Windows Backup & Restore

[Marv]

I used to use a backup program prior to Windows 7 that allowed me to
specify which files I wanted to backup and the location on an external
HD. It also allowed me to restore all or any specific files should I
need to.

When I first got Windows 7 I used the Backup & Restore feature in that
which seemed to work for a while. Now, however, when I run the backup
portion it appears to run and I get a message that the program was
successfully completed. However, I cannot find where the actual backup
files were stored.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Marv

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I used to use a backup program prior to Windows 7 that allowed me to
specify which files I wanted to backup and the location on an external
HD. It also allowed me to restore all or any specific files should I
need to.

When I first got Windows 7 I used the Backup & Restore feature in that
which seemed to work for a while. Now, however, when I run the backup
portion it appears to run and I get a message that the program was
successfully completed. However, I cannot find where the actual backup
files were stored.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Marv

Here's a couple of guesses while we wait for someone who actually knows
the answer...

Run the program and ask it to restore. It should open to the right
place. When you've got the answer, you can exit without restoring.

Or else look at the program's settings; maybe you can see where it is
configured to back up to.

 

[Jeff Layman]

Here's a couple of guesses while we wait for someone who actually knows
the answer...

Run the program and ask it to restore. It should open to the right
place. When you've got the answer, you can exit without restoring.

Or else look at the program's settings; maybe you can see where it is
configured to back up to.

What about asking Windows Explorer to search for any file larger than
e.g.10Gb in size? That's assuming the backup is stored as a single file.

 

[Marv]

Here's a couple of guesses while we wait for someone who actually knows
the answer...

Run the program and ask it to restore. It should open to the right
place. When you've got the answer, you can exit without restoring.

Or else look at the program's settings; maybe you can see where it is
configured to back up to.

Gene, thanks for the response.

Tried this with strange results. If I start to do a Restore it does
list all instances of backup dates & times and I can do a restore of a
specific file. The name of the backup folder from which the restore is
done is "Backup on Backup Drive (I". If I do a search for that folder
it is not shown on any HD even if I have the option to show all System
files on. The backup files are there somewhere but I cannot see them.

 

[Jeff Layman]

Gene, thanks for the response.

Tried this with strange results. If I start to do a Restore it does list
all instances of backup dates & times and I can do a restore of a
specific file. The name of the backup folder from which the restore is
done is "Backup on Backup Drive (I". If I do a search for that folder
it is not shown on any HD even if I have the option to show all System
files on. The backup files are there somewhere but I cannot see them.

This from the chapter on backups from "Windows 7 Inside Out":
"1. Select a destination where your backup will be saved . The Set Up
Backup dialog box,
shown in Figure 11-2, lists all available destinations. Note that the
system volume is
not included in this list ."
(Several options are listed in Fig 11.2)

Amongst these options are the internal hard disk on the PC/Laptop you
are backing up. This is what the book says:
"Your choices include the following:
â— A separate volume on the same internal hard drive that holds your
system volume We strongly advise against this option, because in the
event of a physical disk failure your backup files will be wiped out at
the same time as the originals."

Is that where your I: drive is? If so, then that drive is the backup.
See below for maybe the reason why you can't see the actual file on that
volume. If you are doing a system image, the book states "System images
are stored in virtual hard drive ( .vhd) format". So what happens if
you search for a .vhd file?

Under a "Troubleshooting" heading, the book adds:
"Your backup folders are “emptyâ€
If you use Windows Explorer to browse to your backup folders, when you
rest the
mouse pointer over a folder name, the pop-up tip might identify it as an
“Empty
folder .†Alarmed, you right-click the folder and choose Properties,
only to find that the
folder apparently contains 0 bytes, 0 files, and 0 folders . Don’t worry
.. This is the normal
condition when your backups are stored on an NTFS volume, because by
default, only
the System user account has permission to view the files . (That’s a
reasonable security
and reliability precaution, which prevents you or another user from
inadvertently deleting a key backup file .) If you’re confident of your
ability to work safely with backup files in their native format, the
solution is simple: Double-click the folder name . Follow the prompts,
including a User Account Control (UAC) consent dialog box, to
permanently add your user account to the folder’s permissions list,
giving you Full Control access to the folder."

