I have a 160 GB external hard disk to which I tried to back up my documents
and settings using the Windows backup system.

After about a half hour, I get a message saying there's not enough room for
the backup, and that if the hard disk is FAT 32, the backup can be no
larger than 4 GB. So I checked, and sure enough, the external HD is FAT 32.

Now what? I already have about 50 GB of stuff on the external HD that I
don't want to lose by reformatting (if that's what's required).
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:07:52 -0500, John H.
wrote:

Now what?

Buy a new computer.

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:10:30 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:07:52 -0500, John H.
wrote:

Now what?

Buy a new computer.

Yeah but..yeah, but... oh ****.
--
John H

John H. wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:10:30 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:07:52 -0500, John H.
wrote:

Now what?
Buy a new computer.

Yeah but..yeah, but... oh ****.

Rather than using backup, can you just copy the files manually using
windows explorer. Or perhaps different backup software?

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:54:37 -0600, Del Cecchi
wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:10:30 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:07:52 -0500, John H.
wrote:

Now what?
Buy a new computer.

Yeah but..yeah, but... oh ****.

Rather than using backup, can you just copy the files manually using
windows explorer. Or perhaps different backup software?

That's what I've been doing. Do you delete all the old folders and files
first, or do you just copy on top of the old?
--
John H

wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:54:37 -0600, Del Cecchi
wrote:

Rather than using backup, can you just copy the files manually using
windows explorer. Or perhaps different backup software?

That was my thought. I have several big drives scattered around my
network and I copy stuff I don't want to lose to them. There are
several copies of things like my MP3s and pictures spinning on oxide
in raw form. Backup files may use less disk space but you need the
matching restore program to retrieve them. The only thing these are
handy for is your system files that don't "copy" well.
Even with that if you are a W/9x person you can get a reasonably good
backup restore using XCOPY/S/H/E/R/C. There is a short file name
problem that could bite you but you need to have done some strange DOS
stuff to have it happen. Your Windows system files will come back
fine.
I am not running XP yet but I have a shrinkwrapped "pro" sitting here
for when I need to. 98SE still seems to be doing fine for what I do.


Hmmm. Have you considered MS DOS 1.1? :}

HK wrote:

wrote:

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:54:37 -0600, Del Cecchi
wrote:

Rather than using backup, can you just copy the files manually using
windows explorer. Or perhaps different backup software?


That was my thought. I have several big drives scattered around my
network and I copy stuff I don't want to lose to them. There are
several copies of things like my MP3s and pictures spinning on oxide
in raw form. Backup files may use less disk space but you need the
matching restore program to retrieve them. The only thing these are
handy for is your system files that don't "copy" well. Even with that
if you are a W/9x person you can get a reasonably good
backup restore using XCOPY/S/H/E/R/C. There is a short file name
problem that could bite you but you need to have done some strange DOS
stuff to have it happen. Your Windows system files will come back
fine.
I am not running XP yet but I have a shrinkwrapped "pro" sitting here
for when I need to. 98SE still seems to be doing fine for what I do.



Hmmm. Have you considered MS DOS 1.1? :}
No way, He *needs* MDOS 2.0 for hard disk support and so he can run
Windows ;-)
(Also a 98SE site here - though I've got Win4WG 3.11 installed to run in
DOS mode from the 98 if I want some nostalgia. Its also in a VM on the
only XP box which gets switched on less than once a month)

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL:
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Early 60's, Uffa Fox designed,
All varnished hot moulded wooden racing dinghy.

wrote in message
...

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:17:29 -0500, HK wrote:

I am not running XP yet but I have a shrinkwrapped "pro" sitting here
for when I need to. 98SE still seems to be doing fine for what I do.


Hmmm. Have you considered MS DOS 1.1? :}

I used PCDOS 1.0 on my PC1 but I kept upgrading as long as I saw
benefit. 6.3 is about as good as DOS got. I haven't seen the benefit
in XP yet and Vista is a virus.

I have Windows 98SE on an older laptop that I use for a midi interface and
sequencer for the keyboards. It runs fine, but I haven't used it on the
'Net for a long time. The other computers, (this one on the boat) and my HP
both run XP.

I am no computer guru, but XP Pro has been the most stable Microsoft OS
since Windows 3.1, in my experience.

Eisboch

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:07:52 -0500, John H.
wrote:

I have a 160 GB external hard disk to which I tried to back up my documents
and settings using the Windows backup system.

After about a half hour, I get a message saying there's not enough room for
the backup, and that if the hard disk is FAT 32, the backup can be no
larger than 4 GB. So I checked, and sure enough, the external HD is FAT 32.

Now what? I already have about 50 GB of stuff on the external HD that I
don't want to lose by reformatting (if that's what's required).

Don't fool around. Just buy a bigger HD, and format it in NTFS.
Then reformat the other one, and use it too.
Better to have at least 2 backup drives for Murphy Law insurance.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:07:52 -0500, John H.
wrote:

I have a 160 GB external hard disk to which I tried to back up my documents
and settings using the Windows backup system.

After about a half hour, I get a message saying there's not enough room for
the backup, and that if the hard disk is FAT 32, the backup can be no
larger than 4 GB. So I checked, and sure enough, the external HD is FAT 32.

Now what? I already have about 50 GB of stuff on the external HD that I
don't want to lose by reformatting (if that's what's required).

Don't fool around. Just buy a bigger HD, and format it in NTFS.
Then reformat the other one, and use it too.
Better to have at least 2 backup drives for Murphy Law insurance.

--Vic


I don't usually help idiots because it only encourages them,
but you can easily convert a FAT32 drive to NTFS without a great risk of
losing data.

First, stop the backup. Then:

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click
Command Prompt.

At the command prompt, type the following, where drive letter is the
drive that you want to convert:
convert drive letter: /fs:ntfs
(As an example, type the following command to convert drive E to NTFS:
convert e: /fs:ntfs)

(Note If the operating system is on the drive that you are converting,
you will be prompted to schedule the task when you restart the computer
because the conversion cannot be completed while the operating system is
running. When you are prompted, click YES.)

When you receive the following message at the command prompt, type the
volume label of the drive that you are converting, and then press ENTER:

The type of the file system is FAT.
Enter the current volume label for drive drive letter

When the conversion to NTFS is complete, you receive the following
message at the command prompt:
Conversion complete

Quit the command prompt.



These are Mickeysoft's directions, not mine. I've done this a few times
without complications and without losing data.