I have save and restore. I did a backup of just my "Documents and Settings" folder night before last. I then rebooted and resored a clean XP SP2 image I had. The image restore worked perfect like always. I then tried to open the backup image of my "Documents and Settings" so I could restore the documents. Oh wait, it didn't create an image! It created some folder called "File Backup Data" with 40 folders with names that make no sense. I tried to get SNR to read the data but it wouldn't. At this point I am freakin out so I start a chat session with symantec. I let them log in to my PC and try to get my data back. They eventually are able to see some stuff but not all.

Why didn't it create an image file. I have NO PROBLEM looking at image files on the same drive. Who was the dumbass who thought creating a folder that has no structure that a person can make sense of. Why won't this program change the damn data back to what it was before. I asked these questions of the useless support guy but he refused to answer and even said everything was OK even though I couldn't get all my data back. I begged them to help me. Eventually they made some ignorant statement mocking me and I lost it.

This program created a backup it can't restore and they don't care. Has anyone been able to use this "feature", as they call it, and get it to work? I found a route to get back most of my important stuff but have lost the stuff in the My Pictures folder of my documents. Iolo Search and Recover works people.

I would like to try to get back my pictures if possible. If anyone can help it would really be great.

bigblu91

I know this is after the fact--but did you use the Ghost feature to verify your image file after it was created?

And, did you mount the image file to see that your data was present and in usable form before you proceeded with a major overwriting of you system's HDD?

I always create redundant backups when I am going to do something *major*--such as backups to internal HDD, external HDD, and perhaps optical media--verifying each as valid with Ghost's Integrity checking feature.

Also, many create a second *data* partition and then change the default location for documents, emails, pictures, etc. to that data partition--keeping those items separate from the OS partition for just this type of event where you want to restore your OS partition without overwriting your personal data files!

That's the thing, when you backup just certain files and not an entire drive with this software, it doesn't make an image. It creates a file called "File Backup Data". It contains 40 folders, in my case anyway, with program generated folder names that make no sense as to what the data is in the folder.

Yes, I didn't try to see if I could view the files after creation. It doesn't give an option to verify the backup, that I saw anyway, when just backing up certain folders. If it had, I would have as I do when making an image backup.

I would not have been able to see them as they sit in their original structure either it appears. The way it looks like it works is you have to search for the file you want. I tried to search for "documents", and sometimes I got some results and sometimes not. When I did get a "documents and settings" result, I restored that but it didn't restore all the files.

I happen to have the HD I replaced that I had deleted the files I needed back and used Iolo Search and recover to find deleted files and I got back almost everything I believe. I didn't get any pictures that were in the My Pictures folder.

I am on hold with Symantec right now. They won't admit their file backup feature doesn't work but they won't defend it saying it does. I have to then believe they know it doesn't work. I'll never use their crap again, even though I love the way the Ghost app has worked. They never should have released this program knowing the individual file backup feature doesn't work.

I don't understand why they can't just have the app create an image of just a folder on the drive but I don't write software so I can't say why. What I do know is, that they shouldn't put out something that doesn't work just because users want it.

I would like to know if anyone has used this feature successfully? That means, get their data back when they needed it, not just make the backup. I know it creates something it says is a backup, it just won't change it back to its original state when asked, which is what a backup is suppose to do.

bigblu91,

I haven't used that feature. Is this how you tried to restore your files? Pages 91 - 93.


Quote:

Recovering files and folders using file and folder backup data If you have defined a file and folder backup and need to recover files, you can quickly recover them from a recent file and folder backup. Norton Save and Restore includes a built-in search tool to help you quickly locate the files you want to recover. To restore lost or damaged files and folders 1 Start Norton Save and Restore, and then click Recovery. 2 Click Recover My Files. 3 Do one of the following: 2 In the Find files to recover search box, enter the whole or partial name of a file or folder you want to restore. For example, enter “recipe” to return any file or folder that includes “recipe” in its name, such as “My Recipes.doc”, “Recipes.xls,” “Recipes for Success.mp3”, and so forth. 2 Click Advanced Search, enter your search criteria, and then click Search. 4 If necessary, select the files you want to restore from the search results list box using one of the following methods: 5 Click Recover Files. 6 In the Recover Files dialog box, do one of the following: 2 Click Original folders to have your files restored in the original folder where they existed when they were backed up. 2 Click Recovered Files folder on the Desktop to have your files restored to a new folder that will be created on your Windows desktop called Recovered Files. 2 Click Alternate folder and specify the path to an alternate location where you want your files restored. To select all files Press Ctrl+A To select a group of files that are next to each other Click the top file, press Shift, and then click the last file in the group To select a group of files that are not next to each other Press Ctrl, and then select the files you want 7 Select Overwrite existing files to overwrite an existing destination file that uses the same filename and extension. 8 Click Recover to restore the files, and then click OK.

