Maggie's Farm

 
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First off, unless I hear differently in the comments, I'm going to drop the 'geek links' I was putting at the end of the lessons.  It was geek overload.  If you're interested in geek stuff, just type "geek stuff" in Google and all kinds of sites will pop up.  If I put any links at the bottom, they'll just be 'interesting' links.

In a way, this and the last lesson on File Structure were out of place.  In theory, I should have started you off real easy: "This is an icon...this is a window...", but here's the problem:

If you're planning on following these lessons to the bitter end, it's certainly possible that at some point we're going to make a tweak or install something that (1) stops some program on your system from working correctly, or (2) creates an effect you don't like and you'll be unable to figure out how to return it to the original way.

Let me give you a quick example.  A while back I installed a fresh Windows.  Normally, as part of the usual set-up, I install Media Encoder when I get to my video tools, then, at some point later on, I install the big program VideoStudio.  VideoStudio has a bunch of customizable pre-sets for different videos sizes and such, very nice.

Well, this time I had a video clip that I wanted to run through VideoStudio ASAP, so I installed it before Media Encoder.  Later, I installed Media Encoder as I finished up the system.  A few days later I tried to use VideoStudio and...

no pre-sets.

Gone!  History.  Toast.  Something in Media Encoder overwrote something on the system and screwed up VideoStudio.  I removed them both, cleaned up the system with three Registry cleaners, reinstalled them in the proper order and everything was fine.

The point is, during our lesson on how to make streaming video, Step #1 is going to be "Install Media Encoder".  And, of course, if you have VideoStudio on your system, it's going to screw it up and you're going to be pissed.

At me.

So, really, the first thing we have to do is make sure your system is backed up and safe, so, should something go belly-up, you'll have a quick, easy way to restore it.  That's why last week's and this week's lessons came in the order they did.  It may be throwing a lot at you, but we've got to make sure you're covered before proceeding.
 

This also holds true with next week's lesson on Windows Tweaks.  If you want to get rid of all the frilly stuff and turn your computer into a lean, mean, fightin' machine, you're going to end up doing so many tweaks that you're not even going to recognize it when we're finished.

But, to be honest, you may not like the quick, snappy feel & look and actually miss the 'cute' stuff that comes with a stock Windows XP and want to change it all back.  Do the backup routine and 10 minutes later it's as if the entire ugly, sordid event never took place.
 

Oh, and that 'bathroom' stuff?

Well, as a bachelor, I obviously detest housework and put it off as long as humanly possible.  But, being a video god and all, I'm constantly fiddling with goofball video programs and wildly screwing up my system, so spending 10 minutes restoring everything is something of a weekly event.

But since I actually (gasp!) can't touch the computer while this is going on, I figure it's only fair that I punish myself for melting it down in the first place by doing ugly household chores.

And the same is certainly true of you.

As I said in the beginning, there's your choice.  You can either take it to the shop for a week and not have to clean the bathroom, or shoulder this ugly burden and clean the bathroom during the 10 minutes it takes to restore your system.

Not a very nice choice, is it?

No one said these lessons would be pretty.

 
Overview

Most backup programs deal with files.  They check new files against old files and update the backup files with anything new.  As far as programs go, this is the standard way to do it, and that's how my web site updating program (Dreamweaver) works.  It scans the dates of the files on the site and compares them to the dates of the local files and uploads anything new.

The problem is that this doesn't work with operating systems like Windows, because a number of the system files are "in use" and won't allow themselves to be copied.  Even if you told the backup program to back up your entire C Drive, it simply wouldn't be able to do it.

Enter image files.

An image file is one gigantic file of your entire C Drive.  The difference between a backup program and an imaging program is that the imaging program effectively locks down the entire system during the process and disables all of the "in-use" files.

The result? A perfect 'snapshot' of your entire system, right down to the last microbyte.  When your system melts down in the future and you hit that ugly black screen during boot-up, you'll pop in your boot-up CD, load the last image file you made, hit the 'Start' button, then grab the Comet and head for the bathroom.  You've only got 10 minutes to pay for your heinous crime of hurting your poor computer, so I suggest you get busy.

