Don’t know how to back up new computer

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Gentleman I need some help and advise and remember please you are dealing with a no nothing novice. I will try not to give to many details because I don’t really know what is important and will give you the information you need when asked. I have a new Compaq Presario CQ 43. I have tried to back it up by starting with system image and picked D drive for the backup and gone through the other steps. Start the back up and it makes it through about 40% and stops and says the drive is not NTSF and gives me a command prompt of some letters and numbers not knowing much about this I found the command prompt by using the start box and entering them and pressing enter not knowing what else to do it in turn it tells me it does not recognize the batch file or some such thing which I know nothing about. I have also gone to Control Panel and opened D Drive and a drop down box shows up up with Format on it and another box that says NtFS and other boxes with numbers and such which mean nothing to me so I have used the format and it says it will erase anything on the drive so I have done so I have tried to back up again with still no luck. I have gone back to the search box and put in format and it comes up with the drives with D drive being NTFS. What am i not understanding or doing wrong? do I need to go back and reinstall W7 Home Premium or what? Sorry about being so long winded and thank you very much to all for any help and advice and please keep it simple.
Phil.

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How much space did the D drive have?

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rurib what took you so long? Its empty.

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rurib its got 2.40.08GB free of 240.27Gb

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Did it have anything before? If you right click it in Windows Explorer, is it stated as being NTFS?

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Yes it had 2 or 3 small pieces that said back up from last September but now they are gone but the problem happened before I took them out the point is tat back up is telling me D drive is NTSF. I don’t know what you mean by clicking it in Windows Explorer as I said if I go to control panel and click on D drive the drop down box that shows Format says NTFS is that what you mean?

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You mean MediaID.bin? Yes.

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I meant opening Windows Explorer, which would show you all drives and folders and then right clicking the D drive, but if it is reported as being NTFS elsewhere, that’s as good.

I suggest you run a chkdsk /f on the D drive. Do you need help to do it?

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Yes I wold appreciate any help I can get I don’t even know what that is or what it means or entails I am a stone cold novice
Phil.

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Phil,

I had problems with the Windows Imaging app as well. Once you finish the chkdsk, you might try something other than the Windows Imaging app.

I switched to a 3rd party Imaging app quite some time ago and never looked back. There are excellent paid and free options. I use Acronis True Image 2013. Many others have chosen the Macrium Reflect app. There are also several others. Take a look through the Maintenance Forum for many discussions about Imaging.

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Click the start button and in the search box imediately above, type cmd and then press simultaneously CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER. Click the yes button, when asked. At the opened window, type: chkdsk d:/f

Let me know if there are any error messages. It may take a bit of time to complete.

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Hi Ted I been wondering where you were at. I hate to sound non adventurous but I would like to keep it as simple and rudimentary as I can. How do I do this chkdsk if you would be kind enough to explain it to me I would be much appreciative but remember I know nothing so if you can keep it simple please.
Phil.

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Rui has listed the proper command. What I do is type cmd in search. You will see a search list containing among other things cmd. Right click that cmd and choose Run as Administrator (This opens an elevated Command Prompt), then enter the command Rui has specified. There is a space between chkdsk and d:/f

You can also try the Elevated Command Prompt and type: sfc /scannow This check all the Windows System Files and fixes any that are corrupted.

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rurib your post just showed up I will try it. I have done so and it did not give me an opportunity to say yes it just went to the black screen thing which is command prompt I guess and tells me I do not have sufficient privileges and need to run it in elevated mode.

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okay Ted I am at chkdsk d:/f now what do I do press enter or what?
Phil

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I use Windows 7 Image backup all the time and no problems. I have even needed to use the Image once after a bad program installation, and back to where I was, no problem.
First, the image backup is big, like 50 GBytes. So you need a large drive to handle it. I use a Seagate 1Tera Byte USB external drive. An external drive is best since you do not want the backup on the same computer in case something bad happens. Also, it is good to do a backup of the data in the Libraries so if the computer has to be replaced you can copy the data to the new computer.
Also, when using the Windows 7 Image backup you need to do the “Create a system repair disc” once. This is for when your hard drive crashes or dies and you need to do a complete reformat or replace the drive.

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Just press ENTER after typing chkdsk d:/f

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no f after the slash?

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Okay I didn’t hear from either one of you guys and continued with the f and used enter so I learned something and it says that windows has checked the file system and found no problems. Thanks but now what?

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So if the file system in the disk is ok, I suggest you try the backup again. If it works, fine. If not, maybe try a 3rd party backup app, such as Macrium Free or EaseUS Todo Backup.

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Yes, sorry, just like before.

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Okay I will try it again but you mean there is no way I can just fix this and just use it in an ordinary mode? Thank you for all yor time and help and I will get back to you for your answer and to tell if it backed up.

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rurib and Ted I tried it again and it tells me check that volume is on line and is formatted NTFS the same thing. Does this mean that the drive could be bad and I could just replace it by chance?
Phil

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Ted I also ran your sfc/ scannow and it came up clean thank you for that. Got any other ideas? Thanks for your time and help.
PHIL.

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I can’t say that the drive is bad. I think you need to try a different backup app, before concluding that. I suggest that you install one of the free apps described earlier.

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I would also try a different app. Like I said I use Acronis True Image 2013. They do have a 30 day free trial available. Or Macrium Reflect and EaseUS ToDo both have free versions. Whichever you try, be sure to create the Rescue Boot Media for that app. You need this boot disk if your PC is so bad it will not boot.

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rurib and Ted first I have to thank you both for your patience and advice I hate to admit but I am in so far over my head that for me to try to start learning about some new programs is a little hard for me to accept please let me ask both of you your advice on something. What are the chances the drive is bad like maybe the computer got dropped before I ever got it or something does that make any sense at all and if it does what would it cost roughly to just by a new D drive ( this just goes to show you how little I know that if there is a difference between a drive and a D drive) and put it in. For me that sounds like a lot less trouble. Opinions please gentlemen?
Thank you,
Phil.

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To be honest, I think the changes that the native windows backup is messing up are greater than the disk being bad. If that is a new computer, you most likely don’t even have 2 physical drives, just two partitions, so you’d most likely be experiencing issues with your main drive as well.

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rurib I just thought of something I believe you are right about one drive because when I went to do the back up it told I was in taking a risk because In was putting everything on the same drive so I was in danger of losing it all if I remember right.
so is the cost of a new drive 80% of what the computer cost?
Phil.

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Okay so I hate to ask but what does that entail? A whole new drive system is that like buying a brand new computer? Unfortunately I know so little I need some frame of reference
Phil..

