Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a
while.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately, including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also
in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock,
but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 12/15/24 02:55 PM, micky wrote:

Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a while.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately, including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also
in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock,
but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

Why are you against an image?
I use Acronis. Even with .tib files (their images) I'm able to open and read an image and extract a
few files if I want. If I click the image it opens in explorer just like opening folders. So I
don't see why a 'file copy' does over an image.

--
Linux Mint 22, Cinnamon 6.2.9, Kernel 6.8.0-50-generic
Thunderbird 128.5.2esr, Mozilla Firefox 133.0.3
Alan K.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 15 Dec 2024 15:05:00 -0500, "Alan K." <alan@invalid.com> wrote:

On 12/15/24 02:55 PM, micky wrote:

Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a
while.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately,
including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also
in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock,
but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

Why are you against an image?

I don't have the energy to make smaller the current partition and make a
new partition on the drive I have, which will also only have 40 empty
gigs if the new partition is exactly the size of the computer HDD. Maybe
35 or 40 is plenty but the partition issues are there.

I use Acronis. Even with .tib files (their images) I'm able to open and read an image and extract a
few files if I want. If I click the image it opens in explorer just like opening folders. So I
don't see why a 'file copy' does over an image.

Do you see now? I don't see the advantage of an image, when I won't be
using the old computer much anymore, and it certainly wont' be my file
backup.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

No, if you use something like Macrium Reflect (Free), then the backup
image is just one big file on the backup drive (and differential/
incremental image backups are additional, smaller, files).

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a while.

So this is *not* the time to change things over from the old to the
new laptop! This transition is hard enough as it is, so you should be clear-headed and not sick.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

Won't comment on this. I use other backup methods (Cobian Backup, etc.).

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately, including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also
in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock,
but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

As you have other backup, why don't you use that and for the 'missing'
stuff, use the image backup *and* your old laptop, connected to the new
one via your LAN (assuming your have a home modem/router with Wi-Fi
or/and wired connections to your laptops)?

That way, you still have access to everything on your old laptop and
can for example see the list of programs you had installed. No need to
poke around in the (copy of) the registry.

At least that's the way I do/did it (XP->Vista->8.1->11).

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 12/15/2024 3:28 PM, micky wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 15 Dec 2024 15:05:00 -0500, "Alan K." <alan@invalid.com> wrote:

On 12/15/24 02:55 PM, micky wrote:

Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a >>> while.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately,
including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also >>> in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock, >>> but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

Why are you against an image?

I don't have the energy to make smaller the current partition and make a
new partition on the drive I have, which will also only have 40 empty
gigs if the new partition is exactly the size of the computer HDD. Maybe
35 or 40 is plenty but the partition issues are there.

I use Acronis. Even with .tib files (their images) I'm able to open and read an image and extract a
few files if I want. If I click the image it opens in explorer just like opening folders. So I
don't see why a 'file copy' does over an image.

Do you see now? I don't see the advantage of an image, when I won't be using the old computer much anymore, and it certainly wont' be my file backup.

Free RoboCopy is faster than Xcopy and can copy only files that have
changed since previous run.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on 15 Dec 2024 20:43:02 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

No, if you use something like Macrium Reflect (Free), then the backup
image is just one big file on the backup drive (and differential/
incremental image backups are additional, smaller, files).

I guess I once knew that, but I forgot, so Macriuum Reflect is out
altogether. My first use for this copy is to copy all my downloads,
data**, and at least Forte Agent and Eudora to the new box, because
those two don't need to be installed. They work just by copying in.
(though installing Eudora will let it start when you click on an email
address somewhere.

**I backed up these this morning, unrelated to windows, and will do it
again just before I switch using laptops.

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a
while.

So this is *not* the time to change things over from the old to the
new laptop! This transition is hard enough as it is, so you should be >clear-headed and not sick.

YOu make a good point. You've inspired me to say I'll try to do just a
little at a time, and double-think everyring in advance. But I know I
can't resist using it and it's so hard to use it without my favorite
programs. The new laptop came on Thursday, after I got home from the
hospotal at 4AM. UPS sent an email at 10:15am that it would come that
day by 9PM but at 7PM I wondered if it had been delayed until tomorrow,
and checking the web, I found that it had come at 9:45 that morning and
was sitting all day in the cold on my stoop, waiting to be stolen. That
was the only email they sent that day! I opened the box on Thursday
but didn't try to use it until Saturday.

Sorry, I got distracted by those details. I'm in a little pain, but I
still started up the lapatop and installled Firefox. But it's hard to do things, I haven't even listened to the speakers, without my favorite
programs, like the one I'm using now.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

Won't comment on this. I use other backup methods (Cobian Backup, etc.).

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately,
including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also
in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock,
but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

As you have other backup, why don't you use that and for the 'missing'
stuff, use the image backup *and* your old laptop, connected to the new
one via your LAN (assuming your have a home modem/router with Wi-Fi
or/and wired connections to your laptops)?

