Disaster Prevention 101

[root]

Hi. I have been noticing lately a lot of people getting into trouble and finding they have to make some hard choices about what to do next. I thought I would offer a few suggestions about programs I have that I have found to be invaluable in keeping me out of trouble. As far as having to format and reinstall, I mean.
First of all, I use a program called WinRescue. It will back up your registry and system files, so that, if you get the registry messed up during an uninstall or something strange happens, you can simply restore the registry and system files to the last state that you backed them up in.
Example: I create a backup with Winrescue. I can then clean the registry with jv16 powertools and SystemSuite. Run a quick defrag with Vopt. Reboot and save the registry again. Now I can install a new program if I like. Try the program for awhile. Lets say I don't like it. Uninstall the program, then do a registry restore with the last saved registry in Winrescue. It will reboot the machine and my registry does not have 50 new entries left from the program I just uninstalled. None of the uninstallers remove all registry entries on an uninstall, so over the long haul, this stops a lot of useless entries from gathering in the registry. I backup my registry every morning first thing after logon. That way if something happens during the day, I can always restore back to that point quick and easy. I always backup before I run my registry cleaners too. I back up the registry before installing any programs.
Winrescue can be found at http://www.superwin.com/ . It is not free, but there are free versions of similar programs around.

Next thing is that I have partitioned my H/D so that I can make an image directly to my "D" drive. Imaging your "C" Drive and keeping a copy on another partition and/or on bootable CDs is the single best way to make restoring your OS an easy task. Just don't go too long in between images.
I recently switched to Acronis TrueImage for my image making. It is awsome. It makes and restores from windows. No need to boot into DOS and work off a floppy. I love it. Can be found here. http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/
A little pricey, but worth every penny to me. Restoring from an image can take about three hours usually to get everything back up to date. Format and clean install usually eight hours plus for me.

Another program that I would not be without is RegRun. It watches for changes to major keys in the registry and warns when changes have been made. It is very handy for a quick look at registry settings for what is in the startup sections. You can make changes to the registry such as delete, pause, or start. I really use it a lot and would not be without it. Can be found at http://www.greatis.com/regrun.htm for the lite version and for the Suite here,
http://www.greatis.com/regrun3.htm .

I am not trying to cover every program I have here. Of course everyone needs a good antivirus, antitrojan, spyware checker and firewall. A good system cleaner like SystemSuite or System Mechanic is a must. I use Window Washer to clean up cookies, cache and Windows hidden files. There are many similar programs.
What I want to stress is registry backup, image backups, and registry monitoring.
Lately I have seen so many people getting bit by IE hijackers, spyware, and corrupted registries I just wanted to say something. If you can just restore your registry to a known good point for your current configuration, you can save yourself so much heartache. I can't tell you how many times I have used Winrescue to get me back up and running in less than three minutes. The alternative would have been to restore an image. That is better than a format and reinstall though.

SO for me the deal is simple. I try to have good AV/AT/Firewall protection, but if it fails for some reason, I can bail out with my backups. No major disasters. No formats unless I want to try a new OS or start clean for some reason. WinRescue, Acronis TrueImage, and RegRun 3Gold represent the best of the best to me. If you cannot afford to have all three or do not like them for some reason, please, at least have three similar programs in your arsenal. You will be happy surfers if you do. :)


PS Obviously there are a lot of people that already know this and even more about such stuff than I do. This is for those that are relatively new to the present state of affairs on the net and find themselves not knowing which way to turn when disaster strikes. Better yet, hopefully this will help someone divert disaster.
If I have missed something pertaining to disaster prevention, or anyone wants to add to what I have suggested, I would welcome such input. I'm no expert, I'm just sharing what I have learned thru the school of hard knocks. :D

[Mr.Blaze]

a good program and life saver is GO back kinda newby frindly

i use reg cleaner 4.3 by the same guy that makes jv16 powertools perty good

[luv2bsecure]

Root -

KARMA COOKIE!

Very, very good. I wish people would just understand the value of the image. I run into people all of the time that have had trouble with Norton Ghost and that turned them off. Ghost is DOS based, sometimes difficult and is hardly user friendly. But, it was one of the first (if not THE first) so people think "Ghost" when they hear "image," and they are turned off. But things have changed!!!!!!!

I use Powerquest's Drive Image 2002 which sounds very similar to your imaging program, root. No DOS disks to create or restore an image if it's on another drive or partition.

If people would just use this one tool --- a drive image utility --- they would save themselves a world of troubles. I image right after I do a clean install, finish tweaking the OS, the email client, browser, etc. Then, that's it! I image. That is my "barebones image" that I always know I can count on to restore - as opposed to reformatting -- if something goes horribly wrong. I then do it again with my "must-have" programs already installed and after it's up and running and I see that all is stable. Image #2. I will also image and use it just like a backup program naming one from today, for example, "091502backup" (the date).

