Backup Tab

Backup Tab - use this page to make a backup of the registry and other files.  Only the Configs checked will be backed up.  To create or change a Config press the Change Backup Properties button.  If you do not make a Config, WinRescue will have a default configuration for Config1 and the rest of them will not be available.

Press the "Change Backup Properties" to change Backup Preferences, like, the number of backups, the target directory, full backup or incremental backup, compression level, what files to include, close WinRescue after Backup, delete files on diskette before backup, and password,.
If you have not performed a Backup with WinRescue, you cannot restore from a backup or from the Spare Registry.  You may, however, try restoring the Original Registry.


Restore Tab
Crash Fixer Tab

Crash Fixer Tab - use this page to restore Windows or files that you have backed up.  There is no magic in the Restore process.  It simply changes files back to the way they were before.  So if Windows crashes, Restore will change things back to the way that they were before you had problems, if you restore a backup that was produced before you had problems.

There are three steps to Restore.

First, select which backup to restore from the "Choose Backup to Restore" dropdown box.  I know that it is confusing to some people to have several choices here, but it is to your advantage.  If one backup will not work, another one may.  It is usually best to start at the top of the list and work your way down.

If you choose "WinRescue Backups", a popup list of Backups will appear so that you can select one.  Most Recent is the Backup with the most recent date.

Second, select which files to restore from the Backup.  Only WinRescue Backups, and Diskette will allow you to choose anything other than Windows Crash (Registry).

The three selections are Windows Crash (Registry) - this restores only the registry files, win.ini, and system.ini, Another Type of Crash (WinConfig) - this restores the items identified in the Backup Preferences as WinConfig files, and Lost User Data (UserProfile) - this restores the items identified in the Backup Preferences as User Profile.

Third, press the big Restore button.  This will start the Restore process.

Restoring does not improve the registry, it only changes the registry back to what it was before.


Boot Disk Tab

Boot Disk Tab - this page makes an 2000 Boot Disk and a DOS Boot Disk.  Choose one from the dropdown box, insert a diskette, and press the Boot Disk button.

XP Boot Disk

The 2000 Boot Disk can be used when you cannot get to the beginning menu of Win2000.  A diskette will be formatted and the necessary files added to it.  This boot disk will work with FAT and NTFS.

When making the 2000 Boot Disk, after you press the "Boot Disk" button, an input box will appear.  Put the drive letter of the diskette and press OK.  You will be asked if you want to format the diskette.  If you answer, yes, a Format window will open.  You must click on the proper button to proceed.  When the formatting is finished, you must click on the Close button.  Doing so will close the Format window and WinRescue will continue making the 2000 Boot Disk.

At the end you will be asked if you want to back up the registry.  The backup will be put in the Windows\Repair\RegBack directory and may be used by Win2000 to recover from a crash.

After a diskette has been created, check out the new diskette.  Place the diskette in the drive and restart the computer.  If the beginning menu appears, the boot disk is good.  Store it in a safe place.

If the diskette does not work, it may be due to a bad diskette.  Try it again with a different diskette.

Once you have a good Boot Disk there is no need to make a new one, unless you change the partitions, hard drives, or computers.

DOS Boot Disk

The DOS Boot Disk can be used to automatically open the DOS version of WinRescue.  To make the DOS Boot Disk you will need to already have a bootable diskette with DOS on it.  Because of copyright laws, the needed files cannot be distributed with WinRescue, but it is perfectly legal for you to download them and install them.

To make a bootable diskette with DOS you first must find the necessary files.  You can do a search on the internet for "boot disk" or go to www.bootdisk.com.  Most of these places have one file that you download.  Then you must run the file for it to write to the diskette.  Follow the instructions on the website or that come with the file.  Don't just put the file that you download on the diskette.  That will not work.

After a diskette has been created, check out the new diskette.  Place the diskette in the drive and restart the computer.  If the DOS version of WinRescue begins, the boot disk is good.  Store it in a safe place.

If the diskette does not work, it may be due to a bad diskette.  Try it again with a different diskette.

Once you have a good Boot Disk there is no need to make a new one, unless you change the partitions, hard drives, or computers.


Help Tab

Help Screen - press the Help button to show the Help pages.

Preferences, Settings, Backup Manager - this button will open the Preferences of WinRescue.  Preferences has the Backup Manager, Backup Properties, Automation, and Advanced.

Quick Tutorial to WinRescue 2000 - this is a special set of help screens that will quickly teach you how to use WinRescue.

About WinRescue 2000 - this is the screen that is shown when WinRescue is first started.
Register WinRescue - shows  the Registration screen in Help.


Backup Manager

Backup Manager - this page shows the WinRescue backups and allows you to add, rename, or remove Backups.

Backup Sets - when a backup is made all of the files are put in a new subdirectory of the specified Target directory.  The names of the Backup Sets and their locations are listed here.

Full Path of Backups - the location of each backup set is listed here.  This setting cannot be changed.

Date/Time - the time and date when the backup was made.

Rename Backups - the Backups may be renamed by selecting a Backup and then either pressing the Rename button or clicking the mouse one more time.  Renaming an item renames the directory.
WARNING - if you rename a backup outside of WinRescue (with the Windows Explorer) the Backup will not be listed in the Backup Manager when you start WinRescue.

Add Backup - this is for adding WinRescue Backups that somehow got removed from the Backup Manager.  Backups will be listed in the order in which they were added to the Backup Manager, not according to date.

Delete Backup - to delete a Backup select the Backup and then press the Delete button.  This will delete the subdirectory of that Backup and all of its files.

At the bottom there are also two value boxes.  These effect all Backup Configurations.  Maximum Backups is the maximum number of backups that are allowed before WinRescue starts replacing the oldest backup.  Keeps is how many of these that you want to keep from being deleted.  If you choose, 1, the first backup will never be replaced.  If you choose 2, the first two backups will never be deleted.


