Vista backup?

[Stytooner]

Guys, Sam wasn't the only soul having to deal with health and computers at the same time. I can really empathize with him. Thanks Boss.

I have had this Compaq computer for about a year. Bought another like it for one of the machines in the shop. Anyway, this came loaded with Vista. Some trouble there with older software that I use, so upgraded to Vista Ultimate so I could use Virtual PC to run all my older stuff. All was working okay, but every now and them I would get the crash screen from Vista on boot. The second boot would always take care of it. These screens never actually say what the problem is, but do give things to check IF it stays on long enough to actually read the suggestions.

Well enough about that. I have been making backups about every month or so using the Windows backup feature in the Control Panel of Vista. I was backing up to an external HD. Fine. Backups were done late night so they weren't obtrusive and I was thinking that I had a little insurance against a HD failure.

This HD is a 320 gig Sata drive made by Hitachi BTW. Well it finally would not boot. It would get to loading windows and crash and start all over. I guess the boot sector was okay. It goes through all the normal bios boot stuff.
At any rate, I needed another computer. My machines have taken all my spares. I do keep another laptop, but that is mainly for when I travel. LOML has a different laptop. Anyway, I bough a Lenovo from Office Depot.
I did not realize at this time that the HD was bad, so I swapped HD's and saw the same crashing, so that nailed it down for me.
The Lenovo HD is the exact same Hitachi HD.
It does work so far though.
I figured I'll just reinstate my settings and data from my handy backup drive that I have been faithfully saving.
Well.........Windows Vista says it cannot install this backup because it was not created on this computer.

If that just don't beat all.

I am taking a list for a class action suit for mental anguish and undue mental punishment as well as just plain stupidity against all parties concerned. Since an actual suit would cost more money, time and mental health issues, this will be a Virtual Suit. If I ever meet one of them in person, they will know from the look in my eyes, just what heartache I have endured. They in turn will feel my pain.

Who's with me on a virtual suit?

[L. D. Jeffries]

The first thing my wife did after getting a new HP with Vista and trying to work with it was...go back to the "XP" o/s. Had to buy the "XP" and uninstall VISTA and then install "XP". Now she has a computer that works, not like that piece of garbage called "Vista"! End of rant.

[Bruce Cohen]

Lee,

That's exactly why I own a Mac. No one I know is using Vista, but then again no one I know is running the latest mac OS either. Takes a least a year to get the major bugs fixed.

Bruce
Remember: What doesn't kill you, will just make you stronger.

[Black wallnut]

Is Vista turning out to be as big of a disappointment as Win ME?

[Anna]

Is Vista turning out to be as big of a disappointment as Win ME?

Since 7- or 8-year-old XP is generally regarded as an "upgrade" to Vista, then I guess the answer is yes.

[Stytooner]

I'm dropping the virtual suit. This compaq originally had no drivers for XP at all. I was able to find the monitor driver and the lenovo had most all it's drivers available for XP. I just made the wise upgrade to the fabulous Windows XP SP2. I feel like I have came home after a long trip through the Amazon and the Sahara. Bogged down and burnt slap out.

Vista may be better after a few or 20 service packs. Maybe not. It takes a fast computer and uses all it's ram for purty and talk about the nuisance safety stuff. Don't even consider trying to connect a home network without a case of Tennessee whiskey to help you through it. If you do manage to make it close to right, you still have to have a note from your parents.

I did manage to set the old HD to where the machine would boot with it installed. I had to disable all it's high falutin features in the bios, but I was able to get on it and read and swap files much like a flash drive and about as slow. Non the less, saved. Yippee.

I still have a Vista machine in the shop, but I pretty much stripped it out to just the OS as best I could. It seems to work fine and yes I just knocked on some wood.

Final comments on Vista without any service packs. Pack a bag while you still have your sanity so you will have what you need in the looney bin.

Think of that song "They're coming to take me away! Ha ha. To the Funny Farm."
Thanks for enduring my rant. I am much better now. No really! I am.

[JoeyGee]

I have never used Vista, and am by no means a Microsoft apologist, but I do remember a time when XP was almost universally cursed. Like others have said, just wait a bit and wait for a few service packs.

I'm still happy with my Windows 2000 .

[cgallery]

It is remarkable that you were able to pull a drive from one machine and have it boot in another. There are usually enough hardware differences to prevent this.

Microsoft is stopping all new XP sales very soon. I'm thinking of cornering the market on what is left.

[williamr]

It is remarkable that you were able to pull a drive from one machine and have it boot in another. There are usually enough hardware differences to prevent this.

Microsoft is stopping all new XP sales very soon. I'm thinking of cornering the market on what is left.

I have used Acronis backup to move to new differently sized hard drives etc.

http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/products/ATICW/

The (older) workstation Version 9.1 has been used by us for a "bare metal" restore -- completely new hardware -- same OS. I think what was called Universal Restore may be included now.

I have not used this new version -- but may upgrade.

I have also used the Linux server version -- not cheap but it did work when a RAID array failed -- repaired the array, reloaded just fine -- even upgraded the OS at the same time.

[Stytooner]

The little external HD I use for backing up actually came with some software used for the purpose. There are several different ways it can do a backup. I am just going to have it backup and update selected drives and folders to include my emails, pictures, business, hobby and just for giggles sections.

I wasn't able to boot the other HD. I had to make it a secondary slave behind even the DVD and then took away all it's privileges. Then the machine would boot to it's original HD. Something was corrupted and I think it may have been the SMART capability or similar. Disabled that and it is working. I will eventually stick it back in it's original machine and set the bios similar and see if it will boot that machine.

That is after the release of SP1, which should be any day now. I was really looking forward to that release, but now I can relax a little and do it when I am bullet proof. I thinking a spit ball would have taken me out yesterday AM.
It is nice to see some speed from the ram though. With Vista, it was like I still had 256 MB even though it is 2 Gigs. I zip through Turbocad now. Large pictures off the camera just fly open in my image software too.

I haven't had my last go around with Vista, but hopefully it will be tamed down some in the future.