Symantec Symantec™ System Recovery 2011 User's Guide (Windows) Instruction Manual

User Manual: symantec System Recovery - 2011 (Windows) - Instruction Manual Free User Guide for Symantec System Recovery Software, Manual

Open the PDF directly: View PDF PDF.
Page Count: 305

DownloadSymantec Symantec™ System Recovery 2011 User's Guide - (Windows) Instruction Manual
Open PDF In BrowserView PDF
Symantec™ System Recovery
2011 User's Guide
Windows Edition

Symantec System Recovery 2011 User's Guide
The software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement and may be used
only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
Documentation version: 9.0

Legal Notice
Copyright © 2011 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.
Symantec, the Symantec Logo, LiveUpdate, pcAnywhere, Symantec AntiVirus, NetBackup,
SmartSector, and Backup Exec are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec
Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks
of their respective owners.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, Windows Vista, MS-DOS, Hyper-V, and the Windows
logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and other countries. VeriSign® is a registered trademark of Verisign, Inc.
VMware, the VMware "boxes" logo and design are registered trademarks or trademarks of
VMware, Inc..
Gear Software is a registered trademark of GlobalSpec, Inc.
Google and Google Desktop are trademarks of Google, Inc.
The product described in this document is distributed under licenses restricting its use,
copying, distribution, and decompilation/reverse engineering. No part of this document
may be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written authorization of
Symantec Corporation and its licensors, if any.
THE DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED CONDITIONS,
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT,
ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO
BE LEGALLY INVALID. SYMANTEC CORPORATION SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE FURNISHING,
PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENTATION. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED
IN THIS DOCUMENTATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
The Licensed Software and Documentation are deemed to be commercial computer software
as defined in FAR 12.212 and subject to restricted rights as defined in FAR Section 52.227-19
"Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights" and DFARS 227.7202, "Rights in
Commercial Computer Software or Commercial Computer Software Documentation", as
applicable, and any successor regulations. Any use, modification, reproduction release,
performance, display or disclosure of the Licensed Software and Documentation by the U.S.
Government shall be solely in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

Symantec Corporation
350 Ellis Street
Mountain View, CA 94043
http://www.symantec.com

Technical Support
Symantec Technical Support maintains support centers globally. Technical
Support’s primary role is to respond to specific queries about product features
and functionality. The Technical Support group also creates content for our online
Knowledge Base. The Technical Support group works collaboratively with the
other functional areas within Symantec to answer your questions in a timely
fashion. For example, the Technical Support group works with Product Engineering
and Symantec Security Response to provide alerting services and virus definition
updates.
Symantec’s maintenance offerings include the following:
■

A range of support options that give you the flexibility to select the right
amount of service for any size organization

■

Telephone and Web-based support that provides rapid response and
up-to-the-minute information

■

Upgrade assurance that delivers automatic software upgrade protection

■

Global support that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

■

Advanced features, including Account Management Services

For information about Symantec’s Maintenance Programs, you can visit our Web
site at the following URL:
www.symantec.com/techsupp/

Contacting Technical Support
Customers with a current maintenance agreement may access Technical Support
information at the following URL:
www.symantec.com/techsupp/
Before contacting Technical Support, make sure you have satisfied the system
requirements that are listed in your product documentation. Also, you should be
at the computer on which the problem occurred, in case it is necessary to replicate
the problem.
When you contact Technical Support, please have the following information
available:
■

Product release level

■

Hardware information

■

Available memory, disk space, and NIC information

■

Operating system

■

Version and patch level

■

Network topology

■

Router, gateway, and IP address information

■

Problem description:
■

Error messages and log files

■

Troubleshooting that was performed before contacting Symantec

■

Recent software configuration changes and network changes

Licensing and registration
If your Symantec product requires registration or a license key, access our technical
support Web page at the following URL:
www.symantec.com/techsupp/

Customer service
Customer service information is available at the following URL:
www.symantec.com/techsupp/
Customer Service is available to assist with the following types of issues:
■

Questions regarding product licensing or serialization

■

Product registration updates, such as address or name changes

■

General product information (features, language availability, local dealers)

■

Latest information about product updates and upgrades

■

Information about upgrade assurance and maintenance contracts

■

Information about the Symantec Buying Programs

■

Advice about Symantec's technical support options

■

Nontechnical presales questions

■

Issues that are related to CD-ROMs or manuals

Maintenance agreement resources
If you want to contact Symantec regarding an existing maintenance agreement,
please contact the maintenance agreement administration team for your region
as follows:
Asia-Pacific and Japan

customercare_apac@symantec.com

Europe, Middle-East, and Africa

semea@symantec.com

North America and Latin America

supportsolutions@symantec.com

Additional enterprise services
Symantec offers a comprehensive set of services that allow you to maximize your
investment in Symantec products and to develop your knowledge, expertise, and
global insight, which enable you to manage your business risks proactively.
Enterprise services that are available include the following:
Symantec Early Warning Solutions These solutions provide early warning of cyber attacks, comprehensive threat
analysis, and countermeasures to prevent attacks before they occur.
Managed Security Services

These services remove the burden of managing and monitoring security devices
and events, ensuring rapid response to real threats.

Consulting Services

Symantec Consulting Services provide on-site technical expertise from
Symantec and its trusted partners. Symantec Consulting Services offer a variety
of prepackaged and customizable options that include assessment, design,
implementation, monitoring, and management capabilities. Each is focused on
establishing and maintaining the integrity and availability of your IT resources.

Educational Services

Educational Services provide a full array of technical training, security
education, security certification, and awareness communication programs.

To access more information about Enterprise services, please visit our Web site
at the following URL:
www.symantec.com
Select your country or language from the site index.

Contents

Technical Support ............................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1

Introducing Symantec™ System Recovery 2011 .......... 17
About Symantec System Recovery ...................................................
About the components of Symantec System Recovery .........................
What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011 ...............................
Accessing Help & Support for Symantec System Recovery ...................
Sending your feedback regarding Symantec System Recovery
2011 ....................................................................................

Chapter 2

21

Installing Symantec System Recovery ............................ 23
Before you install Symantec System Recovery ...................................
System requirements for Symantec System Recovery ...................
About supported file systems and removable media .....................
About the availability of features in Symantec System
Recovery ........................................................................
About the trial version of Symantec System Recovery ..................
Installing Symantec System Recovery ..............................................
Custom Install options ............................................................
Completing the installation of Symantec System Recovery ............
Activating Symantec System Recovery after the trial
period ............................................................................
Updating Symantec System Recovery with LiveUpdate .......................
About uninstalling Symantec System Recovery .................................

Chapter 3

17
18
19
20

23
23
26
26
28
29
30
31
33
33
34

Ensuring the recovery of your computer ........................ 35
About ensuring the recovery of your computer ..................................
About testing Symantec System Recovery Disk ..................................
Testing Symantec System Recovery Disk ....................................
Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk ............................
About updating Symantec System Recovery Disk on USB ..............
Symantec System Recovery Disk creation settings .......................
Optional settings for Symantec System Recovery Disk ..................

35
36
36
37
40
40
41

8

Contents

Chapter 4

Getting Started .................................................................... 43
How to use Symantec System Recovery ............................................
Starting Symantec System Recovery ................................................
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options .....................
Setting up general backup options .............................................
Adjusting the effect of a backup on computer performance ............
About enabling network throttling ............................................
Adjusting default tray icon settings ...........................................
About managing file types and file extensions .............................
About using unique names for external drives .............................
Configuring default FTP settings for use with Offsite Copy ............
Logging Symantec System Recovery messages ............................
Enabling email notifications for product (event) messages .............
Setting up your first backup using Easy Setup ...................................
Hiding or showing the Advanced page ..............................................

Chapter 5

Best practices for backing up your data ......................... 63
About backing up your data ...........................................................
About choosing a backup type ........................................................
What to do before you back up ........................................................
What to do during a backup ...........................................................
What to do when a backup is finished ..............................................
Tips for running defined backups ....................................................
Viewing the properties of a backup job .............................................
About selecting a backup destination ...............................................
About backing up dual-boot computers ............................................

Chapter 6

43
45
45
46
48
48
49
50
53
54
56
58
60
60

63
64
64
66
67
68
69
69
71

Backing up entire drives .................................................... 73
About defining a drive-based backup ...............................................
Defining a drive-based backup ........................................................
Drives options .......................................................................
Related drives options .............................................................
Recovery point type options .....................................................
Backup destination options ......................................................
Offsite Copy Settings options ...................................................
Recovery point options ...........................................................
Advanced Scheduling options ...................................................
About files that are excluded from drive-based backups ................
About network credentials .......................................................
About running command files during a backup ............................
Command files options ............................................................

73
74
75
75
76
77
78
79
81
82
83
83
84

Contents

Advanced options for drive-based backups .................................. 86
Backup time options ............................................................... 91
Compression levels for recovery points ............................................ 92
Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery .............. 93
About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery
Disk ..................................................................................... 94
Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery
Disk ............................................................................... 95
About Offsite Copy ..................................................................... 100
How Offsite Copy works ............................................................... 100
About using external drives as your offsite copy
destination .................................................................... 101
About using a network server as your offsite copy
destination .................................................................... 103
About using an FTP server as your offsite copy destination .......... 104

Chapter 7

Backing up files and folders ............................................ 107
About backing up files and folders ................................................. 107
Backing up files and folders .................................................... 107

Chapter 8

Running and managing backup jobs ............................. 117
Running an existing backup job immediately ...................................
Running a backup with options ...............................................
Adjusting the speed of a backup ....................................................
Stopping a backup or a recovery task .............................................
Verifying that a backup is successful ..............................................
Editing backup settings ...............................................................
Enabling event-triggered backups .................................................
General Event Trigger options ................................................
Trigger Application options ....................................................
About ThreatCon Response ....................................................
Configuring ThreatCon Response for a backup job ......................
ThreatCon Response options ..................................................
Editing a backup schedule ............................................................
Turning off a backup job ..............................................................
Deleting backup jobs ...................................................................
Adding users who can back up your computer ..................................
Configuring access rights for users or groups ..................................

117
118
120
120
121
122
122
123
123
124
124
125
126
126
126
127
127

9

10

Contents

Chapter 9

Backing up remote computers from your
computer ....................................................................... 129
About backing up other computers from your computer ....................
Adding remote computers to the Computer List .........................
Adding local computers to the Computer List .............................
Removing a computer from the Computer List ...........................
About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent .....................
Preparing a computer in a workgroup environment to deploy the
agent ............................................................................
Deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent .......................
Manually installing the Symantec System Recovery Agent ...........
Granting rights to domain users on Windows 2003 SP1
servers .........................................................................
About the Symantec System Recovery Agent ..................................
Using the Symantec System Recovery Agent .............................
About managing the Symantec System Recovery Agent through
Windows Services ...........................................................
Best practices for using services ...................................................
Opening Windows services ....................................................
About starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent
service ..........................................................................
Starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent
service ..........................................................................
Setting up recovery actions when the Symantec System Recovery
Agent does not start ........................................................
About viewing Symantec System Recovery Agent dependencies .........
Viewing Symantec System Recovery Agent dependencies ............
About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery ....................
Adding users and groups ........................................................
Changing permissions for a user or a group ...............................
Removing a user or a group ....................................................
Running Symantec System Recovery using different user
rights ...........................................................................

Chapter 10

129
130
131
131
131
132
133
134
135
135
136
136
137
138
139
140
140
141
142
142
143
144
144
145

Monitoring the status of your backups ......................... 147
About monitoring backups ...........................................................
Rescanning a computer’s hard disk ..........................................
About the icons on the Home page .................................................
About the icons on the Status page ................................................
Configuring Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP traps .............
About the Symantec System Recovery Management Information
Base .............................................................................

147
148
148
150
155
156

Contents

About customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder
backups) .............................................................................
Customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder
backups) .......................................................................
Viewing drive details ...................................................................
Improving the protection level of a drive ........................................
About using event log information to troubleshoot problems ..............

Chapter 11

157
158
158
161

Exploring the contents of a recovery point .................. 163
About exploring recovery points ...................................................
Exploring a recovery point through Windows Explorer ......................
Mounting a recovery point from Windows Explorer ....................
Opening and restoring files within a recovery point ..........................
About configuring a backup to create searchable recovery
points .................................................................................
Dismounting a recovery point drive ...............................................
Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point ..............................
Recovery point drive properties ..............................................