 
The Decision

We're going to use one of the first and best imaging programs, True Image.  There are two ways to approach this and you'll have to decide which way you want to go:

• The first is the full routine, where you don't lose a single file (email, bookmarks, personal files, program databases) if the system suddenly melts down.  That's what part of last week's lesson and this week's hinge around.  The only thing you'd 'lose' would be any programs you had installed since the last time you made a backup file, but you're not really 'losing' anything as all you have to do is reinstall the program.
   


• The second way is a lot more casual, but you'll lose everything since the last backup.  This would involve basically doing nothing except installing True Image.  Everything stays on the C Drive and, come restore time, you're back to what was on the system when you made the last image file.  The thing is, it only takes about 3 minutes to do a back-up, so you could do it every day and never lose more than a day's worth of files if the system suddenly lunched itself.
   
  The problem is that you probably won't.  You might be diligent about it for a while, but eventually you'll slack off and — the next thing ya know — you're restoring a 2-month-old system and you've lost a lot.
   
  The answer might be to schedule True Image to make an image file on its own.  For example, if you left your computer on 24 hours a day, it could make the backup file at 3 am and you'd never notice a thing.

Personally, I don't like losing anything, and — according to Murphy's Law — that one thing I lose will be extremely valuable and no-doubt irreplaceable, so I do the full routine and don't worry about.

 
Preparation: Hard Drive Space

Like last week, just for purposes of clarity I'll use the "D Drive" as the main backup/personal files drive, although it could be any partition — as long as it's not the C Drive.

Open 'My Computer', click on the C Drive's icon with the right mouse button and open 'Properties'.  You're looking at the 'Used space' figure, usually measured in GB (gigabytes).

While True Image can compress the big image file somewhat, to be on the safe side you'd better figure you need about the same amount of "Free space" on the backup drive, so open your D Drive's 'Properties' and check.

If you don't have the free space, the obvious first choice would be to slap in another hard drive.  It's not very difficult and shouldn't take longer than an hour at the shop.  If you're technically adept but simply don't know how to do it, you can find the info here.

The next alternative would be burning the image file to DVD, assuming your "Used space" is less then 4.38 GB (the limit of DVD discs).  Other alternatives would be a USB plug-in hard drive or a large flash stick.  I would not, however, ever recommend flash sticks for anything deemed "important", like this.  To use a geeky pun, silicon chips are simply too flaky to be relied upon.
 

If you're going to go the casual route and not transfer everything over to the D Drive, skip down to the 'Gettin' There' section.

 
Preparation: Files

As discussed in last week's lesson, every personal file should be moved off the C Drive.  The C Drive should be viewed as "Windows and programs only".  That's the 'core' of the computer that we're going to be backing up.

 
Preparation: Email

First off, assuming you want to save what email you already have, you'll need to find the current email folder and copy it to the backup drive.  For Outlook Express users, open 'My Computer', then the C Drive, then "Documents and Settings", then your user name folder, then the "Local Settings" folder.  It's a 'hidden' folder, so if you don't see it, go to the top of the window, Tools Menu, 'Folder Options', 'View' tab, check the "Show hidden files and folders" gadget.

Inside of the 'Local Settings' folder, open the 'Application Data' folder, then the 'Identities' folder.  If you just see one folder inside of 'Identities', open it and you'll find a 'Microsoft' folder, then an 'Outlook Express' folder.  That's where your mail is currently being held.

If you see more than one folder inside of 'Identities', open each one and find out which is the current one.  You can tell by clicking on the database files and looking at the 'Modified date', either down at the bottom of the window (assuming 'Status bar' is checked on the window's 'View' Menu) or by right-clicking on them and opening 'Properties'.  For example, if you had some email come in that day, then the 'Inbox' database file would have that day's date.

If you're using multiple identities with Outlook Express, you'll need to find each identity's folder.  Although there are a couple of ways to do this, probably the easiest is to open each identity in Outlook Express and make a uniquely-named folder ("xxx", e.g.) over to the left.  Close down the program and look through the different identity folders for the database files with the custom names.

Once you've identified the correct folder, copy it to the D Drive.  If you have multiple folders, make a single folder on the D Drive called something like "Email" or "Outlook" and then a sub-folder for each identity inside of it.  Name them something recognizable so you can spot them in the next step.
 