Brian wrote on Feb 16^th, 2007 at 2:24pm:

bigblu91, I haven't used that feature. Is this how you tried to restore your files? Pages 91 - 93.

That's  how I tried to do it and that is how the tech's all tried to do it. It would sometimes find information but most of the time nothing is found. When it did find something it only found a few files. It must have been corrupt, but it never stated there was anything wrong after creation. It doesn't have a verify selection like it does when you create an image. Why anybody would want to search for the files is beyond me but I guess I lot of people have no idea where they save their stuff.

I expected to open something like you do when you browse an image but it doesn't work that way. Why it doesn't makes no sense to me.

They ended up putting me on hold and never picked up again. I waited about 30 minutes. These guys are jerks. This is the last copy I'll buy of any symantec software. I should have tried to see if I could recover the files before proceding, but I didn't. They didn't handle my case at all and they wouldn't admit their software doesn't do this. They saw themselves that it didn't find all my files but they thought that was OK.

Any suggestions for another image creation software? Is it Acronis? I'll keep using Ghost for now but will never try the file backup thing again.

bigblu91,

That's nasty. You are one of the few who have posted about Files and Folders backup with NSR and I remember the comments about NSR producing proprietary files in the backup folders. Out of interest, is the Used Space (MB) of the backup appropriate or is it far short of what you expect.

You asked about software alternatives. Many here will recommend that you separate your data from your OS and back them up differently. I use Ghost for the OS and SecondCopy 7 for the data but  others have their favorites too. SecondCopy produces file backups in their original format. Not proprietary. Acronis TI has a Files and Folders backup as well as an imaging function. The Acronis TI Files and Folders backup uses proprietary files.

This page on Backup is informative.

http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/notes.htm#13

Brian wrote on Feb 17^th, 2007 at 3:21am:

bigblu91, That's nasty. You are one of the few who have posted about Files and Folders backup with NSR and I remember the comments about NSR producing proprietary files in the backup folders. Out of interest, is the Used Space (MB) of the backup appropriate or is it far short of what you expect. You asked about software alternatives. Many here will recommend that you separate your data from your OS and back them up differently. I use Ghost for the OS and SecondCopy 7 for the data but  others have their favorites too. SecondCopy produces file backups in their original format. Not proprietary. Acronis TI has a Files and Folders backup as well as an imaging function. The Acronis TI Files and Folders backup uses proprietary files. This page on Backup is informative. http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/notes.htm#13

Well I tried to reply to this post and the damn thing just refreshed itself and I lost everything I typed. Is this thing run by Symantec? I didn't backup right during writing my post and I lost everything. I give up. Thanks anyway.

bigblu91 wrote on Feb 17^th, 2007 at 6:51pm:

"... I tried to reply to this post and the damn thing just refreshed itself and I lost everything I typed. Is this thing run by Symantec? I didn't backup right during writing my post and I lost everything. I give up..."

After many years (seven plus) of posting items and responses in online forums, I learned a bitter
lesson about such aggravation and have developed a counter-measure, i.e, quite simply, I compose
my comments completely in a Notepad or Wordpad file beforehand.  Then, I use a "cut-and-paste" technique to transfer my text to the forum window.  If it bombs, I just repeat the procedure until it finally takes.  When I am satisfied, I delete the text file at my leisure.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/El_Pescador/Cutpaste.jpg

EP :'(

Hola, El Pescador,

Does that word processor of yours insert the formatting tags used by YabbC?  If so, which word processor is it?

Or do you have to know the tags by heart?

wrote on Feb 19^th, 2007 at 6:22am:

"... do you have to know the tags by heart?..."

Indeed, I do know them by heart ::)

EP :'(