Backup & Recovery

[10onrussel]

Hi guys/girls. . .

I really need help. . .on Friday my HP Laptop took a nose dive of some sort and I had to recover all my data from a previous backup. Seeing that I'm working in Mozambique at the moment with no installation disk I used the HP Emenrgency Recovery to restore the Factroy installation with some core data and settings. . .however, when I attempt to restore my full system backup which includes (system state files, Application data, local settings and some assorted files and programs) I get a message that the restore could not be completed due to "Machine Keys" that already exists. . .

Why is this??? I have deleted the files manually form its location but each time I restore I get the message. . .

Could you please give me some guidelines to follow for the restore???

Thanks

 

[linney]

Is this Restore being attempted from within the current installed Windows environment? You may need to be outside of Windows, so my question is, what method of backup and restore are you using, is it just NTbackup, or do you have something like ASR, or a third party program?

298278 - ASR Restore Procedure Does Not Succeed When You Specify Drive C as the Destination for the Backup File

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;298278&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

"Click the method that you want Backup to use when it restores a file that is already on the computer, and then click OK. Backup uses this selection to determine whether to overwrite an existing file only when it restores a file in a folder that contains the existing file. NOTE: If you are restoring the operating system, click Always replace the file on my computer. Click Start Restore. If the following message appears, click OK if you want to restore the System State information with the selected backup: Warning: Restoring System State will always overwrite current System State unless restoring to an alternate location".


System Backup for Windows XP

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_backup.htm

 

[10onrussel]

Hi Linney,

I used the HP Recovery Manager to restore the operating system to the original factory state without user data and files and the Windows Backup Utility for the restore of my full backup. . .this backup is on an external hard disk. I restored the files to their original location. . .

When I restore files one by one I do not have a problem. . .It is when I try to restore the system state files that I get the error message. . .


Will it be ok if I format the pc and create a seperate partition for the backup file from which I will run the restore or is the external disk sufficient?

 

[linney]

What backup program are you using and what is the exact error message you are seeing?

I don't know the answer to your last question, it should have been OK the first way you tried it. Maybe you should cut your losses, re-install your programs and do your updates? I don't use Ntbackup preferring imaging the whole partition as a backup routine.

You are running the Ntbackup (if that is what you are using) as an Administrator?

 

[10onrussel]

I used NTBackup(on my personal machine). . .but I'm fine now. Recieved my installation disks via DHL last night and just formatted the hdd & re-installed everything.

It is very possible that some parts of the backup might be damaged. . .I just restored my PST files and my Documents. . .the rest is history. . .

Anyway I have the important stuff. . .what 3rd party backup software do you prefer?

 

[stduc]

You might want to look at Acronis TrueImage. It's powerful, yet pretty intuitive to use. Norton's GHOST is good but IMAO way too hard to set up.

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]

 

[linney]

I prefer the first one on this list, but plenty of others like Acronis or Ghost. All are Imaging software.

Terabyte Unlimited

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/prodgrid.html

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/image-for-windows.htm

Acronis True Image 10 Home

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

This is a handy Registry backup and restore program.

Registry Backup and Restore for Windows NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista

http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/

 

[10onrussel]

Cool. . .thanks I will check it out!

Have good one. . .