Windows Selective Restore?

Using Acronis 11, I made a complete backup of my Win98SE PC and then moved this large proprietary DriveImage file to an external USB HD.

Using Acronis 11, I can now selectively restore any file or combination of files and/or directory structures from this DriveImage file to any location.

I am going to restore all my data files such as Word doc's, OE data, photos, IE favorites, etc from this external USB HD to my brand new WinXP PC.

1) What are the most likely locations of all the old data files?

2) What locations I should install the old data files when I restore them to my brand new WinXP PC?

3) Should I try and keep as much of the old directory structure as I can when I restore from the external USB HD to my brand new WinXP PC? Or should I just restore the data files and use as much of the existing directory structure of my brand new WinXP PC?

4) Using Acronis 11, do you know what happens if I restore the entire directory structure of "My Documents" from the external USB HD to my brand new WinXP PC? Would I end up with two "My Documents" directories on my brand new WinXP PC, or would DriveImage 7.0 simply over-write the existing "My Documents" directory in my brand new WinXP PC?

5) I know about the directory "My Documents" and the directory "Desktop" for example, but where is all the OE data, and what is the best way to get them into OE on my brand new WinXP PC?

6) Because I have been using this old Win98SE machine for years, a lot of the data is not well organized. Some of the data is in the directory "Desktop", some in "My Documents", some under "C:\" and some I am not quite sure! DriveImage 7.0 lets you look at the complete directory structure and lets you view any file too, so I made notes on any data files I want to keep, but it's a tedious process of viewing directory structures and making notes! Is there a faster / better way if I'm not sure where I stuffed a bunch of data files?

7) Any suggestions for making sure the data is restored to convenient locations on my brand new WinXP PC, and I don't accidentally miss anything?

I know that WinXP helps you arrange directory structures by have preset places to put stuff, but I am not completely sure I know all the places where stuff usually goes in WinXP, can you list 'em please?

9) I know I should have been more careful over the years as to where I put photos and Word doc's etc, but I have been using this machine for so long things have gotten kinda disorganized.

10) I have never done a finicky restore of select files from an old machine to a new one because I've always simply backed-up and restored the whole drive. But this time I wanna do a fresh install of WinXP on my band new PC and not upgrade from Win98E - WinXP.

Thanks much for the advice!

 

True image is basically a partition and disk imaging tool. The restoration process will delete everything in the target partition. So I don't think TI is suitable to do the restores that you propose.
You can copy and paste data files from a backup image but why not do that directly from the old computer?

Microsoft have developed a set of tools to help users to transfer files settings and data from one computer system to another. I suggest you research the MS knowledge base and start from there.

True image could be bought into use now on the new computer for making regular backups as you go through the transfer processes so you could always go back a stage if it is not going as you wish.

Xpilot

 

Hello Chumly,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software

We'd like to inform you that generally you can restore the old files from the archive to any location on your new computer. You also don't need to maintain the original folder structure while restoring your data from image archive.

Concerning the location of old data, it actually depends on where you originally saved it.

We'd like to inform you that file recovery with Acronis True Image 11 Home is described in section 6.2 and 6.3 of Acronis True Image 11 User Guide

We are sorry, but we don't have any information of Drive Image 7.0 functionality. We recommend you to contact the software vendor directly to get the information on this subject.

Generally, the convenience of the locations doesn't have any standard, as it is in fact the preference of an individual user. Therefore, you can restore your data to any folder you feel like using for it.

If you have any further questions concerning our software, please feel free either to past them on this thread or submit a request for technical support. We will do our best to help you as soon as possible.

Thank you.

--
Eugene Bogdanov

 

Hello XPilot,

Thank yoг for your comments about Acronis Disk Backup Software .

We'd like to inform you that Acronis True Image 11 Home also provides possibility to recover certain files and folders from disk/partition images as well as from file-based backups. The detailed instructions can be found in section 6.3 of Acronis True Image 11 User Guide

Thank you.

--
Eugene Bogdanov

 

Thanks for the information.
I still do not think that using TI to transfer files, setting etc.from a Windows 98 installation to a new Windows XP computer is going to do what Chumly requires.

Here are links to the use of the built in Windows Files, settings and transfer Wizard that I should included earlier.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457074.aspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/crawford_november12.mspx

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/fast.php

The first two are dated 2001 but of course that is when the vast numbers of transfers from '98 to XP took place.
The third one was updated in 2006

The great advantage of using this method is that all the settings go forward to the new computer which has been set up by the Wizard to receive them.
It goes a lot further than just copying or restoring files.
Remember that the old computer runs Win 98 which I do not believe is compatable with Version 11 so i do not expect it could be used to pick up the old settings anyway.
Data files can of course be transferred by a variety of methods. My own way would be to complete the F.A.S.T wizard and then copy/paste from the old drive.

Xpilot

 

Thanks so much for the really great replies everyone!

To: Eugene Bogdanov I made an error when I said: "6).........DriveImage 7.0........."
I meant to say Acronis True Image 11 Home and not DriveImage 7.0!

To everyone: I understand about the directory "My Documents" and the directory "Desktop" for example, but where is all the OE data, and what is the best way to that into OE on my brand new WinXP PC?

