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Restore from backup problem, getting worried... :(
 
#1
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I had a virus that kept recurring on my desktop pc, ao I took the plunge and did a full format of the C: and D: drives and reinstalled XP Pro and many of my apps. Before doing this I took a full backup of TB! including attachments and all other boxes ticked. It made a BIG file. I reinstalled TB! using version 4.2.44.2  although I was using a version slightly older, but still a late V4 issue. When I try to restore it recreates all the folders and settings, and starts to restore some of the messages, but almost immediately fails with an "unable to read *.tbk" file. I am now worried that a lot of important business mail is lost. I also tried to reinstall on my laptop from a slightly older backup, with the same issues. I am hoping it may be because of one of the following potential issues?

I have put TB! on the D: drive instead of the C: drive, with a different file structure, now telling it to keep attachments in D:\BAT\Attachments.

I have used a slightly later version 4 of TB! that that which created the backups.

Before re formatting my desktop PC the drives were two 1 TB drives in a raid, now these drives are conventionally mounted as two seperate ones, not in any sort of raid formation.

Please tell me all is not lost!

Is there a way of reading a .tbk file in any way without restoring to a TB! installation and pulling a few folders out? I am not too worried about attachements, mainly e-mail content.

Thanks.
 
 
 
#2
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try restoring the backup in exactly the same environment (except RAID) - same theBat version, same installation folder and mail folder locations, same attachments folder (if it was a separate folder at the time backup was created)  etc. Even put the backup file in the same folder in which it was created, if you remember the path.
If no luck, try with the latest version which can read the backup file - not sure which that is, I myself still use v.3.85.
I don't use the built-in backup tool and don't know, but isn't there an option to choose which folders to restore - if yes try one by one, and you may lose only one (or part of).

Once you manage to restore something, never ever use the built-in backup tool again. Use WinRAR or another archiver instead, simply archive the entire mail folder - that's a far more reliable method.
Edited: bigg one - 28 December 2011 20:45:22
 
 
 
#3
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Just seen your reply. Thanks for that bigg one. I have got it sorted after spending nearly all day at it. It seems when I reinstalled a bare bones TB! and added some settings, and before using the restore function, it downloaded some new messages. *ANY* folder showing new messages, and thank God it was Christmas and not many came through, breaks the restore process. Sod's Law said the first folder (my personal e-mail folder) was one to receive a new message. Rather than giving a warning the folder contains messages newer than the restore message base, it just stops with an error unable to read the .tbk file, giving the impression the backup is corrupted. I feel this is wrong, and not at all robust. I only discovered the problem by laboriously restoring a folder at a time using the option to choose folders to retore. Any folder with no .TBB or .TBN files already in it restored fine. Any folder with these already in it caused the "can't read *.tbk file" error and the restore just stopped. By renaming them *.TBBold and *.TBNold I discovered these folders would also restore. LUCKILY I had still got all mail from 18the December still sat on the server (I use POP3) and could re download them. This should be documented in the help files, IMO. I heed yours and others advice and no longer trust the inbuilt back up and restore, and have done botha TB! backup right up to date, and a full.rar compression of the hwole of TB! to a DVD. In fairness this is the only time TB! has ket me down save for one really odd occasional annoyance, in all the many years I have used it, including beta versions, but I expect a backup and restore function to be totally bulletproof, am I wrong?

Thanks for your help.

BTW the restore was from 4.2.36.4 to the last of the V4 releases, 4.2.44.2 and the backup was off the raid drives, the restore to a conventional drive, but I doubt these facts had any bearing. I now have other queries about backup and restore, but well off this topic, so I will start another thread. All the best.
 
 
 
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