicate that you have no clue what you're
trying to do, or what your system is capable of. One wonders where you
got $3000 for a computer to begin with. Bob's response was correct in
every respect; if you want to use NTbackup you're going to have to backup
to your HD first and then copy to optical media. But what you're trying
to do--backup everything prior to installing updates--will be better
done, as Bob said, with imaging software.


---
Outgoing mail is AVG certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.799 / Virus Database: 543 - Release Date: 11/19/2004

I promise to read up on this imaging software prior to even using anything
else; I forgot to mention I also got an extra 40 gigas hard drive that came
with my monster, but I have never installed it since I got it and if the main
computer has not worked since it stopped and had to be rebooted with technial
assistance, I do not want to use that clean hard drive, although I think that
might be big enough to hold system disks as a back up; but I do not know how
to take out one of the other compartments like the A floppy section , and try
to use for the first time that 40 gigas extra hard disk i have that ame with
system a year ago.

maynardes

"Chuck" wrote:

Newbie or not, the man has a point. With all the additions to windows, and
all the ensuing complications, not to mention the size and complexity, It's
almost criminal to not have an easily understood way to back up a system
included with windows. As I understand it, there is such a utility, (sort
of) that is mainly intended to transfer the software to another PC. Never
having used it, I cannot say how well it works or what the pitfalls might
be.

"Phil McCracken" wrote in message
...
maynardes wrote:
Thanks Bob; but this xp is a Gateway600 Series which cost me over three
thousand dollars; and I am beginning to wonder whether all Microsoft
isn't a rip off; why did they say it is a re-writable, when it cannot
copy to CD? I still don't grab that!

maynardes

"maynardes" wrote:


I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or
accepting Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using
the suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides
this, it shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my
system files in a floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the
boot files from system?
--
EJM

This post and the original one indicate that you have no clue what you're
trying to do, or what your system is capable of. One wonders where you got
$3000 for a computer to begin with. Bob's response was correct in every
respect; if you want to use NTbackup you're going to have to backup to
your HD first and then copy to optical media. But what you're trying to
do--backup everything prior to installing updates--will be better done, as
Bob said, with imaging software.


---
Outgoing mail is AVG certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.799 / Virus Database: 543 - Release Date: 11/19/2004

Ted,

I have wondered about that myself; Microsoft seems to be using subtle ways
to prepare folks for their service side OS whihc I have read about; it took
me half a year to discover, that all the Office Software I had orderd (ten)
were really on the computer, but I wanted to open each one of the ten
software instead of just a new page and let XP decide which one to bring up;
I learned slowly by myself; now I know. But Backup? Unfortunately, since the
system worked for an entire year and I trusted my laptop so much, I failed to
learn backup with the new system bought for me. In School, I did it a lot; in
real life, I failed on that point.

thanks anyhow everybody,
maynardes

"Ted Zieglar" wrote:

Disagree.

Somebody else might say "With the universal acceptance of CD and DVD
recording it's "almost criminal" for Microsoft not to include comprehensive
burning software in Windows. Or a fully featured firewall. Or anti-spam
software. Didn't Microsoft get into enough trouble by bundling a browser?

Ted Zieglar

"Chuck" wrote in message
...
Newbie or not, the man has a point. With all the additions to windows, and
all the ensuing complications, not to mention the size and complexity,
It's almost criminal to not have an easily understood way to back up a
system included with windows. As I understand it, there is such a
utility, (sort of) that is mainly intended to transfer the software to
another PC. Never having used it, I cannot say how well it works or what
the pitfalls might be.

"Phil McCracken" wrote in message
...
maynardes wrote:
Thanks Bob; but this xp is a Gateway600 Series which cost me over three
thousand dollars; and I am beginning to wonder whether all Microsoft
isn't a rip off; why did they say it is a re-writable, when it cannot
copy to CD? I still don't grab that!

maynardes

"maynardes" wrote:


I wanted to back up all my files on the laptop before downlading or
accepting Windos updates, i.e. SP2 for XP

Every attempt to do this to my new CD is met with a resistance to using
the suggested names made by system, i.e. 'Eds Back Up Files'; besides
this, it shews drive A, but I have no disk big enough to hold all my
system files in a floppy; does it need to save all the files or just the
boot files from system?
--
EJM

This post and the original one indicate that you have no clue what you're
trying to do, or what your system is capable of. One wonders where you
got $3000 for a computer to begin with. Bob's response was correct in
every respect; if you want to use NTbackup you're going to have to backup
to your HD first and then copy to optical media. But what you're trying
to do--backup everything prior to installing updates--will be better
done, as Bob said, with imaging software.


---
Outgoing mail is AVG certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.799 / Virus Database: 543 - Release Date: 11/19/2004