Your other tools couldn't have been better selected as a "preventive toolbox" and well, root - that was just a good post - period!

John
Luv2BSecure

[root]

Thanks John. Looks like this isn't getting a lot of comments. I guess most people would rather post about how they hosed up their computers, now what do I do??? No fun in preventing major system problems. ;D
Sigh! ::)

[FanJ]

Hey Root,

You've got already a karma cookie from me for this excellent posting !!! You'll get another one ;)


BTW: What would you think about a poll like:
"What kind of software and hardware are you using for back-ups?"

[Mr.Blaze]

it be nice if you could post some free ware utlitys that back up your reg and is newby frindly

great post by the way

[Pieter_Arntz]

-{ Quote: " quoting: root link=board=9;threadid=3677;start=0#24872 date=1032278538]
Thanks John. Looks like this isn't getting a lot of comments. I guess most people would rather post about how they hosed up their computers, now what do I do??? No fun in preventing major system problems. ;D
Sigh! ::)
" }-

No comment doesn´t mean it wasn´t read and/or appreciated ;)
I use Norton Ghost myself, but luckily so far System Restore was sufficient.

Regards,

Pieter

[MyNethingyman]

Permit me then to add this old link at Wilder's which goes hand in hand with the Theme you have started here. You will find free programs there and other Members who have added to the thread entitled.....

Realistic dangers for average Joe?

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=2465;start=15

And just like that thread Root, many still use that link..read it..I thank you for starting one that will be read by many people. Trust me. ;) ;)

[snapdragin]

points up at her Favourites

i bookmarked it when you first posted it! ;D

thank you muchly root!

snap

[root]

Thank YOU, Snap.:)
MyNethingyman, thanks for adding the link. It's a good post, that perhaps I should have added to it.
Pieter, I was just trying to stir up some interest. Looks like it worked a little. ;)
MRBLAZE, I will try my best to find a good, easy to use free registry backup program with restore functions. I can't tell you how much heartache that little program has saved me.
FanJ, thank you very much. I think thats a good idea, but I have never messed with the poll feature. Those things intimidate me. :D
I was thinking I should try to find some free programs that will do what I was suggesting, so I think I will do some searches and get back here with the results.
I just find it so sad to see someone struggling with a problem for days and even weeks, when it could have been prevented simply with a backed up registry.
Thanks everyone for helping keep this alive another day.

[FanJ]

-{ Quote: " quoting: MRBLAZE link=board=9;threadid=3677;start=0#24906 date=1032295515]
it be nice if you could post some free ware utlitys that back up your reg and is newby frindly

great post by the way
" }-

Hi Blaze,

This might not be exactly what you're looking for, but this Symantec site describes how to backup your registry (with screenshots):

How to make a backup of the Windows registry

http://service4.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/199762382617

It is only for Windows 95/98/Me, but for Windows NT/2000/XP it points to some pages from Microsoft.


And here are the Microsoft pages:

HOW TO: Backup, Edit, and Restore the Registry in:

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q322754

Windows NT 4.0
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q323170

Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q322755

Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q322756

[crockett]

Hi Root ;)

Sorry I didn't reply to this post sooner.

Very good advice. I think this type of post should be more common since it delivers very important infos in a short and focused space.

I wrote a similar (although much smaller) effort in my August 31, 2002 post in http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=3312;start=0

I also think people need some time to step in and follow/implement the kind of recommendations you made in your post.

Not that they aren't interested - it's just that acquiring new habits can be a long road and may seem scary at times, especially as so many interesting programs and ideas are to be tried around here.

I think it would be great if everyone here gave its top three recommendations in similar-in-kind posts.

See you soon :)

Crockett 8)

[bellgamin]

Great post, root.

I use Ontrack Fix-it to back-up the registry etc. Also, I rely on WinMe's restore function & [now that I installed M$'s patch] it worked just fine the 2 times I had to use it.

Also, I use Total Uninstall [free] to monitor every install, & Bask [free] to back-up all my data files to an Iomega Zip file.

Plus I pray a lot, and offer a daily sacrifice of a white chicken to a small statue of BG. ::)

Shaloha.......bellgamin

[root]

Thanks. All I'm trying to do is let the people that visit Wilders know that an ounce of prevention is really worth a ton of cure when it comes to computers.
I have been to three other forums today and saw at least ten posts about problems that could have been fixed with one reboot to a backed up registry.
I guess I should just leave the windmills alone. ;D

[house of games]

Great read....thanks!

[Tassie_Devils]

-{ Quote: " quoting: snapdragin link=board=9;threadid=3677;start=0#24923 date=1032303159]
points up at her Favourites

i bookmarked it when you first posted it! ;D

thank you muchly root!

snap
" }-
DITTO root.
KC heading your way, coming to a screen near you, etc. lol
Cheers, TAS

[craigbass76]

Image restore has something to do with making a system recovery cd, right?

