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Number : 147 Date : 2001-06-04 Author : ppb0861@y... Subject : Re: Restoring Win9x System disk (C:) from its backup (D:) Size(KB) : 8
Kan, This is extreamly helpful. If possible could you write one on how to save the system disk so that it can be restored. Thanks. --- In xxcopy@y..., Kan Yabumoto wrote: > > Here, let me briefly discuss the techniques in restoring the > system disk (C:) from a backup volume elsewhere (D:). > > There are two broad cases related to this problem. > > 1) When the system drive (C:) is to be restored from a backup > directory while you are currently running Win9x on C:. > > 2) When the starting point does not have a running Win9x. > That is, one way or another, when you need to start from > scratch (formatting volume C:, etc.), you do not have > an immediate access to the Win9x environment. > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > In case (1), you can use XXCOPY.EXE (32-bit version) which > can handle the long filename (LFN) correctly. But, you will > encounter a number of file-copy failures. Actually, there > are many executable files (.EXE and .DLL) which are running > at any given moment when you are in Win9x. An application > like XXCOPY cannot open these files for an overwrite operation. > > -------------------------------------------------------- > The fact XXCOPY /CLONE works so well is because these > files can be accessed in read-only mode. The article, > > http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy/xxcopy10.htm > > talks about the /CLONE operation only from C:\ to D:\, > not in the other direction and it is not as easy. > -------------------------------------------------------- > > So, when you perform a system restore operation using XXCOPY > form a backup directory (D:) to the system drive (C:), you > will always find a number of files that fails to be copied. > Currently, there is no automated scheme in XXCOPY to save the > list of failed files so that they can be restored in real-mode > (DOS) later. But you may perform this manually. The best > approach is to let XXCOPY save a log file (/ON) which lists > the failed files, and then using a text editor, create a > batch file based on the log list and execute the batch file > from DOS. If you are not sure how to convert a list file > into a batch file, this method is probably not for you. > > ------- > > Case (2) involves the situation where you have to start the > restore operation from DOS (FDISK and FORMAT). First thing > you want to do is to create a bootable disk (for this, Win ME > makes it very difficult and I'm not going to get into this > --- I question Microsoft's wisdom in making ME what it is). > The standard Emergency Boot Disk created by > > Control-Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Startup Disk > > will be handy. Make sure that you copy XXCOPY16.EXE (and > possibly XXCOPY.EXE) to the diskette. > > First, make the C: drive bootable (the C: partition is set > as an Active Primary DOS Partition using FDISK and run > FORMAT C: /S. This makes the drive at least bootable to > "DOS 7.x" environment. > > The next step is to make it bootup into a temporary win9x > environment where you can launch XXCOPY.EXE. The following > operation is in a form of batch file assuming D:\ contains > the backup copy of the system disk. > > RESTORE.BAT > -------------------------------------------------------- > XXCOPY16 /H/R/KS/Y D:\ C:\ > XXCOPY16 /H/R/KS/Y D:\WINDOWS\ C:\WINDOWS\ > XXCOPY16 /H/R/KS/Y D:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ > XXCOPY16 /H/R/KS/Y D:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS\ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS\ > XXCOPY16 /H/R/KS/Y D:\WINDOWS\FONTS\ C:\WINDOWS\FONTS\ > XXCOPY16 /H/R/KS/Y D:\WINDOWS\INF\ C:\WINDOWS\INF\ > > Note that none of the above operations use the /S or /E > switches. This reduces the copying of unnecessary > directories at this point. Actually, practically all files > in these directories are with filenames in the 8.3 format. > Here, /R or /Y are not needed if it was to be run only > once. But, with them, it could be run multiple times. > The important thing is that all of the essential files > (including the most critical files: SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, > SYSTEM.DAT, USER.DAT) are copied by this method. along with > many key EXE and DLL files. > > -------------------------------------------------- > Tip: Before you run the RESTORE.BAT (or similar > steps), make sure that you have SMARTDRV > (which then require HIMEM.SYS which then > needs the CONFIG.SYS file in A:\ with a line > > device=a:\himem.sys > > Then, run SMARTDRV.EXE in DOS so that the > disk accesses are cached. The difference > could be 10 min vs. over 1 hour!!! > -------------------------------------------------- > > After copying the key windows files using XXCOPY16 in DOS, > you are ready to plunge into Win9x. When you find yourself > in the temporary Win9x environment, first thing you will notice > is that the Desktop will have funny names such as MYDOCU~1. > That is normal. Now you need to make all shortname-only > files that you have copied in the preliminary copy operation > (described in RESTORE.BAT) to their respective long name: > > XXCOPY D:\ C:\ /S /NL > > This step invokes the special XXCOPY renaming operation which > first identifies a matching pair of files between the source > directory (D:\ in this case) and in the destination (C:\) > using the shortname (SFN) and then renames the SFN in the > destination using the LFN that is the real name in the source. > > Immediately after this operation, you will notice that the > the desktop's funny names such as MYDOCU~1 will be magically > restored with the right name like "My Documents". > > Then, you should run the real XXCOPY restore operation: > > XXCOPY D:\ C:\ /CLONE /Z0 /BB > > Here, /Z0 tells that whatever new files that have been created > in the new C:\ drive are tolerated. (For example, When you > boot into Win9x, the system always create "C:\Program Files" > directory.) The /BB switch avoids overwriting files that > have already been restored in the temporary restore using > XXCOPY16 (and possibly with a few new files that were created > by the new session of Win9x). > > I suggest one more reboot after this since many files were > not in place when the temporary Win9x environment was brought > in at the initial bootup. > > I suppose this step outline here should be made a more > fool-proof switch. But, XXCOPY's /CLONE and other system > restore operation was never originally designed goal. XXCOPY's > main focus remains as an IT professionals system management > tool. Everything else is a side show. > > Disclaimer: I have run a number of cases like this. But, > I did not confirm the steps outlined in here in step-by > step fashion on enough machines to ascertain the accuracy > and success ratio of the method. I wrote this all out of > my memory and I might have missed one or two items. Please > make whatever necessary adjustments as needed. That is, > you are on your own. Don't erase the backup copy of the > (in your D:) until you are sure that everything is in place. > > But, the key elements in this technique should be on a > reasonably solid ground. That is, the two XXCOPY invocations > > XXCOPY D:\ C:\ /S /NL > XXCOPY D:\ C:\ /CLONE /Z0 /BB > > should make the full system restore possible after a > temporary restore using only XXCOPY16 (or any other > DOS file copy tools) in the first place. The good thing > is that Win9x can be brought to life all with SFN-only > files. When you see a funny file/directory names which > are not converted correctly (by examining the backup > copy and the one in C:), make manual correction as needed. > > --------------------------------------------------------- > I hope this article contains sufficiently novel technique > that most people do not use. And therefore, this should > be a basis for a new technical article which could help > many users. I hope many of you who have extra disk drive > and machines to experiment to try to see how well you can > reproduce what I wrote here. Once this technique is well > debugged on many machines, we can probably add a more > convenient switch to consolidate this into a special > function (e.g., /RESTORE). > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > Kan Yabumoto > > ====================================================================== ==
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