Backup Windows 9x

[Luis Q. R.]

Next time you install Windows 9x from scratch:

1) Once you've finished installing programs and configuring options, mount your Windows partition on Linux and copy all files in C: to some directory, like /home/user/winbackup. Compress it with tar and gunzip if you want.

2) When you have to reinstall Windows again, mount the partition in Linux, delete all files in C: and copy the files in /home/user/winbackup again to C: Reboot to Windows and do a scandisk.

Windows is reinstalled in 5 minutes, instead of 3 hours, and it is defragmented.

I know someone will say "Do'h!" or something like that. Well...

Salud.

[Wallex]

Actually... I am seriously considering to do this. It annoys me that I have to keep installing programs I don't want because 'I need them for some college subject' (and of course, eventually the system gets so clogged up that you have to reformat). Plus any valuable info is stored on cd sooner or earlier... which isn't so difficult to do since my main concern with Windows is playing games.
Actually I've heard that some people that have access to networks, just copy all the files and registry keys needed to 'install' a program already installed in another machine... see, that is totally logical and sounds good to do... but how do I know which regkeys a program uses? /etc/ is a much better manager than the registry.
The only thing I am not so sure about is getting a defragmented system when I copy the files back into 'C:', because... doesn't the block files get copied to whichever's the first available block in the harddrive? (that's how I understand it works, because it's quicker to write files that way) If it's so, then the system won't be defragmented...

[richjoyce]

does this work for Windows XP/2000/NT?

[Luis Q. R.]

No, last time I checked, the kernel had support for ntfs just to read but not to write. But if those systems are installed in fat32 partitions instead of ntfs, it should work.

[richjoyce]

well, yes the kernel does support writing, but its dangerous, and will most likely destroy the drive, but you can install winxp/2000 on fat32...but nt has to be on ntfs..IIRC

[tommarsh]

NT 4.0 allows regular old vanilla FAT16 and NTFS. FAT32 is not supported. (Why dual-booters couldn't read their win98 volume while booted into nt workstation...)

2k and XP support all three, but can only create FAT32/NTFS partitions/volumes. FAT16 support is for people who used the "upgrade" install from systems running FAT16 and for some reason didn't convert to NTFS.

Obviously, FAT16 support has to be there to support an upgrade from Windows 9x, but why not just pop up a warning? Tell the user to make backup copies of anything they want to save from their C: drive because it is about to be hosed.

Mac and *nix users do it all the time...