Backing Data Up

[SidewinderX]

Hey guys...

Well, my parent's computer will probably need a reformat due to some... "complications"... anyway, I need to backup, at the very least, thier documents and whatnot. It'd also be nice If I could back up some specific programs in thier entierity.

So here are my questions:

1)Is it best to just copy the folders and documents to my backup drive, or should I use Norton Ghost? (which we have)

2)Is there a way to back up an installed program so I can "restore" it on the reformated/re-installed computer?

Thanks!

 

[DougLite]

1) For data, just copy the files. Don't fool with Ghost. If you wanna be sure about the integrity of it, open up the file from the backup media and make sure it's complete and correct.

2) Only fool with this method for large programs that take a long time to reinstall, as it takes some effort and some registry tricks. Small programs will be faster to reinstall

Start\Run\regedit

Highlight the registry 'key' (they look like folders)
HKEY Local Machine\Software\Program vendor name and File\Export save the registry key on to the backup drive
HKLM\Software\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Program Name, File\Export the Uninstall key as well, once again to your backup drive
Copy the program's install folder to the backup drive.
Copy the program's start menu folder in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users or UserName\Start Menu to the backup drive

To reinstall the program, copy the programs files to the exact same directory that they were before, but on the new drive. Move the start menu folder to the new start menu subfolder in documents and settings, and double click the registry exports you made to add the info about the programs back into the registry. Do not use this method for programs that are highly integrated into the operating system, like anti virus and other security programs, disk image tools, etc. Only use it for user apps that don't make changes to the OS, like games. It's a lot faster to reinstall games like UT2004 (5.5GB , not even including the stuff I've downloaded) if you reinstall them from a hard drive and import the registry info rather than watching a CD/DVD install while you go to Starbucks and grab a Latte.

 

[Talonz]

Don't try that trick with office either. To get all the benefits from a reinstall, I recommend making a drive image with Norton Ghost on a seperate partition. Then, install windows and everything you need onto the primary partition and move your files over. Leave that backup partition there for a month or two to see if you need it. You would be amazed at what you forget to transfer if you're not very organized.

 

[SidewinderX]

Doug: That's how I was thinking about doing it, but the program in question is a VPN tunneler, and a nortel networks app.... would those be too "intergrel" to do that to?

 

[DougLite]

I wouldn't try it with something like a VPN tunneler. It may have security IDs, encryption keys or some similar stuff that would be unique to a particular installation, or may expect certain values that are unqiue to an installation. Quick little Windows lesson: Every user, group, etc has a SID (Security ID) that is unique to that object. It is not your user name or group membership that grants you access to resources, it is the SID associated with that name or group. It's a 128 bit value that is created when you create the object, and is gone for good when you delete the object. You could create a new object of the same type with the same name, but it will still have a new, different SID, meaning that it can't access the resources the old SID could without manually remapping security permissions for the new SID. Obviously, a new Windows installation also means new, different SIDs, even if the objects are the exact same as they were in the old installation. While I am not familiar with your specific apps, I would expect them to take advantage of the security features of the NT environment, and be extremely sensitive to such matters. Using the backup method I described will probably produce unexpected and/or undesired results.

Also, like Talonz said, Ghosting the drive is the simplest way to make sure you have everything, and it probably takes about the same amount of time if you have to hunt for a myriad of files and folders for a selective backup. However, you need a drive that's big enough to hold the ghost images.

I only export the registry data on programs that take a LONG time to reinstall, like most newer games. It's a great way to save the time in patching and downloading any mods/bonus packs you may have acquired over time.