Is there a free version of a program that will do that?

[root]

Hi craigbass76. Not really the same.
A system recovery cd usually helps recover system files and tries to repair some damage done.
You may also get a recovery cd from the computer manufacturer that will restore you C: drive to the state it was in when you purchased your computer.
An imaging program will take a picture of whatever drive you choose and copy that picture to another drive on your HDD or on cds. This picture is an exact replica of the chosen drive, so that when you restore it, it takes your drive back to that exact state when you took the picture. You lose only the updates that have taken place since the picture was taken.
I have a link somewhere to a free imaging program and I will hunt it down later an post a link here.

[root]

Found a link. Unfortunately this only works for Win2K and XP. It's Lexun DrvImagerXP and can be found here.
http://home.carolina.rr.com/lexunfreeware/LexunFreeware.htm
There may be more out there, but I'm not aware of them.

[JayK]

Hmm. I suppose you need a lot of space for drive images?

I'll just stay with registry backups and the backup stuff in Win2k..

[root]

I use True Image and my 2.45 gig image is 1.21 gig. The compression can be set even higher.
Please trust me when I say a registry backup, with other basic stuff backed up is not the same.
My registry backup has saved me a lot of heartache, but occasionally, I have to restore an image.
Happened to me just last week. I hit a website, that in an instant, corrupted every program I had running in memory.
And I have js and vb scripting disabled. I use Opera and so it could not have been activex.
The choice is yours. :D

[TEL]

Hi Root

Did you ever find out what hit you from that Website?

TEL

[craigbass76]

Thanks root. I'm looking around for one.

[TAG97]

I use Drive Image by PowerQuest. I've used it four times in the past year. It's a remarkable program that gets me out of trouble when everything else doesn't work. :-[ Four times isn't too bad in a year is it ???

[root]

If you mean restored an image four times in the last year, probably not to bad. Depends on why you had to restore I guess.
I like to backup every 6 weeks or so because I install and uninstall a LOT of programs.

[worldcitizen]

I purchased Norton Ghost 2003 2 days ago & backed up my hard drive yesterday on 5 cd's.

Today I downloaded a program called Zip Genius & when I went to uninstall it I noticed my hard drive spinning continuously for 5 minutes. Then a window appeared saying that XP system files had been replaced by an unknown file.

I rebooted and I got a black screen saying the windows system root folder was missing!!!

I booted into Norton ghost using the floppy. Restored the 5 CD's and PRESTO I'm here writing this post!! Incredible!! Amazing!! AWESOME!!

It takes me about 7 hours to re-install XP & all my software & configurations and my wife would have been very mad if she couldn't access the computer all day tomorrow if I had to do a re-install. IT TOOK NORTON GHOST 2003 33 MINUTES TO RESTORE WHAT TOOK ME 7 HOURS.

I was thinking about buying DI but the last time I used it I had too many error messages & the new version doesn't allow you to create a floppy boot disk in case of emergencies so what good is it having to wait for a week to get your packaged CD when your computer crashed yesterday. Just not good enough PQ & if their CD gets scratched you're up the creek!

Also Norton Ghost is far more reliable & much, much faster than DI. This is what I have found from personal experience. Others may feel different.

I too made the STUPID mistake of relying on registry backups. 1 day you're going not going to be able to access windows & no registry backup will help you then.

[FukenFooser 007.5]

;D


Very informative!!!

Norton ghost kicked me around untill gave on it, was an unknown copy found in cdrom friends brother gave "old SYS to him.

Will be back when have more time to read this.

FOOS league meeting tonight, Need 2 go tell them About opening a CAN on them this year!!!!!!!!!!!!1

"can o WHOOP -SS"


l8r

great post in great place!!!!!!!!!!

8)

[root]

Thank you.
I've been thinking that it is time for me to update this thread. Will try to do so soon.

[tepi]

Hi Root:

Many thanks for a most helpful and informative post. I took your advice, installed winRescue 2000 and Acronis TrueImage, really like them and now feel much more secure.

For a truly excellent freeware Registry Backup program I've been using ERUNT for some time. It's always worked flawlessly and has gotten me out of many scrapes. Anyone who might be looking for a safe, fast, simple, and easy way of backing up and/or restoring their registry should head right now to the following site and grab a copy of this gem:

http://www.webattack.com/get/erunt.html

Cheers,

tepi.

