Enough BackUp To Confuse
More BackUp Stuff Than You Want to Know -- so let's back the sucker up:
Note: Most all restoring is done via {Safe Mode Command Prompt}, also make sure you don't have any programs running. I suggest buying a extra Hard-Drive because there so cheap now day's.
The Microsoft Way:
The normal way is use your backup program. Backup programs will save all the files you specify into one backup file, which may span multiple diskettes. This backup file cannot be accessed like a normal file. You must run the backup program to restore your data files. Backup files from DOS/Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 are not compatible. You must restore the backup files using whichever backup program you used to back it up originally. In Windows 95, Click on Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Backup. This backup program will automatically look for a tape drive and generate an error when it does not find one. Don’t worry, just continue. Choose the directories or files you wish to backup and start backup. Refer to the documentation or help files for more information.
NOTE: RESTORING DATA
When you restore files, you must use the same backup program you used to backup your
files. Choose the restore option and follow the prompts. Refer: to the documentation or
help files for more information.
To Export The Registry for B/U:
Make a folder right off your root like *C* drive and call it {REGBAK} and then from the run command type REGEDIT, then from the Registry menu, click on export the registry, click on it and tell the log box where you want it and give it a name, (I use today's date), Done.
To restore it, if you can get to it from windows then just {right/click it and accept merge} and it's restored But if you can't, re-start and do your F8 to get to {safe mode command prompt only} and type: cd c:\windows then regedit /c regbak.reg and it's done.
{I might suggest the System.ini, Win.ini and ShelliconCache
files also with either one of these two back-up's}. If your wondering about what
ShelliconCache is-- it's your PC Icon configuration.
Another suggestion:
(like the first, but with this procedure you can edit) is to
use a simple DOS Command, REGBAK.BAT below. This Registry B-Up makes it so you can edit
(values) if you want to, (either way will restore the registry).
First, and I'm assuming that you have but (1) user profile & Windows is in C:\Windows
directory then:
Make a folder named (regbak) off the root of (C) ex:
{ C:\regbak } then, Boot to DOS and type,
{ regedit /e regbak.txt } and enter:
NOTE: It takes a while (depending on your Registry size and
the system speed but the average is about 4mb) so let it run it's course.
Now you have in backed up, you can open it in Wordpad and make any corrections to the
(values) only AND please be careful. If you make error's here and copy it back--well,
you'll have a mess.
Now, to restore your new registry back, type:
{ regedit /c regbak.txt } and enter, Your DONE.
Microsoft also has a Recovery from crashes is a Little, but Powerful { ERU.EXE }, short of backing up your whole drive:
It's in your Windows|ERU folder, Or get it from your
Windows 95 CD-Rom, go to D:\other\misc\eru (D being the letter of your CD-Rom). Copy the
eru folder to C:\Windows\Command. (C being your hard drive). When you click on the eru.exe
you will get a menu of where you want the back-up to go to. It will back up your registry
important files. It's suggested that you back up to your hard drive and it makes it's own
folder called {ERD} because the files are normally too large to fit on a floppy disk. I
personally back-up to a seperate partition on a extra drive or another (extra) hard-drive.
I also recommend that you run ERU.EXE Utility to create a new backup each time you make a
change to your system, like adding new hardware or software, it will overwrite itself each
time.
Note: To Customize the ERU program files and Add more files to the ERU back-up Utility,
add the files you want to the {Eru.inf} file that is found in the same folder as the
Eru.exe.
Example; open the {Eru.inf } in your text editor, add the files you want at the bottom and
(of course) save it as a .ini file. I use {Editpad from www.ping.be./jg/}, it makes it
easy to save as a .inf or .bat files, I rarely use any other text editor now---it's great.
