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Herman D. Knoble (hdk@psu.edu), Center for Academic Computing
Introduction
In order to prevent Windows system problems, and enable easier recovery from same, as is true for any operating system, there are a few system maintenance steps that should be done for every PC. These steps do take time to learn and to put into practice. However without them, recovery from a system disaster is most likely not possible. The procedure presented here is minimal and does not take the place of full disk image backups. Microsoft also recommends general system maintenance: http://support.microsoft.com/support/games/features/maintenance/default.asp.
The following steps are recommended maintenance for PC's running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me and 2000. The procedure does not apply to Windows 2000 Server's nor to Windows NT.
1) Run an up-to-date virus checker/remover with up-to-date virus "signature" files. For free virus checker/removers see: Antivirus Personal Edition: http://www.free-av.com/copy.htm or AVG Antivirus: http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.cfm Other virus links may also be found at: http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/ger/documents/virus.htm#VirusLinks.
2) Back up at least your personal files. To back up your whole system you should consider using a commercial product like Powerquest Drive Image, http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/, Adaptec GoBack: http://www.roxio.com/en/products/goback/index.html, Better Backup: http://www.betterbackup.com, or Symantec Norton Ghost: http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/, for example, which make a binary copy (one file) of the whole drive (or partition) to multiple CD-R disks, for example, and then later enable restore of either the whole disk (or partition) or individual files and/or folders.
In the event of a system disaster, while tedious, it is usually possible to re-establish applications programs by re-installing these programs. But without backing up your personal files, it is most often impossible to reestablish much "application data." This "application data" or personal files typically includes word processing documents, spread sheets, browser bookmark files, email mail boxes and nicknames - any file that you consider mission critical in the event of a computer disaster (like a fixed disk crash).
To backup your personal files, two options are offered here:
A) Get one of the Shareware program, Backup Plus, http://www.avantrix.com/, or File Genie, http://www.datrim.com/, or one of the many backup tools listed at: http://www.tweakfiles.com/backuprecover/ and use it.
Or if you are familiar with DOS commands and Zipping/Unzipping files B) Make your own personal compressed backup process; steps for doing this follow:
B.1 Make an ASCII file list of personal files to backup, including whole subdirectory structures. For example, a Sample PERSONAL.TXT file might look like:
c:\My Documents\*.*
c:\mail\Nickname\*.txt
c:\mail\*.mbx
c:\utils\*.bat
c:\utils\*.txt
c:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\xyz\bookmark.htm
c:\Cdisk.dir
c:\Set.txt
B.2 Get INFOZIP Win32 Zip and UNZip. These are available at: http://ftp.freesoftware.com/pub/infozip/Info-ZIP.html Get the files: unz541xN.exe and zip23xN.zip; run the former to get unzip.exe and then unzip the latter to get zip.exe; then copy zip.exe and unzip.exe to a convenient folder, say, C:\utils. Then, assuming the ASCII file in Step B.1 above is the file PERSONAL.TXT write a DOS BATCH file as in Step B.3 below.
B.3 Put the following .BAT file in a known directory of utilities, say c:\utils.
REM BACKTHEM.BAT backs up files listed in PERSONAL.TXT
REM (Including hidden files if any).
REM Collect some data about this PC's System. If you choose not to do this
REM remove the last two lines from PERSONAL.TXT.
dir c:\ /A /OD /S C:\Cdisk.dir
set c:\Set.txt
REM Set the destination drive. Note that PERSONAL.ZIP is maintained
REM both on C:\ and on removable media.
set ZipDrive=A:
REM Back up collected data; personal.txt includes above *.dir and *.txt files.
REM This will include long folder and file names and extensions.
REM The following command creates PERSONAL.ZIP.
TYPE personal.txt | C:\utils\ZIP -ru C:\utils\PERSONAL.ZIP -@
REM copy personal files (compressed) to Zipdrive or wherever.
DIR C:\PERSONAL.ZIP
Echo Make ready the backup disk(s) in drive, %ZipDrive% and then
PAUSE
REM If copying to floppy disks use PKZIP to split PERSONAL.ZIP across floppies;
REM Note that in this case PKUNZIP must be run on P.ZIP before
REM running UNZIP on PERSONAL.ZIP which is the only member of P.ZIP..
REM If copying to a Zip disk simply copy PERSONAL.ZIP to a Zipdrive with Verify.
REM PKZIP is available at http://www.pkware.com/
if %ZipDrive% == C:\utils\PKZIP -a -& a:\P.ZIP c:\PERSONAL.ZIP
if not %ZipDrive% == copy a:\PERSONAL.ZIP %ZipDrive% /V
REM Clean up
erase c:\Cdisk.dir
erase c:\Set.txt
set ZipDrive=
The resulting zip file, PERSONAL.ZIP will contain fileids and subdirectory structures of files named in PERSONAL.TXT. If you maintain PERSONAL.ZIP on fixed disk so subsequent uses of ZIP as shown above update the personal.zip rather than create it each time. Notice that a copy of PERSONAL.ZIP is maintained on C: and on a backup media, a Zip drive in the above example; this can be faster if PERSONAL.TXT contains large number of files. We suggest you alternate a couple of sets of these backup disks and realize that Zip disks and floppy disks are not less reliable than fixed disk (see Web page: http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/pub/ger/documents/DataIntegrity.htm).