Chapter 12

156

163
164
165
165
167
167
167
168

Managing backup destinations ...................................... 171
About backup destinations ...........................................................
About backup methods ................................................................
About drive-based backups .....................................................
About file and folder backups .................................................
Cleaning up old recovery points ....................................................
Deleting a recovery point set ........................................................
Deleting recovery points within a set .............................................
Making copies of recovery points ..................................................
Source options .....................................................................
Destination Location options ..................................................
Copy recovery point options ...................................................
Defining a virtual conversion job ...................................................
Source options .....................................................................
Virtual Disks Destination options ............................................
General Options properties ....................................................
Conversion Time options .......................................................
Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately ....................
Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job ............................
Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job ..............................
Editing a virtual conversion job .....................................................
Deleting a virtual conversion job ...................................................

172
172
172
173
174
175
175
177
178
180
181
183
185
186
188
190
192
192
192
193
193

11

12

Contents

Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a
virtual disk ..........................................................................
Source options .....................................................................
Virtual Disks Destination options ............................................
General Options properties ....................................................
About managing file and folder backup data ....................................
Viewing how much file and folder backup data is stored ..............
Limiting the number of file versions to keep ..............................
Manually deleting files from your backups of files and
folders ..........................................................................
Finding versions of a file or folder ...........................................
Automating the management of backup data ...................................
Moving your backup destination ...................................................

Chapter 13

203
204
204
205

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives ..................... 207
About recovering lost data ...........................................................
Recovering files and folders by using file and folder backup data .........
Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point .......................
Select Recovery Point options .................................................
Recover My Files options .......................................................
About opening files and folders stored in a recovery point .................
About finding the files or folders you want ......................................
Recovering a secondary drive .......................................................
Recover My Computer options ................................................
Customizing the recovery of a drive ...............................................
Recovery Point to Restore options ...........................................
Recovery options ..................................................................
About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut
Restore ...............................................................................
About setting up and using LightsOut Restore ...........................
Configuring LightsOut Restore ................................................

Chapter 14

194
195
198
200
202
203
203

207
208
209
210
212
213
213
213
214
216
217
218
220
220
222

Recovering a computer ..................................................... 227
About recovering a computer ........................................................
Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery
Disk ...................................................................................
Configuring a computer to start from a CD/DVD or a USB
device ...........................................................................
Preparing to recover a computer by checking the hard disk for
errors .................................................................................
Recovering a computer ................................................................
Select a Recovery Point to Restore options ................................

227
228
229
230
231
233

Contents

Drives to Recover options ......................................................
Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file .................................
Recovery Options .................................................................
About recovering to a computer with different hardware ...................
How to use Restore Anyware ..................................................
Recovering a computer through Restore Anyware ......................
Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery
Disk ..................................................................................
Select Recovery Point options .................................................
Exploring files and folders on your computer by using Symantec
System Recovery Disk ...........................................................
About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery
Disk ...................................................................................
Starting networking services ..................................................
Using the pcAnywhere thin host for a remote recovery ...............
Mapping a network drive from within Symantec System Recovery
Disk .............................................................................
Configuring network connection settings ..................................
Viewing the properties of a recovery point ......................................
Recovery Point Properties ......................................................
Viewing the properties of a drive within a recovery point ...................
Driver properties within a recovery point .................................
About the Support Utilities ..........................................................

Chapter 15

246
247
249
249
249
250
252
253
255
255
256
257
258

Copying a hard drive ......................................................... 259
About copying a hard drive ..........................................................
Preparing to copy a hard drive ......................................................
Copying one hard drive to another hard drive ..................................
Advanced options .................................................................

Chapter 16

235
238
240
243
243
244

259
259
261
262

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular
Restore Option ............................................................. 265
About the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option ..........
Best practices when you create recovery points for use with the
Granular Restore Option ........................................................
How to identify drives for backup ............................................
Starting the Granular Restore Option .............................................
What you can do with the Granular Restore Option ..........................
Opening a specific recovery point ..................................................
Open Recovery Points options .................................................
Restoring a mailbox ....................................................................
Restoring an email folder .............................................................

266
266
267
268
268
269
270
270
271

13

14

Contents

Restoring an email message ......................................................... 272
Restoring SharePoint documents .................................................. 273
Restoring files and folders ........................................................... 274

Appendix A

Appendix B

Using a search engine to search recovery
points .............................................................................

277

About using a search engine to search recovery points ......................
Enabling search engine support ....................................................
Installing Google Desktop ......................................................
Enabling Google Desktop support ............................................
Enabling search engine support for a backup job ........................
Recovering files using Google Desktop's Search Desktop feature .........
Tips for finding a file using Google Desktop ...............................

277
277
278
279
279
280
280

Backing up databases using Symantec System
Recovery ........................................................................ 283
About backing up databases using Symantec System Recovery ...........
About backing up VSS-aware databases using Symantec System
Recovery .............................................................................
About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System
Recovery .............................................................................
About creating a cold backup manually using Symantec System
Recovery or Symantec System Recovery Disk ......................
About creating a warm backup automatically using Symantec
System Recovery ............................................................
Creating a hot backup using Symantec System Recovery .............

Appendix C

283
283
284
285
286
287

Backing up Active Directory ............................................ 289
About the role of Active Directory ................................................. 289

Appendix D

Backing up Microsoft virtual environments ................. 291
About backing up Microsoft virtual hard disks ................................. 291
About backing up and restoring Microsoft Hyper-V virtual
machines ............................................................................ 292

Contents

Appendix E

Using Symantec System Recovery 2011 and
Windows Server 2008 Core ....................................... 295
About Symantec System Recovery 2011 and Windows Server 2008
Core ...................................................................................
Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008
Core using commands ...........................................................
Running a full install with GUI support ....................................
Running a full silent install with logging ...................................
Running an agent-only silent install with logging .......................

295
296
296
297
297

Index ................................................................................................................... 299

15

16

Contents

Chapter

1

Introducing Symantec™
System Recovery 2011
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About Symantec System Recovery

■

About the components of Symantec System Recovery

■

What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011

■

Accessing Help & Support for Symantec System Recovery

■

Sending your feedback regarding Symantec System Recovery 2011

About Symantec System Recovery
Symantec System Recovery is the gold standard in Windows® system recovery.
It allows businesses to recover from system loss or disasters in minutes, not hours,
or days. Symantec System Recovery provides fast, easy-to-use system restoration
to help IT administrators meet recovery time objectives. You can even perform
full bare metal recovery to dissimilar hardware and virtual environments for
servers, desktops, or laptops. It also provides the ability to recover systems in
remote, unattended locations.
Symantec System Recovery captures a recovery point of the entire live Windows
system. The backup includes the operating system, applications, system settings,
files, and other items. The recovery point can be conveniently saved to various
media or disk storage devices including SAN, NAS, Direct Attached Storage, RAID,
Blu-ray/DVD/CD, and so forth. When systems fail, you can quickly restore them
without the need for manual, lengthy, and error-prone processes.
You can manage Symantec System Recovery remotely using one of the following:

18

Introducing Symantec™ System Recovery 2011
About the components of Symantec System Recovery

■

Another licensed copy of Symantec System Recovery

■

Symantec System Recovery Management Solution (sold separately)

Symantec System Recovery Management Solution is a centralized management
application. It provides IT administrators an at-a-glance view of system recovery
jobs across your entire organization. You can centrally deploy, modify, and
maintain recovery activities, jobs, and policies for local and remote systems. You
can also monitor real-time status and quickly resolve any problems that are
identified.
Symantec System Recovery integrates with Google™ Desktop and Backup Exec
Retrieve to enable recovery of your files without IT intervention.
Using the integrated Granular Restore Option, you can quickly restore individual
Microsoft® Exchange emails, folders, and mailboxes.
See “About the components of Symantec System Recovery” on page 18.
See “What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011 ” on page 19.

About the components of Symantec System Recovery
Symantec System Recovery includes two key components: the program itself, and
the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
Key product components

Table 1-1
Key component

Description

Symantec System Recovery program
(user interface)

The Symantec System Recovery program lets you define, schedule, and
run backups of your computer. When you run a backup, recovery points of
your computer are created. You can then use the recovery points to recover
your entire computer, or individual drives, files, and folders.
The Symantec System Recovery also lets you do the following:
Manage the size of the recovery point storage (backup destination) so
that you can use your computer's valuable disk space for other purposes.
■ Monitor the backup status of your computer to make sure that your
valuable data is backed up on a regular basis.
■

Introducing Symantec™ System Recovery 2011
What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011

Table 1-1

Key product components (continued)

Key component

Description

Symantec System Recovery Disk

The Symantec System Recovery Disk is used to start your computer in the
recovery environment. If your computer's operating system fails, use
Symantec System Recovery Disk to recover your system drive (the drive
where your operating system is installed).

Note: Depending on which version of the product you have purchased,
Symantec System Recovery Disk is either included on your product CD, or
as a separate CD. You should place the CD that contains Symantec System
Recovery Disk in a safe place.
See “About recovering a computer” on page 227.

See “About Symantec System Recovery” on page 17.
See “What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011 ” on page 19.

What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011
Symantec System Recovery includes many enhancements and new features. Refer
to the following table for information about the latest features and enhancements:
Note: Not all listed features are available in all versions of this product.
Table 1-2

What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011

Feature

Description

Improved support for virtual formats

Symantec System Recovery now includes
support for the following virtual platforms:

Improved platform support

■

VMware ESX 4.1i

■

VMware ESX 4.1

■

Citrix XenServer 5.5 and 5.6

Symantec System Recovery now includes
support for the following platforms:
■

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 SP1

■

Microsoft SharePoint 2010

■

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

19

20

Introducing Symantec™ System Recovery 2011
Accessing Help & Support for Symantec System Recovery

Table 1-2

What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011 (continued)

Feature

Description

Create custom Symantec System Recovery
Disk on a USB device.

Symantec System Recovery now enables you
to create a custom Symantec System
Recovery Disk on a USB device.

Use ISO image file for creating custom
Symantec System Recovery Disk.

Symantec System Recovery now lets you use
an Symantec System Recovery Disk ISO
image file directly for creating a custom
Symantec System Recovery Disk. Until now
you were required to extract the ISO image
file for creating a custom Symantec System
Recovery Disk.

Add 64-bit drivers to the custom Symantec You can now add 64-bit drivers to the custom
System Recovery Disk.
Symantec System Recovery Disk. The 64-bit
drivers are used only for restoring a recovery
point of a 64-bit operating system on a
computer with different hardware.

Note: Symantec System Recovery Disk does
not use 64-bit drivers for starting a
computer. To start a computer having a
64-bit operating system using Symantec
System Recovery Disk the equivalent 32-bit
drivers are required.

See “About Symantec System Recovery” on page 17.
See “About the components of Symantec System Recovery” on page 18.

Accessing Help & Support for Symantec System
Recovery
To learn more about Symantec System Recovery, visit the Help and Support page.
The Help and Support page provides access to the product's Help system and the
User's Guide. It also includes access to the Symantec Knowledge Base where you
can find troubleshooting information.
To access Help & Support

1

Start Symantec System Recovery.

2

On the Help menu, click Help and Support.

See “About Symantec System Recovery” on page 17.

Introducing Symantec™ System Recovery 2011
Sending your feedback regarding Symantec System Recovery 2011

See “What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011 ” on page 19.

Sending your feedback regarding Symantec System
Recovery 2011
Please take a moment to share your feedback and ideas with Symantec regarding
Symantec System Recovery 2011.
To send feedback
◆

Do one of the following:
■

Click Share Your Ideas in the upper-right corner of the Symantec System
Recovery 2011 window.

■

On the Help menu, click Share Your Ideas.

See “About Symantec System Recovery” on page 17.
See “What is new in Symantec System Recovery 2011 ” on page 19.

21

22

Introducing Symantec™ System Recovery 2011
Sending your feedback regarding Symantec System Recovery 2011

Chapter

2

Installing Symantec System
Recovery
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

Before you install Symantec System Recovery

■

Installing Symantec System Recovery

■

Updating Symantec System Recovery with LiveUpdate

■

About uninstalling Symantec System Recovery

Before you install Symantec System Recovery
Installation procedures might vary, depending on your work environment and
which installation options you choose. This chapter focuses on installing the full
version of Symantec System Recovery from the installation CD.
Before you install Symantec System Recovery, ensure that your computer meets
the system requirements. Review the Readme file on the installation CD for any
known issues.
See “System requirements for Symantec System Recovery” on page 23.

System requirements for Symantec System Recovery
The following table lists the system requirements for Symantec System Recovery
to function properly.

