can I extract single files from a backup? Options

[brionbastian]

I need to extract single files from a windows backup file (*.dat) without unpacking the whole backup file. I have been told that such a program exists, but I don't know the name of it or where to get it. I have serched download.com extensively and have not found it. If anyone has a helpful hint short of installing a second hard drive and unpacking it therem please let me know.

[Vatti]

I have tried EVERY method supplied by everyone on this forum and Every result is the same "Source Store is invalid" Nothing even tries to work. The files I stand to lose is my entire music collection and quite a few other backups I would not wish to lose. All I have to say is I effing hate Microsoft for shipping with such stupid programs.
I should have just backed up my folders via drag and drop to my secondary partition, but instead I trusted a Microsoft product and I've lost 2 years worth of various files.

[cynthiak]

Hi everyone, I'm writing this after 2 months of trying to retrieve my data. I used FAST to transfer all my files/settings to an external hd before sending it off to be serviced. Obviously it was reformatted, imagine my horror when I went to tranfer everything back and it failed. I have tried everything in all of the posts, but nothing has worked. I'm still getting the error that

The wizard cannot create the data needed to save your settings. Make sure you have enough disk space available.

I'm running xp media edition 2005, the external hd was a fat32, but I converted it to ntfs to match my laptop - that didn't work. I have used fastconv
rmv2opq, and all other suggestions including copying all the the imgxxxx.dat files to a new folder w the new status file, not the old after running FAST on the new pc etc. I also tried creating an 'old', 'new' and 'fast' folder.

I beg anyone for help. This is not a work thing, it's the pictures and video's of my little girls I thought I was being careful but didn't expect both the laptop and the external hd to crash. No one in my area can help me... it's such a personal loss. To anyone that can help, I am so grateful. Thank you.

[Able Ticks]

Googled ! and found a tool to extract files from a bkf file. Get the tool from http://www.bkfrecovery.net/extract-bkf

[securase]

Unpack the BKF file with Extract BKF tool from http://www.extractbkf.com

This post has been edited by securase: Jun 22 2008, 04:02 PM

[El_Tel]

I need to extract single files from a windows backup file (*.dat)

What version of windows are you running?

Sorry i forgot to mention it, it's a XP Pro system with an athlon 2800+ and 256 of DDR. plenty of resources for whatever i need to do with it.

& this topic has not been moved in four years

[mollymoo]

It works "loadstate" fix really works, it saved my data and my marriage.Microsoft suck by the way i'll never use file and settings transfer again. Thanks to all on here who gave advice now im off to back everything up to disc.

[aquaa]

Hi live2bfree

Thanks for all the help and detailed instructions for fastconv. I follwed exactly the same as you mentioned but after doing all this I am having error "source store is invalid" kindly help me out. I have got only one dat file in usmt2.unc.

Thanks

[bpnoy3]

my USMT2.UNC was in my D: hd drive. USMT loadstate folder was in my C: hd. by the way download from microsoft USMT 2.6 not 3.0.

ok once you installed and and CMD running, go into the USMT directory, go under bin.

once in bin. type:

loadstate d:\ /lac /lae

it should run. now remember my back stuff was in d:. your's might be in c:\USMT2.UNC. if this is the case just replace d:\ with c:\

thanks
!

ok it went 99% down then it gave me an error. bastard peice of bleep.
it said "creating profile user bla bla" then it said send error to microsoft?

wow this the most sorry software ever.

This post has been edited by bpnoy3: Nov 11 2008, 10:56 PM

[djsirlena]

I had the same problem having run the File and Settings Transfer Wizard on a heavily infected PC, which I then formatted and attempted to restore the data. Following the advice found all over the internet I obtained every different version of "migwiz.exe" (5 different ones) and even downloaded and tried the "fastconv" utility. Absolutely nothing would work.

My further research led me to the Microsoft User State Migration tool, which is a command line version of the same application and is intended for network administrators involved in migrating users from older versions of Windows to XP (the latest version also supports Windows 2003). Success at last!!!

For the benefit of the many other people I found posting cries for help on forums all over the internet I have outlined the steps below; I have assumed a limited knowledge of command line utilities because I discovered that many people asked for assistance in this also ;)


1. First go to the Microsft User State Migration website and download the utility from the link on the page below (I used version 2.60 but I assume that later versions will also work as well):

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/desktopde...rstateusmt.mspx

2. Install the program using the defaults.
3. Open a Command prompt: "Start -> Run -> cmd.exe"
4. Navigate to the loadstate directory: "cd\usmt\bin"
5. Run "loadstate" with the store path as the parent directory of your "USMT2.UNC" directory. (For example, if your data is in C:\USMT2.UNC then the store path will be C:\)

If the EXACT same user profile does not exist on the new PC then include the "/lac" switch (local account create) and "/lae" (local account enable).