To redirect your email to the new location, open Outlook Express, Tools Menu, 'Options', 'Maintenance' tab, click on 'Store Folder'.  Redirect it to the new email folder on the D Drive.  Do this for each identity if you have more than one.

I have no idea where Outlook (not Outlook Express) keeps its files, but they'll be buried away somewhere.  If you can find the means to redirect it to another location in Options, the original path should be in the requester.  You could also make a custom folder in Outlook ("xxx") then do a Windows Search for "xxx" and look for a database file with that name.  The database files have to be there somewhere.

For second-party email programs, the database files should be buried somewhere in the program folder.  Most email programs follow the general rule of naming their databases the same name as the program folder ("Inbox", "Outbox", etc), so you should be able to find them easily enough.
 

If you're not sure where a program folder is, click on its entry in the Start Menu with the right mouse button and open 'Properties'.  You'll see the 'Target' location.  If you did last week's lesson, you won't have any problem finding it.

The trick is to uninstall the program from the C Drive and reinstall it on the D Drive.  To save your current mail, first copy the database files to a safe location, then uninstall the program using Control Panel, 'Add or Remove', then copy the files to the new folder after you've reinstalled the program on the D Drive, overwriting the default files.  I would, however, suggest you read the lesson all the way through and make a backup file before doing anything, just to be on the safe side.  We'll cover relocating programs in greater detail down below.

 
Preparation: Bookmarks or 'Favorites'

This is fairly easy.  Open 'My Computer', C Drive, 'Documents and Settings', then your user name folder.  You'll see a big star icon labeled 'Favorites'.  Highlight it, hit Ctrl-C to copy it to memory (or use the right mouse button and the menu), then go to the proper spot on the D Drive and paste it in with Ctrl-V (or the menu).

Next, download and install this free Microsoft program called TweakUI.  It's about halfway down the nav bar on the right.  It's just a quick Next-Next-Next installation.  It's a great program and we'll go through it panel-by-panel next week.

For now, open it up (it'll say "PowerToys" in the Start Menu) then click on the 'My Computer' entry, then 'Special Folders':
 

 
Select 'Favorites' from the drop-down menu, then click on 'Change Location' and browse to the D Drive and the new 'Favorites' folder.  You can see above that my copied 'Favorites' folder is on my E Drive, in a folder named 'Apps'.

(Old-timers in the audience will spot the original Windows 95 gold highlight color.  Am I retro or what!)

 
Preparation: Programs

What we're talking about here are programs that contain information you've inputted and don't want to lose or do over.  If it's just some program where you slapped in your name and a few personal things, don't worry about it.
 

As noted above, the proper way to handle programs that have their own databases, like second-party email programs, is to simply install them on the D Drive.  That's what 'Apps' stand for in the above picture: Applications.  If you do this from the start, it'll work just perfectly.  If the C Drive suddenly goes into the toilet, the database files for the programs are safe and sound on the D Drive.

The problem arises once the programs have been installed on the C Drive.  I would say that maybe 80% of them will uninstall and reinstall just fine on the D Drive, and there will either be a folder or a handful of database files that you'd first save to the side, then copy to the D Drive after the program has been reinstalled.  Sometimes it's just one great big database file, sometimes it's a clearly-marked folder like "email" or "data", sometimes you have to hunt around.

The problem is that some programs write their databases either to some deeply-buried folder outside of their program folders (most likely somewhere in the 'Windows' folder) or directly to the Registry, which are system files that control the entire Windows system.  In the first case, it's possible using some trick like the "xxx" example, above, and finding it using Windows Search would do the trick.  In the second case, there's no way you could find the pertinent info in the numerous Registry files.
 

So here's what you do:

• Make a backup image file of the C Drive with True Image.
   


• Find the program's database files and make a copy of them somewhere safe.
   


• Uninstall the program using Add/Remove, then reinstall it on the D Drive.
   


• Overwrite the default database file(s) with your saved ones.
   


• Test the program, add stuff, delete stuff, make sure it's working 100%.
   


• If it isn't and you can't figure out what's wrong, haul out True Image and restore the previous system immediately.  Don't get any email or save anything during this time or you'll lose it.  Just test the program and if something's not working, bail out ASAP and get your system back to normal.  Then investigate the matter at your leisure and try again if you figure out what went wrong.

