Backing Up Files?

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Guest

I have a PC running XP Home. I have some very important files (pictures,
games, etc.) that I need to back up, but I have over 22 gigabytes of data
that I would need to back up to install Vista Beta 2.

Does the "new" install of Vista Beta 2 back up all your old Windows XP files
and data? If so, then how do you restore it?

Or do I have to manually back up my 22 gigs using DVD+R's or DVD+R DL's? I
really need to know, because I don't want to waste my time and money backing
up my files.
 
Back up your files to media. Old Windows files are put in a windows.old
folder but that does not imply that you can run any kind of restore progam
that will put them back where they came from. For that kind of restore you
need to use your XP Home backup program after Home has been reinstalled.

Having said that, you should not instlal Vista on a production or primary
home computer. Please re-read the following:

From http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/preview.mspx

"Note: This is beta code and should not be used in a production environment
or on a main machine in the home. Beta 2 is intended for developers, IT
professionals and technology experts to continue or begin their testing of
Windows Vista. Before you decide to use Beta 2, you should feel comfortable
with installing operating systems, updating drivers, and general PC
troubleshooting. Some risks of using beta operating systems include hardware
and software incompatibility and system instability. If you have concerns
about installing this beta software on your computer, we encourage you to
obtain the final release version of Windows Vista when it is available in
2007."

And further:

In addition, once you install Windows Vista Beta 2 (or RC1) you cannot roll
back to the previous operating system installation-you will either have to
acquire and install the final released edition of Windows Vista or reinstall
a previous edition of Windows.

If you do not have a second partition available for Vista (or better a
second drive) then I advise you against installing Vista. This is not a
consumer preview program, but a customer preview where "customer" is defined
as a developer, IT professional, or technology specialist testing Vista for
the purpose of improving a product that will one day run on Vista.
 
Hi,

Manually back them up to removable media. The upgrade is a one-way street,
there is no uninstall option. To get back to WinXP you will need to format
and do a clean installation.

This is a beta. Do not rely on anything working as expected. Do not install
it on any machine containing critical data that you are not willing to lose.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Unless things have changed, backup was not automatically installed by Home.
It had to be Manually installed from the utilities on the install CD.. XP
Pro it was installed
 
Correct. But if he knows about backups then he either installed ntbackup or
bought a third party backup program. That, at least, was my reading.
 
Home backup wouldn't write to DVD's so I assumed he had some other backup
program to use.
 
Buy or get an older IDE hard drive - a 40GB sells for $40, a buck per GB, so
you might want a larger HDD.
Then buy/try an imaging program (downloadable Acronis True Image Home was
selling for $20 at Newegg) and have fun. The price is a joke compared with
the troubles of recovering partitions, files, DVD's etc.
Without an image of your present setup don't venture in testing Vista Beta;
at some 50 Mill lines of code Vista has I doubt it will work flawlessly even
in the final retail version, so be prepared :)
Michael
 
CaffieneAddict said:
I have a PC running XP Home. I have some very important files (pictures,
games, etc.) that I need to back up, but I have over 22 gigabytes of data
that I would need to back up to install Vista Beta 2.

Does the "new" install of Vista Beta 2 back up all your old Windows XP
files
and data? If so, then how do you restore it?

Or do I have to manually back up my 22 gigs using DVD+R's or DVD+R DL's? I
really need to know, because I don't want to waste my time and money
backing
up my files.
Click to expand...

Backing up your computer is never a waste of time or money. Even if you
don't intend to install Vista you need a backup.
 
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