As an example, if you backed up the data belonging to "Fred B" from the old machine but have not created a user with that name on the new machine, and you have copied the USMT2.UMC directory to the root of the C drive your command will be:

loadstate c:\ /lac /lae


There are plenty of other command line options, but these are aimed at network administrators, and they can be explored by reading the included help files or by running "loadstate /?" at the command line. The utility also allows you to select specific files to extract but this relies on you creating various .inf files for it to reference. (I also used the /test option because it offered to run more quickly but make sure you have another copy of the USMT2.UNC directory somewhere because a power failure during the process will render the data inaccessible!).

Now it's a case of waiting for the utility to complete. If it fails check the "loadstate.log" file and check your file path and options. (Remember to point the store path at the parent directory as the application will look in that directory for the USMT2.UNC directory.)

Once it has completed you should now have a new user created on your PC with the same name as the user on the old PC and all the files and settings that you selected when you ran the File and Settings Transfer Wizard will have been restored under that user login.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Steve, ezipc.co.uk

Thanks so much, loadstate worked perfectly for me!!

I actually DID get the FAST Wizard to work at one time, but it did not recover everything. It left out My Music, My Videos and My Pictures. My Laptop previously had Service Pack 3. After doing a PC Restore, it was at Service Pack 2 and the FAST Wizard would not read USMT2.UNC, getting the error everyone talks about. So, I did some Windows updates and then the tool worked, but did not recover everything. I did one last auto update thinking if I tried again, it would work, but was left with the original problem.

I kept reading this forum and came upon Steve's post about the USM Tool. I want to add that this USM Tool also worked for me. 81 gig, recovered in about 4 hrs! It was easy to download, easy to execute, and more importantly, successful. Microsoft was NO help. I could not get through the FASTConv instructions either. I kept getting invalid source errors.

I'm a digital DJ and all my music was tied up in these stupid DAT files.

Now that I have this USM Tool, I actually feel confident using the FAST Wizard in the future (sort of, LOL)

Thank you so much Steve from the UK!


DJ Sir Lena

[Home Helptech]

Hello all,
Thank you for the ideas on saving files from a .DAT file created by F.A.S.T. I was left with a 4GB USMT2IMG.DAT file to work with. I tried F.A.S.T to restore and no luck. I used rmv2opq to extract a Status file and an IMG00001 dat file. I ran Fastconv on those files only to be given an error twice that files were corrupted so I excluded those. at the end of the fastconv it told me I had a corrupt TRANS.DB file so it could not continue. I saved all the temp files that fastconv had already extracted into 1000's of .dat files. Then i used a program called "Recover My Files" and it restored all the files. only problem was that they have no names due to the fact that the TRANS.DB file was corrupt.
Well worth a go for any one stuck out there. And thank you to every one who posted their problems and solutions on this forum.....

To save all the temp files to a folder this is the command I used :

fastconv /s:c:\<folder where .dat file is> /d:c:\<folder where you want to store the files> /e:<corrupt files> /t:c:\<where you want to store temp files> /k

[jeffr777]

I've got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I too had this problem, along with about 5 million other frustrated F.A.S.T. users. This problem only is present when using a removable drive for the backup location. Almost all of the help advice on this site and others applies when the backup is stored on a harddrive. Then a folder is created with a file named status and 3 .dat files named image. However, when using a flash (jump; removable) drive only one file is created (named USMT2IMG.dat) and no status or image file.

I tried everything suggested here to no avail. Then, in a last ditch effort to save 4 years worth of very important files, I inserted the flash drive with the USMT2IMG.dat file on it into the usb port and ran the F.A.S.T. BUT THIS TIME CHOOSING MY NEWLY FORMATTED COMPUTER AS THE "OLD COMPUTER". Make a folder on your hard drive and choose it as the destination of your backup rather than the flash drive. (I created a folder named transfer). The transfer wizard packs everything up for moving and it grabs the .dat file stored on the flash drive in the process.

After it is finished, just run the wizard again, choosing "New Computer" this time. Also make sure to choose the option of not needing to make a wizard because you have already collected files. Wallllaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It unpacks everything, including the .dat file. It will be saved on your hard drive in documents/backup/backup (the date you perform the transfer).

Hope this helps. May you find the elation I found when my files came back home.