Windows 2000 Quick Fixes

Chapter 13.  Backup, Recovery, and Repair

Backup and recovery are two hand-in-glove topics that most users never think about. Unfortunately, they are two of the most important topics for ensuring your data and system are safe from a catastrophic failure or gross user error.

This chapter offers tips on several data security issues including how to perform backups in Windows 2000 and what to back up, how to schedule backups to occur automatically, and how to back up to devices other than a tape drive.

You’ll find several tips for recovering the system in the event of a problem. These options include recovering from a backup set, restoring the registry both through the GUI utility and the Recovery Console, and using the Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

Troubleshooting is another topic covered in this chapter, and you’ll find helpful solutions to address issues such as the inability to boot Windows 2000, how to create a boot disk, how to install and use the Recovery Console, and how to repair a corrupted registry.

Protect your system against catastrophic failure

Although it isn’t common, a complete, catastrophic failure of your system is certainly possible through hardware failure, virus or worm, or even user error. Even a minor malfunction or mistake can take a big bite out of your day or even your week. So backing up your system and planning for catastrophe, even if it doesn’t occur, is important.

Back up critical data

First and foremost, you need to back up your critical data. This means ...