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An external USB drive, 500 GB should be around $60, but you can also find 1TB drives for as little as $70.

You can backup to the D: drive, but that won’t be the safest option. It can protect you against software issues, but if the drive goes bad, you will lose everything. You will be safer with an external drive.

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Okay once again I have to plead ignorance in regards to those drives whats the difference is one faster or what? But essentially you have answered my question I would much rather spend that amount of money to just have things run normally. So am I understanding correctly I just want to replace the hard drive in the computer and that should cure the problem is that correct?
Phil.

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I have a 1 Tb USB Ext HD and I have saved about a dozen images of 3 PCs, plus File History on 2 of them and have about half the space still available. It’s amazing how many Images can be saved on this size HD when using the default compression rate.

I like to keep 4 or 5 Images of each PC. I generally create a new Image after each patch Tuesday. I also run File History at the same time (our data backup requirements are not nearly what others have)

If you can find a 1 Tb Ext HD for $70 or $80, that is a great buy! jump on it.

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Ted I don’t do that much stuff I use this particular computer for traveling like when I go back to the States so its just for e mail and such not anything heavy weight I think I just replace the hard drive and be happy if everything works normally what do you think? Thanks very much to you and rurib for everything either one of you want to add anything?
Phil.

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You definitely should not replace the hard drive, not because an app that is know to have reliability issues is unable to complete a backup. I already told you that most likely your drive is ok, so why should you replace it?

These external hard drives are to be used for backup purposes only, not to replace your existing drive.

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rurib okay then maybe I am not understanding something correctly I am just mainly interested in the computer working properly. I have an external hard drive but it is just something extra I have to carry around with me when I travel I just think it makes more sense to have the computer work properly or am i being unreasonable? I very much want to thank you and Ted for your help and advice in regards to this matter and am looking forward to your opinion on the question I just proposed.
Phil.

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ruirib first of all I have to apologize for misspelling you name most of the day. In regards to the hard drive would it make any difference to you that the computer is still under Warranty? Phil.

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ruirib first of all I have to apologize for misspelling you name most of the day. In regards to the hard drive would it make any difference to you that the computer is still under Warranty? Phil.

If the computer is still under warranty, I’d contact the vendor and get them to fix it. You need to be sure that as much as possible any data is backed up because the vendor will just end up replacing the drive. You’ll need to reinstall everything.

Joe

--Joe

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I believe that to backup to a partition on the same hard disk you need to open the properties for that partition (d) and allow sharing. I’m not sure how you’re getting to your partition but when you see it-right click on it, open properties, sharing and click on share. Then try the back up again. If it doesn’t work you can go back in and turn off sharing.

Rich

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Phil,

You can’t be sure that the disk have problems. Until you do, what’s there to repair?
Try a backup with some another tool.

Regarding the external disk, you don’t need to carry it around while traveling. It’s just a safe means to have your data backed up.

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I also would not recommend a backup to another partition on the same drive. One of the reasons we Image is for the possibility that our HDs fail. If the Image is stored on the same HD in a separate partition it is no longer available to use for the restoration. If you do store one Image there, be sure to store a duplicate somewhere else that is NOT on the same HD.

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Okay gentleman after a nights sleep and a little more time to think about it consider that I am not the average computer user and as Joe says I should save any data on it and the biggest deal of the whole thing if I replace the drive would be the install which I can handle there is essentially no data to save just a few very small files that I already have on my desktop.ruirib if its not the disk that is keeping it from backing up please give me the advantage of your expertize as to what else it could be please? None of this decision I am trying to make is cast in stone I am still very interested in alternatives.rlfvt when into D drive clicked on sharing clicked advanced sharing did permissions got full control and d came up in box tried back up and still no luck but I thank you for your idea and input and joining the conversation Okay ruirib I am listening and to anyone else please join in. Thanks.
Phil.

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You need to be sure it’s not the Windows backup feature that is causing it. There quite a few users who had problems with that app. Try a different backup app, as I suggested.

Did you run the chkdsk command? What was the result?

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So you are saying that you think the W7 program its self could be faulty is that correct?
Phil.

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I would also try a different app. What’s the worse that could happen, it does not work. Nothing lost except a little time. Any of the 3 apps mentioned can be tried for free. Acronis True Image 2013 has a 30 day free trial (full featured and fully activated during the trial period). Both Macrium Reflect and EaseUS ToDo have free versions.

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Ted well you are correct there except I was trying to take the easy way out and not have to go and learn all about a whole new procedure or app as you guys call it I am sure that with all this conversation you have realized I really don’t know a lot about all this stuff. So if the back up works on another app what does that prove in regards to my Windows back up program?
Phil.

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Yes, that is what I am saying.

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It will prove that the Windows backup program is not very reliable, which is the reason for many of us choosing to go with 3rd party apps.

You did not reply to my question about chkdsk.

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Your chkdsk came up clean so did Ted’s test. Okay then that answers my question right I might as well replace the drive and hope for the best and if I have to use an external I will or am I being hard headed?
Phil.

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ruirib your post just came up about HP doing a test and refusing to replace it fortunately I have a friend who works for HP so I don’t think that will be a problem thats why I am not worried about using that as a first solution.
Phil.

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Well if that is the case I am screwed right? So if that is the case why not replace the drive since its not going to cost me anything and if it does very little and if the problem is not fixed then I just know I don’t have a back up and just have to use an external from then on right or am I not thinking correctly?
Phil.

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Replacing a good drive makes no sense to me. I am not sure that HP won’t test it and refuse to replace it, which would be only reasonable, if the drive is ok. Also, you have no assurance that the software wouldn’t behave exactly in the same way, with a different drive.

There are free alternative apps, which are easy to use as well, so I don’t see how keeping the drive will affect you negatively.

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Sorry if I read blunt, but I think you should not ask a manufacturer to replace hardware that is working properly.
If they test it before replacing it, you may get the computer back with the same disk and all you will have wasted your own time and will still have the problem to solve. Also, the alternative apps are just as easy to use as the Windows native backup and, for what I gather from people’s experiences here, much more reliable than Windows 7 native backup.

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It’s your call, Phil. I am partial, because I would never use Windows 7 backup, as I do not trust it. The worst it can happen with a backup app is for it to fail when you need it.

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ruirib you are not being blunt at all just calling it as you see it and I definitely value and respect your opinion and thank you for all your time and effort and I also have a little more understanding since you tell me you don’t trust windows back up to start with. I will try to remind you of one thing this particular computer is used primarily for traveling and for e mail then so essentially I don’t really have any data to lose does tat make better sense?
Phil.