To Restore Your Last Back-up:
Don't restore Erd.exe within Windows 95. You must run this utility at a command prompt, so
Boot your computer, use your (F8 or F10 or what ever) select the Dos command prompt to run
Erd.exe as you can see from it's menu, you do not have to restore all the files, press
SPACEBAR to select or deselect files, {If you saved your backup information to a network
drive, you must be able to access the network drive at the MS-DOS level} and hit enter and
it's done deal.
The Batch File Procedure:
Create A Batch File To Restore Registry, be sure when you copy the files, you use an ASCII editor. A batch file won't work if it not in ASCII format. Oh, and be sure the only files in { C:\protect } that end in {dat} are the registry files; otherwise you'll copy more than you want to with that command. Make restoring the registry a very simply job by writing a batch file to do the restoration for you. For purely safety reasons, TYPE exactly,
@echo off
c:
cd\
cd\windows
attrib user.dat -r -s -h
attrib system.dat -s -h -r
Copy user.dat c:\protect
Copy system.dat c:\protect
attrib user.dat +s +h +r
attrib system.dat +s +h +r
cd\
Call that file regsave.bat and I keep it in a directory on the PATH. If you do not use batch files often enough to keep a directory called BATCH, put it in the DOS directory. It won't hurt anything and that's on the PATH. Make a directory called protect to keep the files in, then copy it when the registry has been changed.
Copy it when you know the registry is not corrupt and after changes.
Here's a batch file to restore the registry.
Copy this and call it restore.bat
@echo off
c:
cd\
cd\windows
attrib user.dat -r -s -h
attrib system.dat -s -h -r
xcopy c:\protect\*.dat
attrib user.dat +s +h +r
attrib system.dat +s +h +r
cd\
Next time you have a corrupt registry, go to a DOS prompt and type restore.bat and the registry will be restored.
Another Batch File for Your Registry, Autoexec, Msdos & Config B/U to Drive D: and to a folder named (backups):
@echo off
cls
echo.
choice Backup your registry files now? /c:yn
if errorlevel 2 goto config
c:
cd \windows
attrib -s -h -r system.dat
attrib -s -h -r user.dat
echo.
echo Backing up SYSTEM.DAT...
copy system.dat d:\backups
echo.
echo Backing up USER.DAT...
copy user.dat d:\backups
attrib +s +h +r system.dat
attrib +s +h +r user.dat
:config
echo.
choice Backup your Config files now? /c:yn
if errorlevel 2 goto end
:boot
c:
cd \
attrib -s -h -r msdos.sys
attrib -h config.sys
attrib -h autoexec.bat
echo.
echo Backing up MSDOS.SYS...
copy msdos.sys d:\backups
echo.
echo Backing up CONFIG.SYS...
copy config.sys d:\backups
echo.
echo Backing up AUTOEXEC.BAT...
copy autoexec.bat d:\backups
attrib +s +h +r msdos.sys
attrib +h config.sys
attrib +h autoexec.bat
goto end
:end
echo.
echo Ta Da... All done!
echo.
cd \
Windows Command way:
Back Up Files to a folder--with a Windows Command:
After all that time/effort to organize your files will now make it easier to backup your
data files. There are many ways to back up files: Windows 95 calls directories folders.
They function the same way and the terms are often used interchangeably.
Click on Start / Programs / Windows Explorer. Explorer will open with a split screen window, make sure that C:\ is highlighted on the left side (this is usually the default). Click on File / New / Folder and a folder will will appear on the right side called New Folder. Type in the name you want for this folder, such as MYDOCS (or whatever you wish to call it up to 255 characters) and hit enter.
Now when you save files, save them to
{ C:\MYDOCS\<filename>}.
Another way to B/U Files:
That is to just copy the files you want backed up to diskette. This method does not really involve a backup program, but does give you a another way to copy your files. If you are copying multiple files at once and you run out of room on your floppy, it will prompt you, just put in another floppy and hit <enter> and it will keep copying. Start Windows Explorer, highlight the files you want to copy, click on edit /copy, no dialogue box appears. You need to highlight the destination drive A:\ and click on edit / paste and it will start copying.
