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Win98 Backup restoration puzzler

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by forvirg

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I sure hope someone here has a clue on this one. I've got a client who used Windows 98 backup regularly. At a certain point, he contracted a virus that was causing system problems. Before he tried to repair the virus, he ADDED a folder and files to the backup. Then, while trying to repair his system failed and he called me (the first time).

After I restored his system for him with a clean Windows 98SE install (with his assurance he had everything backed up he needed), he tried to restore his backup. It only restored the files he had added last. It only gives the OPTION to restore those files - even on my system (I now have the ZIP disk he used here and have tried a restore on a test system).

The real puzzler is this - his .QIC file is 85Mb, but the restored file structure only totals 17Mb...could the missing data actually still be there and if so, how do we get to it???

Thanks!

Virginia

3 replies

by meddjay

Ok, I read through your problem a couple of times to make sure I understood you correctly. This is what I think. I think that when he added that folder and file, all he did was to transfer the virus to that backup now. So what I think is, the restored file is in fact correctly identifying the .QIC of 17Mb with the other 68Mb damaged because of the virus. And even if it isn't correctly identifing the Mb's....do you really want to take a chance that it might be somewhere, find it and then useit? I personally would not...I would think that the virus isnt gone but just hiding, because of his adding that folder and file BEFORE THE VIRUS WAS GONE and now all he has done was to just add it back on again. This is just a guess, but since no one else answered, I figured what the heck...I would give it a shot! Hope that helps.

by forvirg

I think you're probably right and we opted to stop trying to restore this a while back. Actually, a fellow tech in real life came up with this same theory...it makes sense to me. Glad you answered as I'd like to keep this one viewable at TechRepublic since it's an interesting case...

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