Backup Properties

Backup Properties - this page has five tabs of its own and a dropdown box at the top.  Select which Config you want to setup or change and then go through the tabs at the bottom.  If you don't like the names, Config 1, Config 2, etc., you can change these by typing a new name in the dropdown box (10 letter limit).

Next to the dropdown box showing the Config names is a button that says, "Display Config Settings".  When you click on this button, a list of all of the settings for the current Config will be printed up and displayed in a Notepad window.  You can then save or print out this information.

Settings

Backup Type - there are three types of Backups:  Full Backup, Incremental Backup, Differential Backup, and Replace Files.

Full Backup - backs up all files in the list.

Incremental Backup - backs up only the files that have changed since the last Full or Incremental backup.  If Incremental Backup is checked, WinRescue will check the archive attribute of each file (excluding the registry files and WinConfig files) and see if it is on.  If it is, it backs up the file and turns it off.  If it isn't, the file is skipped.  The archive attribute file remains off until the file is changed.  So only the files that have changed are backed up.

If you use Incremental Backups, you should first make a Full Backup.  Then if you are limiting the number of backups, when the Full Backup is deleted, you should make another Full Backup.

Differential Backup - backs up only the files that have changed since the last Full backup.  If Differential Backup is checked, WinRescue will check the archive attribute of each file (excluding the registry files and WinConfig files) and see if it is on.  If it is, it backs up the file but unlike Incremental the archive bit is not turned off.  This means that when two differential backups are done in a row, the second backup will include all of the files that are in the first differential backup plus any other files that have changed.  When restoring you only have to restore the latest Full Backup and the latest Differential Backup.

If you use Differential Backups, you should first make a Full Backup.  Then if you are limiting the number of backups, when the Full Backup is deleted, you should make another Full Backup.

Replace Files - replaces files that have changed with the newer files.  If Replace Files is selected, during Backup, WinRescue will go through the list of files, check a file in the backup and see if it is different, if it is, it replaces it, if not, it leaves the old file.

Target - tells where to put the Backup.  Use the ... button to find a location.  If the Target points to the hard drive, when a backup is produced, a subdirectory will be produced in the Target and the backup files will be added to the subdirectory.  Any drives that are set up in Windows as drives are accessible, for example, A:\ diskette, C:\ harddrive, D:\ 2nd harddrive, E:\ CD, F:\ Zip drive, G:\ Jaz drive, H:\ Network drive.

Compression Level - the following choices are given: Do Not Compress, Low/Fast Compression, Medium Compression, High/Slow Compression, Higher/Slower Compression, Highest/Slowest Compression.  Some of the higher settings will not produce much smaller files, but will take longer.

Verify Backup - if you check this checkbox, Backup will take an extra step and go back to the Backup after it is produced and check it.  This will take a little longer than if you don't verify it.  If the Backup is bad, a dialog box will be displayed after Backup listing the bad file.  There should be no problem with not checking this checkbox, but if you do check it, you will have the added assurance that everything is good.

Verify Backup only works on backups to the harddrive and that are not divided into blocks (see below).  Otherwise, the Verify step will be skipped.

WinFiles - this page has a list of files to backup.  You can check or uncheck each item.  The word in parenthesis, WinConfig or User Profile, tells what group the files belong in for Restoring.  Below are a list of each of the files and a short description.

Registry - five main keys of the registry, system.ini, and win.ini.

Please note that only the Administrator has the ability to backup and restore the registry with WinRescue 2000.

autoexec.nt (WinConfig) - sets up the configuration of DOS for backwards compatibility only.

config.nt (WinConfig) - sets up the configuration of DOS for backwards compatibility only.

cmd.exe (WinConfig) - Win2000's DOS.

command.com (WinConfig) - DOS.

ntldr (WinConfig) - used to boot up Win2000.

ntdetect.com (WinConfig) - used to boot up Win2000.

boot.ini (WinConfig) - used to display the menu when booting up Win2000.

bootfont.bin (WinConfig) - used to provide non-English languages during boot up of Win2000.

ntbootdd.sys (WinConfig) - used to boot up Win2000 on a SCSI disk.

bootsect.dos (WinConfig) - used to boot up other operating systems other than Win2000, like, DOS or Windows 95.

Application Data (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Application Data subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directories.  These are put in appdata.zip.

Desktop (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Desktop subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directories.  These appear on the desktop too.  These are put in desktop.zip.

Favorites (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Favorites subdirectory of the Windows directory.  These are put in favorites.zip.

Net Hood (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Net Hood subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directory.  These are put in nethood.zip.

Recent (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Recent subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directory.  These are put in recent.zip.

Start Menu (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Start Menu subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directory.  These are put in start.zip.

Send To (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Send To subdirectory of the Windows directory.  These are put in sendto.zip.

IECache (User Profile) - files in the Temporary Internet Files subdirectory of the Windows directory.  These are sites and images that are accessed by the Internet Explorer while browsing.  They are kept temporarily on your harddrive for offline browsing.  These are put in iecache.zip.

Control Panel (User Profile) - files that make up the Control Panel and it's settings.  These are put in cntlpanl.zip.

Other Files - this page allows you to select files from your hard drive to backup.  Check an entry to enable backing up the files in it.  Press the New button to add an entry to the list.  The Files to Backup dialog box will appear allowing you to select all of the files to include in the entry.  The Edit button allows you to change the contents of an already existing entry using the Files to Backup dialog box.  The Delete button removes an entry.

Miscellaneous - some more settings.

Close WinRescue after Backup - if this is checked WinRescue will close when Backup is finished.

Minimize during Backup - if this is checked WinRescue is minimized to the taskbar during Backup.  No progress bar is shown.  While it is minimized, you can click on it to restore it to its normal size.