Now you may ask why need to know about OE data! Well, I do understand exactly what Xpilot was talking about when he said "Microsoft has developed a set of tools to help users to transfer files settings and data from one computer system to another"

However the reason that won't help me right now is because I cannot restore the True image file in its entirety.
There is some sort of glitch causing an error! I can restore individual files, groups of files and directory structures, but I cannot restore the complete image back to another drive! Nor do I have anything left but the Acronis True Image 11 Home backup file. I have no working image of my C drive nor can I get one!

In any case what I really need to know is where all the OE data is hiding for my identities, addresses, emails, etc and what is the best way to get all this various data (once I have localed them) into OE on my brand new WinXP PC. Remember I have no working image of my C drive nor can I restore one, but luckily I can still restore individual files, groups of files and directory structures.

 

Open the file, settings and transfer wizard on your new computer. You will find it in programs/ acessories/ system tools . Have a look round at it in conjunction with the links I posted.
You do not need the image that you have made but you do need your original computer in a working state which I presume it is.

Xpilot

 

Sadly no it is not so simple!

Although my original computer is now in a working state, it's only only because I have replaced the faulty D-HD (actually I replaced C-HD, D-HD, E-OD, F-OD, B floppy as it was very cheap to do and I had the unit apart). You see this Win98SE PC is at least 6 years old.

What this means is that I cannot restore the True image file in its entirety because it was stored on the faulty D-HD and the C-HD was overwritten with a failed Win2000 upgrade due to lack of disk space.

Both these nasty events took place at the same time! A failed Win2000 upgrade on the C-HD in concert with a faulty D-HD causing the Acronis True Image 11 Home backup file to not be fully restore-able.

So now there is some sort of glitch causing an error! I can restore individual files, groups of files and directory structures, but I cannot restore the complete image back to another drive! Nor do I have anything left but the Acronis True Image 11 Home backup file. I have no working image of my C drive nor can I get one!

I did copy the Acronis True Image 11 Home file residing on my D-HD to an external USB drive for safe keeping, but no mater what I try the data is slightly corrupted and a full image restore does not seem possible!

I have in fact spent a week trying different way to restore that data and each time I can get almost all of the data restored but it fails at the very end with an error prompt making the C-HD unbootable.

The D-HD tests as having some bad sectors infuriatingly!

In any case what I really need to know is where all the OE data is hiding for my identities, addresses, emails, etc and what is the best way to get all this various data (once I have localed them) into OE on my brand new WinXP PC. Remember I have no working image of my C drive nor can I restore one, but luckily I can still restore individual files, groups of files and directory structures.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Chumly,

In my Windows 98 (standard not SE), Outlook it storing its files at the following locations:

Address book


Email boxes


Look at those directories or around that area. Hopefully, you'll be able to find your files.

 

Thank you MC!

I will have a look-see! I have been talking to a lot of data recovery houses and they say that with Win98SE and 7 year old hardware that anything is possible.

Both a partial D-HD failure dues to bad sectors and/or Win2000 upgrade corrupting data on the D backup HD are likely scenarios.

I forgot to add that both HD's were almost full. I've been told that this can invite problems! In fact the reason the Win2000 upgrade failed and corrupted the C-HD data was because of insufficient drive space on the C-HD.

I still would like to know the best way to get all this various data (once I have located it) into OE on my brand new WinXP PC. Can someone outline exactly hos to do this please?

 

Once you have recovered the WAB (address book) file and the Email files and have them saved on the new computer, you should be able to Import them using the Import command in Outlook Express. I've done this many times before, though not from versions that far apart. Hopefully, the new OE will still recognize the old OE and import the data correctly.

For the email boxes, you may need to import them one at a time or OE may import them all at once.

 

Sounds great! Should I create all the identities ahead of time (I have five different email addresses with of course different identities) and then use the Import command in Outlook Express? Or does Outlook Express somehow already know during the Import command what identity / email address to create from the imported data files?

How can I know ahead of time which identity / email address goes with which data set?
I am not sure what you mean by "email boxes" do you mean identity / email address?
I'm not sure what you mean by "For the email boxes, you may need to import them one at a time or OE may import them all at once" can you explain please?

MudCrab I cannot thank you enough!

 

If you had different users setup in Windows 98, then you may have to look in the following locations for the Address book and the Email files (the "name" will be different, depending on the user):





I haven't done the procedure myself, but I would think that you would want to setup the users/profiles in OE6 (in XP) before you import. That way you can import the ones you want into the correct user's data.

In OE6, to import the Address Book (the WAB file), select Address Book... from the File->Import menu.

To import the OE4 email files/folders (inbox, sent items, etc.) like this:






Click the Browse button and locate the folder that contains the OE4 email files you want to restore. The import should bring them all in.

 

Great stuff, love those screen shots, they help things along quite a bit!

- The remaining issue is that I have no easy way to know ahead of time if the email files I am importing are the correct ones for the identity I am importing them to.
- Also I cannot with certainty remember the exact names of all the various identities because some I used very rarely.
- Also I do not use different users as you talk about.
- Any other thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

OE4 did not use identities. It just used user profiles.

How were your OE4 emails setup?

Were you still using OE4 in Windows 98 or had you updated to a later version that supported identities? If so, then the files would most likely be stored in a different location. Under C:\Windows\Local Settings\... perhaps.

 

I was not aware that OE4 did not use identities and just used "user profiles". I do not believe that in my Win98SE PC I was running OE4 although since I cannot check, I may have but I doubt it very much.

Thanks much for the info on data locations!