XP Pro Backup

[#1]

I use the backup utility on xp pro but now it doesn't work.  It reaches the backup progress screen and then I get the message "The backup could not be completed"  It gives no reason for this.  Any ideas?

[#2]

Can you do a system restore to back when it did work?

[#3]

I have tried that but it made no difference.  This is a copy of the error -    Backup Status
Operation: Backup
Active backup destination: File
Media name: "Backup.bkf created 05/12/2008 at 16:08"

Error returned while creating the volume shadow copy:80042301
Aborting Backup.
----------------------
The operation did not successfully complete.
----------------------

[#4]

Have a google for 'Error creating volume shadow 80042301'
You are not the only person to encouneter the problem apparently.
This one looks like it might be promising... http://forum.soft32.com/win4/Volume-Shadow-Copy-80042301-ftopict202910.html

[#5]

i wouldnt use MS backup. What are you backing up ie a whole disk or just documents? One mistake people often make with backup is they forget if it all goes pear shaped you need to restore it. Often to restore it you will need the same version and windows to run it on. The best option depending what you are backing up and what you are backing it up to is something like winzip, winrar the thing being that you can get the software to recover it from anywhere and a lot of real backups use some version of the engine for backups as it compress so well.
The times I have gone to people who have done brilliant backups and things have crashed and they want to restore the data but never kept a copy of the backup software so they cant get the data back, or the software has been updated and wont read the old version

[#6]

I have all my docs etc, everything i need backed up on one partition- i back up on to an external HD.  Would it be possible just to copy the files on to the external are there any implications in doing this?  I have downloaded comodo backup.  It seems OK.

[#7]

I am not entirely sure if you want to back up the docs or the operating system.
If it is the docs than Synctoy will do it automatically microsoft

[#8]

A straight copy is best as you can recover it without 3rd party software. I use FREE Robocopy from
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc160891.aspx
Its a command line but there is a gui for it. It is very fast and will only copy newer files so it takes only seconds to run as it skips unchanged files. I run it at startup as a cmd file and copy my accounts and docs firefox and thunderbird profiles.
There are a lot of option with it you can mirror data, copy with all sorts of option.

[#9]

As others have said, I would not use the MS Backup system again because Mr Microsoft will make it redundant when they change their Operating System. I backed all my docs with a version of their backup, only to be told that when I tried to recover them, following a change of machine and upgraded OS, it was not possible and there doesn't appear to be any other programme that will recover them. So much for the insistence that Backing up is vitally important.
I now use Comodo freebie to back up my files and this seems fine.
TonyV

[#10]

The ultimate in security is a plain copy of files to CD or DVD - provided the file names don't contain any funny characters.