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ruirib you are not being blunt at all just calling it as you see it and I definitely value and respect your opinion and thank you for all your time and effort and I also have a little more understanding since you tell me you don’t trust windows back up to start with. I will try to remind you of one thing this particular computer is used primarily for traveling and for e mail then so essentially I don’t really have any data to lose does tat make better sense?
Phil.

Phil,
An image allows you to restore the whole computer (not just the data), to the point at which it was when you created the image. Although I understand your point about the data, if the computer has a non hardware problem at any time (or even an hardware problem) wouldn’t you like to be able to restore it with a few simple actions, and in a very short time, in full?

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Yes of course. So an external it is unless someone as an idea how to make windows work and from you I have learned I shouldn’t trust it thanks ruirib
Phil..

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Phil,
The problem with it not backing up has nothing to do with the drive. The backup program is part of the Microsoft operating system. Your problem is software related not hardware.

Rich

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Rich now thats a whole new kettle of fish I keep telling you guys I don’t know anything about this stuff so that makes it a whole different ballgame. So it has nothing to do with the drive so I just have to face the fact that I have a windows system that just dosent have a back up system that works and have to use an external and be done with it correct? Or is there more to think about or something else I can do to make Windows act right?
Thank you very much Rich.
Phil.

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Phil, even if the backup eventually ends up working with a new internal drive, that is not a reliable way to backup, since a problem with the disk will affect all disk partitions and you won’t be able to use your backups. An external drive can be used to backup all your computers and not just this one, so that’s clearly the best option, regardless of anything else. I use two external drives, to backup my computers, alternating between each of them each week.

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No problem, Phil, you’re welcome :).

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ruirib thank you very much and to Ted and Joe and Rich for all your input I did learn a lot running those tests and using command prompt and what not that I knew nothing about and not having the good sense to realize the back up problem was a windows function and had nothing to do with the hard drive thank everybody again and I would sill like to make back up work just for kicks at this point.
Phil.

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Phil,
An external drive is just another piece of hardware. It will not solve your problem although it is good to have as a backup destination. As ruirib and medico have stated, there are many free backup programs that are very easy to use.
I have the paid version of Easeus todo backup on my desktop but so far only use what’s available in the free version. As I type this I am downloading the free version on my laptop. Try any of them and I think you’ll be surprised at how easy they are to use.

Rich

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Thanks Rich thats something else I didn’t take into consideration is the downloading of an app on the computer I am such a novice I was thinking only of an external great idea I need all the help I can get thanks again. Anybody else?
Phil.

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Phil, it’s even possible that the native backup will work with the external drive. Yes, it may sound weird that it does, but that’s how things are. Having backup apps working with a drive and failing with others can even occur with other backup apps. This will just mean that backup software is not as reliable as we’d like it to be, but if you look at the Lounge, every app or OS has problems, sometimes.

This said, I have used different versions of the same backup software for several years and never, ever, had an issue. I use Acronis True Image.

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ruirib you just had to throw that in there right how could that possibly work? how do you guys learn all this stuff?
Phil.

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ruirib you just had to throw that in there right how could that possibly work? how do you guys learn all this stuff?
Phil.

There are situations where that has happened, it’s just that simple.

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ruirib you just had to throw that in there right how could that possibly work? how do you guys learn all this stuff?
Phil.

Mostly trial and error for me.

Rich

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Phil,

Let me try to show how easy Acronis True Image 2013can be. Download and install the trial edition. There is a blue Download Trial button.

The first screen shows how to get started.

32818-Screen1

1) Choose the Backup and Recovery Tab

2) On this tab there is a Create Bootable Media. This is Important, do it!

3) Click on Disk and Partition Backup. This will open the second screen.

32819-Screen2

1) On this screen you choose which partitions or disks you wish to create an Image of (Source). As you can see I have 2 partitions, C is the OS, D is the Data partition. I can choose either or both. Acronis does not care.

2) Next you will choose the Destination. I use my Ext USB HD.

3) Next you will assign a name for the backup. I also add a date. On screen 1 you can see a few of my previous Images listed.

4) Click Backup now! That’s it.

You can also set some options. Verification, Compression level, Type of Image, etc. The default values tend to work fine for me.

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Thanks for that Ted let me ponder on all this for a bit.
Phil.

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Okay Gentlemen after some lightweight research I have decided I will go with EasUs ToDo thanks to your recommendations and just using it for the first time and seeming to be fairly straight forward and easy to use so I guess you have solved my problem Thank you all very much it has all been very much appreciated and if by chance someone happens to think of a way to solve the Windows back up problem I would be very much interested. Thanks again I hope sometime in the future I can do something for you.
Phil.

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Rich thats why I appreciate all you guys because thats how it is with me but a lot easier getting guys like your help your input just made the light bulb go on for me that I was dealing with two different entities thank you very much and ruirib I see what you mean thanks to everyone.

Phil.

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To build the Rescue Boot Media is just as easy:

32820-RescueMedia1

32821-RescueMedia2

I choose both of these.

32822-RescueMedia3

You can add command line parameters. I never do.

32823-RescueMedia4

Choose the location for your Rescue Media. It will fit on a CD. No need for a DVD.

32824-RescueMedia5

The screens are fairly self explanatory. Any questions can be added.

Edit: Sorry, I reopened this thread to add the short tutorial.

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Do let us know how the backup with EaseUS Todo Backup goes.

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Good luck Phil. Let us know how this works. Others may be in the same boat as you.

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ruirib & Ted thanks for your interest. So far I like the program of course I have not had to use it but have been able to run a couple of practice scans to kind of see how things work and create a schedule I do have a Question I don’t see any way to eliminate previous scans do they just delete the oldest one first as the page fills up? ruirib & Ted thanks for your patience and time on that windows problem unfortunately I wasn’t wise enough at the start of all that to consider the fact of the difference between software problems and hardware problems until Rich was kind enough to point it out which completely turned everything around for me so thank you Rich. Shows my inexperience but I learned something. In regards to the W7 back up problem I did find out that I needed to go into services in Windows and turn on Volume Shadow Copy and Windows Back up but still not solved so if anyone has ideas I would like to hear them I would still like to have it working and then I would have EaseUS ToDo for a back up.
Phil.

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Phil,

previous scans do they just delete the oldest one first

– They do if you set it up right. Check in to the Todo forums, and explain just what it is that you want to do.

http://forum.easeus.com/viewforum.php?f=14
http://forum.easeus.com/viewforum.php?f=27

Zig

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Zig thanks for that I will check it out. How is Calif these days?
Phil.

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How is Calif these days?

Cold.

