Windows NT supports the backup of local files that are exclusively locked by the operating system, such as event logs and registry files;however, another type of skipped file that Windows NT Backup
encounters is that which is in use and locked by another process.
In this kind of event, Windows NT Backup displays a "Skip Open Files Wait Time" dialog box. An internal timer is then started and Windows NT Backup waits 30 seconds for the file to become available. During that time, Windows NT Backup continuously attempts to access the
locked file. If the file does not become available during the 30-second waiting period, Windows NT Backup skips the file, places its name in the backup log file (if the log is enabled), marks it as skipped inthe log, and continues to the next file. You have the option to choose the Cancel button in the dialog box and immediately move to the next file, logging the skipped file as previously described. If the file becomes available before the 30-second time-out
period, Windows NT Backup backs up that file and continues with the rest of the backup.
If the file has an attached alternate data stream that is locked,Windows NT waits 30 seconds for the stream to become available. If the stream does not become available in that time, Windows NT Backup makes an entry in the log (if enabled) indicating that the file was corrupt.
You can modify the following registry entries to adjust the skipped files options:
HKey_current_user\Software\Microsoft\Ntbackup\User Interface
Name: Skip open files
Type: REG_SZ
Default: 0
Definition:
0 = do not skip, wait
1 = skip files that are opened unreadable
2 = wait on open files for "Wait time"
Name: Wait time
Type: REG_SZ
Data: 30