24

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Before you install Symantec System Recovery

Table 2-1

Minimum system requirements

Component

Minimum requirements

Operating system

The following Windows 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems are
supported:

RAM

■

Windows 7 (all editions)

■

Windows Vista Home Basic

■

Windows Vista Home Premium

■

Windows Vista Ultimate

■

Windows Vista Business

■

Windows Vista Enterprise

■

Windows XP Professional/Home (SP2 or later)

■

Windows XP Media Center (SP2 or later)

■

Windows Server 2003

■

Windows Small Business Server 2003

■

Windows Server 2008, including SP1

■

Windows Server 2008 R2

■

Windows Essential Business Server 2008

■

Windows Small Business Server 2008

The following list indicates the memory requirements for each
component of Symantec System Recovery:
■

Symantec System Recovery Agent: 512 MB

Symantec System Recovery user interface and Recovery Point
Browser: 512 MB
■ Symantec System Recovery Disk: 1 GB (dedicated)
■

■

Available hard disk
space

LightsOut Restore: 1 GB

The following list indicates the hard disk space requirements for
Symantec System Recovery and other items:
When you install the entire product: Up to 430 MB is required
for a full install, depending on the language of the product you
select.
■ Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0: 280 MB of hard disk space is
required for 32-bit computers, and 610 MB is required for 64-bit
computers.
■ Recovery points: Sufficient hard disk space on a local hard disk
or network server for storing recovery points.
The size of recovery points depends on the amount of data you
have backed up and the type of recovery point that is stored.
■ LightsOut Restore: 2 GB
■

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Before you install Symantec System Recovery

Table 2-1

Minimum system requirements (continued)

Component

Minimum requirements

CD-ROM or
DVD-ROM drive

The drive can be any speed, but it must be capable of being used as
the startup drive from the BIOS.
Symantec System Recovery uses Gear Software technology. To
verify that your CD writer or DVD writer is compatible, visit the
Gear Software Web site.
http://www.gearsoftware.com
You can look up information about your writer if you know the name
of the manufacturer and model number of your writer.

Software

The Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later is required to run
Symantec System Recovery.
If .NET Framework is not already installed, you are prompted to
install it after Symantec System Recovery is installed and your
computer is restarted.
If you want to be able to restore email using the Granular Restore
Option, you must have Microsoft Outlook 2003, 2007, or 2010
installed.

Virtual platforms
(for converted
recovery points)

The following virtual platforms are supported:
■

VMware Workstation 4, 5, 6, and 6.5

■

VMware ESX 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.1

■

VMware ESX 3.5i , 4.0i, and 4.1i

■

VMware Server 1

■

VMware GSX Server 3.x (replaced by VMware Server)

■

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 and later

■

Microsoft Hyper-V 1.0 and 2.0

■

Citrix XenServer 5.5

Note: Windows 2000 Server/Advanced Server, and Windows Small Business Server
2000 are not supported in Symantec System Recovery 2011. You can still use
Backup Exec System Recovery 8.5 on these versions of Windows 2000. You can
also perform backup and restore functions remotely on Windows 2000 computers
using Symantec System Recovery 2011 or Symantec System Recovery 2011
Management Solution.
See “About supported file systems and removable media ” on page 26.

25

26

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Before you install Symantec System Recovery

About supported file systems and removable media
Symantec System Recovery supports the following file systems and removable
media:
Supported file Symantec System Recovery supports the following file systems:
systems
■ FAT16, FAT16X
■

FAT32, FAT32X

■

NTFS

■

GUID partition table (GPT)

■

Dynamic disks

■

Linux Ext2, Linux Ext3

■

Linux swap partitions

Note: You must decrypt encrypted NTFS drives before you attempt to
restore them. You cannot view the files that are in a recovery point for an
encrypted NTFS drive.
Removable
media

You can save recovery points locally (that is, on the same computer where
Symantec System Recovery is installed). Or, you can save recovery points
to most Blu-ray, DVD-R(W), DVD+RW, CD-R, and CD-RW recorders. You
can find an updated list of supported drives on the Gear Software Web
site.
http://www.gearsoftware.com
Symantec System Recovery also lets you save recovery points to most
USB devices, 1394 FireWire devices, REV, Jaz, Zip drives, and
magneto-optical devices.

See “System requirements for Symantec System Recovery” on page 23.

About the availability of features in Symantec System Recovery
Symantec System Recovery is packaged to meet various markets. Some features
might not be available, depending on the product you have purchased. However,
all features are documented. You should be aware of which features are included
with the version of the product you have purchased. If a feature is not accessible
in the product user interface, it is likely not included with your version of the
product.
Refer to the Symantec Web site for information about the features that are included
with your version of Symantec System Recovery.
See “About Symantec System Recovery Basic Edition” on page 27.

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Before you install Symantec System Recovery

About Symantec System Recovery Basic Edition
The following features are not available in Symantec System Recovery Basic
Edition. If you want to use these features, upgrade to the full version of Symantec
System Recovery.
Table 2-2

Disabled features

Disabled feature

Description

Centralized manageability

Allows Symantec System Recovery Management Solution
to remotely monitor and manage installations of Symantec
System Recovery that are found on a network. It also
includes the ability to remotely back up and recover data.

Recovery point sets

Captures an initial, full backup of a drive. Additional backups
only capture the changes that were made to data on the
drive since the full backup was performed. Without this
feature, you can create only independent recovery points
(full backups) of a drive.

Copy My Hard Drive Wizard Copies all contents of one hard drive to a second hard drive.
Blu-ray/DVD/CD support

Backs up your computer directly to Blu-ray, DVD, or CD
media. Or, copy recovery points to Blu-ray, DVD, or CD
media.

LightsOut Restore

Restores a computer from a remote location, regardless of
the state of the computer, provided that its file system is
intact.

Recovery point indexing

Lets a search engine index all of the file names that are
contained in each recovery point. By indexing the file names,
you can then use your search engine to locate the files to
restore.

Google Desktop™ support

Searches for and recovers the files that are stored in
recovery points by using Google Desktop.

Backup Exec Retrieve
support

Searches for and recovers the files that are stored in
recovery points by using Backup Exec Retrieve.

File and folder backup

Limits your backup to include a selected set of files or
folders.

Offsite Copy

Copies your recovery points and stores them at one or two
locations.

You can enable these features by purchasing an upgrade license for the full version
of Symantec System Recovery.

27

28

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Before you install Symantec System Recovery

Symantec System Recovery Basic Edition may not be available in all regions. For
more information, or to purchase an upgrade license, contact your local reseller.
http://www.symantec.com/backupexec/
See “About the availability of features in Symantec System Recovery” on page 26.
See “About the trial version of Symantec System Recovery ” on page 28.

About the trial version of Symantec System Recovery
If you choose to delay installation of the license key, all features in Symantec
System Recovery remain enabled during the 60-day trial period.
However, you cannot use Symantec System Recovery Disk, a component of
Symantec System Recovery, during the trial period.
You need a valid license key to use the following key features of Symantec System
Recovery Disk:
■

Back Up My Computer wizard
See “About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 94.

■

Recover My Computer wizard, which lets you use Restore Anyware to restore
a virtual disk (.vmdk or .vhd) back to a physical computer that has different
hardware.
See “About recovering to a computer with different hardware” on page 243.

The trial period of Symantec System Recovery begins when you do any one of the
following in the software:
■

Define a drive-based or file and folder backup.

■

Recover a computer.

■

Copy a drive.

■

Consolidate incremental recovery points.

■

Run a drive-based backup or file and folder backup.

■

Define a scheduled convert to virtual disk job.

■

Run a scheduled convert to virtual disk job.

■

Define a one time convert to virtual disk job.

■

Define a drive-based or file and folder backup.

■

Recover a computer.

■

Consolidate incremental recovery points.

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Installing Symantec System Recovery

■

Run a drive-based or file and folder backup.

If you use the product in trial mode, it expires after 60 days. However, all features
are enabled until the end of the trial period, at which time you must purchase the
product or uninstall it. You can purchase a license at any time (even after the trial
period expires) without reinstalling the software.
Note: If this product came already installed from a computer manufacturer, your
trial period could be as long as 90 days. The product licensing or activation page
in the installation wizard indicates the duration of your trial period.
See “Activating Symantec System Recovery after the trial period” on page 33.

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Before you begin, you should review the system requirements for installing
Symantec System Recovery.
See “System requirements for Symantec System Recovery” on page 23.
Note: During the installation process, you might be required to restart the
computer. You should ensure proper functionality of the computer after it restarts.
To do so, log on again using the same user credentials that you used to log on
when you installed Symantec System Recovery.

Warning: The Symantec System Recovery Disk provides the tools that you need
to recover your computer. The Symantec System Recovery Disk may be included
on your product CD or on a separate CD, depending on your version of the product.
Store the CD in a safe place.
To install Symantec System Recovery

1

Log on to your computer using either the Administrator account or an account
with administrator privileges.

2

Insert the Symantec System Recovery product CD into the media drive of the
computer.
The installation program should start automatically.

29

30

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Installing Symantec System Recovery

3

If the installation program does not run, type the following command at a
command prompt:.
:\browser.exe

where  is the drive letter of your media drive.

4

In the CD browser panel, click Install Symantec System Recovery.

5

In the License Agreement panel, read the license agreement, and then click
I accept the terms in the license agreement.

6

Do one of the following:
■

In the License Agreement panel, click Install Now to begin the installation.

■

In the License Agreement panel, click Custom Install, select the options
you want installed, and then click Install Now.
Note: Deselect any of the options you do not want to install at this time.
You can install them later by modifying the Symantec System Recovery
program using the Windows Add or Remove Programs tool.
See “Custom Install options” on page 30.

7

Click Finish to complete the installation.

8

Remove the product CD from the media drive, and then click Yes to exit the
installation wizard and restart the computer.
If you click No, you cannot run Symantec System Recovery until after you
restart your computer.

See “Completing the installation of Symantec System Recovery” on page 31.

Custom Install options
The following table describes the options that are available on the Custom Setup
panel.
Table 2-3

Custom Install options

Options

Description

Backup and Recovery Service

Installs the primary service that is required
to back up or recover your computer.

Recovery Point Browser

Enables you to browse, mount, copy, verify,
and restore files and folders using recovery
points.

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Installing Symantec System Recovery

Table 2-3

Custom Install options (continued)

Options

Description

User Interface

Installs the product user interface that is
required for interacting with the Symantec
System Recovery Service.

Agent Deployment

This option appears when you expand the
User Interface option.
Allows the computer on which you have
installed Symantec System Recovery to
deploy the Symantec System Recovery Agent
to other computers. The Symantec System
Recovery Agent is required for remote
recovery management.

Granular Restore Option

This option appears when you expand the
User Interface option.
Lets you open recovery points and restore
Microsoft Exchange mailboxes, folders, and
individual messages. You can also restore
Microsoft SharePoint documents and
unstructured files and folders.

CD/DVD Support

Lets you back up directly to a CD or a DVD
and create a custom Symantec System
Recovery Disk. A CD or a DVD writer is
required to use this feature.

LiveUpdate

Keeps your Symantec software up to date
with the latest product updates.

See “Installing Symantec System Recovery” on page 29.

Completing the installation of Symantec System Recovery
After you complete Symantec System Recovery installation and restart your
computer, the Symantec System Recovery setup wizard starts automatically.
Using the setup wizard you can license or activate your product. You can then
run LiveUpdate to check for product updates, and then configure your first backup.
Note: If this product came already installed from a computer manufacturer, your
trial period could be as long as 90 days. Refer to the Activate later label on the
Product Activation panel in the setup wizard.

31

32

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Installing Symantec System Recovery

To complete the installation of Symantec System Recovery

1

In the Welcome panel, click Next.
If your computer manufacturer installed the product, the Welcome page
might appear the first time that you run Symantec System Recovery.

2

Do one of the following:
■

Click I've already purchased the product and have a license key.
Note: You can find the license key on the back of your product CD jacket.
Do not lose the license key. You must use it when you install Symantec
System Recovery.

■

Click Activate later to delay the activation of your license. After the trial
period ends, the product will no longer work.
See “About the trial version of Symantec System Recovery ” on page 28.

■

If Symantec System Recovery is a trial version and you want to purchase
a license key, click Symantec Global Store.

■

If you have a Volume Incentive Program (VIP) Activation key, enter it in
the appropriate spaces as it appears on your certificate.

3

Click Next.

4

Do any of the following:
■

Click Run LiveUpdate to check for any product updates since the product
shipped.

■

Click Launch Easy Setup to open the Easy Setup window when you
complete the install process. (This option is not available in the server
versions of Symantec System Recovery.)

■

Click Enable Google Desktop File and Folder Recovery if you want Google
Desktop to search your recovery points for the files and folders that you
want to recover.
If you select this option, Symantec System Recovery automatically catalogs
each file as it creates a recovery point. Google Desktop can then use this
catalog to search for files by name. It does not index the contents of the
files.
Note: This option is available only if Google Desktop is already installed
on your computer. If you plan to install Google Desktop, you can enable
search engine support later.

Installing Symantec System Recovery
Updating Symantec System Recovery with LiveUpdate

See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.

5

Click Finish.

See “Activating Symantec System Recovery after the trial period” on page 33.