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Phil, Sometimes it’s nice to have several Images, as long as you have labeled (named) then well. For example say you are going to try a new app. You make an Image just prior to the installation, then you go along for a while, make some other changes, perhaps do some updates, then make a new Image. Suddenly you start having some strange problems with the app that simply uninstalling the app does not fix. You can always revert to an older Image before the app was installed.

Or say you have a couple of Images and you create a new Image after patch Tuesday and suddenly things go awry. You try to restore to the newest Image and you find it is corrupt. Having a couple more slightly older Images may be what saves you.

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Thanks for that Ted I have come to that conclusion also I mow understand why you have that Back up thing going.
Phil.

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I am a FIRM BELIEVER in Imaging. Before I started Imaging (in the early XP days) I remember having to reinstall the OS more than once. What a chore. Hours of work.

Now, in about 10 minutes, I can get right back to where I was when I bungled sometime. :rolleyes:

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Ted you are the one who got me into doing back ups just for those reasons.Question? I have tried to sign in to that EaseUS programs forum to find out how to delete old scans Zig sent me the hook up for it but I have tried to use a password and the one I created for it they wont allow and say it has to have Caps or numbers or whatever but they are not specific about the quantity of any of it you got any info on it? Thanks.
Phil.

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Usually just 1 cap and 1 number is fine, such as coWboy9 or something.

Rich

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Rich thats what I have usually encountered also but it wasn’t the case at least this time. I will try again as soon as I get a chance.Thanks for your input.
Phil.

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Phil,
You might have to register with Easeus first. The free edition has no support but they might still require registration if they run the forum.

Rich

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The free edition has no support

No factory support (just volunteers).

Zig

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Unfortunately “I Know Nothing” about ToDo. Notice the old timer reference to Hogan’s Heros. :rolleyes:

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Looking in Disk Management, under Computer Managment I see this:

Disk 0 is H:

Disk 1 is E:

Disk 2 is C:

These are all internal SATA disks.

I think also that looking at system startup, C: is on Port 1 and E: is on Port 0. (In other words, it appears that the cables got switched when my computer was worked on).

I have been having problems with startup: sometimes the computer will quit in the middle of startup. The pulsing Windows icon freezes and disk activity stops. If I turn the computer off by holding down the power switch for 4 seconds, and restart it, it will start on the first or second try. Sometimes it will ask to run Startup Repair, but that always fails, and if I Start Windows Normally, that always works after one or two tries.

I am having similar problems after I put the computer into Sleep or Hibernate mode.

Questions:

Are the drive assignments likely at the root of my problem? That is, are disk number and port number important so the computer can reliably find which drive holds the master boot record?

Am I correct in assuming that port number is established by cable connection and that if I switch cables, I can get the C: drive onto Port 0, where the computer probably looks first for a master boot record?

What assigns Disk numbers? Can they be changed, perhaps in the BIOS?

Drive letters are easily changed in the Disk Management dialog box.

I also can assign the search order in the BIOS, and I did, but that hasn’t solved the problem.

Also, I occasionally get a BCCode 124 error message. I think that the last time this happened when I left the computer running for a couple of minutes after it quit in the middle of startup. It then restarted and booted successfully, indicating that it had been unable to start and had recovered. But I’m unsure what that might indicate I should do.

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Disk numbers are assigned in the order in which they are presented by the BIOS, after that Windows makes up it’s own mind.
I too have disks in what I consider to be an odd order, but there has been no change in connectors. I’d leave the cables alone.

I’d say you have a hardware issue at start up, maybe the power supply takes a minute or two to settle. As long as Windows is happy once it’s running and you have a regular backup I wouldn’t worry.

cheers, Paul

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Changing the boot device search order in BIOS just means that the BIOS will search following that order until it finds a bootable device, and then it will boot from it. This is the reason one is always advised to make sure that CD/DVD drive is first in the boot order when attempting to boot a CD/DVD – the BIOS is going to boot the first bootable device it finds in the boot order, and look no further.

As for disk number and port number, mine are:

Port 0 – Disk 0
Port 1 – Disk 1
Port 2 – Disk 2
Port 3 – CD/DVD Drive

As for drive letters, when Windows boots the system drive is going to be drive C:, regardless of what the physical drive number is.

If you decide to reconnect the SATA cables in a different order, Windows should still boot provided the BCD store is on the same drive as the Windows installation, since the BCD store will point to that drive.

That error code is an unspecified hardware error, and could be any number of things; hardware or hardware driver(s).

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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What you might try is to power down and then disconnect all disks except for the one with Windows on it. Then boot up the computer. Hopefully it will assign letter C: to that drive. Then power down and reconnect all other drives, and boot back into Windows. My guess is that the Windows disk would be C:, and the other drives would have other drive letters.

I’ve never tried that before, so I don’t know that it would work.

Even if the above works like I am hoping that it will, you may already have some drive letters hard-coded here and there, which will no longer be valid if the drive letters are changed up.

What I ALWAYS do when installing Windows is make sure that the only drive that is connected is the one I want Windows to be on. Then, when the install is complete, that drive is always C:. I then hook up all other drives, and all is ok.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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Are the drive assignments likely at the root of my problem?

You port/drive numbers won’t really be relevant. It will make no difference whatsoever if your primary “C” drive is located on port/drive 0 or 6.
My “C” drive is port/drive 6, it corresponds to one of my SATA 3.0 controller ports.

If your looking to change drive number assignments, you’ll have to physically move your drive to another SATA port on your motherboard.
If you choose to do so, ensure that you know exactly what your doing.

Your drive number assignment will likely have no bearing on the issues you are currently having, unless (possibly) one of the SATA ports
on your motherboard is damaged. That would make it a hardware issue. (probably unlikely)

If your computer was worked on recently, it is entirely possible that a drive was connected to another SATA port, that is, if your
drives where actually removed or replaced, someone may have connected it to another SATA port.
This still won’t be relevant unless the port was damaged somehow.

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Hey Clint would you be kind enough to look at Windows 7 Forum Cant back up my computer and give me an opinion thanks.
PHIL.

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Hey Clint would you be kind enough to look at Windows 7 Forum Cant back up my computer and give me an opinion thanks.
PHIL.

Compaq Presario CQ 43
D drive for the backup (? external drive)
How much space did the D drive have?
rurib its got 2.40.08GB free of 240.27Gb

As far as I can tell from this thread you don’t have enough space on “D” drive to successfully save an image to.
It is not recommended to store an image on the same hard drive that your operating system resides on, even if it is
a separate partition on the same hard drive. Windows 7 backup and restore is very peculiar that way.