Delete all Files on Diskette before Backup - if this is checked all of the files in the Target directory (if any) will be deleted before performing Backup.  This option only works with diskettes and removeable disks.

Treat Removable Disk as Fixed Disk - when this is checked during Backups a new subdirectory is assigned to the Target directory.  The Backup goes in this new subdirectory and it is included in the limited number of the Backup Manager.

Password - if anything is entered in the Password text box during Backup all files will be encrypted with that password and during Restore all files will be extracted with that password.  For security reasons, the password is not saved by WinRescue.  You must reenter it each time you start WinRescue.  If you make a Backup with a password and then wish to Restore without a password (or vice versa), you must be sure to remove the password before Restoring.

Save Large Files in Blocks of - when checked WinRescue will divide up the large backup files into smaller files the size specified in the text box.  This is good for backing up a harddrive to CD, if your CD doesn't support backing up directly to the CD.  WinRescue will keep track of the size of files already backed up (if you are creating more than one backup file) and subtract this from the size of the first block.  The blocks will have extensions starting at .001 and going up, as in, .002, .003, and so forth.  Once the backup is finished, you can then copy *.001 and any files created before this file to the first CD.  Be sure to include the *.zfc file so that WinRescue can read the contents of the first block, otherwise you will need to start restoring with the last block.  You would then copy the *.002 file to the second CD and so forth.

Files can be extracted using the Extractor.

The number in the textbox is in bytes.  A kilobyte is 1024 bytes.  A megabyte is 1,048,576 (1024 x 1024) bytes.  A gigabyte is 1,073,741,824 bytes.


Automation

Automation - this page allows automatic functions to be setup.  If one of these functions is set to something besides "Do Not Perform" or "Use Scheduler", a shortcut in the Startup directory will check to see if it is time to perform the function every time Windows is started.
Start WinRescue and Wait - at the selected interval (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or never) WinRescue will start when Windows is started.
Automatically Perform Backup - at the selected interval (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or never) WinRescue will start and perform a backup when Windows is started.  The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th refer to the Backup Configs.  Perform 1st Backup will backup using the settings for Config1.  You can use as many of these as you wish.
Automatically Perform RegPack - at the selected interval (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or never) WinRescue will start and rebuild the Registry when Windows is started.
If you have registered WinRescue and are not displaying the startup screen, this function will be automatically performed at the selected interval without the need for any input by you.  If you want WinRescue to remain running after this operation is performed, set the "Start WinRescue 98 and Wait" function.

Use Task Scheduler - each of the Automation functions can be set to Use Task Scheduler.  Task Scheduling can be done using the "at" command or WinAT (comes with the 2000 Service Pack).  You can use these schedulers or find others on the internet.

To run WinRescue 2000 with a scheduler you must add " schedule" (that is a space and the word, schedule) to the end of the filename.  So it should look something like, c:\winres~2\rescueNT.exe schedule, depending on where WinRescue 2000 is located.  If there is a space in the filename, quote marks should be put around the filename and path only, for example, "C:\Program Files\WinRescue 2000\Rescue2K.exe" schedule.  Using "schedule" without any additional parameters will run the Automated options that are set to "Use Scheduler".

If you would like to run certain functions, you can add the following parameters.

To have it run Start and Wait use 's' or 'S'.

To run Config1 use '1'.

To run Config2 use '2'.

To run Config3 use '3'.

To run Config4 use '4'.

These parameters must come after the 'schedule' parameter and must all be separated by a space.  You can use more than one, but each must be separated by a space.  So if you wanted the Scheduler to run WinRescue and backup Config2 and Config4, the command line would look like, '"C:\WinRescue 2000\rescue2K.exe" schedule 2 4' (without ').

Pause 30 seconds before running - If you are having problems with WinRescue jamming up at startup during automation functions, check this checkbox.  When checked, WinRescue will wait for about 30 seconds before running.  This will only happen during Automated functions at startup.  This allows other programs at startup to start.


Advanced

Advanced - this page has a few options that may need to be set, if WinRescue doesn't work with it's default settings.

Default Directories - two directories can be changed.  Root is the hard drive on which the computer boots.  This is usually C.  If your computer does not boot up in C, you will need to change this.

Startup - this is the directory that has programs that are started when Windows starts.  If you change users, this may need to be reset.

Temp - this is the directory that is used by WinRescue to create the backup.  A temporary file is placed in this directory while the backup is being built.  When the backup is finished, this file is removed.  The default directory is the TEMP setting of DOS (usually C:\Temp).  If there is not enough free space on this drive, you will receive a Stream Write or Stream Seek error during Backup.  If you have a drive that has more free space, you can specify it here.

Do Not Prompt for Deleting Subdirectories - Uncompressed Backups usually have subdirectories.  When WinRescue deletes a Backup with subdirectories, it first displays a message asking you if you want to delete the subdirectories.  This is for your own protection.  Check this checkbox if you do not want that message displayed.  If checked, WinRescue will go ahead and delete all subdirectories in a Backup without asking you.

Warning - if you have improperly specified the Target of a Backup, this could delete more than the desired files.


Extract Files from Backup

Extract Files from Backup - this dialog box will extract individual files from a WinRescue backup file.

First, decide if the Backup that you want to restore was compress or not.  Compressed Backup are put in files ending with .zip or .??z.  Put a check in the "Extract from Compressed Backup" checkbox, if the Backup is compressed.

Second, select the WinRescue backup file to extract from by clicking on the ... button next to the Backup File textbox.  WinRescue will read the files in the backup file and show them in the Contents list box.  If the backup file is big, this may take a while.

If the Backup is uncompressed, you can select the Backup directory or any subdirectory of it.

Third, check the files that you want to extract.  Use the buttons at the bottom of the list to select all or unselect all.

