Disaster Recovery: Windows 95, 98 & ME.

This Operating System Restore procedure is only for Windows 95, 98 & ME. For Windows NT, 2000 & XP click here.

Here is the procedure for performing a complete system restore using the Emergency Backup database created using an Emergency Backup Job. The procedure requires you to boot the PC to the DOS Operating system.

This restore process is done in two phases, a DOS restore for all of the 8.3 named files and a Windows restore for the long named files and folders. The second restore phase is done by a program called AISRestore.exe .This restore copies files to the 'Temporary location for Restored Files' folder which is set in the program settings and options.  The default name of this folder is C:\AISRSTR\.

The restore process will take a very long time if smartdrv.exe is not loaded, see below.

Creating the Emergency Recovery Diskette.

The Emergency Recovery Diskette may be created from Control Panel / Add Remove Programs / Startup Disk. Please refer to your Windows documentation.

After the Emergency diskette has been created you may optionally copy smartdrv.exe from your Windows CD to the diskette, smartdrv.exe is located in the folder [CD]:\win9x on the Windows Millennium CD and [CD]:\win98 on the Windows 98 CD.

Including Smartdrv.exe will considerably reduce the time it takes to run the DOS phase of the restore procedure.

For details of updating the Windows start-up diskette with the AISBackup menu options click here. 

The Restore Procedure.

The following procedure assumes that the Emergency Backup database is held in the folder D:\WINMEBU. The character signifies enter a space here.

The folder D:\WINMEBU will contain a DOS batch file called RESTORE.BAT. This DOS Batch file will run a DOS version of the freeware zip program, from Info-Zip, to restore the 8.3 file names. The zip files containing the long named files and folders are then copied to the C: drive. When the system is re-booted AISRestore will automatically process these zip files. 

• Boot the PC using your Emergency restore diskette.

• Choose an appropriate boot option from the menu. (i.e. with or without CD ROM support)

• Optionally Format the C: Drive, but only if the Emergency Backup is not on the C: Drive.

• Optionally load SmartDrv by typing a:\smartdrv.

• If you are using an AISBackup enhanced version of the Start-up diskette (or bootable CD) choose Emergency Restore this option will give you the exact command line to enter to restore your Operating System to the C: drive. If you are using a standard Start-up diskette start the restore by typing d:\winmebu\restored:\winmebuc

• Once this phase of the backup has completed, remove the diskette from the diskette drive and re-boot the PC by pressing Ctrl, Alt & Delete.

• After typing your Username and Password AISRestore will finish the restore process by restoring the long named files.
  

Once this restore has completed you should restore the rest of the C: drive using your regular C: drive backup job.

It is likely that the backup job files on the Emergency System Backup are older than the other backups you own. Prior to restoring the rest of the files on your C drive you should use the Import Backup Contents File option of Manage Backup. If the required job does not exist on the newly restored PC, use the Tools / Load Job From Backup Media option. The Restore File Database's that this procedure restores are located with the Backup Database (zip) files, in the case of CD backups this file is on the last CD used. 

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