You will need to have an external hard drive to create and store the image on. The external hard drive should be much larger than
your current drive. The external hard drive is a basic standard requirement for disk imaging, especially with a laptop computer.

If you are attempting to use Windows 7 backup and restore you MUST have an external hard drive.
If you are attempting to use Windows 7 backup and restore you will need to create a bootable disk for Windows 7 so that
you may access & restore your image in the event you cannot start your computer.
You must be able to actually boot your computer with the bootdisk you’ve just created.

For laptops without CD/DVD ROM drives:
How to create a bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive

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Clint thank you very much I appreciate your time and input I do have an external hard drive so I will begin using it and study the rest of your comments in regards to learning How to create a bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive as I have said to ruirib & Ted many times I don’t know anything about this stuff. So from one ex Calif person to another thanks again,
Phil.

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Rich thats what I was trying to do is register I will try it again as soon as I can. Hey Rich, Ted and Ruirib what do you think about a reinstall to try and beat the Windows back up problem and of course anyone else who has an opinion they would like to offer?
Phil.

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Phil,

I use True Image, I have upgraded to the 2013 version just to be able to use it from within Windows. This means that I really don’t trust the native Windows backup option. This also means that I personally wouldn’t reinstall Windows just to try to solve the problem (there are no guarantees that it would be solved).
If you feel different, you can try a non destructive reinstall or even a full reinstall. Can be a lot of effort to solve a problem you can solve more easily and at no cost (if you go with one of the free apps).

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ruirib I have all ready downloaded and am using EaseUS and have no problem with it I am just wondering if it would cure the problem and a clean install for me takes about an hour or so and not really a big deal just wondering what the odds are whats your opinion in that regard?
Phil.

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Phil,

All I can say is there is no guarantee that your problem will be solved. It can be solved, but then it may happen again. I really don’t find the Windows backup to be very reliable, so I guess it is up to you whether you deem worthwhile to try. I wouldn’t, but that is a personal choice, for the reasons I have explained before.

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rurib Thanks for your opinion I understand there is no guarantee that would come with doing it I was just curious as to what the opinions are and maybe the chances are you guys sure know a lot more than I do I am just kind of looking at it from a learning experience stand point and an experiment.
Phil.

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No problem, Phil, but mine is just an impression built from knowing problems experienced by others. It can be a bit skewed, though there is no doubt that the Windows backup has less features than competing commercial offers.

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Well I can sure understand that. I just kind of have this gut feeling that its the computer because the disk for the Windows program is one of those Family deals that Microsoft was offering about a year or 2 ago of that 3 for 1 deal where you can buy and download Windows 7 to 3 different computers and I have it running successfully on 2 others with no back up problem so its kind of the only way I can test the theory.
Phil.

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Phil,

??How are you doing re: registering/logging in to the Easeus Todo forums??

It shouldn’t be that hard.

Zig

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Zig got registered and have even subscribed to their News Letter thanks for your help haven’t had time to use their Forum yet but I will as soon as I get a chance, thanks again.
Phil.

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kaylerjone Are you asking or do you have some information?
Phil.

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Hey Zig I take it all back I am having problems with them on 2 computers and passwords I get the feeling that Ease US To Do Free is not all that together. Ruirib I did the reinstall and got half lucky I hope Ted gets this and knows how to get in touch with Clint because he seems to know a lot about this stuff. I can now do a back up but cant do it starting with create a system image which gives me this message when it fails. One of the volumes specified for backup is invalid because it is either not on a fixed drive, is not formatted-NTFS, or is read only. To convert the file system on a volume from FAT32 to NTFS, at an elevated command prompt type: CONVERT /FS:NTFS ( 0x8078011D). I have tried doing this and it tells me it cannot find the file specified but I can do a backup by just using back up now. Opinions please.
Phil.

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You can do a backup, but not create a system image? What does the backup allow you to create, then? Does it backup files, only?

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I am guessing the answer to that is yes remember I don’t all that much about this stuff I figured you guys would know right off I mean to me I suppose so on top of that I have gotten Ease US free and it wont do a back up because it says the drive is NTFS.
Phil.

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Can you tell me exactly what you are asked to choose when to do a backup? Does Windows ask you to make any choices? Does it tell you what is being backed up as the backup proceeds?

EaseUS won’t do a backup because the drive is NTFS or is not NTFS?

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No I can not exactly and no it does not give you too many choices and unfortunately I just put it away but if you will be good enough to wait until tomorrow i will do it and take some notes and give them to you and both programs I believe say not NTFS which I don’t even have a clue to what it means. I definitely appreciate your input thanks.
Phil

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Yes, it’s better to see what the backup you have access to will create and whether it concludes or not. Are you using the D: drive as a backup destination in both cases?

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Yes it is D drive in both cases see this is why I was thinking the computer was messed up and now that I have 2 different Backup Programs telling me the same thing I am more convinced of it. What do you think? Unfortunately I don’t know how to do those picture type of deals they can send about this kind of stuff I don’t know how to do that so I have to take notes.
Phil.

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I had asked before and it had seemed to me that you said that you had found somewhere the information that the file system was NTFS, but now I am thinking it is not, so I think we need to determine, without doubt, the file system you are using. Please see here how you can check and tell me what you have found:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/file-system-find-runs-drives/

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Unfortunately Phil, I have never used EaseUS ToDo so I cannot help with that app. I did provide a step by step method using Acronis earlier in this thread. I have had such good success with Acronis I have never had a reason to try another Imaging app. You could always grab Acronis trial version and try it to see if it works for you.

If you click on My Computer, then right click on the drive (s) in question and choose Properties you will see the file system.

32862-FileSystemType

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Boy you sure got a lot of faith in a novice like me being able to follow the directions and running this test and pulling this off but thanks for the info and I will give it a go and get back to you.
Phil.

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ruirib if you look back about 8 posts there is the post where I included the info I got when I tried to do the backup and it told me it was not NTFS and had to be converted from Fat 32.

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okay ruirib I did your test of opening D driive properties and it said it WAS NTFS that wasnt as hard as I expected so why is backup telling me it is not NTFS and that it is FATS32 and that is why I can not create a system image. Looking very much forward to hearing from you or anyone else with some answers or suggestions, thanks.
Phil.

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Thanks Ted for the same thing.
Phil.

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Do you have any files on drive D?

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.ruirib none.
Phil.

