How can I backup entire c drive to a backup file using xp-pro backup

[lordgalla]

Hi;How can I backup my c drive,windows drive to a file on another drive,in case of a harddisk crash I have a backup.I tried backing up the entire c drive but said some files were in use.How would I do this,if I needed a new drive??Reinstall windows,then restore the backup to the new windows drive??very confused.is there a easy way to do this,just in case my main drive crashes??Any help here would be great.Thanks
I have room on another drive for the backup as needed.

 

[linney]

You can search around for some imaging software or you can use XP's Automated System Restore to do the job for you.

How to Set up and Use Automated System Recovery in Windows XP

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/itpro/managing/asr.asp

You may need a second partition for ASR to work properly.

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

Although the articles says ASR will not backup data files it does backup and restore everything that is contained in all the users Documents and Settings folders and subfolders as long as they are on the same partition as windows. It will not gather anything from other partitions on your drive. That information can be backed up separately.

When it comes to restoring, the ASR kicks in after Formatting your Windows Partition, copying setup files,installing Devices and Networks via the XP setup, booted from the XP CD and pointed to use ASR via pressing F2 (just after the F6 request is the F2 request) early in the setup procedure.

Even if the partition you are restoring is not "C" (your Boot Partition) it is advisable to run a ChkDsk on this boot partition before restoring with ASR as it can avoid multiple formats of the to be recovered partition caused by Setup checking the boot partition for errors after it formats the to be recovered partition. If Setup finds any errors on your boot partition the whole process will abort and need to be restarted from scratch.

For more information about other recovery options or using backup, follow these steps:
Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
Do one of the following:
In the Search box, type repair overview and then click Start Searching.

-or-
In the Search box, type using backup, and then click Start Searching




Emergency boot floppy.

Copy ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini to floppy to boot your XP installation. These are hidden and System files (make sure options are set to see them).

How to Use System Files to Create a Boot Disk to Guard Against Being Unable to Start Windows XP (Q314079)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q314/0/79.asp

Q305595 - HOW TO: Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q305/5/95.asp

 

[Rhombus65]

You need to identify the programs that are holding open the files and close the programs prior to doing a backup.

You may be able to use task manager to close the programs. Just hit ctrl+alt+delete to get to task manager.

You may have to identify the exact process that needs to be killed. This will probably take some trial and error to find the right ones, but with a little patience you should be able to find them.

I know there is another way to disable start up items with XP, but I do not remember how. Maybe someone else will write in with how it is done.

"The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing..." -Albert Einstein

 

[eyec]

do you really want a backup or a recovery copy of you entire machine?

a backup is used for working files predoninantly.
a recovery is used to put the machine back to a state before a major problem caused a crash.

their are a couple of options to look at:

a slipstream copy of the system file,
complete backup of working files, or
a Ghost image of your entire harddrive.

first decide what it is you really want to do then proceed accordingly.

 

[monsterjta]

Boot into safe mode and run a backup of you c:\ drive to your d:\ drive. Safe mode will boot with limited functionality, i.e., auxilary services and application services will not load.

Hope This Helps,

Good Luck!

(I do what I can with what I know)