Activating Symantec System Recovery after the trial period
If you do not activate Symantec System Recovery before the trial period ends, the
software stops working. However, you can activate the product at any time after
the trial period expires.
To activate Symantec System Recovery after the trial period

1

On the Help menu, click Enter License Key.

2

Click I've already purchased the product and have a license key.
Note: You can find the license key on the back of your product CD jacket.

3

Enter the license key in the appropriate spaces.

4

Click Next, and then click Finish.

See “About the trial version of Symantec System Recovery ” on page 28.

Updating Symantec System Recovery with LiveUpdate
You can receive software updates for your version of the product over an Internet
connection. LiveUpdate connects to the Symantec LiveUpdate server and
automatically downloads and installs updates for each Symantec product that
you own.
You run LiveUpdate as soon as you install the product. You should continue to
run LiveUpdate periodically to obtain program updates.
To update Symantec System Recovery with LiveUpdate

1

On the Help menu, click Run LiveUpdate.

2

In the LiveUpdate window, click Start to install the updates.

3

When the installation is complete, click Close.
Some program updates might require that you restart your computer before
the changes take effect.

See “Installing Symantec System Recovery” on page 29.

33

34

Installing Symantec System Recovery
About uninstalling Symantec System Recovery

About uninstalling Symantec System Recovery
When you upgrade Symantec System Recovery from a previous version of the
product, the install program automatically uninstalls the previous versions. If
required, you can manually uninstall the product.
Follow your operating system's instructions on how to uninstall software.
See “Activating Symantec System Recovery after the trial period” on page 33.

Chapter

3

Ensuring the recovery of
your computer
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About ensuring the recovery of your computer

■

About testing Symantec System Recovery Disk

■

Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk

About ensuring the recovery of your computer
If Windows fails to start or it does not run normally, you can recover your computer
by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk. The drivers that are included on
the recovery disk must match the drivers that are required to run your computer's
network cards and hard disks.
To ensure that you have the drivers required to recover your computer, you can
use the Run Driver Validation tool. The driver validation tool is available on the
Symantec System Recovery Disk. It compares hardware drivers on the Symantec
System Recovery Disk with the drivers required to run your computer's network
cards and hard disks.
You should run the driver validation test any time you make changes to the
network interface cards or storage controllers on a computer.
Note: The driver validation tool on Symantec System Recovery Disk does not
support wireless network adapter drivers.
See “About testing Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 36.
See “Testing Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 36.

36

Ensuring the recovery of your computer
About testing Symantec System Recovery Disk

About testing Symantec System Recovery Disk
You should test the Symantec System Recovery Disk to ensure that the recovery
environment runs properly on your computer.
Note: Depending on the product version you have purchased, Symantec System
Recovery Disk is either included on your product CD, or as a separate CD. You
should place the CD containing Symantec System Recovery Disk in a safe place.
Testing the Symantec System Recovery Disk lets you identify and solve the
following types of problems:
■

You cannot start Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Configuring a computer to start from a CD/DVD or a USB device”
on page 229.

■

You do not have the necessary storage drivers to access recovery points on
the computer.

■

You need information about your system to help you run Symantec System
Recovery Disk.

See “Testing Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 36.

Testing Symantec System Recovery Disk
The following table summarizes the steps for testing Symantec System Recovery
Disk.

Ensuring the recovery of your computer
Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk

Table 3-1

Testing Symantec System Recovery Disk.

Step

Action

Description

Step 1

Run driver validation Run the driver validation tool to test whether Symantec
tool
System Recovery Disk works with the network cards and
storage devices on the computer. If any drivers are not
included on the recovery disk, the Driver Validation
Results dialog box appears.
Without access to the correct drivers, a device cannot be
used while you run Symantec System Recovery Disk.
Therefore, if the recovery points are stored on a network
or a local hard drive, you might not have access to them.
You can find the drivers and copy them to a CD or a floppy
disk. You can also create a custom Symantec System
Recovery Disk.
See “Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 37.

Step 2

Step 3

Boot your computer
using Symantec
System Recovery
Disk

Boot your computer using the Symantec System Recovery
Disk.

Test the connection

Run a mock restore of a recovery point that is stored either
on a network or locally on a computer. Running a mock
restore helps you to test if you can connect to the network
or the local hard drive.

See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System
Recovery Disk” on page 228.

See “About testing Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 36.

Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk
Symantec recommends that you create a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk,
even if driver validation succeeds, and your Symantec System Recovery Disk
appears to work. You can create a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk on a
CD/DVD or on a USB device. A custom Symantec System Recovery Disk contains
your computer's current network and storage device drivers. It helps to ensure
that in an emergency you can get to the recovery points that are required to restore
your computer.
After creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk, you can use it as a source
for creating another custom Symantec System Recovery Disk.

37

38

Ensuring the recovery of your computer
Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk

Note: You must have a writeable Blu-ray/DVD/CD-RW drive to create a custom
Symantec System Recovery Disk CD/DVD.
To create a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk

1

Attach and turn on all storage devices and network devices that you want to
make available.

2

Start Symantec System Recovery.

3

Insert the Symantec System Recovery Disk CD into your media drive.

4

On the Tasks menu, click Create Custom Recovery Disk.

5

Click Next.

6

Do one of the following:
If you know the path to the source
Symantec System Recovery Disk

Type the path in the Symantec System
Recovery Disk media location field.

If you do not know the path to the source Do the following in the order listed:
Symantec System Recovery Disk
■ Click Browse.
Click SymantecSystemRecoveryDisk
ISO File to locate the path for the ISO
image file, or click Symantec System
Recovery Disk Folder to locate the
path for the disk on other media.
■ On the Open dialog box, navigate to
the location of the appropriate ISO
image file, media drive, or folder.
■ Click Open.
■

7

Click Next.

8

In the Symantec System Recovery Disk Creation panel, select the settings
for creating the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Symantec System Recovery Disk creation settings” on page 40.

9

Click Next.

Ensuring the recovery of your computer
Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk

10 Review the list of storage and network drivers to be included, and add
additional drivers or remove the drivers you do not need.
You can add 64-bit drivers to the custom Symantec System Recovery Disk.
The 64-bit drivers are used only for restoring a recovery point of a 64-bit
operating system on a computer with different hardware.
Note: Symantec System Recovery Disk does not use 64-bit drivers for starting
a computer. To start a computer that has a 64-bit operating system using
Symantec System Recovery Disk, the equivalent 32-bit drivers are required.

11 Click Next.
12 In the Startup Options panel, select the default keyboard layout, display
language, and time zone from the respective lists.

13 Click Next.
14 In the Options panel, select the optional settings for the custom Symantec
System Recovery Disk.
See “Optional settings for Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 41.

15 Click Next.
16 In the License Setup panel, specify how you want to enable licensed features
in the customized Symantec System Recovery Disk. For example, the cold
imaging feature called Back Up My Computer.

17 Click Next.
18 Review the summary of the options you have selected for creating the custom
Symantec System Recovery Disk.

19 Click Finish.
Warning: Be certain to test your new custom Symantec System Recovery Disk.
It ensures that you can use the Symantec System Recovery Disk to start your
computer and can access the drive that contains your recovery points.
See “Testing Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 36.
See “Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 37.
See “About testing Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 36.
See “About updating Symantec System Recovery Disk on USB” on page 40.

39

40

Ensuring the recovery of your computer
Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk

About updating Symantec System Recovery Disk on USB
Whenever new drivers or driver versions are added to your computers, you must
add them to the Symantec System Recovery Disk. If your Symantec System
Recovery Disk is on a CD/DVD, you need to create a new custom recovery disk to
include the new drivers. However, if your Symantec System Recovery Disk is on
a USB device, you can update it rather than creating a new one.
To update an existing Symantec System Recovery Disk on a USB device, run the
Create Custom Symantec Recovery Disk wizard. Ensure that you use the existing
Symantec System Recovery Disk on the USB device as the source as well as the
destination. During Symantec System Recovery Disk creation, the existing drivers
are retained and only the new drivers are added to the recovery disk.
Note: You can add drivers from multiple computers to a single Symantec System
Recovery Disk on a USB device.
See “Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 37.

Symantec System Recovery Disk creation settings
The following table describes the options on the Symantec System Recovery Disk
Creation panel in the Create Custom Symantec System Recovery Disk wizard.
Table 3-2

Symantec System Recovery Disk creation settings

Option

Description

Disk label

Lets you specify the name that you want to use for the
Symantec System Recovery Disk label.

Create Symantec System
Lets you save your customized Symantec System
RecoveryDiskonCD/DVDorUSB Recovery Disk to a CD/DVD or a USB device. Select
device
this option and then select the media drive in which
you have placed the CD/DVD or plugged in the USB
device.

Note: The existing data on the USB device is not
formatted during Symantec System Recovery Disk
creation.
Save a copy of the custom
Lets you save your customized Symantec System
Symantec System Recovery Disk Recovery Disk as a CD/DVD image (.iso) file. To save
(ISO file)
the Symantec System Recovery Disk as an .iso file,
select this option. Then specify the path where you
want to save the resulting file.

Ensuring the recovery of your computer
Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk

Table 3-2

Symantec System Recovery Disk creation settings (continued)

Option

Description

Skip Symantec System Recovery Lets you skip the remaining panels of the Create
Disk Customization
Custom Symantec System Recovery Disk wizard. If
you do not want to change any of the default Symantec
System Recovery Disk options, select this option.

See “Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 37.

Optional settings for Symantec System Recovery Disk
The following table describes the options on the Options panel in the Create
Custom Symantec System Recovery Disk wizard.
Table 3-3

Optional settings for Symantec System Recovery Disk

Option

Description

Automatically start network
services

Starts networking automatically when you recover the
computer through LightsOut Restore.

Dynamic IP

Connects to a network without the need for additional
network configuration. You can click this option if you
know there is a DHCP server available on the network
at the time you restore.

Static IP

Connects to a network with a particular network
adapter and specific address settings. You should click
this option if you know there is no DHCP server (or the
DHCP server is unavailable) when you recover.

Automatically start Symantec
pcAnywhere

Starts the Symantec pcAnywhere thin host
automatically when you start Symantec System
Recovery Disk.

Configure

Lets you configure log on credentials and other
optional parameters for pcAnywhere.
See “Options for configuring pcAnywhere” on page 42.

Use Windows firewall settings

Saves the current Windows firewall settings to the
Symantec System Recovery Disk.

See “Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 37.

41

42

Ensuring the recovery of your computer
Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk

Options for configuring pcAnywhere
The following table describes the options on the Configure Symantec pcAnywhere
panel. This panel is available from the Options panel in the Create Custom
Symantec System Recovery Disk wizard.
Table 3-4

Options for configuring pcAnywhere

Option

Description

User name

Lets you type the user name for authenticating to
pcAnywhere.

Password

Lets you type the password for authenticating to
pcAnywhere.

Confirm password

Lets you retype the password for authenticating to
pcAnywhere.

Host name

Lets you type the name that you want to use for the host.
You can leave this box blank to configure the host name to
be the same as the computer name.

Encryption level

Lets you encrypt the data stream between the host and
remote computer.

Encryption level-None

Lets you specify that no encryption of the data stream occurs
between the host and the remote computer.

Encrytion
level-pcAnywhere

Lets you scramble the data using a mathematical algorithm
so that a third party cannot easily interpret it.
This option is available on any operating system that
pcAnywhere supports.

Encryption
level-Symmetric

Lets you encode and decode data using a cryptographic key.
This option is available on any Windows operating system
that supports the Microsoft CryptoAPI.

See “Optional settings for Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 41.
See “Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 37.

Chapter

4

Getting Started
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

How to use Symantec System Recovery

■

Starting Symantec System Recovery

■

Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

■

Setting up your first backup using Easy Setup

■

Hiding or showing the Advanced page

How to use Symantec System Recovery
Symantec System Recovery helps you in backing up your files, folders, or entire
drives. To back up your data, you need to define a backup. A backup specifies what
data to back up, when to back it up, and where to put the backed up data.
Using Symantec System Recovery includes the following key tasks:
■

Defining a backup

■

Running a backup

■

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives

Refer to the following figure to understand the relationship of these tasks.

44

Getting Started
How to use Symantec System Recovery

Figure 4-1

Using Symantec System Recovery

See “Starting Symantec System Recovery” on page 45.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Getting Started
Starting Symantec System Recovery

Starting Symantec System Recovery
Symantec System Recovery is installed in the Windows program files folder by
default. During installation, a program icon is installed in the Windows system
tray from which you can open Symantec System Recovery. You can also open
Symantec System Recovery from the Windows Start menu.
To start Symantec System Recovery
◆

Depending on the Windows version you are running, use one of the following
methods:
■

On the classic Windows taskbar, click Start > Programs > Symantec
System Recovery.

■

On the Windows taskbar, click Start > All Programs > Symantec System
Recovery.

■

In the Windows system tray, double-click the Symantec System Recovery
tray icon.