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ruirib in regards to what I get asked when trying to do a backup I click on Create a system image it opens to where do you want to save the backup and on a hard disk which is new Volume D is already picked next it goes to confirm your backup settings and it presents Data (D) and says the following drives will be backed up (F:) (System) (C:) (System) and there is a box at the bottom of the page that says start backup so I click that and a page comes up with a graph I don’t know what else to call it with a green line running to the right for about a second and then proceeds to the right turning red and at the top of the small page says back up failed with that message of changing from FATS to NTFS when I click out of that and just click backup it asks nothing and as we discussed previously just backs up files I suppose I sure dont know you tell me. Once again thank you very much for your time and assistance.
Phil.

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Phil,

Ok, just saw that.

So, please open a command prompt and type: format d: /FS:NTFS

Once this is done, try the backup again.

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no I don’t.

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Okay but you have to wait a minute or so because it is not this computer I am using right now but it is up and running

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It tells me access denied I don’t have privileges and must be done in elevated mode roughly which I don’t know anything about but I sure can tell you do. whats next?

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Click the Windows 7 start button and on the search box immediately above type cmd. After doing that click simultaneously on CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER keys. This will one an elevated mode command prompt. You can then try to format the disk as explained before.

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Phil,

I guess I’m still a little confused (seems to be an easy state to get to as I get older). Are you trying to create an Image to another internal drive on your PC or to an Ext. HD?

Also, What and how many drives (or partitions) are you attempting to Image?

On my PC I presently have 2 partitions. Think of a partition as a separate HD. On a laptop such as mine I have one physical HD and I have divided it into 2 separate partitions. I have a C Drive that contains my OS and installed apps and a D Drive that contains all my data.

When I plug my Ext. HD into my USB port and start Acronis, it also shows the Ext HD as a separate drive. When I create an Image I have to put a check mark in front of each partition I wish to include in the Image. Generally the only partition I include is the C Drive. (I back up my data drive by other means, and much more frequently than the OS). I do not include the Ext HD as that is where I am storing the Images.

32873-ImagedPartitions

My Ext. HD is several different folders because I use the same Ext. HD to store Images created for 4 different PCs.

These folders are named:
My Backups Ted
My Backups Wife (do not wish to show her name here)
My Backups Desktop (this is an older PC I only use to store data backups from both our laptops. This duplicates other data backups)
My Backups Granddaughter

I also store File History from my wife’s and my PC on this Ext. HD.

32874-SeagateExtHD

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you mean press on those 3 keys at the same time right? I got the same response. Another question can i just sit here in the forum and get an answer or do I have to go back to my inbox and wait?

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Ted sorry didn’t know you were there just the D drive on the same computer that i just did the install on which was not backing up before.
Phil.

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okay I got the type of the file system is NTFS enter current volume label for drive D:. Now what?
Phil

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You need to do it at the same time, yes. If you do, you will be asked to allow changes to your computer, so just agree to that and you will get the elevated command prompt.

Otherwise, after typing cmd, cmd.exe will show at the top of the results list. Just right click it and choose Run as Administrator.

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Phil, you can just sit here and watch new posts come in. You just have to refresh the page. No need to watch for responses in your email.

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What is the label for the drive? When you view it in Computer, is there a name before D: or does it just say Local Drive D:​?

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I took a chance it says new volume D.
Phil.

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My inexperience got me for a minute until it dawned on me I might be able to close the window and then reopen it see I told you Novice.

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Unfortunately I don’t really remember I think it just says D drive and i cant look can I because I have this cmd open right?

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cmd does not prevent you from accessing other Windows apps. You can also just close it and open it again.

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Just to be sure, right click the drive in My Computer and choose Properties. The label is shown in the highlighted position. I am not sure New volume is a real label.

32875-CaptureLabel

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So is new volume D the label I am sitting here thinking?

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Does it show in the position highlighted in the picture?

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You are too smart it is New Volume in property and over the D Drive it is New Volume D.

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Ok, so New Volume is the label you need to use when asked.

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Okay so now I just put in New Volume and hit enter and try to do Backup?

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You need to run format d: /FS:NTFS. When asked, type the volume label. When format is completed, try the backup.

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Okay I am in action.

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What the heck is that? the cmd is asking is asking proceed with format y/n I suppose y is for yes but do you type in yes in capitals or just the Y in capitals or just click the y?

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Is anybody there?

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Click Y.

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Thank you

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I click Y and nothing happens.
Phil.

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So I click Y and nothing happened I then proceeded to type in YES and it now says 0% completed and just went to 2% so I guess we are on the right track yes?

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You are absolutely right I forgot to hit enter but it is doing something so did I just get lucky?

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Well Sir thank you very much I will let you know how it works out and enjoy youself.
Phil.

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You probably need to press ENTER.

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Seems so, yeah. Once it completes, try the backup.

I am leaving now, for a few hours.

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Ruirib Well Sir I hate to admit it I guess I am not a very good student I have failed twice the computer will still not back up please tell me where I have done the wrong thing. Last night I did cmd Run as administrator pressed ctrl, shift, enter simaltainiously C:/ Windows/System32> comes up I then put in format d:/FS:NTFS it then says Enter current label for drive D: I then put in New Volume it then gives me the warning about all data will be lost (Y/N) last night I didnt get your answer in time and jumped the gun and put in Yes instead of clicking Y and pressing Enter but it said it was starting Format which it took about an hour to do and finally finished it then asked Volume Label ( 32 characters, ENTER for none) and not knowing any better I put in none. Today I did the same process except when it got to (Y/N) i clicked on Y and pressed enter and nothing happened after doing that several times and still nothing happened I typed YES as opposed to Yes the first time and it starting formatting this time when it got done and asked for Volume label I opened computer Drive D properties and it said New Volume (D) I then Answered with that and both times it failed. I did notice after further scrutiny I have failed to use the * in the places you did is that the problem? Sorry for being such a pain and I have no idea of what the time difference is between Portugal and Thailand. Thank you again for your time and patience.
Phil.

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Phil, you can add labels (names) to any internal drive in your PC quite easily.

Click on My Computer, or open File Explorer. You should see all the drives in your PC. Right click the drives one at a time and select properties. In the Properties Dialog Box you can create labels (Names) to suit you. As you can see in my example I have 2 partition (drives) in my PC. I have labeled (named) then with very descriptive labels, in my case TedWin8Pro (C Drive) and TedData (D Drive).

After putting in an appropriate label you will have to tell Windows to let you do this by clicking OK as the various warning windows pop up, but you will end up with a PC with drives able to be identified from anywhere.

32884-AddingPartitionLabels

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Ted I think I have you on the wrong track I am trying to figure out why my reformat didnt work?
Phil

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Sorry, the wording “labels” has been used quite a bit and I thought perhaps this was causing some grief. It’s very early here and I might still be asleep.