Fourth, select where you want to extract the files to.  This is found in a dropdown box labeled, Extract to:.  Selecting Original Location will extract the files to the original location from which they were backed up.  Selecting Temporary Directory will extract the files to the Temp directory of the drive which has WinRescue on it.  And selecting Select Location will open a dialog box which will allow you to select the location from the hard drive.

Below the Extract to: dropdown box is the Recurse Directories checkbox.  Check this if you want the original directories to be reproduced in the selected directory.

And last of all, press the Extract button to extract the checked files.

When you are finished, press Exit.


Files to Backup

Files to Backup - this dialog box will let you choose what files to backup and put them all in one entry.

Select a Directory - click on a directory from the Folders box.  The files in the selected directory will be displayed in the Files box.

Specify Groups of Files - if there is a file type (for example, all text files, *.txt) that you want to include or exclude from this entry, that can be done with the buttons under the word, Select.  When a button is pressed, all the files of that type are selected in the current directory (and its subdirectories if include subdirectories is checked).  Clicking a pressed button will exclude that type of files from the current directory (and its subdirectories if include subdirectories is checked).  The status of the button indicates which file types are included and excluded in the current directory.

Use the Include Subdirectories checkbox to include or not include subdirectories of the current directory.  After changing this checkbox, the Select selections must be reselected in order for Include Subdirectories to take effect.

To specify more file types or groups of files using wildcards, press the More button.  This will display the Select File Groups screen.  Select the File Type from the dropdown box or type it in the dropdown box.  An asterisk (*) may be used to signify any number of any character.  A question mark (?) is used to signify one character.  Check the Include Subdirectories checkbox to include subdirectories (| before the entry indicates no subdirectories and a > before the entry indicates include subdirectories).  Press Include to include them or press Exclude to exclude them.  The file type will be added to the appropriate list.  If you decide not to use one of the entries in the list, just delete it by selecting it and pressing the delete button under the list.  When you add and remove items from these lists, the corresponding files are checked or unchecked from the list in the next tab.

Select Individual Files - if there are individual files that you would like to mark for backup, find them in the Files box and check them.

Name of this Zip Package - enter a word here that is no longer than 8 letters long.  This will be the name of the zip file that the backed up files will be put into.  So if you enter, "programs", when you perform a backup, all of the files specified here will be put in a zip file called "programs.zip".

Clicking on OK produces the entry and closes the dialog box.  Clicking on Cancel closes the dialog box without making an entry.

Find Size of Backup - click this button and another screen will be displayed.  It will immediately start figuring out the size and number of total files in the Backup.  This may take some time to accomplish depending on the size of the Backup.  All files checked and included in the Backup are counted.  When it is finished, you can return to the main Files to Backup screen by clicking on OK.


Download Upgraded RegEdit

Download Upgraded RegEdit - this dialog box will help you get an upgraded RegEdit file.

If RegPack will not run because it says that you have the wrong version of RegEdit, this is because you are running Win95, Win95A, or Win95B.  Microsoft upgraded the regedit.exe file in Win95C and removed some bugs.  You can't just get that regedit.exe file and run it in your Windows because Win95C uses a different version of DOS than the earlier versions and this regedit.exe file runs in DOS.  So someone (unfortunately, not Microsoft) has changed the Win95C regedit.exe file so that it runs in any version of DOS.  This upgraded RegEdit is available from http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/%7Eflibble/reg/reg.zip.

Press the Download button to download this file.  If a browser is not correctly associated with http files in Windows, this button will not work and you will have to get this file on your own.  Remember where you download the file to on your computer.

Press the Browse button to find the downloaded file, extract it, and replace the old regedit.exe.  WinRescue will rename the old regedit.exe file to regedit.bak, just in case.

Press the OK button when you are finished.


Startup Screen

Links to Super Win - under the version number is a link to the WinRescue website and a link to send email to Super Win Software.

Last Backup - the bottom of the startup screen tells when you made the last backup.  If you have made no backups, it will say, "Welcome to WinRescue".

Register Now - displays registration information in Help.

Registration Key - when you register WinRescue, you will receive a code.  Enter it in the Registration Key text box on the startup screen.  Be sure to enter exactly as it is written.  When you press, "Continue", WinRescue will acknowledge whether it is correct or not.  If it is correct, the "Do Not Show This Form" checkbox will be enabled next time the startup screen is displayed.  If the Registration Key is not correct, WinRescue will be terminated.
You may use WinRescue for 30 days by not entering a number.
Do Not Show This Form - when WinRescue is registered, this checkbox is enabled allowing the user to skip the startup screen.

Countdown - sorry.  Register WinRescue and you will never see this countdown again, otherwise wait ten seconds.


Manual Restore

Emergency Restore Instructions.

Just in case WinRescue 2000 cannot restore Windows, here are instructions on how to do it yourself in another operating system, like, Win95 or DOS.  The only other option is to restore using the Win2000 Setup disks (WinRescue 2000 can produce these from another computer if you have the Win2000 CD).

How to Restore the Registry in another Operating System

To Get Into DOS or Win95

•	 If Win2000 is installed on a NTFS partition (not FAT) there is no way to restore from another operating system.  You will have to use the Win2000 Setup diskettes.

•	 If you already had another operating system set up when you installed Win2000, there should be an entry for it at the beginning menu.  If this is the case, select that entry.

•	 If another operating system is not installed on your computer or you do not have an entry for it in the beginning menu, you can start up the computer with a boot diskette from DOS or Win95 in the diskette drive.  This will get you into DOS.

Finding Backup Registry Files

•	WinRescue keeps backups of the registry files in a zip file called, registry.daz.  This may be found in the WinRescue backup directories or in the Win2000 directory.  These files will need to be unzipped with a zip program like WinZip.