I have a router and the old laptop is wired to it and the new one is
wifi'd to it now. But can I see the whole old hard drive and individual
files, when I'm in the new laptop? In a file manager? In most
cases, I'll want to copy whole folders, but i know myself and I have to
see the whole list.

There's no room on my desk for a third computer, so the new one is in
the kitchen.

And even though it's two steps, to the external drive and from it to the
new one, isnt' it a lot quicker (and somewhat more reliable?) than wifi?

That way, you still have access to everything on your old laptop and
can for example see the list of programs you had installed. No need to
poke around in the (copy of) the registry.

At least that's the way I do/did it (XP->Vista->8.1->11).

I don't remember what I did, but it's probalby like what I had planned
for this one. (Actually the image was supposed to be done days ago, but
I've been sick.)

Is there anything in C:\Windows that could matter to a new installation
of win11? Maybe some detail about how I personalized win10, but a)
win10 is not the same as win11, b) I'd never find the file involved
anyhow, right, and it's far easier to ask again how to do it, I think?

So there is no reason which would benefit the new box to back up
C:\Windows, right?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 12/15/24 03:43 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

No, if you use something like Macrium Reflect (Free), then the backup image is just one big file on the backup drive (and differential/
incremental image backups are additional, smaller, files).

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a
while.

So this is *not* the time to change things over from the old to the
new laptop! This transition is hard enough as it is, so you should be clear-headed and not sick.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

Won't comment on this. I use other backup methods (Cobian Backup, etc.).

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately,
including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also
in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock,
but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

As you have other backup, why don't you use that and for the 'missing' stuff, use the image backup *and* your old laptop, connected to the new
one via your LAN (assuming your have a home modem/router with Wi-Fi
or/and wired connections to your laptops)?

That way, you still have access to everything on your old laptop and
can for example see the list of programs you had installed. No need to
poke around in the (copy of) the registry.

At least that's the way I do/did it (XP->Vista->8.1->11).

Stick the drive from the old computer in a usb enclosure. No need for any backup.

--
Linux Mint 22, Cinnamon 6.2.9, Kernel 6.8.0-50-generic
Thunderbird 128.5.2esr, Mozilla Firefox 133.0.3
Alan K.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

micky wrote:

Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a while.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately, including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also
in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock,
but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

I prefer a weekly Macrium Clone instead of image or back up. The clone
drive then gets unplugged until next time.
I also use FreeFileSync to sync only the work data to two external usb
drives every other day. They are unplugged when not being used.
Reasons for clone: Air Gap. If the current drive somehow gets unusable
I can swap drives in less than 5 minutes and be working again.
Re-Syncing the data back from a data drive takes less than 5 min.
I can also easily copy files from the clone drive to the work drive.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sun, 12/15/2024 2:55 PM, micky wrote:

Total backup that is not an image?

IIUC and RC, to do an image one needs to make a new partition in the
backup drive.

The doctor did something to me and I'm quite sick now, and will be for a while.

How can I just copy every file, with the directory structure, to a
partition on a backup drive.
Is it as simple as Xcopy c:\*.* F:\BackupC\

Or will that miss things I'm like to want, or stop when there is a need
for an administrator, and then not start where it left off? Problems
like that.

I got a new laptop, win11 and although my data is backed up sepaately, including Firefox profiles and I guess a Chrome profile, I'm sure there
are other things, like a list of all the programs I've installed, which
I don't want to forget. That would be in the Program file subs and also
in the registry. I will be able to read the non-working registry from
the external drive, once I am using win11, won't I?

Everything is difficult now and I'm trying to make it easy. I have one
very available external drive with, after I copy all these files, would
have about 40 empty gigs still. I have empty 5 1/4" drives and a dock,
but my stomach hurts too much to find them and connect the power and
data cables.

I would use whatever method you are comfortable with.

You have shown in the past, you have a certain style
about these transfer tasks, and why change now ?
Using your own method, you have the stamina to make
them work. A new method may be too taxing.

And as Frank says, sometimes your medical condition,
is more important than the new toy. Agree with that.

USENET is filled with great stories, about things not
to do from a health perspective. Don't become one of
those stories, OK ? :-)

Your health comes first.

*******

You could move the C: drive from one PC to another,
boot up, do a Repair Install to the W11 level,
and no copying at all would be required. But there
are many steps to that, you have to verify the versions
of things are correct (not all From/To combinations would
work), there are some risks, and you're in no condition
for such an adventure. If it worked, it might be fine,
otherwise you would have to back out (restore from backups)
and use your traditional methods. That is way too much
work for someone who does not feel well.

As an old person, I hope you have had your B12 level checked.
I had low B12, and it was dietary and could be fixed with
pills. You don't want that to get too low, because there
can be permanent damage (nerve communication, brain condition).
When you have a full blood work here, the B12 is one of the
tick boxes. You can have that checked, while your real
blood work is being done.