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Ted no problem i am just trying to figure out that after reformating D why I still cant do a system image backup.
Phil.

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What was on the D Drive originally?

Without reading the entire thread again, have you tried to use a partitioning app, even the built in Disk Manager to set the formatted drive to logical?

For example if I were to format my D Drive, it it would leave a blank Logical drive since the C Drive is set to Active. There can only be one Active partition at a time, and that is the drive you are booted to.

I hope I am not going over info you have already covered here.

32885-PartitionManager

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Ted thanks for your response D drive was empty and remember I dont know anything I have no idea about partitioning anything ruirib was kind enough to try to walk me through reformating D to get the backup problem I have fixed so you are not going over anything tha has been discussed before and you are talking about something that is way over my head but I sure do appreciate your effort.
Phil

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As far as I could understand from this thread, Phil has two disk partitions in a single disk. The D drive, which is a 2nd partition, is totally free so, although not the best practice (and that has been said to him several times in this thread), I see no reason for the issues regarding backup. I am neither familiar with EaseUS or the Windows backup functionality, but Acronis True Image is perfectly capable of backing up to another partition in the same physical disk. They even create a special zone when such partition is not available, although I never used that feature.

Phil,

I am quite certain the formatting did work. I cannot explain the repeated backup issues, though. The fact that the backup issues persist means the cause lies elsewhere and not on any issues with the D partition formatting.
As it has been said, the proper way to backup would be to use an external drive, and use it for all your computers.

Where should you go from here? Were I in your shoes, I would buy and external disk and start backing up all the computers to that disk, Right now, your other computers, which if I understood correctly are using partitions in the same physical disk as the main partitions you are backing up, are not safe from a disk malfunction, so even the proper backup of such computers will benefit from the use of an external drive.

I may be quite scarce today. There are power and internet access issues here, as we are facing very bad weather.

Regards

Rui

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Ahhh, I think Clint has hit on it. I guess I should have reread the thread. Storing an Image to the same HD, even on a different partition, even using apps that technically allow it is somewhat dangerous as well. If the HD fails, you loose your Image as well. Also Clint does state that Win 7 Backup and Restore does not allow the same HD to be used. If you had 2 separate and distinct HDs then it would not be as dangerous to store your Images on the separate HD because there is much less chance of both HDs failing at the same time. But using a different partition on the same HD????

On my system, if I Image just the C Drive, using the default compression settings, my Image is approx 20 GB in size. My Images include everything but the data.

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One of these types of drives would be ideal for Phil’s laptop; Small, lightweight, and easy to carry with the laptop.

You (Phil) should still be able to use the default Windows 7 backup and restore application if that is what you want, provided of
course, you make a USB thumb bootdisk. If your laptop has a CD/DVD drive, better still.
(Making a bootable thumb drives is very simple)

All you will need to do is enter the BIOS and set the CD/DVD drive, or USB, as the 1st choice for booting.
(Most newer laptops are setup that way to begin with)

A bootdisk is always needed to restore an image from a non bootable computer, no exceptions.
If you choose to use the Windows 7 backup and restore app you will need to create a Windows 7 bootdisk.
If you choose to use EaseUS Todo image backup you will need to create their program’s bootdisk. To learn how go here.

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sj_ken Thank you very much for your response and that information. I don’t know how much of this thread you have read so I must repeat myself I am an amateur I don’t know anything compared to all you guys so sometimes I have to ask questions that may seem stupid to you but it is only because I don’t know anything. Are you essentially saying that the drive on the computer is too small to be creating a system image if you are then that answers a lot of questions for me and if you are thinking right now how big is the drive I don’t have a clue but if you tell how to find out I will attempt to do so and respond to you and if I could replace the drive with a bigger one I will do that or if it is still best to use an external I am going to do that anyway because from what I have learned and been told I need to do that but I would be very happy to have both. ruirib and Ted thanks for all the help and info and ruirib thanks for the info on thinking that the reformat was accomplished I have never done anything like that and it was a great learning experience also running those scans that you and Ted had me do was good for teaching me about command prompt I have learned quite a bit from you guys so thanks very much. Now Ted you mentioned that you used Acronis for backup and ruirib you said you use True Image 2013 I have done a little checking and they both are the same thing is that correct? If so Amazon is selling an Acronis 2013 Family Pack ( 3in 1) for $60.00 is that a good deal and that is what you guys have been recommending I use is that right? As usual looking for more information.
Phil.

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Yes, I use Acronis True Image 2013, same as Ted. It’s a personal preference, and a trust thing, since I have used it for years, well before Windows had anything similar. You don’t need to use that specific one, but I would say $60 is a good price for 3 licenses.

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As usual thanks ruirib for the confirmation of the Acronis question with all the things I have been fortunate enough to learn from you and Ted if you guys say to do it I am going to do it by the way I have dumped Ease US To Do I am sure it was because it was the free version but it was not very good to work with. Now what about this post 2 before yours could my drive D ( my question ) actually be too small to accommodate a system image backup and am I understanding right that most computers are just partitioned and not really separate drives and if so what is that all about? I sure have a lot of questions don’t I? Thanks very much once again you are one heck of a fountain of information.
Phil.

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To find out the size of the drive, on the desk top click on the “Computer” icon. This will give you a list of your drives. Right click on a drive and select “Properties”. This will show you the size of the drive. “C” is the system drive. Any external drives will have later letters assigned to them.
A backup should not be on the same drive you are trying to backup. If the drive fails, you will lose everything. Seagate makes a good external USB 1 TeraByte drive that has lots of room for backing up you computer, and is reasonably priced.
Beside the regular image backup, you should also do frequent backups of the “Libraries” folders, My Documents, My Pictures, My Music,My Videos. With an external drive connected, click on the desktop “computer’ icon. A USB Flash drive of 8GBytes should be large enough for these folders. Click on the external drive icon to open it. In another window again click on the desktop “computer” icon. At the left of the screen is a list for “Libraries”. Just right click on the folders in the Libraries and copy them. Then, open the external drive and right click on the screen and paste the folder into the external drive.

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sj_ken I get a kick out of all you guys that think everybody knows what you do. First of all thanks for the response. I am a rank amateur when it comes to computers I have a Maxtor One Touch 4L Mini made by Seagate which I think will do what you are kind enough to tell me to do in so far as backing up my computer. My computer gets used almost solely for e mail since I live in Thailand and only really use it to stay in touch with Family and friends in the states so my backups are just for the system itself so I don’t have to keep doing reinstalls. The thing for me is and I just asked ruirib the same question is the reason I cant do a System image on Windows because my D drive is too small to pull it off also are all computers partitioned so your always at risk of everything being on the same drive or are there computers where you don’t have that problem? This gives you an idea of how much I don’t know and please excuse my ignorance, Thanks.
Phil.

