Windows 7 - Windows XP backup to flash drive Fails

Asked By jkadtke

05-Mar-10 02:44 PM

Hello -- I am having a problem with the Windows backup utiliy.

Specifically, I tried using the Windows backup wizard to make a
backup of my C drive ( system) and D drive ( user files), which both
add up to about 24 GB.  I bought a 32 GB flash drive to do the
backups.  However, when the program backs up about 4 GB, I
get an error that says "tape full, insert new media".  I have tried
this several times with different parameters, with the same result
each time (stops after 4 GB).  Re-inserting the same flash drive
does nothing.

FYI -- I am running Windows XP Pro on a Sony Vaio laptop, and
using a Kingston flash drive.  I have run CHKDSK and other
programs first to make sure there are no disk problems.

Any ideas what is wrong ???

05-Mar-10 02:49 PM

Format the flash drive to NTFS

MowGreen
================
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
================

banthecheck.com

05-Mar-10 03:04 PM

Yes.   The flash drive is formatted to FAT or FAT32, which does not allow
creation of files over 4gb.

Format the drive as NTFS and you will be able to complete the task.

HOWEVER, flash drives are not appropriate for backups.

They have a tendency to suddenly and irretrievably fail, without any
warning, and when that happens your backups are gone forever.

Use these drives only for convenient transfer of files you have elsewhere.
Under no circumstances should they hold the only copies.

Instead, get a hard disk and a case, and back up to that.    terabyte-size
hard disks are now in the $80 range, and a decent case chan be had for about
$25 or so.   Assembly is trivial.

HTH
-pk

05-Mar-10 04:04 PM

Yes. I, and many of us here, know exactly what is wrong. Your flash
drive is FAT32, and FAT32 has a maximum file size of 4GB. reformat it
as NTFS and the problem will go away.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

05-Mar-10 02:52 PM

Hardly anyone uses MS backup nowadays
1:  mainly because it is not backwards compatible;
2:  also because it is crippled by software routines from the
1990s (e.g. will not back up to CD, sets maximum backup file
size without telling the user;)
3:  because storage drive space is now so cheap we can
usually simply copy.

You should be able to copy all your 24 Gb of material to your
32 Gb flash drive using www.xxcopy.com.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

05-Mar-10 05:23 PM

Hey Ken.  Do you minding commenting on how one goes about formatting a flash
drive as NTFS?   Paul C.

05-Mar-10 05:43 PM

Just as you would  format any other drive. From Administrative Tools |
Computer Management | Disk Management.



--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

05-Mar-10 06:06 PM

Now you have exposed your stupidity of not knowing anything about
formatting in Windows OS.  You have not formatted your HD since Windows
3.1 and what right have you got to advice people on how to format a
flash drive?

The easiest way to format a flash drive is to right-click on the flash
drive from "My Computer" and then to select Format.  You will only be
able to format as Fat32 depending on the size of the drive.  A 4GB drive
can only be formatted as Fat32.

Now learn this by heart as I will ask questions tomorrow.

05-Mar-10 10:34 PM

http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbstick_e.html

appear as 'Removable'. The settings 'Optimize for quick removal' or
'Optimize for performance' does not seem to make any difference then,
except that the latter enables the user to format 'Removable' USB drives
with NTFS. But with NTFS Windows XP enables a write cache, writing small
files becomes lightning fast."

Any time Windows does not support an option, it is also possible
to do what is needed with a Linux LiveCD. You can set up
FAT32 or NTFS partitions there if you want.

HTH,
Paul

05-Mar-10 10:42 PM

The clip can be formatted as you say, or it can be formatted with the
Disk Management tool, or it can be formatted at the command prompt.



Not so.  A 4GB clip can be formatted NTFS as long as it is not optimized
for quick removal.



Learn about the subject yourself before you take others to task on it.

John

07-Mar-10 10:20 AM

Would someone Clarify the Reformatting Issue as follows:

An HP Pocket Drive  Manual talks of XP supporting FAT32 for File Organizing,
4GB FAT32 File LIMITS, and potential problems backing up. It THEN USES Win Me
as the example, and I am at a loss as to where We'dstand re: the Formatting
issue and ANY PROBLEMS if I want to back-up ALL of C:..... (I have a Recovery
Partition as FAT32 (D:\). either there at purchase or part of Startup
Instructions] with C:\ being, of course, NTFS............. Any Clarification
is APPRECIATED.......................

08-Mar-10 06:57 PM

Actually, it should be specifically about buying the drive.   The problem
with pre-packaged models is that you cannot know what the most important
part - the drive - actually is.

This is like buying  a car without being able to know what engine is used.



There are probably better choices.   TrueImage is about US$50, and I would
expect that competing software is priced similarly.



it is always a good idea to understand how your backups work.     And do
verify them.

HTH
-pk