CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [288]
The backup program in Windows XP has a similar slew of names. The official name of the program is Backup Utility for Windows. The Advanced Mode dialog box is called Backup Utility, but the wizard interface differs depending on whether you run the utility in Wizard Mode or click the Backup Wizard button in the Advanced Mode dialog box. The former runs the Backup or Restore Wizard; the latter runs the Backup Wizard. These wizards offer different options, with the Backup or Restore Wizard providing the simpler, consumer-oriented interface. Both wizards are only different faces for the Backup Utility. Got it? Oh, and NTBACKUP is the command-line command to run the program in Windows XP, so Microsoft provides at least a nod at naming consistency.
Most seasoned techs call the backup programs in Windows 2000 and Windows XP Backup or NTBackup. You need to know the variety of names, though, to provide proper customer support. This is especially true in a help desk environment.
To create a backup, start the Backup Utility, click Advanced Mode, and choose the Backup tab. Check the boxes next to the drives and files you want to include in the backup. To include your system state information, such as Registry and boot files (which you should do), click the System State checkbox. To specify where to put the backup file you’re creating, either type the path and file name in the Backup media or file name box or click Browse, select a location, type the file name, and click Save. Click Start Backup. Choose whether you want to append this backup to a previous one or overwrite it. Click Advanced to open the Advanced Backup Options dialog box, select Verify data after backup, and click OK. Click Start Backup again. A dialog box shows you the utility’s progress. When it finishes, click Close and then close the Backup Utility.
Both versions of NTBackup give you three choices after you click Advanced Mode: Backup Wizard (Advanced), Restore Wizard (Advanced), and a third choice that is very important. The third option in Windows 2000 is the Emergency Repair Disk. As you can see in Figure 17-40, the third option in Windows XP is the Automated System Recovery Wizard.
Figure 17-40 Windows XP Backup Utility options
Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) The Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) saves critical boot files and partition information and is your main tool for fixing boot problems in Windows 2000. It is not a bootable disk, nor does it store very much information; the ERD does not replace a good system backup! It works with a special folder called \WINNT\REPAIR to store a copy of your Registry. It’s not perfect, but it gets you out of most startup problems. Making a new ERD before you install a new device or program is good practice. Then the ERD is ready if you need it.
So you have this great Emergency Repair Disk that’ll take care of all of your system repair problems. You just pop it in the floppy drive and go, right?
Not just yet. As I mentioned, the ERD itself is not a bootable disk. To use the ERD, you must first boot the system by using the Windows installation CD-ROM. Follow these steps to repair a system by using the ERD:
1. Boot the system, using either your set of boot diskettes or the installation CD-ROM.
2. In the Welcome to Setup dialog box, press the R key to select the option to repair a Windows 2000 installation.
3. The Windows 2000 Repair Options menu appears. You have the option of either entering the Recovery Console or using the Emergency Repair Disk.
4. Press the R key to select the option to repair Windows 2000 by using the emergency repair process.
5. The next screen offers the choice of Manual or Fast repair.
Manual repair lets you select the following repair options: inspect the startup environment,