•	Win2000 keeps a set of backup registry files in the Winnt\Repair directory.  These are produced when Win2000 is installed.

•	Win2000 and WinRescue's Boot Disk also keeps a set of backup registry files in the Winnt\Repair\RegBack directory.  These may be quite old depending on the last time a Boot Disk or ERD was done.

Restoring the Registry Files

•	The Registry Files are located in the Winnt\System32\Config directory.  The following files need to be copied to this directory:  sam, security, system, software, and default.

•	The User's Registry File (ntuser.dat) is located in his user directory (Documents and Settings\{user's name}).  The ntuser.dat file must be copied to this directory.

•	If Win2000 is running, you will not be able to copy these files.  This has to be done outside of Win2000 and when Win2000 is not running.  Only WinRescue 2000 can restore these files when Win2000 is running.


WinRescue Features

Four Utilities in One: Crash Fixer, File Backup, RegPack, and Troubleshooter.

Crash Fixer

Default Settings for Eleven different files, the Start Menu,

the Desktop, Favorites, Send To, Net Hood,

Application Data, and Recent items.

Provides FOUR different ways to restore the Registry.

Specify Target Location of WinRescue Backups.

Produces a 2000 Boot Disk (which boots into Win2000),

a DOS Boot Disk (which boots into DOS and has the

DOS version of WinRescue 2000),
and the Win2000 Setup Disks (if you have the Win2000 CD).

Specify the number of Backups to keep and the number of Backups to replace with newer Backups.

Backs up to and restores from multiple diskettes.

Compresses backups into PKZip files.

Backup daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly or use a Task Scheduler.

Specify Compression Level.

Password Protect Backups

File Backup

Specify any or all files for backup.

Password protect backups.

Use wildcards to specify files to include or exclude from the Backup.

Extract individual files from a backup.

Full, Incremental, Differential, and Replace Backup Types

RegPack

Rebuilds the Registry Files taking our excess space

Troubleshooter

Runs the Windows' Troubleshooters to help solve certain problems (see Repair tab).


Frequently Asked Questions

Question - How do I update WinRescue 2000?

Answer - Whether you are a registered user or not, updating is the same.  Go to http://superwin.com/rescue2k.htm and download from one of the download sites at the bottom of the page.  When the shareware version is run it will be registered for registered users.
When you enter the registration key, WinRescue hides it on your hard drive and later versions find it and use it.  So unless you erase your hard drive, you should only have to enter the registration key once (sometimes new major versions require the reentry of the key).

When updating versions, it is recommended that the previous version not be uninstalled.  Just install the new version over the previous version.

Question - Does WinRescue 2000 work with Win95 or Win98?

Answer - I wish it did.  We have produced WinRescue 2000 for Win2000.  Although they may look alike, inside WinRescue 95, WinRescue 98, WinRescue NT, and WinRescue 2000 are four different programs.  WinRescue 95 is for Win95, Win96, and Win97, WinRescue 98 is for Win98 and Win98SE, WinRescue NT is for WinNT4 and WinRescue 2000 is for Win2000 (also known as WinNT5).  This is because (thanks, to the folks at Microsoft) each of these versions must be restored differently.

Question - I am getting errors when performing RegPack.  What is wrong?

Answer - The Windows procedures that RegPack uses are very finicky and they do not return information to describe the problem, so it hard to say what causes these problems.  So far I have confirmed one cause of RegPack problems:  not enough free space on the harddrive.

Question - Why am I getting an error that says that the bootfont.bin or ntbootdb.sys file could not be backed up.

Answer - The bootfont.bin file is for non-English versions.  If you have an English version of Win2000, this file will not be available.

The ntbootdb.sys is for SCSI drives.  If you do not have a SCSI drive, this file will not be available.

There is no harm in getting the error message.  You could just continue running Backup in this way or you can uncheck these files from the Files list of WinRescue's configuration.
This may also happen with other files that are not available.

Question - What is your postal address for ordering.

Answer - Our address for ordering is:
Super Win Software
811 W. 17th. St.
Hutchinson, KS
67501
For more ordering information go to http://superwin.com/order8.htm or read the Registration section.

Question - Where do I enter the registration key?

Answer - Enter the registration key on the startup screen (the screen that has thecountdown from 10).  The key must be entered exactly as it is given.

Question - Does WinRescue work with CD/R or CD/RW?

Answer - WinRescue will work with most CD/RWs and CD/Rs.  WinRescue should detect when to span files and ask for the next CD, but some users report that it does not work with their CDs.  It all depends on which model of CD drive that you have and the software that it is running.  Some drives do not like to span to another CD, so do not like to be opened until they tell you to open, etc.  The only way to find out whether it works or not is to try it.

If it doesn't span disks properly, you could set up only enough files to be backed up that will fit on one CD in one Config and then other files that will fit on another CD in another Config, and etc.

If WinRescue doesn't backup directly to your CD, you can use the Save Large Files in Blocks of: option on the Misc. tab of the Backup Properties to divide of the Backup into blocks that will fit on a CD.  Then you can use your CD program to write the blocks to the CD.


Welcome (tutorial)
Welcome

WinRescue is one of the first and best Windows Recovery programs.  This tutorial will acquaint you with the major features.  Consult Help for more information.

Begin by clicking on the "Backup Tab" and then on the "Change Backup Properties" button.

Next>>


Backup Properties (tutorial)
Backup Properties (more info)

Notice the Backup Configurations dropdown box at the top.  Please make sure that Config1 is selected (you can later change the other Configs).  If you don't like the name Config 1, you can change it in the dropdown box.

Click on the Settings tab at the bottom.

If you don't want the backups placed in the default directory, change the "Target" setting.  The other settings are best to keep as they are.

Click on the "WinFiles" tab at the bottom.