■

In the Windows system tray, right-click the Symantec System Recovery
tray icon, and then click Open Symantec System Recovery.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Configuring Symantec System Recovery default
options
The Options dialog box includes several views that let you configure Symantec
System Recovery default options.
To configure Symantec System Recovery default options

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Select an option you want to edit, make any necessary changes, and then click
OK.

See “Setting up general backup options” on page 46.
See “Adjusting the effect of a backup on computer performance” on page 48.
See “Enabling network throttling” on page 49.
See “Adjusting default tray icon settings” on page 49.
See “Adding new file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Renaming file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Restoring default file types and extensions” on page 52.

45

46

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

See “Deleting a file type and all of its extensions” on page 53.
See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.
See “Removing or changing the unique name for an external drive” on page 54.
See “Configuring default FTP settings for use with Offsite Copy” on page 54.
See “Logging Symantec System Recovery messages” on page 56.
See “Enabling email notifications for product (event) messages” on page 58.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP traps” on page 155.

Setting up general backup options
You can specify the default destination for storing recovery points and file and
folder backup data that is created when you run a backup. This default location
is used if you do not specify a different location when you define a new backup.
You can also choose to prepend your computer's name to backup data file names
and save each backup file to a new subfolder.
To set up general backup options

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Click General.

3

Set the appropriate options for your backups.
See “General options” on page 46.

4

Click OK.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

General options
The following table describes the options on the General page. The options you
configure here are used as default backup options.

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

Table 4-1

General options

Option

Description

Prepend computer name to backup
data file names

Adds the computer name to the beginning of each
backup data file name.
This option is useful if you back up more than
one computer to the same drive. For example,
you might back up a laptop and a desktop
computer to the same USB or network drive. By
prepending the computer name to each backup
data file name, you can more easily identify
which backup data files belong to which
computer.

Save backup files to a unique subfolder Creates a new subfolder that serves as your
backup destination.

Note: The new subfolder is given the same name
as your computer. For example, if your computer
name is "My_Laptop", the new subfolder is named
\My_Laptop.
Default backup destination

Lets you specify a path to the folder where you
want to store recovery points and file and folder
backup data. If you do not know the path, you
can browse to the location.
If you entered the path to a location on a network,
enter the user name and password that are
required for authentication.

Note: You cannot use an encrypted folder as your
backup destination. However, you can encrypt
your backup data to prevent other users from
accessing it. To encrypt your backup data, refer
to the Advanced options when you define or edit
a backup.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Editing advanced backup options”
on page 88.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

47

48

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

Adjusting the effect of a backup on computer performance
If a backup is running on your computer, your computer's performance might
slow down. The slow down in the computer's performance might be more
prominent if it is the one creating an independent recovery point. The performance
slows down because Symantec System Recovery uses your computer's hard disk
and memory resources to perform the backup.
You can change the speed of the backup to minimize the effect of Symantec System
Recovery on your computer while you work.
Note: During a backup or recovery, you have the option of overriding this default
setting to fit your needs at that moment.
To adjust the effect of a backup on computer performance

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Click Performance.

3

Do one of the following:

4

■

To improve your computer's performance during backup jobs, move the
slider bar closer to Slow.

■

To enable backup jobs to run more quickly, move the slider bar closer to
Fast.

Click OK.

See “Adjusting the speed of a backup” on page 120.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

About enabling network throttling
You can limit the effect of a backup on network performance by enabling network
throttling.
Many variables affect the network performance. Consider the following points
before you use this feature:
Network
cards

Is your network wired or wireless? What are the speeds of your network
cards?

Network
backbone

What is the size of your network pipeline? Does it support 10-MB transfer
rates, or 1-GB transfer rates?

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

Network
server

How robust is your server hardware? How fast is its processor? How much
RAM does it have? Is it fast or slow?

Backing up

How many computers are scheduled to back up at the same time?

Network
traffic

Are backups scheduled to run when network traffic is heavy or light?

See “Enabling network throttling” on page 49.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Enabling network throttling
Consider using this feature only when you know what your network can handle.
If you schedule your backups at staggered intervals and when network traffic is
low, you may not need to use this feature. Avoid backing up multiple computers
at the same time and to the same network destination.
Gather the required information about your network's performance and then
schedule backups accordingly. Enable this feature and set the Maximum network
throttling to a setting that matches the circumstances.
To enable network throttling

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Click Performance.

3

Select Enable network throttling.

4

In the Maximum network throttling field, enter the maximum amount (in
KB) of network throughput.

5

Click OK.

See “About enabling network throttling” on page 48.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Adjusting default tray icon settings
You can turn on the system tray icon or turn it off as required. You can choose to
show only error messages, or to show both error messages and other information,
such as the completion of a backup.

49

50

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

To adjust default tray icon settings

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Click Tray Icon, and then select the options you want to use for the tray icon.
See “Tray Icon options” on page 50.

3

Click OK.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Tray Icon options
The following table describes the options that you can select to adjust the default
tray icon settings.
Table 4-2

Tray Icon options

Options

Description

Show system tray icon Displays the Symantec System Recovery icon in the system tray.
You must select this option to enable or disable any of the
remaining options.
Show missed backups Notifies you when a backup was scheduled but did not run.
For example, it notifies you when your computer was turned off
at the time a backup was scheduled to run.
Show system tray
questions

Offers you helpful prompts in the form of questions that can help
you keep your data backed up.

Show status messages Displays the messages about the status of backup operations. For
example, a backup has started, or your backup destination is about
to get full.
Show error messages

Displays the error messages when errors occur so that you can
resolve any issues that might hinder data protection.

See “Adjusting default tray icon settings” on page 49.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

About managing file types and file extensions
When you define file and folder backups, file types are a quick way to include the
files that you use the most. For example, if you keep music files on your computer,
you can configure a backup to include all music files. For example, .mp3, .wav.

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

The most common file types and extensions are already defined for you. But you
can define additional file type categories as needed, and then edit them at any
time. For example, if you install a new program that requires the use of two new
file extensions (for example, .pft and .ptp,). You can define a new file type and
define the two file extensions for that category. Then when you define a backup,
you can select the new category. When the backup runs, all files that end with
.pft and .ptp are backed up.
See “Adding new file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Renaming file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Restoring default file types and extensions” on page 52.
See “Deleting a file type and all of its extensions” on page 53.

Adding new file types and extensions
The most common file types and extensions are already defined for you. However,
you can add additional file type categories as needed.
To add a new file type and extensions

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Click File Types.

3

At the bottom of the File types list, click Add a file type (+).

4

Type a descriptive name of the new file type category, and then press Enter.

5

At the bottom of the Extensions for list, click Add an extension (+).

6

Type an asterisk (*) and a period, followed by the extension of the file type
you want to define, and then press Enter.

7

Click OK.

See “Renaming file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Restoring default file types and extensions” on page 52.
See “Deleting a file type and all of its extensions” on page 53.
See “About managing file types and file extensions” on page 50.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Renaming file types and extensions
You can rename existing file types and extensions as needed.

51

52

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

To rename a file type and extensions

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Click File Types.

3

Select a file type from the File types list, and then do one of the following:

4

■

Click Rename a file type to edit the name of the selected file type.

■

Select an extension from the Extensions for list and click Rename an
extension to edit the name of the extension.

Click OK.

See “Adding new file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Restoring default file types and extensions” on page 52.
See “Deleting a file type and all of its extensions” on page 53.
See “About managing file types and file extensions” on page 50.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Restoring default file types and extensions
You can restore default file types and extensions as needed.
To restore default file types and extensions

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Click File Types.

3

Select a file type from the File types list.

4

Click either Restore default file types list or Restore default extensions list
to restore all default file types or extensions.
Caution: Any file types and extensions you have set up are removed. You must
add them again manually.

5

Click OK.

See “Adding new file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Renaming file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Deleting a file type and all of its extensions” on page 53.
See “About managing file types and file extensions” on page 50.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

Deleting a file type and all of its extensions
You can delete a file type and all its extensions as needed.
To delete a file type and all of its extensions

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Click File Types.

3

Select a file type from the File types list, and then do one of the following:
■

Click the Remove a file type to delete a file type and all its extensions.

■

Select an extension from the Extensions for list and click Remove an
extension to edit the name of the extension.

Note: You cannot delete a default file type. You can delete all but one extension
of a default file type, and you can add additional extensions to a default file
type.

4

Click OK.

See “Adding new file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Renaming file types and extensions” on page 51.
See “Restoring default file types and extensions” on page 52.
See “About managing file types and file extensions” on page 50.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

About using unique names for external drives
Symantec System Recovery lets you assign unique names to external drives when
you use them as a backup destination or an Offsite Copy destination. Assigning
unique names helps you to manage these destinations and avoid confusion if you
use more than one drive. It is especially helpful when the assigned drive letter
changes each time you plug in the drive.
Note: Using a unique name does not change the drive label. The unique name is
used only when you access a drive from within Symantec System Recovery.
For example, you might swap out two different external drives that are used as
Offsite Copy destinations during any given week. It would be difficult to identify
which drive your use at any given time based on the drive labels. It becomes more
confusing if the previously assigned drive letter has changed.

53

54

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

However, you can associate unique names with each drive when you use them
with Symantec System Recovery. The unique name that is associated with a drive
is displayed in various locations in Symantec System Recovery.
Note: Placing physical labels on each external drive to help you manage the task
of swapping the drives is also a good idea.
For example, if you assigned the unique name, "Cathy Read" to one drive, and
"Thomas Read" to a second drive. Their unique names appear in Symantec System
Recovery whenever the drives are plugged in to your computer.
See “About Offsite Copy” on page 100.
To make it even easier, the Options dialog box lets you see all of your drive unique
names in one view. From this view, you can remove or edit existing names.
See “Removing or changing the unique name for an external drive” on page 54.

Removing or changing the unique name for an external drive
You can remove or change the unique name for the drive as needed.
Note: Symantec System Recovery lets you assign a unique name when you plug
in an external drive in to your computer for the first time.
To remove or change unique name for an external drive

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Under Destinations, click External Drives.

3

Select an external drive from the list and then do one of the following:

4

■

Click Remove to delete the unique name that is associated with the
external drive.

■

Click Rename to edit the unique name.

Click OK.

See “About using unique names for external drives” on page 53.

Configuring default FTP settings for use with Offsite Copy
File transfer protocol , or FTP, is the simplest and most secure way to copy files
over the Internet. Symantec System Recovery serves as an FTP client to copy your
recovery points to a remote FTP server. You can copy your recovery points to an
FTP server as a secondary backup of your critical data.

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

The Options dialog box lets you configure FTP settings to help ensure that your
recovery points are copied to your FTP server.
To configure default FTP settings for use with Offsite Copy

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Under Destinations, click Configure FTP.

3

Select the appropriate options.
See “FTP configuration options” on page 55.

4

Click OK.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

FTP configuration options
The following table describes the options that you can select to configure the
default FTP settings for use with Offsite Copy.
Table 4-3

FTP configuration options

Option

Description

Connection mode: Passive
(Recommended)

Helps prevent conflicts with security systems. This mode
is necessary for some firewalls and routers. When you use
passive mode, the FTP client opens the connection to an IP
address and port that the FTP server supplies.

Connection mode: Active

Enables a server to open a connection to an IP address and
port that the FTP client supplies. Use active mode when
connections or transfer attempts fail in passive mode, or
when you receive data socket errors.

Limit connection attempts to Indicates the number of times Symantec System Recovery
tries to connect to an FTP server before it gives up.
Symantec System Recovery can attempt a maximum of 100
times.
Stop trying to connect after

Indicates the number of seconds Symantec System Recovery
tries to connect to an FTP server before it gives up. You can
specify up to 600 seconds (10 minutes).

Default port

Indicates the port of the FTP server that listens for a
connection.
You should consult the FTP server administrator to be sure
that the port you specify is configured to receive incoming
data.

55

56

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

See “Configuring default FTP settings for use with Offsite Copy” on page 54.

Logging Symantec System Recovery messages
You can specify which product messages (errors, warnings, and information) are
logged as they occur, and where the log file is stored. Product messages can provide
useful information about the status of backups or related events. They can also
provide helpful information when you need to troubleshoot.
Two logging methods are available: Symantec System Recovery logging and the
Windows application log.
To log Symantec System Recovery messages

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Under Notifications, click Log File.

3

Select the appropriate log file options.
See “Log File options” on page 56.

4

Click OK.

To configure which product events are written to a Windows event log

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Under Notifications, click Event Log.

3

Select the appropriate event log options.
See “Event log options” on page 57.

4

Click OK.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Log File options
The following table describes the options to log Symantec System Recovery
messages.

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

Table 4-4

Log File options

Option

Description

Select the priority and type of
messages

Lets you select the priority level at which messages
should be logged. You can choose to log all or no
messages regardless of priority levels.
Select one of the following options:
■

All messages

■

Medium and high priority messages

■

High priority messages

■

No messages

Errors

Logs the error messages as they occur.