Hope some of this helps! If not, try googling "virtual hard disk".

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

What about asking Windows Explorer to search for any file larger than
e.g.10Gb in size? That's assuming the backup is stored as a single file.

Here's another approach to your suggestion; I like it because the
display is pretty flashy

There's a free program called WinDirStat which makes a very nice
graphical representation of file sizes. You look for the big rectangles,
and they're color coded, which helps visually.

I used it yesterday to figure out why a cloned backup was many GB
smaller than the C: drive. I found a huge "unknown" and access-denied
file, but I had to switch user to the Administrator to see that it was
the System Volume Information directory.

Another program, SequoiaView, is very similar, but less flexible, so it
was less help in that operation.

http://windirstat.sourceforge.net/

http://w3.win.tue.nl/nl/onderzoek/onderzoek_informatica/visualization/sequoiaview/
or http://tinyurl.com/225p3l

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

This from the chapter on backups from "Windows 7 Inside Out":
"1. Select a destination where your backup will be saved . The Set Up
Backup dialog box,
shown in Figure 11-2, lists all available destinations. Note that the
system volume is
not included in this list ."
(Several options are listed in Fig 11.2)

Amongst these options are the internal hard disk on the PC/Laptop you
are backing up. This is what the book says:
"Your choices include the following:
¡´ A separate volume on the same internal hard drive that holds your
system volume We strongly advise against this option, because in the
event of a physical disk failure your backup files will be wiped out at
the same time as the originals."

Is that where your I: drive is? If so, then that drive is the backup.
See below for maybe the reason why you can't see the actual file on that
volume. If you are doing a system image, the book states "System images
are stored in virtual hard drive ( .vhd) format". So what happens if
you search for a .vhd file?

Under a "Troubleshooting" heading, the book adds:
"Your backup folders are ¡§empty¡¨
If you use Windows Explorer to browse to your backup folders, when you
rest the
mouse pointer over a folder name, the pop-up tip might identify it as an
¡§Empty
folder .¡¨ Alarmed, you right-click the folder and choose Properties,
only to find that the
folder apparently contains 0 bytes, 0 files, and 0 folders . Don¡¦t worry
. This is the normal
condition when your backups are stored on an NTFS volume, because by
default, only
the System user account has permission to view the files . (That¡¦s a
reasonable security
and reliability precaution, which prevents you or another user from
inadvertently deleting a key backup file .) If you¡¦re confident of your
ability to work safely with backup files in their native format, the
solution is simple: Double-click the folder name . Follow the prompts,
including a User Account Control (UAC) consent dialog box, to
permanently add your user account to the folder¡¦s permissions list,
giving you Full Control access to the folder."

Hope some of this helps! If not, try googling "virtual hard disk".

It helps me - thanks for the lesson!

It also gives a hint about why I couldn't learn anything about the
System Volume Information directory, mentioned in my other post in this
thread, until I switched user to the Administrator. (Why didn't they
call it root? Much easier to type.)

 

[Jeff Layman]

It helps me - thanks for the lesson!

It also gives a hint about why I couldn't learn anything about the
System Volume Information directory, mentioned in my other post in this
thread, until I switched user to the Administrator. (Why didn't they
call it root? Much easier to type.)

You've done better than me. Even when I run an admin account I can't do
anything with the SVI folder (just get "Access denied". No UAC dialog
appears).

I've not tried it, but you may find this page of interest:
http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/windows7/windows7_activate_administrator.htm

The usual warnings apply!!!

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

You've done better than me. Even when I run an admin account I can't do
anything with the SVI folder (just get "Access denied". No UAC dialog
appears).

I've not tried it, but you may find this page of interest:
http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/windows7/windows7_activate_administrator.htm

The usual warnings apply!!!

Notice that I didn't say "an" administrator account, I said "the"
Administrator account.

That's the one that your URL talks about.

But thanks for reminding me that I forgot to make it inactive the other
day when I was finished with it

"An" administrator account is a user account with a limited subset of
administrator privileges; "the" Administrator account is the whole deal,
analogous to root or superuser in Unix/Linux, although I believe there
are still a few things you can't do with that one. But don't ask, I
don't know what they might be. Or even if I am right...