Next>>


WinFiles (tutorial)
WinFiles

Check here which entries you want to backup.

Checking Registry is sufficient for recovering from a simple Windows crash.

Please note that only the Administrator has the ability to backup and restore the registry with WinRescue 2000.

Checking the WinConfig files will help in recovering from most other types of crashes and problems.

And checking the User Profile entries will help you recover user profile data.

Click on the "Other Files" tab at the bottom.

Next>>


Other Files (tutorial)
Other Files

Click on the New button.  The Files to Backup dialog box will appear.

If you want to specify files to backup, you can do that in two ways.

One way is to click one of the buttons under the word, Select.  These buttons will select or deselect a range of files in the present directory and its subdirectories.  To backup all text files in the Windows directory and its subdirectories, click on the Windows directory in the Folders box and then press the button with the Text icon on it.  If you want to specify other groups of files, press the More button.

Click on the More button.

Next>>


Backup (tutorial)
Backup (more info)

If Windows is running correctly, now is a good time to make a backup.  Check Config1 and click on the big Backup button.

Click on the "Boot Disk" tab.

Next>>


Boot Disk (tutorial)
Boot Disk (more info)

Select 2000 Boot Disk and click on the big "Boot Disk" button to make an emergency boot diskette.

Once you have made a boot diskette, turn off the computer, insert the diskette, and start the computer.

If Win2000 starts up as it normally does, then the diskette is good.  Save it for an emergency.

If it doesn't work, the diskette may be bad.  Try making another diskette.

Remove the diskette from the drive and restart Windows.

Also, if you do not have NTFS, be sure to make a DOS Boot Disk.

Click on the "RegPack" tab.

Next>>


Crash Fixer (tutorial)
Crash Fixer (more info)

I brought you here so that you could see where to go if you have a Windows crash.  If Windows crashes, try to get in Window's Safe Mode and run WinRescue 2000.  If you can't get to the Win2000 beginning menu, use the WinRescue Boot Disk.  If Win2000 won't load past that, use the three Win2000 Setup Disks or load another operation system, unzip one of the WinRescue registry.daz files and place these files in the Winnt\System32\Config directory.

This ends your tutorial.  It has introduced you to the basic elements of WinRescue.  It was not intended to explain everything in WinRescue.  For more information, see Help.


Automation (tutorial)
Automation (more info)

Enter a name (eight letters or less) in the textbox at the bottom.

Click on OK.

If you want WinRescue to start up and perform a task automatically, click on the "Automation" tab and specify the appropriate time intervals for each task.  If you want a task to be performed at a certain time, select "Use Scheduler" for that task and instructions will be given on how to proceed (Task Scheduler comes with WinNT).

Go to  the Backup Manager tab.

At the bottom of the Backup Manager there are two value boxes.  These effect all Backup Configurations.  Maximum Backups is the maximum number of backups that are allowed before WinRescue starts replacing the oldest backup.  Keeps is how many old backups you want to keep.

The Backup Manager lists the WinRescue Backups.

Click on OK to close Preferences.

Next>>


Files to Backup (tutorial)
Files To Backup (more info)

If you know how to use wildcards and want to use them, this is the place to do it.  The dropdown box will help you with a selection of file types.  Select a file type or enter your own.  Press the Include button to include those files in the backup or press the exclude button to exclude them.

Click on the OK button to return to the Files to Backup main screen.  If you chose to include a file type in the previous tab, those files will be checked in the Files box.

The other way to select files is to click on the file in the Files box.  Check the files that you want included in the backup and uncheck the files that you do not want to include.

Next>>


Registration
Registration Information

Order Information - there are many ways to order WinRescue (also known as registering).  The easiest way is to go to our website and order from there.

Our website - http://superwin.com/rescue2k.htm.  Order using our secure order form and a credit card.

You may send a check (USA only) or postal money order to:

Super Win Software

811 W. 17th. St.

Hutchinson, KS  67501

The price for WinRescue 2000 is $24.95 plus one of the following shipping and handling charges:

+$0 - I will email the registration key to you.

+$2 - I will email the latest version of WinRescue 2000.

+$4 - I will mail the latest version of WinRescue 2000 in the USA.

+$6 - I will mail the latest version of WinRescue 2000 outside of the USA.

The latest shareware version of WinRescue 2000 may be downloaded from our website at http://superwin.com/rescue2k.htm


Extractor Tab

Extractor Tab - If you want to extract individual files from a WinRescue Backup, press the Extractor button and the Extract Files from Backup dialog box will appear.  This dialog box will allow you to select the files that you want to extract.  This can be used on any of the Backup files produced by WinRescue.  This is recommended for extracting files added by the user on the Other Files tab.


DOS Version

The DOS Version resembles the Crash Fixer page of WinRescue.

If you are running the DOS version from a boot up with the Boot Disk, a menu will first be displayed with five options:  Restore CMOS, Restore Boot Sector, Check Hard Drives (ScanDisk), Run WinRescue (DOS version), and Exit.

Use Restore CMOS, if the CMOS or BIOS is corrupted or nonfunctional.  This will change it back to how CMOS was when you made the Boot Disk.

Use Restore Boot Sector, if the main HardDrive will not boot up.

The differences between the DOS version and Crash Fixer are as follows.

The WinRescue Backups are listed in the dropdown box.  If it only says, "WinRescue Backups", then the DOS version has not found any backups.  You will be prompted to find them for yourself when you perform Restore if this one is selected.

The DOS version uses the resray.ini file from WinRescue to get its settings.  If it cannot find this file, it may also ask you to find other files and directories that it cannot find.

There is a place to enter a password, if you have encrypted the backup files with a password.  Do not enter anything in this space, if you have not encrypted the backup files with a password.

An Undo RegEdit button will return the registry to the way it was before the last RegEdit was performed.

The Exit button will either return you to the menu or exit the program.