Warnings

Logs the warning messages as they occur.

Information

Logs the information messages as they occur.

Log file location

Lets you specify a path where you want to create and
store the log file.
If you do not know the path, you can browse to the
location.

Maximum file size

Lets you specify the maximum size (in kilobytes) that
the log file is allowed to grow.
The file is kept within the limit you set by replacing the
oldest logged items in the file with new items as they
occur.

See “Logging Symantec System Recovery messages” on page 56.

Event log options
The following table describes the options to configure which product events are
written to a Windows event log.

57

58

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

Table 4-5

Event log options

Option

Description

Select the priority and type of
messages

Lets you select the priority level at which messages
should be logged. You can choose to log all or no
messages regardless of priority levels.
Select one of the following options:
■

All messages

■

Medium and high priority messages

■

High priority messages

■

No messages

Errors

Logs the error messages as they occur.

Warning

Logs the warning messages as they occur.

Information

Logs the information messages as they occur.

See “Logging Symantec System Recovery messages” on page 56.

Enabling email notifications for product (event) messages
Email notifications can be sent to a specified email address if there are any errors
or warnings that occurred when a backup is run.
Note: If you do not have an SMTP server, this feature is unavailable to you.
Notifications can also be sent to the system event log and a custom log file. The
custom log file is located in the Agent folder of the product installation.
If notifications are not delivered, check the setup of your SMTP server to ensure
that it functions properly.
To enable email notifications for product (event) messages

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Under Notifications, click SMTP Email.

3

Select the appropriate options.
See “SMTP Email options” on page 59.

4

Click OK.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Getting Started
Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options

SMTP Email options
The following table describes the options to enable email notifications for product
(event) messages.
Table 4-6

SMTP Email options

Option

Description

Select the priority and type of
messages

Lets you select the priority level at which messages
should be logged. You can choose to log all or no
messages regardless of priority levels.
Select one of the following options:
■

All messages

■

Medium and high priority messages

■

High priority messages

■

No messages

Errors

Logs the error messages as they occur.

Warnings

Logs the warning messages as they occur.

Information

Logs the information messages as they occur.

To address
(admin@domain.com)

Lets you specify the email address (for example,
admin@domain.com) where notifications are to be sent.

From address

Lets you specify the email address of the sender.
The From address is not mandatory. If you do not specify
a From address, the name of the product is used.

SMTP server
(smtp.domain.com)

Lets you specify the path to the SMTP server that sends
the email notification (for example,
smtpserver.domain.com).

SMTP Authentication

Lets you specify the method to authenticate to the
specified SMTP server.

User name

Lets you specify the SMTP user name.

Password

Lets you specify the SMTP password.

Note: If you are not sure what your SMTP user name and password are, contact
a system administrator.
See “Enabling email notifications for product (event) messages” on page 58.

59

60

Getting Started
Setting up your first backup using Easy Setup

Setting up your first backup using Easy Setup
If you had selected the Launch Easy Setup check box during the setup wizard,
the Easy Setup window appears the first time you open the Run or Manage
Backups window.
Note: The Easy Setup window is not available in server versions of Symantec
System Recovery.
To set up your first backup using Easy Setup

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

In the Easy Setup window, either accept the default drive and file and folder
backup settings, or click any of the settings to edit them.

3

Click OK.

4

In the First Backup window, do one of the following:

5

■

Select Run first backup according to schedule to run the backup as per
the schedule that you specified.

■

Select Run backup now to run the backup immediately.

Click OK.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

Hiding or showing the Advanced page
The Advanced page offers experienced Symantec System Recovery users a single
view of the most common product features. If you have a good understanding of
Symantec System Recovery, you might prefer to perform most tasks from the
Advanced view.
Note: When you refer to the documentation while you use the Advanced page,
the first one or two steps do not apply. The first one or two steps merely indicate
where to access each feature from the other pages of the user interface. From that
point on, follow the remaining steps of each procedure.
The Advanced page can be hidden from view if you do not plan to use it.

Getting Started
Hiding or showing the Advanced page

To hide or show the Advanced page

1

Start Symantec System Recovery.

2

On the View menu, click Advanced to hide or show the Advanced page.

See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery default options” on page 45.

61

62

Getting Started
Hiding or showing the Advanced page

Chapter

5

Best practices for backing
up your data
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About backing up your data

■

About choosing a backup type

■

What to do before you back up

■

What to do during a backup

■

What to do when a backup is finished

■

Tips for running defined backups

■

Viewing the properties of a backup job

■

About selecting a backup destination

■

About backing up dual-boot computers

About backing up your data
To back up your computer or your individual files and folders, you do the following:
■

Define a backup.

■

Run the backup.
See “How to use Symantec System Recovery” on page 43.

When you define a backup, you decide on the following:
■

What to back up (files and folders, or an entire drive).

■

Where to store the backup data (backup destination).

64

Best practices for backing up your data
About choosing a backup type

■

Whether or not to use Offsite Copy to copy backup data to remote locations.

■

When to run the backup (automatically or manually).

■

What compression levels to specify for recovery points, and whether to enable
security settings (encryption and password protection).

■

Which of the many other options you want to use. You can customize each
backup according to your backup needs.

See “About choosing a backup type” on page 64.
See “About selecting a backup destination” on page 69.
See “About backing up dual-boot computers” on page 71.

About choosing a backup type
You can use the following guidelines to determine which type of backup to choose:
Drive-based backup

Use this backup type to do the following:
Back up and recover your computer's system drive.
Typically, it is the C drive, which includes your operating
system).
■ Back up and recover a specific hard drive. For example,
a secondary drive other than the system drive that
includes your operating system.
■ Recover lost or damaged files or folders from a specific
point in time.
■

File and folder backup

Use this backup type to do the following:
Back up and recover specific files and folders. For
example, your personal files that are stored in the My
Documents folder.
■ Back up and recover files of a specific type. For example,
music (.mp3 or .wav) or photographs (.jpg or .bmp).
■ Recover a specific version of a file from a specific point
in time.
■

See “About selecting a backup destination” on page 69.
See “About backing up your data” on page 63.

What to do before you back up
Consider these best practices before you define and run your first backup:

Best practices for backing up your data
What to do before you back up

Schedule backups at a time when
you know your computer is on.

Your computer must be turned on and Windows must
be running at the time a backup occurs. If not, any
scheduled backups are skipped until the computer is
turned on again. You then are prompted to run the
missed backup.
See “About choosing a backup type” on page 64.

Use a secondary hard disk as your You should store recovery points on a hard disk other
backup destination.
than your primary hard disk (C). It helps ensure that
you can recover your system in the event that your
primary hard disk fails.
See “Setting up general backup options” on page 46.
Consider using external drives as
your backup destination.

Using an external drive makes your backup data more
portable. Should you need to remove your critical data
from a particular location, you can quickly grab an
external drive on your way out the door.
See “About Offsite Copy” on page 100.

Give unique names to your external You can assign a unique name to each external drive.
drives to help you easily identify
A unique name helps you to keep a track of where
them.
your backup data is stored for each computer you back
up. It is more useful in situations when the drive
letters change each time you unplug and plug an
external drive into your computer. A unique name
ensures that you always know which drive is used
when you are running Symantec System Recovery.
Using a unique name does not change the volume
label of a drive. A unique name helps you to identify
the drive when you use Symantec System Recovery.
Once a unique name is assigned, it stays with the
drive. If you plug the drive into a second computer
running another copy of Symantec System Recovery,
the unique name appears.

Note: You might also consider placing a sticky label
on each drive that matches the unique name that you
have assigned.
See “About using unique names for external drives”
on page 53.

65

66

Best practices for backing up your data
What to do during a backup

Use Offsite Copy

Use Offsite Copy to copy your latest recovery points
to either a portable storage device or a remote server.
By copying recovery points to a portable hard disk,
you can then take a copy of your data with you when
you leave the office.
See “About Offsite Copy” on page 100.

Run backups frequently on a
regular basis.

When you define your backups, schedule them to run
frequently so that you have recovery points that span
at least the last two months.
See “Editing a backup schedule” on page 126.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

Keep personal data on a separate
drive than the drive on which
Windows and your software
programs are installed.

You should keep your operating system and software
programs separate from your own data. It speeds the
creation of recovery points and reduces the amount
of information that needs to be restored. For example,
use the C drive to run Windows and to install and run
software programs. Use the D drive to create, edit,
and store personal files and folders.
For other drive management solutions, go to the
Symantec Web site at the following URL:
www.symantec.com/

Verify the recovery point after you While defining a backup, select the option to verify
create it to ensure that it is stable. that the recovery point is stable and can be used to
recover lost data.
See “About choosing a backup type” on page 64.

See “What to do during a backup” on page 66.
See “What to do when a backup is finished ” on page 67.

What to do during a backup
When a backup starts to run on your computer, you might notice that the
performance of your computer slows down. Symantec System Recovery requires
significant system resources to run a backup. If slowing occurs, you can reduce
the speed of the backup to improve computer performance until you are finished
working.
See “Adjusting the speed of a backup” on page 120.
See “What to do before you back up” on page 64.

Best practices for backing up your data
What to do when a backup is finished

See “What to do when a backup is finished ” on page 67.

What to do when a backup is finished
After a backup finishes, consider the following best practices:
Review the contents of recovery
points and file and folder backup
data.

Periodically review the contents of your recovery
points to ensure that you back up only your essential
data.
See “About opening files and folders stored in a
recovery point” on page 213.
See “To open files within a recovery point” on page 165.

Review the Status page to verify
Periodically review the Status page. You can also
that backups have happened and review the events log on the Advanced page.
to identify any potential problems.
The event log records events when they occur,
backups, and any errors that might have occurred
during or after a backup.

Note: Backup status and other messages are also
conveyed in the system tray. So you do not need to
start the product to identify the status of your
backups.
See “Verifying that a backup is successful” on page 121.
See “To hide or show the Advanced page” on page 61.
Manage storage space by
eliminating old backup data.

Delete outdated recovery points to make more hard
disk space available.
Also, reduce the number of file versions that are
created when you back up your files and folders.
See “About managing file and folder backup data”
on page 202.

Review the level of protection that Check the Status page on a regular basis to ensure
is provided for each of your
that each drive has a defined backup.
computer's drives.
Maintain backup copies of your
recovery points.

Store backup copies of your recovery points in a safe
place. For example you can store them elsewhere on
a network, or you can store them on CDs, DVDs, or
tapes for long-term, off-site storage.
See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.

67

68

Best practices for backing up your data
Tips for running defined backups

See “What to do before you back up” on page 64.
See “What to do during a backup” on page 66.

Tips for running defined backups
Consider the following tips when you run a defined backup:
■

Symantec System Recovery does not need to be running for a scheduled backup
to start. After you define a backup, you can close Symantec System Recovery.

■

The computer that is backed up must be turned on and Windows must be
started.
See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.

■

All defined backups are saved automatically so that you can edit them or run
them later.
See “Running an existing backup job immediately” on page 117.
See “Running a backup with options” on page 118.
See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

■

Do not run a disk defragmentation program during a backup. Doing so
significantly increases the time that it takes to create the recovery point and
might cause unexpected system resource issues.

■

If you have two or more drives that are dependent on each other, you should
include both drives in the same backup. Including both the drives in the same
backup provides the safest protection.

■

Include multiple drives in the same defined backup to reduce the total number
of backups that must be run. Doing so minimizes interruptions while you work.

■

Use the Progress and Performance feature to reduce the effect of a backup on
your computer's performance. For example, say a scheduled backup starts
while you are in the middle of a presentation. You can slow down the backup
to give more processing resources back to your presentation program.
See “Adjusting the speed of a backup” on page 120.

■

The power management features on a computer can conflict with Symantec
System Recovery during a backup.
For example, your computer might be configured to go into hibernation mode
after a period of inactivity. You should consider turning off the power
management features during a scheduled backup.

■

If a backup is interrupted, consider running it again.

■

If you experience problems while creating a backup, you may need to restart
the computer.

Best practices for backing up your data
Viewing the properties of a backup job

See “What to do before you back up” on page 64.
See “What to do during a backup” on page 66.
See “What to do when a backup is finished ” on page 67.

Viewing the properties of a backup job
You can review the settings and configuration of a defined backup without opening
the backup job.
To view the properties of a backup job

1

On the Home page, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

In the Run or Manage Backups window, select a backup job and then click
Tasks > Properties.

See “Running an existing backup job immediately” on page 117.
See “Running a backup with options” on page 118.
See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

About selecting a backup destination
You should review the following information before you decide where to store
recovery points and file and folder backup data.
Note: If you choose to use CDs or DVDs as your backup destination (not
recommended), you cannot back up to a subfolder on the disk. Backup data must
be created at the root of CDs and DVDs.
The following table contains the information that you need to consider when
selecting a backup destination.

