Looking for a good Backup utility

Nehmo said:

kado897 said:

You are right of course. There is little wrong with the Windows Backup utility if used correctly. I assumed the OP had tried it and didn't like it.

The correct inflection of the word is "trying", not "tired". I've been trying to backup a Windows 7 Home Premium system for months. I have a thread about it going nowhere, and I'm about to give up on the Windows utility by trying Macrium Reflect, which I just installed.

The problem I'm having with Windows Utility backup is that it fails and gives error code
0x80070003
Looking it up gives this Windows backup or restore errors 0x80070001... Support page
"...In the Command Prompt window, type DIR /AL /S and then press Enter. The list of JUNCTION (one type of reparse point) list is displayed...

"...Locate the reparse point you found, right click the reparse point icon and click Properties.
In the General tab, confirm the folder Type is Mounted Volume and then delete this folder..."

But when I look in the Properties of these Junctions, they are not identified as Mounted Volume. Also, I don't want to delete these folders.

And this leads me to learn about Junction Points. I'm currently reading
Application Compatibility: Junction Points and Backup Applications
and
Junction Points in Vista

While I'm learning, I'll try the 3rd party thing. Eventually, I'll get it, but the trouble is I have so many other things to research and do. I had thought backing up would be simple. It's just copying files, isn't it?

In reading your Microsoft Answers thread I see you're trying to backup to DVDs. I would respectfully suggest a better course of action is to backup to another hard drive. I believe most on this forum prefer a USB external HDD. DVDs have a less than desirable track record for reasons such as burn speed, DVD preference (-R, +R, -RW, +RW), and the probability of having to burn multiple DVDs, any one of which could be a bad burn and render your backup unusable.

I've used the native Windows 7 backup utility many times without any problems. You may also have damaged or corrupt system files. Run a System File Checker scan from an elevated command prompt (Option Two, this tutorial.) If any problems are found run the scan 3 times rebooting in between each scan.

SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

If you still have problems you may want to start a new thread so more people have a chance to respond.

marsmimar said:

In reading your Microsoft Answers thread I see you're trying to backup to DVDs. I would respectfully suggest a better course of action is to backup to another hard drive. I believe most on this forum prefer a USB external HDD. DVDs have a less than desirable track record for reasons such as burn speed, DVD preference (-R, +R, -RW, +RW), and the probability of having to burn multiple DVDs, any one of which could be a bad burn and render your backup unusable.

My hard drive, and what I want to backup on it, is way over the 4.7GB capacity of a DVD. I expect to use several DVD blanks.

What does + or - have to do with anything? They both store data. I should be able to store to either. In activities besides this backup, I am able to save files to DVDs without a problem.

Regarding checking the discs for a "bad burn", I'll deal with that next. For the moment, I'd like to figure out how to do the backup. That is, I have to get the data on the discs first.

marsmimar said:

I've used the native Windows 7 backup utility many times without any problems. You may also have damaged or corrupt system files. Run a System File Checker scan from an elevated command prompt (Option Two, this tutorial.) If any problems are found run the scan 3 times rebooting in between each scan.
....

I already did scannow. But I only did it once. Why would doing it 3 times change anything?

Nehmo said:

kado897 said:

You are right of course. There is little wrong with the Windows Backup utility if used correctly. I assumed the OP had tried it and didn't like it.

The problem I'm having with Windows Utility backup is that it fails and gives error code
0x80070003
Looking it up gives this Windows backup or restore errors 0x80070001... Support page
"...In the Command Prompt window, type DIR /AL /S and then press Enter. The list of JUNCTION (one type of reparse point) list is displayed...

"...Locate the reparse point you found, right click the reparse point icon and click Properties.
In the General tab, confirm the folder Type is Mounted Volume and then delete this folder..."

But when I look in the Properties of these Junctions, they are not identified as Mounted Volume. Also, I don't want to delete these folders.

Are your libraries on a FAT-formatted (filesystem) volume/partition? In other words, do those junctions point to folders on a non-C (OS) drive?

"What does + or - have to do with anything? They both store data. I should be able to store to either. In activities besides this backup, I am able to save files to DVDs without a problem."

DVD+R - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-R

seavixen32 said:

Nehmo said:

"What does + or - have to do with anything? They both store data. I should be able to store to either. In activities besides this backup, I am able to save files to DVDs without a problem."

DVD+R - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DVD-R - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Those are the Wikipedia articles on plus and minus format DVDs. I'm aware there is a difference between the two formats, but, as a practical matter, the differences are invisible to a typical user. If you have a hybrid drive, as everybody does nowadays, it doesn't matter which, plus or minus, you load in the tray. You don't even need to know which you are using.

Although, given a choice, I would use +, but I can't see how the format of the DVD would have any bearing on a backup.

By the way, if you care to understand the differences between the two and why + has a technical advantage, Robin van Lieshout writes a through article.
`~- Nehmo

JimLewandowski said:

Are your libraries on a FAT-formatted (filesystem) volume/partition? In other words, do those junctions point to folders on a non-C (OS) drive?

I have NTFS for everything. And I only have one drive.
As I am learning, the junction points I have are the typical ones. Apparently, junction points are shortcuts MS added in Vista onward to accommodate getting rid of the "My" in My Documents and similar file structure changes. For example, C:\Documents and Settings is now a junction point that points to C:\Users.

In the CMD window, I tried dir/al /s
Below is the result copied from the CMD window:

[begin CMD window copy]
C:\Users\ns>dir/al /s
Volume in drive C is TI103196W0D
Volume Serial Number is B6AD-067F

Directory of C:\Users\ns

02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> Application Data [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Roaming]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> Cookies [..]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> Local Settings [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Local]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> NetHood [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> PrintHood [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> Recent [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> SendTo [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> Start Menu [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> Templates [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates]
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Directory of C:\Users\ns\AppData\Local

02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> Application Data [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Local]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> History [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> Temporary Internet Files [C:\Users\ns\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files]
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Directory of C:\Users\ns\Documents

02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> My Music [C:\Users\ns\Music]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> My Pictures [C:\Users\ns\Pictures]
02/05/2010 09:57 PM <JUNCTION> My Videos [C:\Users\ns\Videos]
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Total Files Listed:
0 File(s) 0 bytes
15 Dir(s) 10,815,078,400 bytes free

C:\Users\ns>
[end CMD window copy]

I'm beginning to understand what's going on. If I delete the junction points (JPs), the only possible problem would be an old (pre-Vista era) program may not know where something is, but I should be able to re-create the JPs if I want. I'm going to look into this.
`~- Nehmo

marsmimar said:

Respectfully Nehmo, all we're trying to say is ...

That's not respectful at all, and you presumptuously use the flag of "we" to justify your attitude. I"m only interested in technical reasoning and discussion, and you've deviated from that. I take your post as a veiled insult. Feel free to talk to anybody you want, but if to me, it won't be received. I'm ignoring you here forward.

kado897 said:

The error code 0x80070003 you quote can occur if you have deleted a folder that is explicitly specified in your backup configuration. The cure is quite simple just run through the configuration steps again.

That's an idea. I need to be more scientific about this problem. It takes so long to do a backup, I've been doing it on spare nights I have occasionally. Because of the sporadic schedule, I haven't made a consistent troubleshooting effort. Anyway, I don't recall which times I let Windows choose the folders and which times I butted in.
But the Windows backup utility does include these default folders:

AppData, Contacts, Desktop, Downloads, Favorites, Links, Saved Games, and Searches.

I did indeed delete Saved Games once.

I'll try again. This time I'll use the Let me choose option