But you aren't able to currently access those folders, right?

In order to make that backup, you will need to be able to remove the drive from the fouled system and place it in another PC as a 2nd drive.

Are you interested?

I tried to send you a message with an attachment, but it crashed.

The other files you see on the flash drive were put there by Dell, supposedly files they recovered from the backup file. However, I know for a fact that they do not contain all the files from the backup. Once they were extracted, then Dell copied them over to my hard drive (no restore), and I've been adding to them ever since.

I'll try sending you attachments when I get a program that works better.

Maureen

Diire, this thread still needs to be completed. It is a much more serious one than the CD/DVD one we just finished.
Thanks.
Maureen

Maureen,

This is an alternative possibility to access your data.

Try to boot your system off a Linux LiveCD first to see if you can actually access your hard drive. Ubuntu, Knoppix, PCLOS are just some live cds available. They are free to download and use.

Either just download an ISO from any of the Linux sites like http://distrowatch.com/ or just buy a copy from any vendor listed on any linux site. They cost next to nothing ( usually just the cost of the blank disc plus shipping). You could even pick one up from the cover of a Linux magazine.

Once you've Burned/Bought your live CD just insert it in your CD drive and reboot your PC (make sure your bios is set to boot of CD before your hard drive). No need to open your PC case or install anything. Everything runs off the CD and you get to access Windows partitions.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you are telling me. Why are we talking about Linux? Also, what about backing up my current files and then restoring the April backup?

Maureen

Maureen,

Per my post at the top of this page, I thought you weren't able to access the data on the hard drive to backup the current stuff.

I'm trying to find an easy way for you to access your current files on the hard disk. Creating this Linux boot disk might enable you to do that without relocating the HDD to another computer and "slaving" it.

I thought I just sent you a reply, but I don't see it here. So I'll try again.

I am so unsure of exactly what I have and don't have in drive C that I am going crazy. Dell took some stuff off the backup and put it back on C. Somehow I have duplicates of SOME of my pictures/files and I'm not sure where they came from. Perhaps the restore worked partially? Yet I'm still missing some critical files: my lists of books and cd's, my favorites, etc.

I got a new WD external hard drive and I backed up my current Documents and Settings onto it just recently, so hopefully we can restore some stuff from it, once we make sure it is the right stuff and OK to put back on.

I just don't know where to go from here.

Thanks.
Maureen