How not to backup your data v1.0

So, in an effort to keep my backup up to date, yesterday was backup day. The way I backup is this: Show hidden operating system files, copy my entire user directory (from C and D, to make sure all app data is copied). Copy, and paste to external.

Where it went wrong: Yesterday, having been in the habit all day of 'cut'ting files to move them from downloads to final directory, I accidentally 'cut' my user data instead of 'copy'. This is where the fun begins. I didn't realize this until my videos started disappearing while I was browsing them; at that point it became abundantly clear what I had done.

'So,' I think to myself, 'no big deal. I'll just copy and paste them back onto my local drive, and all I am out is the time I've wasted, right?'

Not that simple, I came to realize. After the file copy was done to put everything back, I unhooked the external. And then the real fun began.

Clicking on any of my start menu items resulted in 'F:\users\*****\desktop' refers to a place that is unavailable... Great. It's 9:30 at night, and I have some fixing to do. Supposed to be movie time with the missus, but...

So, I googled around, and found nothing real helpful. I attempted several times to redo the copy, figuring that maybe some desktop.ini's didn't copy or something. No dice. After an hour of playing with it, and trying every Vista-related solution I could find (no help), in desperation I thought 'What the hell, system restore is better than Restoring from image' so to CP I went.

Long story short: System restore saved me. And, despite what you might read, it does work better in 7 than XP/Vista (never had any luck with those two, this one worked first try). Also, if need be, the built in system image utility works really well, too, with one caveat: it copies your partition layout with no choice, so if you play with partitions/OSs often, you'll need to take more frequent backups.

Why did I write out this embarrassing tale? To inform that the system restore function works better in 7, and should be left on? Also to inform that from personal experience, the built in imaging utility works very well, as well?

All of the above, and maybe to provide a chuckle, as well.

 

Mission accomplished

 

I too got a chuckle from that. Glad everything is right again.

This is exactly why I partition: everything is able to be moved/copied back with no two stepping necessary with the O/S and/or the 'scary' system restore - which has never worked 'good enough' for me - in any version of Windows.

 

Rather than re-moving the files, you could of hit Ctrl-Z to undo the changes.

 

Why not use the Win 7 backup tool?

 

Because he didn't need to.

 

I am partitioned, to keep the OS separate and make rescues easier. I know this is not conclusive that the system restore works perfect, but 1/0 so far for 7, versus 0/infinty for my tries with the older OSs. The system restore was a last-ditched effort to get the OS to stop looking to F:\ for my user files.

As surfasb said, because it wasn't necessary, and would have entailed reinstalling some rather PITA programs, like AutoCAD and Inventor. I need to make a new image, for sure, just in case. Always try the easier methods first, sometimes you get lucky.

In response to the 'undo' thing, I didn't know I could do that for 80+ Gb of transferred data.

 

You'll be surprised.

 

I am left to wonder, though, if the damage (i.e., Windows 'learning' that my user data was on F:\) would have already been done by that point. I'm not going to repeat to see if that is so or not, but will help any lab rats that are willing to try.

Makes sense that you could use 'undo' to undo it sort of like how you can use Recuva or program of choice to recover 'deleted' files; they're not actually 'gone' until you overwrite their space, yes?

Well, you live and learn.

 

You do know that with Windows Backup you can just select which files and folders it backs up, right? It'll just copy them over on whatever schedule you set. Much easier than manually copying them, and Windows can do a shadow copy so even if the file is locked and in use, it can still copy it.

 

Other than image based backups, any backup that attempts to save programs rather than just data are a bit of a crap shoot.

I know--reinstalling programs is a pain,but if you really want to back up programs Windows 7 system image back up to a network share works very well (albeit slowly)

 

which would not have helped you in the OPs case.

automated backup off and away from your system FTW (my home server is back up running and it's like nothing happened... back in awesomenessland )