experts: how can I restore only the NT 4.0 System without restoring the whole harddisk?
Rolf Hillen
Hi,
I would like to restore my old NT 4.0 version from a backup tape because I
had some
trouble with service pack 2:
NT couldn`t start and told me that a system file was corrupt.
I installed a new NT on another partition and copied that file to the old
partition
which allowed my to run my old NT again, although there seemed to be still
some trouble
with the system.
Since my last full-backup (made with NT backup, restor local registry
enabled) was two weeks old I decided to restore only the NT folder and the
registry information on the tape. There haven`t been any programs I added
or removed since
I made that backup (except the new NT version on another partition),
so I thought that would be no problem.
I startet my new NT version and restored the old NT folder and the Program
Files folder
which both had been modified by the service pack.
After this, my old NT didn`t want to start any more and said that the "last
known good"
file or folder would be missing. Anyway, there was no such folder of file
on my full backup with registry information.
My system has the following configuration:
c: FAT, windows95 and startup files for nt
d: NTFS, old NT (corrupt), programs and documents for nt
e: FAT, new NT and some other stuff
I think the problem is somewhere on the c: partition.
I hope there somebody who can tell me how to restore *only* my old NT
version without restoring
the full partitions and especially without destroying the new NT version on
partition e: and my windows95?
Thank you very much!
Rolf
Tim Hill
Your problem is that the NT registry and files are now out of sync. When
you restored using the second NT copy you certainly restored all the files,
but you did not restore the NT registry. Using ntbackup you can only
restore the registry over the running copy of NT, which is not what you
want to do. At this point I suspect you'd be better off starting over with
a clean NT install.
For the future, I advise keeping a 2nd, minimal, copy of NT on your
machine, then use THAT to backup the first (primary) copy. This allows you
to accurately "snapshot" the primary NT copy, registry files and all. Then,
if anything happens, a simple restore is guaranteed to bring back NT to the
state it was at the last backup.
Tim Hill/MVP
Rolf Hillen <hil...@ldv01.uni-trier.de> wrote in article
<01bc09b5$7e7d4240$LocalHost@rolfs>...
Rolf Hillen
In article <01bc0a40$a21e4a10$ceeb2399@catch22>, tim...@pacbell.net
says...
Thanks for replying, anyway, I can`t follow your explanation:
> Your problem is that the NT registry and files are now out of sync. When
> you restored using the second NT copy you certainly restored all the files,
> but you did not restore the NT registry. Using ntbackup you can only
> restore the registry over the running copy of NT, which is not what you
> want to do.
----> I can only restore the registry over the running copy of NT
> At this point I suspect you'd be better off starting over with
> a clean NT install.
>
> For the future, I advise keeping a 2nd, minimal, copy of NT on your
> machine, then use THAT to backup the first (primary) copy. This allows you
> to accurately "snapshot" the primary NT copy, registry files and all. Then,
> if anything happens, a simple restore is guaranteed to bring back NT to the
> state it was at the last backup.
------> sounds like I have to do this restore also with the minimal NT.
Otherwise it wouldn`t be simple and I think you don`t want to tell me
that I can restore a whole NT with nt-backup when that NT is running.
Supposing my interpretation is right, this is a contradiction.
I think I read that arcserve can do so or the next release of arcserve
will be able to.
What I heard so far is that you only need the minimal copy to restore NT
and not for making the backup because NT backup is able do backup the
whole disk.
Let my try to translate what I read in the german computer magazin c`t
(it`s a serious magazine, in my opinion the only good one that exists
here).
.... normally, a backup of NT is not trivial. Anyway, it is easy for
people owning a streamer that is supported by NT (e.g. me).
A special Option of the NT backup program allows a full backup including
Registry.
To be able to restore that (back-upped) installation, a second NT on the
disk is needed. If you make an entry in the boot.ini (that entry still
existed), you`re able to boot NT without any problems. To avoid having
problems later, you should try this at least once. (That`s what I didn`t)
......
Later they write that you need also the second NT for making a backup on
another disk or changeable media, because scopy is not able to copy some
opened files (registry).
What I did was almost the same as described in the "translation", except
that I didn`t restore the boot partition and the program files on the NT
partition because I`m almost shure that I didn`t remove any important
files on any other folders which NT might need.
I couldn`t imagine that you have to restore the whole NT partition
because the registry has to correspond exactly to all files that where on
that partition when I made the backup.
E.g. what about files (except system files) on that partition which I
manipulate with my other copy of NT: I can still start the old NT.
Otherwise, it would be horrible. And I can`t imagine that the second NT
or any utility keeps track of the registry of an NT that currently is not
running.
So I think, there`s also some information on the c: partition which I
didn`t restore (except the !win_nt$.~bt I restored when I saw that the
first restore didn`t work).
Anyway, I didn`t succeed so far and magazines also can be errorneous.
I think I should also post these messages to the author of the article
and ask him for advice.
Thank you
Rolf
Gregory Phillips
On 24 Jan 1997 05:17:31 GMT, "Rolf Hillen" <hil...@ldv01.uni-trier.de>
wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I would like to restore my old NT 4.0 version from a backup tape because I
>had some
>trouble with service pack 2:
>
>My system has the following configuration:
>
>c: FAT, windows95 and startup files for nt
>d: NTFS, old NT (corrupt), programs and documents for nt
>e: FAT, new NT and some other stuff
>
>I think the problem is somewhere on the c: partition.
>
All that is on C: from NT is the bootsector, boot.ini and ntldr (+ other
bootsect.xxx files if you multiboot).
I doubt your problem is there but you can fix the bootsector with bootpart
(see below)booted to Win95 dos. You could just copy the ntldr file off
your NT cd. Boot.ini is just a text file for specifying the boot options,
you should be able to look at and correct that with a text editor.
Do you want to add options to a NT multi-boot menu?
"Bootpart.exe" can be used to create the "bootsect.xxx" files
needed by NT's ntldr to add operating systms to the multi-boot
menu. You can also repair the boot sector and set it
back to a MS-Dos 6.22, Win95, or WinNt sytle record. Even
allows adding options for Linux or OS/2 (non HPFS).
Great freeware:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/gvollant/bootpart.htm
*************************
Here is a copy of my boot.ini that boots DOS6.22, Win95, Nt3.51, or NT 4.0
[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\WINNT
[Operating Systems]
C:\BOOTSECT.DOS="DOS 6.22, WFW 3.11" /WIN95DOS
C:\BOOTSECT.W40="DOS 7.0, WINDOWS 95" /WIN95
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="NT 3.51 WKS + SP3 (build 1057)"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(4)\WINNT="NT 4.0 WKS + SP2 (build 1381)."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Gregory Phillips Seattle, Washington, USA gr...@wolfenet.com