[StevieV]

Hi Root

Firstly, many thanks for an excellent post, I love this forum, once again I have leaned from the knowledge and experience of the people who contribute to it. I read your post some time ago when you posted it and started looking at ways to implement it on my own PC. Unfortunately in my case Mr Coincidence struck and my hard drive, which had been making strange noises for a while, finally ground (quite literally) to a halt 5 days ago. Fortunately all important stuff was backed up so I didnt lose any data but fitting a new HDD and reinstalling Windows and all the programs still took some 6 hours. Guess what - I am now the proud owner of Acronis TrueImage and it works great, so if disaste srikes again I will be well prepared. If only my HDD could have lasted another 2 or 3 days it would have saved me hours. Ho Hum.
Thanks once again Root and best wishes to you.

Steve

[root]

Thanks Steve. Acronis just saved me a lot of heartache two days ago, when I installed a new mouse driver from Logitech and had problems with it. I uninstalled the new driver and lost the mouse. No pointer on the screen at all. Could not get it back, no matter what I tried.
Booted to my Acronis CD, installed my latest image and was going in 10 minutes. Too bad more people don't take this simple precaution.
I also learned the hard way about hard drives and what happens when they get noisey. I now copy my images to another computer drive on my lan. Easier than using several CDs.
Soon most will be able to back up to DVDs and can get a large image on just one DVD.

[Grasshopper]

Hey Root ,

Thanks for answering a question just before I was going to ask it :) :) :) I was wondering if there was such a program out there that allowed a person to copy a complete partition and now I know there is I'll have to give it a try . ( not hard to tell I'm new to this stuff )
When you think about it though it just makes sense to be able to do such a thing ;D ;D ;D.
Great post Root
Thanks ,
Frank

[Cyborg]

How does WindowsXP System Restore work? Does this back up registry files also? If I load up a demo or full game and decide I don't like it will it still remove every file associated with the game/programme, in the same way as you have described in the method that you use to ensure your PC does not become cluttered with redundant files. Thanx.

[Pilli]

Cyborg, System restore is just that, it restores the system files to such a time as you select but it does not remove your documents, favorites or even your latest emails. Having said that any programmes installed after the chosen restore point will be lost.

HTH Pilli

[LowWaterMark]

Hi Cyborg,

One clarification on using System Restore. It is not meant to be used as an uninstaller on its own. It will not delete all the bits and pieces of an installed application from a system...

What System Restore does is it restores the system files and registry back to the way they were at the point in time you are restoring back to. A valuable function to be sure, especially the part where the registry is restored cleanly. But, there are utilities available that are meant specifically for doing clean uninstalls. Total Uninstall is a good one, and it was mentioned previously in this thread.

FYI - These points in time that you can restore your system back to are called "restore points" in System Restore terminology.

However, if you want to use System Restore as part of cleaning off a bad or undesired install, then first you need to have made a restore point right before installing the product. Right after installing and testing the product, if you decide to remove it, then run the product's uninstaller first! After that, use System Restore to roll back your system files and registry to the restore point you made right before install.

This will ensure that your system files and registry will be as they were prior to that bad install. But, if you do use System Restore as a part of uninstalling software, be aware that every change made to your system files and registry, from the moment you made the restore point you are using, will all be lost (undone). So don't use System Restore to roll back if you've also made a lot of other system changes that you want to keep after you made that restore point.

[HiSpeedV]

Hi Root.

Excellent post. Really enjoy reading it. As a matter of fact, I have learned a lot from reading your posts and other posters' posts on this subject. I think it is a great idea to have backup to fall back on when disaster hits.

I really like to create the disk image from DOS and restore it from DOS if disaster hits. I have heard of WinRescue, but I still have to go into Windows in order to have WinRescue restores the image, correct me if I am wrong, which I don't like so much. The reason being is because if Windows is screwed up and I can't get back into Windows then that kind of renders my disk image useless.

I am running Windows 98. I guess I don't have the luxury of Windows XP where I could rely on Restore Point.

If you know of any such DOS program, please kindly post the link.

Best regards,

HiSpeedV.

[NanDog]

root, although your post is what, nearly 18 months old? (here on 2/12/04), you have a bunch of most excellent suggestions. In fact I just printed out your original post! Muchas Gracias (and to all the subsequent posters)! Only been hanging out here at Wilders for a month or so but your post is why I'm here! 8)

[melmcbee]

Can someone suggest what to use if your cd doesn't copy. I desperately need to backup everything and I believe all of these programs use a zip or cd writer. I have a new Dell 4600 and Windows XP. I have a ton of protection programs on here but nothing to back up with. I need it explained in newbie terms please. And thanks for being here and helping those of us who are trying to learn :)

[Valkyri001]

:DNow i'm sure i'm in the right place. But..?
does scanregw do the same thing keeping backups everyday whereever iwant?

[Lewis]

Thanks to all of you who take the time to share and post this great information. I read about Acronis in this post a couple of weeks ago. I did a trial then bought Acronis 7. A few days later I needed to restore an image which saved my life.