The doctors here are funny. They expect the patient to be
their Regedit. "The next time you have a blood work,
get them to tick the B12 box." Then you have to try
to memorize all the extra boxes the next doctor is
expected to tick :-)

Paul

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Alan K. <alan@invalid.com> wrote:

On 12/15/24 03:43 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

[...]

As you have other backup, why don't you use that and for the 'missing' stuff, use the image backup *and* your old laptop, connected to the new
one via your LAN (assuming your have a home modem/router with Wi-Fi
or/and wired connections to your laptops)?

That way, you still have access to everything on your old laptop and
can for example see the list of programs you had installed. No need to
poke around in the (copy of) the registry.

At least that's the way I do/did it (XP->Vista->8.1->11).

Stick the drive from the old computer in a usb enclosure. No need for
any backup.

As mentioned, both the old 'computer' and the new one are laptops.
Sadly in somewhat 'recent' laptops (for example my old 2025 one) it is
*not* easy to open the laptop and remove the disk drive. So that's why I suggested a LAN connection.

Anyway, it seems micky is nore comfortable with copying his stuff from
the old laptop to an external HDD and then connecting that HDD to the
new laptop.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on 15 Dec 2024 20:43:02 GMT, Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

[...]

YOu make a good point. You've inspired me to say I'll try to do just a little at a time, and double-think everyring in advance. But I know I
can't resist using it and it's so hard to use it without my favorite programs.

For my wife's 'upcoming' move to a new computer, I plan to move her
most used programs *last*, so she can continue to use her old computer,
I can move all other stuff at my leisure and at the end I switch over
the most-used stuff and she switches over to her new computer.

You can do a similar thing, so you can do things at your leisure and
during the process, you still have all your "favorite programs" on your
old computer.

[...]

As you have other backup, why don't you use that and for the 'missing'
stuff, use the image backup *and* your old laptop, connected to the new
one via your LAN (assuming your have a home modem/router with Wi-Fi
or/and wired connections to your laptops)?

I have a router and the old laptop is wired to it and the new one is
wifi'd to it now. But can I see the whole old hard drive and individual files, when I'm in the new laptop? In a file manager? In most
cases, I'll want to copy whole folders, but i know myself and I have to
see the whole list.

There's no room on my desk for a third computer, so the new one is in
the kitchen.

I refer to using a Network Share from the new computer to the C: drive
of the old computer, so you can see/access the whole drive from your new computer.

You imply you have a third computer. If so, you may know how to set up
a Network Share. But if you don't know, then don't try this method,
because, as Paul also mentioned, you should rely on known methods which
are known to *you*, not on some advice from 'us'.

And even though it's two steps, to the external drive and from it to the
new one, isnt' it a lot quicker (and somewhat more reliable?) than wifi?

Yes, it's quicker, especially for lots of files and large files. I
used both methods (Network Share and HDD-swapping), but again, use what
*you* are comfortable with.

[...]

Is there anything in C:\Windows that could matter to a new installation
of win11? Maybe some detail about how I personalized win10, but a)
win10 is not the same as win11, b) I'd never find the file involved
anyhow, right, and it's far easier to ask again how to do it, I think?

So there is no reason which would benefit the new box to back up
C:\Windows, right?

No, normally not. Any stuff which got installed there should be on
the new Windows 11 system or should be in installable form in other
places, for example special drivers for some special external hardware.

Anyway, just don't toss the old laptop, even not when you (think you)
are 'done'. Just keep it. As we say here, "It doesn't eat any bread.".
And when you *are* tossing it, take out the disk and keep *that* or
make an image of the disk and keep the image file (on an external HDD),
so, if needed, you can always mount it on the new laptop.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 12/16/24 10:43 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

Alan K. <alan@invalid.com> wrote:

On 12/15/24 03:43 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

[...]

As you have other backup, why don't you use that and for the 'missing' >>> stuff, use the image backup *and* your old laptop, connected to the new
one via your LAN (assuming your have a home modem/router with Wi-Fi
or/and wired connections to your laptops)?

That way, you still have access to everything on your old laptop and >>> can for example see the list of programs you had installed. No need to
poke around in the (copy of) the registry.

At least that's the way I do/did it (XP->Vista->8.1->11).

Stick the drive from the old computer in a usb enclosure. No need for
any backup.

As mentioned, both the old 'computer' and the new one are laptops.
Sadly in somewhat 'recent' laptops (for example my old 2025 one) it is
*not* easy to open the laptop and remove the disk drive. So that's why I suggested a LAN connection.

Anyway, it seems micky is nore comfortable with copying his stuff from
the old laptop to an external HDD and then connecting that HDD to the
new laptop.

And that works too.

--
Linux Mint 22, Cinnamon 6.2.9, Kernel 6.8.0-51-generic
Thunderbird 128.5.2esr, Mozilla Firefox 133.0.3
Alan K.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)