Raw hard drive backup

[NiceCupOfTea]

Rebuilding my wife's laptop - I'm going to wipe the drive and start from scratch. I've backed up files &c but can guarantee I'll forget some bits (only just remembered her old outlook.pst file and a couple of backdrops) so I think it's best if I do a direct backup of everything to a USB drive.

I could use synctoy but not sure if it will be happy dealing with system files &c while Windows is running. Anybody know?

Alternative is xcopy but I can't remember what switches I need to preserve everything and keep going even if there are any errors/files open etc.

Can anybody help?

[Man-At-Arms]

synctoy is ok
i think xcopy just doesn't automatically do sub directories

i've use mirrorfolder before
http://www.techsoftpl.com/backup/index.php

[sunbeam_alpine]

You could also use a live CD version of Linux like Knoppix (boots and runs from the cd) and copy the entire hard drive to an external hd.

[lestag]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Rebuilding my wife's laptop - I'm going to wipe the drive and start from scratch. I've backed up files &c but can guarantee I'll forget some bits (only just remembered her old outlook.pst file and a couple of backdrops) so I think it's best if I do a direct backup of everything to a USB drive.

I could use synctoy but not sure if it will be happy dealing with system files &c while Windows is running. Anybody know?

Alternative is xcopy but I can't remember what switches I need to preserve everything and keep going even if there are any errors/files open etc.

Can anybody help?

create another administrator account. it will have access to your wifes account. log in as that new account . turn on view system and hidden files and then use robocopy http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2006.1... to copy her profile in c:\documents and settings or c:\

[patchst]

I'd personally use robocopy it should be already installed if you have a Vista machine or newer.If your running XP or older you can download it free from Microsoft.

Read for info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robocopy

Edited by patchst on Monday 22 March 10:39

[NiceCupOfTea]

Not had much like with the GUI version of robocopy - it just says "completed" instantly and I can't get it to produce a log file (although it says it has!)

sunbeam_alpine said:

You could also use a live CD version of Linux like Knoppix (boots and runs from the cd) and copy the entire hard drive to an external hd.

I like this idea! Will create a live CD - what would you use from within Knoppix to do the copying? Is it just a straight command line job?

[Slinky]

Try..

xcopy c:\*.* E:\ /H /C /E /Y

.. obviously changing paths as necessary, should copy all files and subdirectories..

/H Copies hidden and system files also
/E copies directories and subdirectories, including empty ones
/C continues copying even if errors occur
/Y suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file

[sunbeam_alpine]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Not had much like with the GUI version of robocopy - it just says "completed" instantly and I can't get it to produce a log file (although it says it has!)

sunbeam_alpine said:

You could also use a live CD version of Linux like Knoppix (boots and runs from the cd) and copy the entire hard drive to an external hd.

I like this idea! Will create a live CD - what would you use from within Knoppix to do the copying? Is it just a straight command line job?

Just boot from the Knoppix CD. An icon for the hard drive will appear on the desktop. THEN plug in the USB hard drive and an icon will appear for this.

Doubleclick the icon for the hd. CTRL + A to select all, CTRL + C to copy. Doubleclick the icon for the USB drive, CTRL + V to paste.

Go make coffee.

P.S. If your hard drive has more than 1 partition, you will see an icon on the desktop for each partition.

[buggalugs]

Call me crazy, but I'd just use the backup program in the start menu...

[lestag]

buggalugs said:

Call me crazy, but I'd just use the backup program in the start menu...

erm some versions of windows don't have that feature and the version the OP has is not stated......

[buggalugs]

I thought thay did, which ones don't?

[NiceCupOfTea]

I'm using XP - never seen any Backup programs in Windows that were even approaching half decent...

Knoppix is doing its thing at the moment, but it's going to take very many coffees for it to finish I think. Been going 20 minutes and nothing on the progress bar yet...

Of course most of the stuff is irrelevant, but it'd be good to have it before I wipe the disc. Just in case, like.

[lestag]

buggalugs said:

I thought thay did, which ones don't?

IIRC Windows XP home versions
I remember my boss going spare at microsoft because the version she had at home did not include backup......

ETA
Windows XP Home Edition
Contains basic support for security among multiple users.
Built-in support for peer-to-peer networking, but only for up to five computers.
The backup utlity is not installed by default, but is included on the CD.

plus
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_hom...

Edited by lestag on Wednesday 24th March 07:50

[buggalugs]

lestag said:

buggalugs said:

I thought thay did, which ones don't?

IIRC Windows XP home versions
I remember my boss going spare at microsoft because the version she had at home did not include backup......

ETA
Windows XP Home Edition
Contains basic support for security among multiple users.
Built-in support for peer-to-peer networking, but only for up to five computers.
The backup utlity is not installed by default, but is included on the CD.

plus
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_hom...

Fair enough I never ran into that one - personaly though I do rate ntbackup as being simple and just working.
I would personaly tend when someone asks a question like this to always go for the simplest, quickest, easiest answer first and then worry about complicated later if that doesn't work.
Its a moot point now and you do have permission to call me completely crazy, but it would have taken the OP less time to plug the drive in and go start, programs, backup, next etc. than to post this thread on Sunday, and he wouldn't have still been up after midnight on Tuesday night.

But on the plus side at least he got to play with Knoppix