Thanks, Lewis ;D

[Paranoid2000]

-{ Quote: "I really like to create the disk image from DOS and restore it from DOS if disaster hits...I am running Windows 98. I guess I don't have the luxury of Windows XP where I could rely on Restore Point." }-Windows 9x/ME users should consider XXCopy (www.xxcopy.com), a souped up version of the DOS XCopy command which can copy whole disks with the /clone switch (see here (http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy10.htm) for more details on this). It is free (with a Pro version offering a few extra features (http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy34.htm)).

Windows 2000/XP users need to use drive imaging software - in addition to the programs mentioned previously (Acronis, DriveImage and Ghost) I would like to recommend Drive Snapshot (http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/index.htm). It runs in Windows and can back up a partition in the background (even an active boot partition) while you do other things and the executable is only 140K so you could put it on a floppy. It can be trialled first - and the trial version has unlimited restore capability (the backup function is time-limited - cheapskates could just download it every month though ;D ).

[Stro]

Thanks to root for starting this excellent thread. I have two questions. FYI, I'm running Windows XP Home on two new PCs and I've downloaded ERUNT registry backup.

Question 1: Imaging
I've been saved two times by Roxio GoBack on my old Win98 PC and now I have Norton GoBack Personal Edition (it comes with Norton SystemWorks 2004 which I've loaded on both PCs). Given that I have GoBack installed, do I need an Imaging program such as Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image 7.0? It seems like a duplication of protection, but perhaps I'm not seeing clearly.

Question 2: Uninstalling
I understand the Control Panel Add/Delete function in Windows simply utilizes the uninstall .exe file that was installed with the software. How clean the software uninstalls, therefore, is totally a function of how well the .exe uninstall program was written. As I said, I have NSW 2004 installed on my two PCs. As you may know, NSW contains a CleanSweep function which monitors program installs. You may also uninstall programs through CleanSweep. My questions here are:
-- Am I safe in assuming NSW CleanSweep is superior to Windows Add/Delete because NSW tracks every bit of the installation, therefore can uninstall every bit of the software?
-- Are other installation tracking / deletion programs out there superior to NSW Cleansweep. I saw LowWaterMark mentioned Total Uninstall.

Thanks for the continuing flow of good information.
Regards,
Stro

[Paranoid2000]

Imaging should be seen as a complement to the likes of GoBack - it involves taking a complete backup of your system onto another disk and can help you recover from disk failure (which GoBack cannot) and any catastrophic data corruption. It can also greatly speed the process of moving your programs and data when you upgrade your PC. I use CleanSweep myself (from SystemWorks 2001 - later versions simply stripped functions from it) and would make the following comments on it: CleanSweep does track all files added during an installation and can therefore do a better job than many programs' own uninstallers in clearing files. However when monitoring it will also include files created by any other running application (this can for instance include firewall or anti-virus configuration/log files). This means that you have to check every uninstall carefully to ensure that it only covers files for the application you are uninstalling - I find it best to check the .CIL file created by CleanSweep after each installation and edit out such third party files with Notepad. Files added after installation by the program (e.g. saved games, configuration files) will not be picked up by CleanSweep - however most programs do create such files in their Program Files folder which is normally deleted by CleanSweep. CleanSweep does not handle the Windows Registry - you will need to rely on other tools (not least RegEdit) to clear out junk here. For this reason, I would advise you use the normal uninstall function first, then CleanSweep and finally your favourite Registry cleaners when removing a program.

[root]

Of course nothing is perfect, so when and where feasable I simply try to get as close to perfection as I can. The perfect solution is to have an external drive used to back up images with daily updates and disconnect the drive when not in use. An image is far superior to a go-back type situation because too many times I have read when people try to go back, the problem is still there. I finally broke down and bought an external USB2 hard drive for storing images and some other important backup information. I know that is expensive and not everyone has the cash to spend on something like that, so whatever you can do to get as close to that scenario as possible is what you would want, I think.
One thing to be aware of is that True Image does not work perfectly on every machine and neither does Ghost, so whatever program you choose, test it to make sure it will work when needed.

I used Cleansweep for years, but somewhere along the way it seemed to lose its edge. I now use Total Uninstall for installing most programs, and I am a big fan of RegSupreme from Macecraft (http://www.macecraft.com/) for cleaning the registry.

BTW, I am still a big fan of WinRescue and now, I believe it has the ability to create image backups, but I have not tried this so I would not recommend doing that without some testing.

[Paranoid2000]

-{ Quote: "I finally broke down and bought an external USB2 hard drive for storing images and some other important backup information. I know that is expensive and not everyone has the cash to spend on something like that," }-It doesn't have to be that expensive - an external enclosure (like those listed here (http://www.bixnet.com/exen.html) - you can probably get lower prices elsewhere though) allows you to hook up standard EIDE discs costing less than $1/GB via USB2 or FireWire.