Make sense? We do not want you to lose anything here, so the smart move is to first make a backup file.  Then dig up the datafiles to save, reinstall everything on the D Drive and completely test the program.

Also, it should be noted that the image file can be accessed directly with True Image (like the files were all on a separate partition), so if the reinstalled program said something like "Cannot find file CUSTOM.DAT", you could pop open True Image, load the image file and hunt through the program's folder for the "CUSTOM.DAT" file.  Then copy it over to the D Drive, run the program again and this time it'll find it.

 
Gettin' Ready

Here's the Acronis True Image home site.  There's a 15-day trial version that works fine, then you can buy it if it seems to be working.  The price of the program is $49 (my buddy RadioHowie reports that NewEgg has it for $30), and you can just bet that the first time it saves your bacon you'll be thinking it's already paid for itself in full.

You will say aloud something that I — and many others — have said time and time again over the years, and I've said twice — with gusto — just recently:

"Thank you, True Image!"

 
Installation

Run the setup program, install the 'Home' edition.  If you actually want to register the program, fill out the info box.  Otherwise, just fill out the first few lines and put in a fake-but-real-looking email address.  Your firewall might pop up at some point as it tries to phone home.  Go ahead and let it.

 
Backing Up

Fire up the program:

• Click on 'Backup and 'Restore', then 'Backup'.
   


• Next-Next-Next your way to the fourth panel.  It'll probably have the C Drive checked by default.  Otherwise, check the box and hit 'Next'.
   


• The next panel is where you want to save the image file.  Select the location, type in a name (like the current date) and hit 'Next'.
   


• On the next panel, you always want to make a full backup.
   


• Next-Next, and on the blank page you can write a description.
   


• Next, then 'Proceed' and it'll make the file. 

It should be obvious that you DO NOT want to touch the computer during this time.

 
Restoring

Whether you're running it from Windows or a boot-up CD, both operations are the same:

• Click 'Browse and Restore', then 'Restore'.
   


• 'Next', then open 'My Computer' on the left and load your image file.
   


• Next, Next, then select the 'C' partition of the image file, Next.  It'll analyze the file.
   


• This following panel is the partition you're going to write to.  Select 'C', Next.
   


• 'Next' your way to the end and 'Proceed'.

The system will reboot and write the file.  When it's finished, not only will the computer boot up with the restored system, but I expect that bathroom of yours to be spotless!

 
Additional Info

One of the first things you'll want to do is make a boot-up CD.  The selection is on the Start Menu in the Acronis folder.

Next, you have to test it, and I mean the whole routine.  If there's something wrong with the True Image installation, the boot-up CD or your system, you've got to find out about it now, rather than when it counts.
 

Warning: Since there actually is a 1-in-10,000 chance that something will go amiss during the restore process and you'll never see your nice system again, I strongly urge you to copy your most important files to someplace safe.  You could probably afford to lose all of that valuable old email you've saved, but you might want to back up the Address Book.  Ditto saving your 'Favorites' folder and anything personal.  It's real long odds that anything will go wrong, but 'better safe than sorry' this first time through.
 

Got a fresh image file made?  Slap the boot-up CD in the drive and reboot.
 

One of two things will happen:

• The CD will scratch around for a while and eventually the True Image program will pop up.  You'll notice it has two different options, 'Safe' and 'Full'.  While 'Safe' works okay, I always select 'Full', just cuz.  If the image file is on portable media, like DVD disc, you'll have to use 'Full'.  Do a 'Restore' just like above.  Don't panic if the files don't display under 'My Computer' for a bit.
   


• If the system ignores the CD and boots up like normal, you need to adjust something in the BIOS.
   
  The BIOS is an unseen program that runs when you first turn on the computer.  To access it, you usually hold down the Delete key about 5 seconds after you turn on the power.  You might see something flash across the screen that tells you which key to hit.  If it's a Hewlett-Packard or Compaq, try the F10 key.  If neither of those work, first try the F1 key, then F2.
   