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240 GB seem large enough for me, if it is indeed 240 GB. Laptops, even very expensive ones, have just one disk. This disk is then divided into partitions, each of these partitions working as a drive. This is done to make it easier to manage the disk. Here many users like to have multiple partitions, but I don’t really like it myself.

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Ruirib Okay and Ted as i told sk_ken I don’t use my computer for anything but mostly e mail I don’t use the library I don’t have documents I don’t have pictures once in a while I have some music because I am into music but I make all my own cds and make sure the music is gone before I do a backup so my operation is very simple I am sure my computer is used for much simpler stuff than 99% of people the only reason I really got into the backup thing is that if I have something that is supposed to work I want it to work my point is if you have one drive that is partitioned you are always at risk of losing everything so Ted what did you have to do to have 2 drives is it prohibitively expensive and ruirib since you don’t like one drive why haven t you changed and if I did that would it cure my backup problem because I would really like to have both and if its supposed to work I would like it to? Now still understand I am still going to go with Acronis but I am just wondering if it is a feasible idea or is it crazy and out of the question? And unfortunately 240 GB means nothing to me I don’t know the difference between a GB or a mega bite or any of that stuff I guess I am going to have to get a chart and learn all that. Once again thank you very much for the info and your time and trouble and will look forward to hearing from you when you have time. ruirib do you know what the time difference is between Portugal and Thailand I know what it is between here and California where Ted is because that is where i am originally from.
Phil

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I do have 2 partitions on my laptop. The first contains the OS and all apps. The second contains all data. In this manner my data is separate from the OS. This allows me to Image just the OS drive and create smaller Images quicker than if I had just one partition. My data is backed up using File History and dragging files to 2 other PCs.

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I have one physical disk, one partition, so just one logical drive. That works for me.
Ted has one physical drive, two partitions, so two logical drives. It doesn’t cost anything to partition one drive into multiple partitions.

No idea of the time difference. probably something like 8 to 10 hours behind.

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Thanks ruirib & Ted for that info gives me food for thought. Acronis 2013 Family Pack has been ordered and is on the way although I am having to have it sent to a friend in California and then they will forward it on to me for some reason Amazon would not ship it to Thailand. ruirib for your information there is 7 hrs difference between Lisbon and Thailand.
Phil.

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ruirib & Ted I apologize guys but I need to pick you brains again please. I am not happy with the reinstall I just did. D drive is clean because you ruirib were kind enough and helped me reformat it but it is taking MSE 2 hours to do a full scan which to me means there is too much junk old files etc on C drive can I just go into C drive and delete everything or is there a better simple way to clean it also remember I have no music, documents, pictures, files or anything to be saved. I have heard various opinions as to whether you can do a clean installation from a Windows 7 Upgrade Disk or not What is your guys opinion on that? I can do either I have a W7 Upgrade to Home Premium and I have a W7 Home Basic with SP 1 opinions and advice please and thank you both once again very much.
Phil.

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I would just use cleanmgr to delete temp files etc. Just click the start button, type cleanmgr in the search box at the top of it and then click the app that will show on top (probably named Disk Cleanup. but can’t be sure as I can’t access my Windows 7 pc right now). Once the app is running, just check all the options and agree with it cleaning up all the stuff.

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ruirib you mean disk clean up that has system logs on it that I have always been told to never delete because then you can never change anything and to do this after I have gone into computer and deleted everything off of C drive? And then what about the reinstall?
Phil.

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I wouldn’t do a reinstall. So you’re worried about the logs, but you want to delete everything from C?
Just to the cleaning, man, delete nothing else, that’s what I would do.

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Yes I want to do a clean clean install there is no reason that Security Essentials should have to run for 2 hours to do a full scan I don’t have anything on the computer no Files, no Pictures, no music, no documents no nothing to be saved. I use my computer almost solely for e mail.
Phil.

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Yes I want to do a clean clean install there is no reason that Security Essentials should have to run for 2 hours to do a full scan I don’t have anything on the computer no Files, no Pictures, no music, no documents no nothing to be saved. I use my computer almost solely for e mail.
Phil.

My laptop has almost nothing on it, just 6 photos and a couple of test Word files, but MS Security Essentials takes about two hours for a complete scan.

The wife’s desktop, with hundreds of emails, bur not much else takes over 3 hours, which is why it is set to run c 6 a.m. and I’m up in time to see the result, although in 3 years or so it has never found any malware.

It’s the operating system that takes the time, so 2 hours for your laptop sounds about right, espec. as W7 is probably even more bloated than Vista.

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ruirib there is only 11.5GB free out of 38.9 its just old files and stuff.
Phil.

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Hey Friend I got to go for a bit one of the kids needs some help with homework thanks in advance.
Phil

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georgelee, Than you for your post you may have something there isn’t there some way to delete those old e mails? I thought after ten days or so they were supposed to be gone.
Phil.

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georgelee, Than you for your post you may have something there isn’t there some way to delete those old e mails? I thought after ten days or so they were supposed to be gone.
Phil.

Emails are not deleted unless you delete them, which my wife refuses to do. Occasionally, when she’s busy elsewhere, and I’m maintaining her PC I delete all emails in excess of 500.

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Phil,

It’s your call. I have never, ever, reinstalled from scratch in any of my computers, since I started using personal computers, back in 1988. The swiftness with which you decide to reinstall surprises me, to be honest.

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ruirib its because its one of the few things I know how to do and its not that hard really especially if you don’t have any thing to save and just have to reinstall the updates and the apps you like such as secunia and revo and Picasa although I have to admit because of yours and Ted’s kindness and knowledge I sure know a lot more now. Heres a good laugh and a scary scenario for you. On Sunday I went to one of Woody’s Computer Clinics ( The Gentleman who writes for Windows Secrets also lives here in Patong ) he owns several sandwich restaurants here he wasn’t there but there where about 20 people there and because of you guys I knew as much or more than the majority of them how sick is that? Thanks again.
Phil.

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Phil, I posted to your new thread on how to do this.

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Phil,
You must know something if you use secunia, revo and picassa. or are they there to take up space.

Rich

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Rich just lucky that I know a little bit because guys like Ted and ruirib and Joe and others whose names I cant recall right now are always kind enough to answer my questions and I have managed to learn a few things but thanks I appreciate the kind words.
Phil.

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georgelee I delete my e mails and then when I get them in the delete folder I even empty it and it still seems like it takes forever for them to go.
Phil.

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