69

70

Best practices for backing up your data
About selecting a backup destination

Table 5-1

Selecting a backup destination

Backup destination

Information to consider

Local hard drive, USB drive, The benefits of this option are as follows:
or FireWire drive
■ Provides for fast backup and recovery.
(recommended)
■ Lets you schedule unattended backups.
Reduces cost because drive space can be overwritten
repeatedly.
■ Allows for off-site storage.
■

■

Reserves hard drive space for other uses.

Although you can save the recovery point to the same drive
that is backed up, it is not recommended for the following
reasons:
As the number or size of recovery points grows it
consumes more disk space. As a result you have less disk
space for regular use.
■ The recovery point is included in subsequent recovery
points of the drive, which increases the size of those
recovery points.
■ If the computer suffers a catastrophic failure, you may
not be able to recover the recovery point. You may not
be able to recover the recovery point even if you save it
to a different drive on the same hard disk.
■

Network folder

If your computer is connected to a network, you can save
your recovery points and file and folder backup data to a
network folder.
Backing up to a network folder typically requires that you
authenticate to the computer that hosts the folder. If the
computer is part of a network domain, you must provide
the domain name, user name, and password. For example,
domain\username.
If you connect to a computer in a workgroup, you should
provide the remote computer name and user name. For
example: remote_computer_name\username.

Best practices for backing up your data
About backing up dual-boot computers

Table 5-1

Selecting a backup destination (continued)

Backup destination

Information to consider

CD-RW/DVD-RW

When you save backup data to removable media, the data
is automatically split into the correct sizes if the backup
spans more than one media.
If more than one drive is backed up, the recovery points for
each drive are stored independently on the media. The
recovery points are stored independently on the media even
if there is space to store them on same media.
The scheduling of backups is not available when this option
is used.

Note: Using CD-RW or DVD-RW as your recovery point
storage location is not the best option. You might be required
to swap disks during the process.

See “About choosing a backup type” on page 64.
See “Running an existing backup job immediately” on page 117.
See “Running a backup with options” on page 118.

About backing up dual-boot computers
You can back up dual-boot computers, even if you have hidden drives (partitions)
in the operating system from which you run Symantec System Recovery.
When you run a drive backup, the entire contents of each drive is captured in a
recovery point. When you restore a drive, the recovered drive can be used to start
up your computer.
Consider the following points when backing up dual-boot computers:
■

To boot your computer from a restored system, you must back up, and then
restore every drive that includes operating system boot information.

■

Do not create incremental backups of shared data drives if both the following
conditions are true:
■

Symantec System Recovery is installed on both operating systems.

■

Both the operating systems are set to manage the shared drive.

You might encounter issues if you try to use the Symantec System Recovery
LightsOut Restore feature on dual-boot systems. It is not supported.
The same is true for the Symantec System Recovery Restore Anyware feature.

71

72

Best practices for backing up your data
About backing up dual-boot computers

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “About backing up your data” on page 63.

Chapter

6

Backing up entire drives
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About defining a drive-based backup

■

Defining a drive-based backup

■

Compression levels for recovery points

■

Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery

■

About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk

■

About Offsite Copy

■

How Offsite Copy works

About defining a drive-based backup
A drive-based backup takes a snapshot of your entire hard drive, capturing every
bit of information that is stored on it for later retrieval. All of your files, folders,
desktop settings, programs, and your operating system are captured into a recovery
point. You can then use that recovery point to restore individual files or folders,
or your entire computer.
For optimum protection, you should define a drive-based backup and run it on a
regular basis.
By default, scheduled independent recovery point file names and recovery point
set file names are appended with 001.v2i, 002.v2i, and so forth. Incremental
recovery point file names within a set are appended with _i001.iv2i, _i002.iv2i,
and so forth. For example, if your base recovery point is called CathyReadF001.v2i,
the first incremental recovery point is called CathyReadF001_i001.iv2i.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

74

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

See “About backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Defining a drive-based backup
Define a drive-based backup to take a snapshot of your entire hard drive.
See “About defining a drive-based backup” on page 73.
See “About backing up files and folders” on page 107.
To define a drive-based backup

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

In the Run or Manage Backups window, click Define New.
If you have not yet defined a backup, the Easy Setup dialog box appears
instead.

3

Click Back up my computer, and then click Next.

4

In the Drives panel, select one or more drives to back up, and then click Next.
See “Drives options” on page 75.

5

If the Related Drives panel appears, set the appropriate option, and then
click Next. Otherwise, skip to the next step.
See “Related drives options” on page 75.

6

On the Recovery point type panel, select the recovery point type that you
want the backup to create, and then click Next.
See “Recovery point type options” on page 76.

7

On the Backup Destination panel, select the appropriate options.
See “Backup destination options” on page 77.
You cannot use an encrypted folder as your backup destination. You can
choose to encrypt your backup data to prevent another user from accessing
it.

8

(Optional) If you want to make copies of your recovery points to store at a
remote location for added backup protection, click Add, select the appropriate
options, and then click OK.
See “Offsite Copy Settings options” on page 78.

9

Click Next.

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

10 On the Options panel, set the recovery point options you want, and then click
Next.
See “Recovery point options” on page 79.
See “Advanced options for drive-based backups” on page 86.
See “Command files options” on page 84.

11 On the Backup Time panel, select the appropriate options to specify the time
and frequency of the backup, and then click Next.
Note: Ensure that the time for running a base backup and an incremental
backup is not the same.
See “Backup time options” on page 91.

12 (Optional) If you want to run the new backup immediately, click Run backup
now.
This option is not available if you configured an independent recovery point
with the option to run it only once.

13 Review the options you have selected, then click Finish.
See “About backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Drives options
The following table describes the options on the Drives panel. This panel is
available in the Define Backup wizard.
Table 6-1

Drives options

Option

Description

Show Hidden Drives

Lets you see any hidden drives on your hard
disk. The drives are displayed in the drive
selection table.

Drive selection table

Lets you select one or more drives to include
in the backup.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

Related drives options
The following table describes the options on the Related Drives panel.

75

76

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-2

Related drives options

Option

Description

Add all related drives (recommended)

Lets you select and include all related drives
in the backup definition.

Edit the list of selected drives

Lets you select or deselect related drives that
you want or do not want to include in the
backup definition.

Do not add related drives

Lets you deselect (not include) all related
drives in the backup definition.

The Related Drives wizard panel appears only if you initially selected a drive with
applications configured to use one or more of the drives that are listed in this
panel.
Such applications include the following:
■

Windows Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V

■

Domain controllers

■

Boot configuration databases (as found in Windows Vista and Windows 7) that
are on a separate drive from where the operating system is installed.

If you want to back up an attached Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHD), you must
create a separate backup job for the host drive and for the attached VHD. For
example, if the VHD host is on the C: drive and the attached VHD is the D: drive,
you must create a backup job for C: and a backup job for D:. Also, you cannot back
up an attached VHD that is nested within another attached VHD.
See “About backing up Microsoft virtual hard disks” on page 291.
If you use Microsoft's BitLocker Drive Encryption to encrypt the data on a data
drive (any drive that does not have the operating system installed on it), be aware
that Symantec System Recovery does not work with locked data drives. Instead,
you must unlock the bitlocked drive before you can back it up.
Generally, you should accept the preselected option Add all related drives
(recommended). If you deselect certain related drives, you may experience an
incomplete recovery or an unsuccessful recovery.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

Recovery point type options
The following table describes the options on the Recovery Point Type panel.

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-3

Recovery point type options

Option

Description

Recovery point set (recommended)

Schedules a base recovery point with
additional recovery points that contain only
incremental changes that were made to your
computer since the previous recovery point.
Incremental recovery points are created
faster than the base recovery point. They
also use less storage space than an
independent recovery point.

Note: You can only have one recovery point
set defined for each drive. The Recovery
point set option is not available if you have
already assigned a selected drive to an
existing backup and specified Recovery
point set as the recovery point type. This
option also is unavailable if you select an
unmounted drive that cannot be part of a
recovery point set.
Independent recovery point

Creates a complete, independent copy of the
drives that you select. This backup type
typically requires more storage space,
especially if you run the backup multiple
times.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

Backup destination options
The following table describes the options on the Backup Destination panel.
Table 6-4

Backup destination options

Option

Description

Folder

Indicates the location where you want to
store the recovery points.
If Symantec System Recovery detects that
this location does not have enough available
space, it alerts you. You should choose
another location that has more space.

77

78

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-4

Backup destination options (continued)

Option

Description

Browse

Lets you browse to locate a backup
destination that you want to use.

Destination Details

Displays the type of destination path. If you
add a network path it also displays the user
name.

Edit

Lets you enter the user name and password
for access to the network that is specified in
the Folder field. This option is available only
if you selected a backup destination that is
on a network. This also applies if you want
to save the recovery point on a network
share.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Customize recovery point file names

Lets you rename the recovery point.
Default file names include the name of the
computer followed by the drive letter.
You can also save recovery points to a unique
subfolder.

Add

Lets you add up to two Offsite Copy
destinations.
Offsite Copy automatically copies your latest
recovery points each time a backup
completes to either a portable storage device,
such as an external drive, or to a remote
server either through a local area network
connection or to a remote FTP server.
See “About Offsite Copy” on page 100.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

Offsite Copy Settings options
The following table describes the options on the Offsite Copy Settings panel.

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-5

Offsite Copy Settings options

Options

Description

Enable Offsite Copy

Turns on the Offsite Copy feature.

Prompt me to start a copy when I attach an Indicates that you want to have recovery
external Offsite Copy destination drive
points automatically copied to external
Offsite Copy destination drives whenever
you plug one in to your computer.
Folder, Network Path, or FTP address

Lets you specify the destination path of the
offsite copy.

Browse

Lets you browse to locate an offsite copy
destination that you want to use.

Destination Details

Displays the type of destination path. If you
add a network path or an ftp path, it also
displays the user name.

Edit

Lets you edit the user name or password of
a specified network path or an ftp path.

Add an additional Offsite Copy destination Lets you add a second destination, and then
specify the path to that destination.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

Recovery point options
The following table describes the recovery point options on the Options panel.
Table 6-6

Recovery point options

Options

Description

Name

Indicates a name for your backup.

Note: This option does not appear if you
create a recovery point using the Back Up
My Computer feature in Symantec System
Recovery Disk.

79

80

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-6

Recovery point options (continued)

Options

Description

Compression

Lets you set one of the following
compression levels for the recovery point:
■

None

■

Standard

■

Medium

■

High

See “Compression levels for recovery points”
on page 92.
The results can vary depending on the types
of files that are saved in the drive.
Verify recovery point after creation

Tests whether a recovery point or set of files
is valid or corrupt.

Limit the number of recovery point sets
saved for this backup

Limits the number of recovery point sets that
can be saved for this backup. You can limit
the number of recovery point sets to reduce
the risk of filling up the hard drive with
recovery points. Each new recovery point
set replaces the oldest set on your backup
destination drive.
This option appears only if you are creating
a recovery point set.

Note: This option does not appear if you
create a recovery point using the Back Up
My Computer feature in Symantec System
Recovery Disk.

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-6

Recovery point options (continued)

Options

Description

Enable search engine support

Lets a search engine, such as Google Desktop,
index all of the file names that are contained
in each recovery point. By indexing the file
names, you can then use your search engine
to locate files you want to restore.
This option is for NTFS file systems only.
See “About using a search engine to search
recovery points” on page 277.

Note: This option does not appear if you
create a recovery point using the Back Up
My Computer feature in Symantec System
Recovery Disk.
Include system and temporary files

Includes indexing support for operating
system and temporary files when a recovery
point is created on the client computer.

Note: This option does not appear if you
create a recovery point using the Back Up
My Computer feature in Symantec System
Recovery Disk.
Advanced

Lets you add, among other things, security
options to the recovery point.
See “Advanced options for drive-based
backups” on page 86.

Command Files

Lets you use command files (.exe, .cmd, .bat)
during a backup.
See “About running command files during
a backup” on page 83.

Description

Indicates a description for the recovery
point. The description can be anything that
helps you further identify the recovery
point's contents.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

Advanced Scheduling options
The following table describes the properties of the Advanced Scheduling panel.

81

82

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-7

Advanced Scheduling options

Option

Description

Schedule

Lets you select the days and a start time for
when the backup should run.

Run more than once per day

Indicates that you can run the backup more
than once a day to protect data that you edit
or change frequently.

Time between backups

Specifies the maximum time that should
occur between backups.

Number of times

Specifies the number of times per day that
the backup should run.

Automatically optimize

Lets you select how often optimization
should occur to help manage the disk space
that is used by your backup destination.