  Once you're in the BIOS, look for something like a 'BOOT' tab.  Using the arrow keys, skip across to the tab and then look for a selection that indicates the priority the devices boot up in.  If you have a floppy drive on your system (the A Drive), that's usually first.  Your ROM drive should be second, followed by the hard drive.  Use the Enter key to enter sub-areas and usually the 'Page Up' and 'Page Down' keys on the keyboard adjust the individual settings.  There's usually a table somewhere in view that shows which keys to use.  When you're through, use the side arrow keys to mosey over to the 'EXIT' panel and bug out.
   
  Some BIOS programs are pretty funky and only give you one boot option, so you'd select the ROM drive to get the image file written, then come back to the BIOS on the following boot-up and change the setting back so the hard drive boots up.

Also, if the partition the image file is on is the same hard drive as the C Drive, you should burn a backup copy of the image file to DVD disc.  While the most likely scenario is that a software problem will develop and you'll lose the C partition, it's also possible that the whole hard drive could go down, in which case both your C Drive and the image file would be history.

If you don't have a DVD burner but you've got a CD burner, you can use True Image to cut the image file into CD-sized pieces.  During the 'Backup' operation, select "Set the options manually" on the "Choose Backup Options" panel.  On the next panel, click on "Archive splitting" over to the left, then select "Fixed size" and the "700 MB" setting from the drop-down menu.  When it's made the files, don't rename anything, just burn them to CD.  Come back-up time, load the first one and it'll ask for the others when it gets to them.

 
Other Options

If you want to verify an image file's integrity, that's the 'Validate' option.

If you want to suck an individual file off the image file, that's the 'Explore' option.

If you actually want to put all the files on a virtual partition (like you'd written the image file to a separate drive), that's the 'Mount Image' option.  You'd access the virtual partition through 'My Computer' just like it was a real drive.

If you want to schedule a backup, that's the 'Schedule' link in the upper-right corner.
 

Other Uses

This will make an image file of any partition, of course, so if you just wanted to make a down 'n' dirty backup of your D Drive, for example, this would do the trick.

While I've never tried it, I presume that it's 'mount image' routine is the same as the virtual device program I use, Daemon Tools.  The thing is, now and then a program or game that arrives on CD will want the CD to be in the drive in order to access the extra features, if not work in the first place.  The Hoyle games are like that, as is Pandora's Box, and my American Heritage Dictionary requires the disc to be in the drive.

The answer (appears to be) make an image file of the CD with True Image, then 'mount' it in True Image.  Open 'My Computer' and you should see it.  Open it and install the program.  Now, when it looks for the files on the CD, it'll see them on the virtual device, instead.

Last week I mentioned repartitioning hard drives, like if your C Drive was way too big and the D partition way too small.  Although I can't get into the whole repartitioning thing here, the key to making it work is True Image.  Basically, you'd make an image file of the C Drive, repartition it, then copy the image file back.  The fact that the new C partition is much smaller doesn't make any difference as long as it's not smaller than the image file, of course.

 
Semi-Bug Report

While I wouldn't call it an outright 'bug', one problem True Image has always had is with image files made using previous versions.  They usually don't work.  So I suggest you get nice and cozy with this version and plan on keeping it for years.
 

Summation

This lesson crosses a line.  For perhaps the first time in your life, you are starting to be in control of the computer, not the other way around.  When you get all of your personal files safe and you've made a test backup with True Image, go pour yourself a drink and toast yourself, and breathe a deep sigh of relief that you may never have to go through the nightmare again.

Me, like any good geek I used to love it when suddenly something on my system went haywire.  A chance to fiddle with things, yippee!  But these days, I don't even bother.  I don't wait for an actual 'melt-down'; as soon as anything on my system doesn't feel right, I'll first reboot and maybe run a few fix-it programs, but after that I immediately bail out and put in the latest image file.

And besides, how else would my bathroom ever get cleaned??
 

See y'all next week!
 

 
Addendum: Lesson 2

Last week I noted that I think it's much easier to visualize what's going on when shuffling files around if each folder opens its own window.  Another reason I like individual windows is because the alternative, Windows Exploder, is the biggest piece of crap in the Central Galaxy.  If you really don't like the individual windows routine and want to have it 'all in front of you', then the proper course is to use a real file manager like Directory Opus.

Tip: To close a bunch of windows at once, hold down the Shift key while closing the last folder opened.  It'll close every folder in that 'chain'.