For imaging software, I have recommended Drive Snapshot (http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/) and anyone considering TrueImage should check this out also (it can fit on a floppy). Norton Ghost and PQ DriveImage do have their own issues (Ghost needs to shutdown Windows and run from DOS, DriveImage has other problems (http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-07-03.htm) and with Symantec at the helm will most likely get a lot worse) so really should be out of the running for those wanting hassle-free imaging.

With regard to PowerTools/RegSupreme, I have to say that I was really turned off when I found out that older free versions of jv16 PowerTools had a timebomb in the code expiring it (and forcing you to upgrade to the non-free version). This tactic has put me off any other programs by the same author so I would suggest an alternative like RegSeeker (http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm) (free for personal use).

Thanks for the pointer to Total Uninstall - I'll check that one out.

[gkweb]

Hi, thanks for the infos paranoïd !

I am currently using Ghost from Symantec, what in your opinon Drive Snapshot
has more than Ghost ?
Oh and I am lazy to search on their website, how much does it cost too ?

Ghost has always worked fine, but I want a rock solid backup software, so if Snapshot is better, why not :)

Thanks.

gkweb.

[ronjor]

Hello Paranoid2000

I have Regcleaner 4.3 and Regseeker on my XP machine.

Regcleaner 4.3 still works. I don't know if you can find it anymore.

Regseeker is beta software. It really digs deep in the registry. You do have to be careful though, it can be too aggressive causing a big Windows headache if you know what I mean. :)

[Paranoid2000]

The problem with Ghost is that it has to run from DOS so you cannot have a backup running while you do other things. Drive Snapshot runs in Windows itself and at a low priority so you can use other applications.

If any application writes to a file, Snapshot intercepts this and backs up the file (if it has not already done so) before allowing the write to proceed so there will be no issue about file consistency - the image will be of your system at the time you started Snapshot. The only case where problems may arise will be with applications that bypass Window's file access APIs to write directly to disk (MS SQL Server is one example I believe, Norton Speedisk may be another).

The email version costs 39EUR but you can download a trial copy first to see how it works (time limited backup, unlimited restore).

[Paranoid2000]

-{ Quote: "Hello Paranoid2000

I have Regcleaner 4.3 and Regseeker on my XP machine.

Regcleaner 4.3 still works. I don't know if you can find it anymore." }-I did use RegCleanr a while back so I may have it on a backup somewhere (I keep copies of everything I download for disaster recovery purposes). It sounds as if the time-limit was added when it became jv16 Power Tools.-{ Quote: "Regseeker is beta software. It really digs deep in the registry. You do have to be careful though, it can be too aggressive causing a big Windows headache if you know what I mean. :)" }-Agreed - but I noticed the same with PowerTools also. It would, for instance, flag Windows Media Player entries as obsolete since these entries had the media player filename with extra parameters specified - suggesting that it was (incorrectly) including the parameters as part of the filename, not finding a corresponding file and therefore deciding that the registry entry was an orphan.

[slim30097]

Very interesting - prevention against disaster. Just joined the forum yesterday & was quite pleased to see this thread at the top of page one - a fitting location. Members taking that much time & effort to inform others of the importance of backups and system security are "good folk". I also use disk image software but backup on an external hard drive for business purposes (the tax deduction makes it more affordable).

Software selection can be personal so I won't bore anyone with a long list of preferred software. The advice on security software should be heeded by all PC users. A firewall, AV scanner and two spyware scanners should be considered the bare minimum for security purposes. That is easily affordable - there is excellent freeware available for everything but the firewall. Prevention security such as BHO preventers & spyware blockers are also free & available to anyone with an internet connection. Encryption software is a good idea for sensitive files.

Quality freeware is also available for disk & registry cleaners, startup managers, etc., etc.

For registry backup, I have been using erunt. It is free & seems to be highly recommended. I have not used the restore function personally & hope I don't need it but reigstry backups are a must. I simply don't want to take the time to perform backup images daily - weekly or every other week is adequate for my current volume.

As Root so competently pointed out, prevention is not that expensive for anyone willing to take the time & effort.

Best thread I can remember with good advice & suggestions from several members. Thanks for the education.

