XP PRO backup

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XP Pro, SP3
IBM T-40 laptop
MicroSoft's NTbackup.msi

I'm making a shadow backup of the entire system and want the bootable restore disk. The program wants to use the floppy drive for the restore diskette and this computer doesn't have a floppy. I've not been able to find a click to tell it to use the CD for the bootable diskette.

Any suggestions?

Pops

Watch your screen when you boot up. For a couple seconds, it should say something like "F2 to change settings" - that's when you hit the specified keys. That will take you to a menu that will allow you to specify the default boot drive.

Default boot drive is not the problem. I know that one, as I wrote one of the first drivers to accomplish that task (CPM - GNAT Computers - 8" floppies.)

The backup program wants to make (write) a bootable diskette. I want the backup program to write (make) a bootable diskette. The backup program insists it will use the floppy drive for this task. This computer does not have a floppy drive. This computer does have a CD drive and an IOMEGA CLICKIT drive (not on the boot list) and a 160Gb SEAGATE external back up drive (not on the boot list.)

I'd like to tell the MS program to use the CD drive as a repository for the boot and recover diskette.

The computer did not come with a CD XP install disk. Instead, they put the recovery stuff in a partition on the hard drive, which is very useful when the hard drive crashes. [/sarcasm]

Pops

Unfortunately everything I've found indicates that it isn't possible, at least on the surface. If you don't want to get or can't use an external FD, and have some extra space on the external HD, why not use dd or similar?

I have plenty of room on the external drive, but I don't understand the acronym "dd." Remember, the bootable drive list from which to choose doesn't recognise the external (usb) drive to boot from.

Thanks for the answer. I suspected as much. I guess my recourse is to get an XP CD and continue to update my backups as best I can. I miss the days of CPM and DOS, when making an image was not such a hassle.

Pops

It's just a program to copy raw data. This and this are examples of using it and some other stuff via a suitable linux livecd of your choice to completely back up an install. Instead of using the recovery console you can also use dd to copy over the stuff on the mbr, which is what I did a year or so ago and saw no trouble.

Thank you.

Pops

No problem!