Win98 Backups

Win98 Backups - this page allows you to change the location of the Win98 Backups, change the number of Win98 Backups kept, and shows what Win98 Backups exist.

Win98 Backups are produced by Windows when the computer starts for the first time each day and when backups are made in WinRescue.

The listbox shows the Win98 Backups that exist in the Win98 Backup directory.  Sometimes Windows will declare a backup, BAD.  You can delete these backups or any others by selecting the backup and pressing the Delete button.


NT Repair Tab
Repair Tab

Repair Tab - two buttons on this tab execute Win2000 procedures to create Win2000 Setup diskettes and run the Windows' Troubleshooters.

Setup Disks - creates the four diskettes that are used to install Win2000 and to repair Win2000.  These diskettes are good to have available, just in case all else fails.  To create these diskettes, you must have four 1.44mb. diskettes that are empty and you must have the Win2000 CD.  Win2000 will guide you through this process.

Windows Troubleshooters - clicking on this button will display a popup menu of Windows Troubleshooters.  The Troubleshooters available are

Client Service for Netware,

Display,

Hardware,

Internet Connections,

Modem,

MS-DOS Programs,

Multimedia and Games,

Networking - TCP/IP,

Print,

Remote Access,

Sound,

System Setup,

and

Windows 3.1 Programs.

Selecting one of these will run the designated Windows Troubleshooter.  These troubleshooters are also available from Windows Help and the Microsoft website.


Instructions

How to Prepare for a Crash

If Windows 2000 is running well, take the following steps to protect your system from a crash.

Please note that only the Administrator has the ability to backup and restore the registry with WinRescue 2000.

Make a WinRescue 2000 Backup - press the big Backup button on the Backup tab of WinRescue 2000 or use the Backup Wizard to backup the registry (to backup the registry, you must check the Registry item in Backup Preferences).  You should make WinRescue 2000 Backups regularly.

Make a Boot Disk - go to the Boot Disk tab.  Insert a blank diskette in the diskette drive, select 2000 Boot Disk from the dropdown box, and press the Boot Disk button.

Create a bootable diskette with DOS (see instructions for the Boot Disk tab) and insert it in the diskette drive.  Select DOS Boot Disk from the dropdown box and click on the Boot Disk button.

New Boot Disks don't have to be made unless you move the Windows directory or change to a different version of Windows, in which case, you would have to also get a new version of WinRescue.

Make Win2000 Setup Disks - if you do not have the Setup Disks that were made when installing Win2000, use WinRescue 2000 to create them from the Repair tab.  You must have four blank 1.44mb diskettes and the Win2000 CD.  These diskettes can be used to restore and fix Windows 2000.

What to do when Windows does strange things

When Windows 2000 starts to do unexpected things, the registry is usually to blame.  You can change the registry back to the way it was before by restoring to a WinRescue 2000 backup that was made before the problems started occuring.  Without a tool such as WinRescue 2000, there is no way to restore or backup the registry in Win2000.

If Windows 2000 will not start, see the next section.

What to do when Windows crashes

There are basically two things that will usually go bad with Windows 2000:  one is the boot up process and the other is the registry.

If the tips below don't work, try the slower solution of using the Win2000 Setup disks.  If Win2000 is on a NTFS partition, for security reasons the only way to restore is by using the Win2000 Setup disks.  Using the Win2000 Setup disks you can either repair the registry using the Boot Disk or reinstall Win2000.  Once you are in Win2000, you can use WinRescue 2000 to restore the registry to the latest backup.

Boot up Process - if something goes wrong before the beginning menu is shown or immediately after an item is chosen from the beginning menu, then something is wrong with the boot up process.  Use the Boot Disk made in WinRescue 2000 to start up.  Once into Windows 2000, use the Crash Fixer of WinRescue to restore from another type of crash (WinConfig).  These files can also be restored from another operating system, like, Win95, Win98, or DOS, using the DOS version of WinRescue 2000, wnresq2k.exe.

If you still cannot get into Windows 2000 with the Boot Disk, there must be something wrong with the registry.  See the next section.

The Registry - if something goes wrong with the registry, Windows 2000 does not have a DOS system to fall back on, so if you cannot get into Windows 2000, you will have to restore the registry from another operating system or use the Win2000 Setup disks.

The DOS that comes with Windows 2000 (accessible by pressing F8 during startup) is actually run in Windows 2000, so if Windows 2000 doesn't work, it's DOS will not work either.

If you have the Boot Disk set up so that it boots to DOS, then you can go into DOS and run the DOS version of WinRescue, whether Windows 2000 works or not.

To restore from another operating system, start that operating system and run the DOS version of WinRescue 2000, wnresq2k.exe.

WinRescue 2000 keeps the registry files in one zip file called registry.daz.  To restore the registry without the help of WinRescue 2000, just extract these files from the zip file, registry.daz, and place them in the Winnt\System32\Config directory (the ntuser file should be named ntuser.dat and put in the Documents and Settings\Administrator directory).

More detailed instructions for restoring the registry without WinRescue 2000 may be found in the Manual Restore section of WinRescue 2000 Help.


Desktop Icons

This feature allows you to put icons on the Desktop that will run WinRescue.  To create an icon, you must type in what you want to be below the icon, check what you want to be done when the icon is clicked (Start and Wait, Back up Config 1, Back up Config 2, Back up Config 3, Back up Config 4, and run RegPack), and click on the Create Icon button.  This will put the icon on the Desktop.

The list shows all of the icons on the desktop that point to WinRescue.  When an entry from the list is clicked, it's name is put in the textbox and it's settings are checked.


RegPack Tab

RegPack Screen - press the RegPack button to repair and rebuild the registry.
During the RegPack process, there will be a pause while the registry is rebuilt (this should only take about a minute), then Windows will restart to implement the new regpacked registry.  This often fixes and makes the registry smaller.  Let me explain why this is so.