Slim

[Rita]

hi
thanks for the terrific post.im a newbie to computers and dont know much and i am thankful for all the tips.these forums have been invaluable to me since ive discovered them--a couple of days ago.i learn something new every day--maybe in 20 years i can help someone lol--thats my goal for me to offer some help to someeone sometime
many thanks
rita

[Jbmoar]

I use True Image 8.0.0.763 [Newest Version] Just released about A Week ago, [ http://www.acronis.com ] Saves Image files and excludes the paging file, cretes a perfect backup solution,Have used it several times to restore.
I Also use A Program V-Com System Suite [http://www.v-com.com to save registry backups, Is a perfect system Fixer - System Suite 5.0 , has all the utilities to keep your system running smooth,even includes A Virus scanner and firewall protection integrated within the program.
I Also Use A Free program called Ad-adware 6.0 to remove ad-adware and spyware from your computer, works great,they have A Paid version to stop the spyware and ad-aware from infecting the system in the 1st place.
These utilities - from my experience are a must have to protect your system but then everyone has their own protection, These programs, I Hightly recommend.

[mistycat]

RegCleaner 4.3, jv16 Powertools 1.3 and more is available at: www.321Download.com

[Tsu]

Hi All...

3 laws of backuping up - Image, image, image and to HD not tape. The DVD or CD's you burn may not be readable when you need them. Get a USB2 or Firewire external HD - they are cheap, cheap cheap.

Fav utilities can be very subjective unless you live in a corporate enviromnent or live by billable hours and need to justify you recommendations to clients or managers.

I use VMWare ( Microsoft Connectx is comparable - they don't call it that anymore ) Patches, application updates etc must work on my VMWare images before being applied to the real McCoy. I then know they will install and uninstall, repair, modify etc. Even testing Ghost 9.0 and True Image 8.0 is done on a VMWare image. When you know what hits the fan; it is easier to restore the virtual image than uninstall/reinstall or do a system restore or start hacking the registry to undo a failed install, application incompatibility or whatever.

Here's the test. If someone steals your computer tonight, can you be back in business fully functional with all your applications and data installed on a new computer that has a different hard disk size and manufacturer by noon tomorrow?

Take care...

[Peter2150]

Hi All

I use both Ghost 2003 and Drive Snapshot. Take images with each and store on an external drive. One advantage to Drive Snapshot is speed. Ghost takes 40 minutes vs 12-13 for Drive snapshot. I use both just in case.

Also I just replace Goback with Raxco's First Defense - ISR. Like it a lot better. Biggest advantage is you can disable without loosing history. Also I have seen Goback shut itself off with high disk activity. Not a problem with FD-ISR. www.raxco.com if you are interested.

Pete

[Purrson]

I am new, just sniffing round in service pk 2 preparation, I know a friend said xp has a free backup utility so will have to search that out
I have all I can possibly have, winxp pro, spybot adaware, spyware blaster and spyware guard, avg, antivir, za to name a few. I have links for all on our msn group Petchatters so if anyone crashes they can get everything from one place.

[Mr2cents]

-{ Quote: "Hi. I have been noticing lately a lot of people getting into trouble and finding they have to make some hard choices about what to do next. I thought I would offer a few suggestions about programs I have that I have found to be invaluable in keeping me out of trouble. As far as having to format and reinstall, I mean.
First of all, I use a program called WinRescue. It will back up your registry and system files, so that, if you get the registry messed up during an uninstall or something strange happens, you can simply restore the registry and system files to the last state that you backed them up in.
Example: I create a backup with Winrescue. I can then clean the registry with jv16 powertools and SystemSuite. Run a quick defrag with Vopt. Reboot and save the registry again. Now I can install a new program if I like. Try the program for awhile. Lets say I don't like it. Uninstall the program, then do a registry restore with the last saved registry in Winrescue. It will reboot the machine and my registry does not have 50 new entries left from the program I just uninstalled. None of the uninstallers remove all registry entries on an uninstall, so over the long haul, this stops a lot of useless entries from gathering in the registry. I backup my registry every morning first thing after logon. That way if something happens during the day, I can always restore back to that point quick and easy. I always backup before I run my registry cleaners too. I back up the registry before installing any programs.
Winrescue can be found at http://www.superwin.com/ . It is not free, but there are free versions of similar programs around.

Next thing is that I have partitioned my H/D so that I can make an image directly to my "D" drive. Imaging your "C" Drive and keeping a copy on another partition and/or on bootable CDs is the single best way to make restoring your OS an easy task. Just don't go too long in between images.
I recently switched to Acronis TrueImage for my image making. It is awsome. It makes and restores from windows. No need to boot into DOS and work off a floppy. I love it. Can be found here. http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/
A little pricey, but worth every penny to me. Restoring from an image can take about three hours usually to get everything back up to date. Format and clean install usually eight hours plus for me.

Another program that I would not be without is RegRun. It watches for changes to major keys in the registry and warns when changes have been made. It is very handy for a quick look at registry settings for what is in the startup sections. You can make changes to the registry such as delete, pause, or start. I really use it a lot and would not be without it. Can be found at http://www.greatis.com/regrun.htm for the lite version and for the Suite here,
http://www.greatis.com/regrun3.htm .