3) Shutdown Windows and Restart Windows in SAFE Mode (press F8 when you see "Starting Windows 9x or Windows Me or Windows 2000..." or try pressing and holding the Left Ctrl Key when you see that message for Windows 98). For details on how to get into Safe Mode please see: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q180/9/02.ASP.
4) Run SCANDISK. Click START/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Scandisk with the Scandisk box "Fix Errors" checked. (Check the Thorough box about once a year unless I/O errors are reported on the fixed disk). Options for Scandisk should include "Areas of the disk to scan=System and data areas" bullet on. Advanced options should include: "Display summary=Always", "Check files for: Invalid file names, and Invalid dates and times", "Check host drive first", "Cross linked files=Make copies", and "Log file=Append to log". The Microsoft Web page for Scandisk is: http://support.microsoft.com/support/windows/InProductHelp98/idh_whatnew_scandisk.asp. For SCANDISK trouble shooting information see: http://badour.freewebsites.com/html/defrag.html. For Windows 2000, run DEFRAGMENTER (see Step 6 below) since DEFRAGMENTER has a disk analyzer is built-in (there is no SCANDISK under Windows 2000)..
5) Do a START/FIND and on "Named: type in: FILE????.CHK while starting with C:\ and, if they exist, delete all of these *.CHK files between SCANDISK runs at Step 3 above. To delete them from the FIND screen, left-click the first one, hold down the Shift key, scroll down if necessary left-click the last one, right-click the highlighted list and choose: delete (or press the Del key). Periodically, you should also clean up your temporary files - for example, C:\TEMP and C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. Likewise you should run Internet Explorer and/or Netscape and delete Temporary Internet Files. For Internet Explorer click Tools/Internet Options/ and under Temporary Internet Files click Delete; for Netscape click Edit/Preferences and open the Advanced/Cache and click Clear Disk Cache.
6) Keep running Step 4 and 5 above over again until no errors are fixed. Then Shutdown Windows and again start in Safe Mode (See Step 3 above).
7) Defragment your Fixed Disk(s). Click START/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Defragmenter and defragment your fixed disk(s). For larger fixed disks this can take quite a while. For Windows 98, choose the Settings "Check the drive for Errors." For more information on Defragmenter please see: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q186/1/71.asp and http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q179/3/06.ASP. For Defragmenter trouble shooting information please see: http://badour.freewebsites.com/html/scandisk.html.
8) Clean up the Registry. Two free utility programs to clean up the registry are EasyCleaner, http://www.saunalahti.fi/tonihele/ and/or Regclean, http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q147/7/69.asp and other tools at: http://www.sysinternals.com/. Windows 98 also has has it's own built-in Registry Checker; run it by clicking on Start/Run and typing in: SCANREGW.EXE then run Regclean and/or EasyCleaner. Repeat this step until no Registry entries are removed (cleaned).
9) Shutdown Windows and Restart in normal mode.
10) Backup the Windows Registry. Briefly: For Windows 98 see SCANREG; for Winodws 95 see: Eru/Erd. For Windows Me see above Windows Me information on System Restore. For Windows 2000 run the Backup utility to make an Emergency Repair Disk.
For Windows 95 get ERU/ERD; see Web pages:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q139/4/37.asp and
http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/win98/tips/erd.asp.
Also for Windows 2000, make at least an Emergency Repair Disk; click
Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ and choose Backup; also please see:
http://www.windows2000faq.com/. You should backup the Windows
Registry files after maintenance or after installing any applications. Note that Windows 98 by default
automatically make 5 backup copies of the Registry; for information on that, please see: How to backup the
Registry under Windows 98:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q256/4/19.ASP
To Restore the Registry under Windows 98:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/windows/inproducthelpme/regedit_datfiles.asp.
Another good reference on backing up and restoring the Windows 98 Registry is:
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/regback1.html
Windows 98 Registry - Chapter 31 of the Windows 98 Resource Kit:
http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/win98/Reskit/Part6/wrkc31.asp
For Windows Me, please see: Windows Me Creating Emergency Recovery Disks:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/windows/inproducthelpme/hlp_er_basic_recovery.asp and Windows Me Usage Tips:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/serviceware/windows/winme/default.asp and
http://support.microsoft.com/support/windows/Topics/Winme/Using/usingfaq.asp.
11) Suggest you repeat Steps 1 thru 9 about monthly, and repeat Step 10 monthly too and each time you install hardware/software or reconfigure the system.
12) Obtain periodic updates to Windows and it's components. When installing updates, install one at a time and if prompted to restart (shutdown and reboot) do so between updates. Failure to reboot between updates can result in a system disaster - that is, the Blue Screen of Death. This is especially true for operating system updates. To get Windows updates we suggest you launch Microsoft Internet Explorer (Netscape won't work here) and click: Tools/Windows Update. Choose the link, "Product Updates" and reply YES to the initial ActiveX prompt. Click "Show Installed" and proceed to check boxes under "Critical Updates". Contents of these Windows Update pages can be downloaded for use on several systems at: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/?IE