Why RegPack is so important.  The Registry is a database.  Think of it as a chart with rows and columns.  When an entry is removed, the entry is made into a blank entry.  It still occupies the same amount of space that it occupied before. This is neccessary so that the information below it is still in the same place.  When new items are added to the registry, they are added at the bottom.  So over time, the registry ends up with a lot of blank cells.  RegPack removes these blank cells by writing the information to a file and rebuilding it from the top down.

Undo RegPack - if for some reason you want to restore Windows to how it was before you ran RegPack, press the Undo RegPack button.  This will shut down Windows and change Windows back to the way it was before.  Undo RegPack is also available in the DOS Version of WinRescue.


RegPack (tutorial)
RegPack (more info)

Click on the big "RegPack" button.  Windows will restart and the Registry will be rebuilt with Microsoft's Registry Checker.  This will remove errors and excess from the Registry.  The Registry will end up smaller and more efficient.  This should be done about once a month.

Click on the "Crash Fixer" tab.

Next>>


Command-line Arguments

There are times that you may want to run WinRescue from another program, like, with a scheduler or a batch file.  WinRescue can be run in this way with certain parameters.  Here is how you do it.

When passing the filename, add " schedule" (that is a space and the word, schedule) to the end of the filename.  So it should look something like, c:\winres~2\rescue2k.exe schedule, depending on where WinRescue 2000 is located.  If there is a space in the filename, quote marks should be put around the filename and path only, for example, "C:\Program Files\WinRescue 2K\Rescue2k.exe" schedule.  Using "schedule" without any additional parameters will run the Automated options that are set to "Use Scheduler".

If you would like to run certain functions, you can add the following parameters.

To have it run Start and Wait use 's' or 'S'.

To run Config1 use '1'.

To run Config2 use '2'.

To run Config3 use '3'.

To run Config4 use '4'.

To run RegPack use 'r' or 'R'.

To encrypt Backup files with a password use 'p' or 'P' and the password.

These parameters must come after the 'schedule' parameter and must all be separated by a space.  You can use more than one, but each must be separated by a space.  So if you wanted the Scheduler to run WinRescue and backup Config2 and Config4 and do RegPack, the command line would look like, '"C:\WinRescue 2K\rescue2k.exe" schedule 2 4 r' (without ').


Backup Names

When an automatic Backup is performed, the Backup is given a default name.  When nonautomatic Backups are performed, you are shown the default name and allowed to change it, if you want to.

This screen allows you to specify what the default name will be.  You can choose between using consecutive numbers or dates.

If you choose consecutive numbers, the next backup will be given the next consecutive number from the last backup.

If you choose to use dates, you can specify how the date will be displayed.  An explanation of what can be used is given on the Backup Names page.  An example is also shown showing what the current date would look like.

Add Config - if this checkbox is checked the name of the Config being backed up will be added to the end of the Backup Name.


Backing up to CD or Network

WinRescue will back up to a CD and a Network drive, but certain things must be done first.

CD

In order to back up to a CD using WinRescue, the CD must be formatted with a program like, PacketCD or DirectCD.  One of these programs usually comes with your CD/RW drive.  These programs will format the CD/R  or CD/RW so that it can have files copied directly to it, without going through your CD/RW drive software.

When WinRescue detects the end of the CD, it will prompt you for a new CD.

Network Drive

In order to back up over a network, you must map the network drive.  This is done in the Windows Explorer by right clicking on the drive and selecting "Map as Network Drive".  See Windows Help for more details.  This will assign the network drive a letter on your computer.  So if the last drive letter was F, then the Network Drive will be assigned the letter G.


Backing up Open Files

In most cases backing up open files is not important.  If all other programs are shut down when WinRescue is backing up, the only open file should be the virtual memory file.  This file does not need to be backed up because it is created automatically.

But there are some instances when you may want to back up an open file.  For example, databases are usually kept open.  In these instances, please continue reading to see how to back up those files.

During Backup WinRescue detects if a file is open or not.  Open files cannot be backed up while Windows is running (no program can back up open files while Windows is running).  WinRescue can back up these files by waiting until Windows is restarted.  For your protection, WinRescue will only skip these files, unless you follow the instructions below.

Unfortunately, Win2000 does not allow files used for starting Windows to be backed up.  If WinRescue backs up one of these files, it will crash Windows.  This is because Windows only allows files to be moved and not copied outside of Windows.  So the file is first moved before Windows starts (this removes the original file).  When Windows then starts up, WinRescue is run and copies the file back to its original place and puts a copy in the Backup.  If this file is not copied back before Windows needs it, it will crash Windows or make that part inaccessible.  So please be careful with this.

Please make sure that the open file being backed up will not be needed before WinRescue has a chance to copy it back to its original position.

In order to cause WinRescue to back up an open file, you need to edit the resray.ini file in the WinRescue directory.  Go to the bottom of the file and add a line that looks like this:

[OpenFilesToBackup]

Be sure to include the square brackets.  If you have already added this section before, do not make a new one.  Find it in resray.ini and add the files below it.

On the next like put the filename of the file that you want to skip.  It must be in all uppercase letters.  After the filename put an equals sign and the number 1.  There should be no spaces inbetween the filename, equals sign, and 1.  If the filename is OpenFile.dll, then it would look like this:

OPENFILE.DLL=1

If you have more than one file, they should all be put on separate lines under the [OpenFilesToBackup]  section.  So it would all look like this:

[OpenFilesToBackup]

OPENFILE.DLL=1

OPENFN2.DLL=1

LOCKFILE.DLL=1

Even with these files listed, the number of open files given after the backup will be the same as before.  But if done correctly, the open file will be put in the Backup after restarting Windows.