I am not trying to cover every program I have here. Of course everyone needs a good antivirus, antitrojan, spyware checker and firewall. A good system cleaner like SystemSuite or System Mechanic is a must. I use Window Washer to clean up cookies, cache and Windows hidden files. There are many similar programs.
What I want to stress is registry backup, image backups, and registry monitoring.
Lately I have seen so many people getting bit by IE hijackers, spyware, and corrupted registries I just wanted to say something. If you can just restore your registry to a known good point for your current configuration, you can save yourself so much heartache. I can't tell you how many times I have used Winrescue to get me back up and running in less than three minutes. The alternative would have been to restore an image. That is better than a format and reinstall though.

SO for me the deal is simple. I try to have good AV/AT/Firewall protection, but if it fails for some reason, I can bail out with my backups. No major disasters. No formats unless I want to try a new OS or start clean for some reason. WinRescue, Acronis TrueImage, and RegRun 3Gold represent the best of the best to me. If you cannot afford to have all three or do not like them for some reason, please, at least have three similar programs in your arsenal. You will be happy surfers if you do. :)


PS Obviously there are a lot of people that already know this and even more about such stuff than I do. This is for those that are relatively new to the present state of affairs on the net and find themselves not knowing which way to turn when disaster strikes. Better yet, hopefully this will help someone divert disaster.
If I have missed something pertaining to disaster prevention, or anyone wants to add to what I have suggested, I would welcome such input. I'm no expert, I'm just sharing what I have learned thru the school of hard knocks. :D" }-
Root< I want to thank you so much for giving out this valuable information. After reading your article. I installed winrescue. This was about a month ago. Winrescue has already gotten me out of trouble. LOL. I recently installed a software program. Before I installed it, I backed up the registry with winresue, just in case something went wrong. After installing this antivirus (Panda) I did a system scan. Panda found 4 files it said was infected. It cleaned one file, and deleted 3 files without asking me what to do.

I knew I was in trouble because all 4 files were associated with Backweb, which is necessary for software downloads. After rebooting the trouble began. I got the blue screen of death. There was a message that said that there was a error in kernal dill32, or something like that. I tried rebooting 3 or 4 times, only to get the same message, and the blue screen.

I had to boot into safe mode and delete panda. After uninstalling Panda, I simply restored the registry that winrescue created before installing Panda. My computer was running great again ;D Folks, if you want to save yourself lots of potential problems, do yourself a favor and download winrescue. Again I want to say thank you Root ;D

[still_longhorn]

I've always had Recovery Genius for this machine and only had to use it once with Win98. It is still active although I do not know how it'll work out with WinXP. Any thoughts?

[f.lehman]

Man I remeber the days of just a virus here or there, but all they junk out there that is so easy to get. :( It makes you want to go back to the USPS for your life. But alas there would be no AOE game nights or KOTOR games. Just the slow paced old wargames :D . So I guess I will live with the hassels and be careful to not click the wrong red X.

[jon_fl]

Can't you do all your back ups on an external hard drive without the need for imaging software?

Would an external hard drive be the best way to back up your data and restore from there if you had too? :-\

[Paranoid2000]

-{ Quote: "Can't you do all your back ups on an external hard drive without the need for imaging software?" }-Not if you run Windows NT/2000/XP/2003. These block access to certain system files by normal methods, preventing them from being backed up unless you are using imaging software.-{ Quote: "Would an external hard drive be the best way to back up your data and restore from there if you had too? :-\" }-Since this would then cover the possibility of a complete failure of your main hard disk, yes. You will likely need to create a bootdisk/CD with the drivers needed to access the external drive (or create a minimalist Windows install on a flash drive) to be able to restore from it though.

[jon_fl]

-{ Quote: "Not if you run Windows NT/2000/XP/2003. These block access to certain system files by normal methods, preventing them from being backed up unless you are using imaging software.Since this would then cover the possibility of a complete failure of your main hard disk, yes. You will likely need to create a bootdisk/CD with the drivers needed to access the external drive (or create a minimalist Windows install on a flash drive) to be able to restore from it though." }-

What would be the ideal method/setup to back up XP? What hardware and software would you recommend?

I was just about ready to purchase the Maxtor OneTouch II, which I believe comes with an imaging software. Would this be a good choice?

[WSFuser]

from an article i read the Maxtor OneTouch II comes with Dantz's Retrospect Express HD backup software. i have no experience with it but u may want to try it. otherwise for disk imaging i recommend acronis trueimage.

[VelvetPorkRind]

Hey Root
Thanks for the informative "How to". I myself am very new to the imaging and back-up tasks and apprieciate the veteran knowledge I'm receiving from these forums. I found the thread very much worth my time.
Also thanks to FanJ for the links

VelvetPorkRind

If it were'nt for the "pros", we newbies would be destined for trial by diaster.