BleepingComputer.com: Restoring A Vista Backup From Previous Install

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Restoring A Vista Backup From Previous Install Clean install doesn't recognize an old backup file

#1 User is offline   jdm3 

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 01:57 PM

My Vista Home Premium install was damaged (print spooler wouldn't kept failing at boot) so I used Vista backup to save all the (20.6 GB zipped) data stuff, and did a clean, from the DVD install.

Vista works fine, reinstalled apps work fine, Backup and Restore work fine for backups made by the new install, BUT
Restore does not see the backup made by its predecessor.

Is there a way to hack this, am I just missing some right-click-and-select-the-secret-tab magic, or do I have to unzip each of the 20 files individually, or??

Appreciate any help.

Regards,

Joe Morgan

#2 User is offline   Billy O'Neal 

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 02:52 PM

Do you get an error message? What specifically are you trying to do with the files? Did you use the "Complete PC Backup" function, or the file backup option? Are the files located on optical media? Flash media? Another hard disk?

Did you try and look at the backup before you formatted? Are you sure it was successful?

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#3 User is offline   usasma 

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 06:27 PM

Have you tried using the Advanced Restore option so that you can specify the location of the backup files?
- John
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#4 User is offline   jdm3 

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Posted 13 March 2008 - 09:14 AM

The Restore function doesn't present the made-by-the-previous-install backup file as an available file in its file list. In other words, it doesn't see that file at all, so I can do nothing with it at all.

Note that a backup made with the new install of Vista, which is on the same USB external Iomega hard drive, in the same directory as the above file, IS shown and can be chosen.

I get no error messages, and I did look at the backup file previously. It is 20 .zip files, and I can see and unzip any of them. Can't read the GlobalCatalog.wbcat file with anything I have.

Appreciate your help.

Joe Morgan

#5 User is offline   jdm3 

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Posted 18 March 2008 - 04:52 PM

It turns out that, after making a backup with the new install, and putting it on the same backup device in the same folder as the previously invisible backup from the earlier install, Advanced Backup can find the file, using the "backup made on another computer" option.

Backup will not install the files in their "original" position, but will bring everything back in the proper tree, into another folder.

I am almost sure all is well, and will be happy when I have recovered all my contacts, calendar, and email files.

Regards,

Joe

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