About to loose all data!

vbimport
#1

Happy Xmas

My pc has just crashed and now i cant even get to windows when i reboot! I get this message on DOS saying that my windows/system32/config/system is missing or corrupt. Tried using the xp CD to fire up the windows repair utility but that crashes also. So my only solution is to format. Problem is i need to backup all my stuff first. I have a single FAT32 hard-drive with 2 partitions C and D. I basically need to move the stuff i need from C onto D, then format C.

Now if i use xcopy DOS command, this would mean all the files/folder would have different names (eg. doc~1) since wont be able to retain long file names.

Is there another solution??? A program that can run from dos? I need to work from dos and retain the long names when copied.

HELP

#2

i need to work via DOS. So basically i need a way to move/copy folders from C to D. And i cant afford to move ALL C to D cos D dosnt have enought space. So only the folders that i nead. Is there a way??? Please

#3

DOS 7.1 can handle long filenames

check this out:
http://mike.warpedbelief.com/dos/msdos71/

#4

Hey, I had that exact same message on my sister’s machine some months back. I searched at Micro$oft & found an article describing how to rebuild the registry without having to reformat & re-install (a complete pain in the ass) - it worked beautifully!

Here is the article: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545

It may seem daunting, but if you follow the article step-by-step, you should be OK. BTW, I’ve assumed an XP system here!

#5

What about if you connected it to a different computer as the slave drive, then booted, took the files of, then re-installed windows?

Ben :slight_smile:

#6

What bcn_246 suggested is probably the easiest/smoothest solution unless you like to play around with NTFS drivers etc.
//Danne

#7

Yes bcn_246 option is the easyest if you have access to another PC. If not you can use a Linux Live CD like Knoppix or most other Linux’s have one and move your files and if you have a CD or DVD Burner in the PC then you can Burn all your Data onto CD or DVD.

#8

Yes, not everyone has a second PC, agreed.

He says its FAT32

Have you considered installing the O/S on top of the O/S you have now, you would do extra work then killing the reinstallation, but it would give you the ability to backup by various means any important files you need.

#9

a live cd would be the best/easiest way to do this with one computer - if you have access to one. knoppix is probably the best option. as long as the drives are mountable…:smiley:

#10

Yes Knoppix is a good option! But it’s a full version of Linux with lots of programs and extras on it, that you don’t need for recovering data from a HD and 600 MB is a bit too much to down load if you don’t already have it. I always use a live CD called Linux Tool Box it’s about 48 MB and only has the tools for recovering data of HD’s and keep it on a mini CD. You can find it on the Net at one of the Linux forums.

Why shouldn’t they be mountable ? all you do is run “ mount -t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt/windows “ or edit ‘/etc/fstab’ and run “mount -a”, that mounts all filesystems in fstab.