Start a new recovery point set

Indicates how frequently a new recovery
point set should be started.

Custom

Lets you customize the start time, and the
days of the week or month to run the backup.

Event Triggers - General

Lets you select the type of events that
automatically starts a backup.
See “Enabling event-triggered backups”
on page 122.

Event Triggers - ThreatCon Response

Lets you set the ThreatCon Response level
that automatically starts a backup.
See “ThreatCon Response options”
on page 125.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

About files that are excluded from drive-based backups
The following files are intentionally excluded from drive-based backups:
■

hiberfil.sys

■

pagefile.sys

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

These files contain temporary data that can take up a large amount of disk space.
They are not needed, and there is no negative impact to your computer system
after a complete system recovery.
These file names do appear in recovery points, but they are placeholders. They
contain no data.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

About network credentials
If you connect to a computer on a network, you must provide the user name and
password for network access, even if you previously authenticated to the network.
The Symantec System Recovery service runs on the local system account.
When you enter network credentials, the following rules apply:
■

If the computer you want to connect to is on a domain, provide the domain
name, user name, and password. For example:
domain\username

■

If you connect to a computer in a workgroup, provide the remote computer
name and user name. For example:
remote_computer_name\username

■

If you have mapped a drive, you might be required to supply the user name
and password again because the service runs in a different context and cannot
recognize the mapped drive.

By going to the Tasks menu and selecting Options, you can set a default location.
If the default location is a computer on a network, you can also click the Edit
option and specify the necessary network credentials. Then when you create
future backup jobs, the dialog will default to the location you specified. Another
option would be to create a specific "backup" user account. Then configure the
Symantec System Recovery service to use this account.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “About files that are excluded from drive-based backups” on page 82.

About running command files during a backup
You can use command files (.exe, .cmd, .bat) during a backup. You can use command
files to integrate Symantec System Recovery with other backup routines that you
might be running on the computer. You can also use command files to integrate
with other applications that use a drive on the computer.

83

84

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Note: You cannot run command files that include a graphical user interface, such
as notepad.exe. Running such command files causes the backup job to fail.
You can run a command file during any of the following stages during the creation
of a recovery point:
■

Run before snapshot creation

■

Run after snapshot creation

■

Run after recovery point creation

See “Command files options” on page 84.
The most common use for running command files is to stop and restart
non-VSS-aware databases that you want to back up.
To use a Visual Basic script file (.vbs) during a backup, you can create a batch file
(.bat) to run the script. For example, you can create a batch file called Stop.bat
that contains the following syntax:
Cscript script_filename.vbs

Make sure that Cscript precedes the file name of the Visual Basic script.
Warning: The command files cannot depend on any user interaction or have a
visible user interface. You should test all command files independently of Symantec
System Recovery before you use them during a backup.
When the backup begins, the command file is run during the specified stage. The
backup is stopped if an error occurs while a command file is running. Or, the
backup is stopped if the command file does not finish in the time you specified
(regardless of the stage). In either case, the command file is terminated (if
necessary), and the error information is logged and displayed.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery” on page 93.

Command files options
The following table describes the options that are available in the Command file
panel.

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-8

Command files options

Option

Description

Command files folder

Specifies the location of command files if
you want them to be located in a place other
than the default location. You can also
specify a location on a per-job basis, as well
as specify a location that can be shared
among several computers. If you specify a
network location, you are prompted for
network credentials.

Browse

Lets you browse to locate a folder for any
command files that you want to use.

User name

Specifies the user name to a command file
folder that is located in a network path.

Password

Specifies the password to a command file
folder that is located in a network path.

Run before snapshot creation

Indicates that you can run a command file
after a backup has started and before a
recovery point is created. You can run a
command during this stage to prepare for
the recovery point creation process. For
example, you can close any open applications
that are using the drive.

Note: If you use this option, be sure the
command file has an error recovery
mechanism built into it. If the computer has
one or more services that must be stopped
at this stage (such as stopping a non-VSS
aware database or a resource-intensive
application), and the command file does not
contain any form of error recovery, one or
more of the stopped services may not be
restarted. An error in the command file can
cause the recovery point creation process to
stop immediately. No other command files
will run.
See “How to use Symantec System Recovery”
on page 43.

85

86

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-8

Command files options (continued)

Option

Description

Run after snapshot creation

Indicates that you can run a command file
after a snapshot is created. Running a
command during this stage is typically a safe
point for allowing services to resume normal
activity on the drive while continuing the
recovery point creation.
Because the snapshot takes only a few
seconds to create, the database is in the
backup state momentarily. A minimal
number of log files are created.

Run after recovery point creation

Indicates that you can run a command file
after the recovery point file is created. You
can run a command during this stage to act
on the recovery point itself. For example,
you can copy it to an offline location.

Timeout (applies to each stage)

Lets you specify the amount of time (in
seconds) that a command file is allowed to
run.

See “About running command files during a backup” on page 83.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery” on page 93.

Advanced options for drive-based backups
The following table describes the Advanced options that are available when you
create a drive-based backup.
Table 6-9

Advanced options for drive-based backups

Option

Description

Divide into smaller files to simplify
archiving

Splits the recovery point into smaller files
and specifies the maximum size (in MB) for
each file.

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-9

Advanced options for drive-based backups (continued)

Option

Description

Disable SmartSector™ Copying

Copies used and unused hard-disk sectors.
This option increases process time and
usually results in a larger recovery point.
SmartSector technology speeds up the
copying process by copying only the
hard-disk sectors that contain data.
However, in some cases, you might want to
copy all sectors in their original layout,
whether or not they contain data.

Ignore bad sectors during copy

Runs a backup even if there are bad sectors
on the hard disk. Although most drives do
not have bad sectors, the potential for
problems increases during the lifetime of
the hard disk.

Perform full VSS backup

Lets you perform a full backup on the VSS
storage and send a request for VSS to review
its own transaction log. This option is used
for VSS applications, such as Microsoft
Exchange Server 2003 or Microsoft SQL.
VSS determines what transactions are
already committed to the database and then
truncates those transactions. Among other
things, truncated transaction logs help keep
the file size manageable and limits the
amount of hard drive space that the file uses.
If you do not select this option, backups still
occur on the VSS storage. However, VSS does
not automatically truncate the transaction
logs following a backup.

Note: This option does not appear if you
create a recovery point using the Back Up
My Computer wizard feature in Symantec
System Recovery Disk.

87

88

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Table 6-9

Advanced options for drive-based backups (continued)

Option

Description

Use password

Sets a password on the recovery point when
it is created. Passwords can include standard
characters. Passwords cannot include
extended characters, or symbols. (Use
characters with an ASCII value of 128 or
lower.)
A user must type this password before
restoring a backup or viewing the contents
of the recovery point.

Use AES encryption

Encrypts recovery point data to add another
level of protection to your recovery points.
Choose from the following encryption levels:
Standard 128-bit (8+ character
password)
■ Medium 192-bit (16+ character
password)
■ High 256-bit (32+ character password)
■

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “About files that are excluded from drive-based backups” on page 82.

Editing advanced backup options
After you define a backup, you can go back at any time and edit the advanced
options you chose when you first defined the backup.
To edit advanced backup options

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

Select the backup you want to edit, and then click Edit Settings.

3

Click Next twice.

4

Click Advanced.

5

In the Advanced Options dialog box, make your changes, and then click OK.
See “Advanced options for drive-based backups” on page 86.

6

Click Next three times, and then click Finish.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “About files that are excluded from drive-based backups” on page 82.

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

About recovery point encryption
You can enhance the security of your data by using the Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES) to encrypt recovery points that you create or archive. You should
use encryption if you store recovery points on a network and want to protect them
from unauthorized access and use.
You can also encrypt recovery points that were created with earlier versions of
Symantec LiveState Recovery or Symantec System Recovery. However, encrypting
those files makes them readable with the current product only.
You can view the encryption strength of a recovery point at any time by viewing
the properties of the file from the Recovery Point Browser.
Encryption strengths are available in 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bit. While higher
bit strengths require longer passwords, the result is greater security for your data.
The following table explains the bit strength and required password length.
Table 6-10

Password length

Bit strength

Password length

128 (Standard)

8 characters or longer

192 (Medium)

16 characters or longer

256 (High)

32 characters or longer

You must provide the correct password before you can access or restore an
encrypted recovery point.
Warning: Store the password in a secure place. Passwords are case-sensitive .
When you access or restore a recovery point that is password encrypted, Symantec
System Recovery prompts you for the case-sensitive password. If you do not type
the correct password or you forget the password, you cannot open the recovery
point.
Symantec Technical Support cannot open an encrypted recovery point.
Besides bit strength, the format of the password can improve the security of your
data.
For better security, passwords should use the following general rules:
■

Do not use consecutive repeating characters (for example, BBB or 88).

■

Do not use common words you would find in a dictionary.

■

Use at least one number.

89

90

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

■

Use both uppercase and lowercase alpha characters.

■

Use at least one special character such as ({}[],.<>;:’"?/|\`~!@#$%^&*()_-+=).

■

Change the password after a set period of time.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.
See “Verifying the integrity of a recovery point” on page 90.

Verifying the integrity of a recovery point
If you selected the Verify recovery point after creation option on the Options
panel of the Define Backup wizard, the following occurs:
■

Symantec System Recovery verifies that all of the files that make up the
recovery point are available for you to open.

■

Internal data structures in the recovery point are matched with the data that
is available.

Also, the recovery point can be uncompressed to create the expected amount of
data (if you selected a compression level at the time of creation).
Note: The time that is required to create a recovery point is doubled when you use
the Verify recovey point after creation option.
If you prefer, you can have recovery points automatically verified for integrity at
the time they are created.
See “Advanced options for drive-based backups” on page 86.
To verify the integrity of a recovery point

1

On the Tools page, click Run Recovery Point Browser.

2

Select a recovery point, and then click OK.

3

In the tree panel of the Recovery Point Browser, select the recovery point.
For example: C_Drive001.v2i.

4

On the File menu, click Verify Recovery Point.
If the Verify Recovery Point option is unavailable, you must first dismount
the recovery point. Right-click the recovery point and click Dismount
Recovery Point.

5

When the validation is complete, click OK.

See “About recovery point encryption” on page 89.

Backing up entire drives
Defining a drive-based backup

Viewing the progress of a backup
You can view the progress of a backup while it runs to determine how much time
remains until the backup completes.
To view the progress of a backup
◆

While a backup is running, on the View menu, click Progress and
Performance.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Backup time options
The following tables describe the options on the Backup Time panel. The options
vary depending on the backup type you create.
Table 6-11

Backup time options for a recovery point set

Option

Description

Schedule

Runs the backup automatically according to a specified start time
and the selected days of the week.

Default

Lets you use the default backup time schedule.

Advanced

Sets advanced scheduling options, such as setting up event
triggers that start the backup in response to specific events.
See “Advanced Scheduling options” on page 81.

Run more than once
per day

Sets the time between backups and the number of times to back
up.

Start a new recovery
point set (base)

Starts a new recovery point set (base) weekly, monthly, quarterly,
or yearly.

Custom

(Optional) Indicates how frequently a new recovery point set
should be started.
For example, if you select Monthly, a new base recovery point
is created the first time the backup runs during each new month.

Select event triggers

Lets you select events that will automatically create a recovery
point.

Details

Shows you information about the backup time option you have
selected or specified.

91

92

Backing up entire drives
Compression levels for recovery points

Table 6-12

Backup Time options for an independent recovery point

Option

Description

No Schedule

Runs the backup only when you run it yourself, manually.

Weekly

Runs the backup at the time and on the days of the week that
you specify.
When you select this option, the Select the days of the week to
protect dialog box appears.

Monthly

Runs the backup at the time and on the days of the month that
you specify.
When you select this option, the Select the days of the month to
protect dialog box appears.

Only run once

Runs the backup one time on the date and at the time you specify.
When you select this option, the Create a single recovery point
dialog box appears.

Details

Indicates information about the backup time option you have
selected or specified.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Editing a backup schedule” on page 126.

Compression levels for recovery points
During the creation or copying of a recovery point, compression results may vary,
depending on the types of files that are saved to the drive you are backing up.
The following table describes the available compression levels.
Table 6-13

Compression level options

Option

Description

None

Indicates that no compression is applied to the recover point.
Use this option if storage space is not an issue. However, if the
backup is being saved to a busy network drive, high compression
may be faster than no compression because there is less data to
write across the network.

Standard
(recommended)

Uses low compression for a 40 percent average data compression
ratio on recovery points. This setting is the default.

Backing up entire drives
Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery

Table 6-13

Compression level options (continued)

Option

Description

Medium

Uses medium compression for a 45 percent average data
compression ratio on recovery points.

High

Uses high compression for a 50 percent average data
compression ratio on recovery points. This setting is usually
the slowest method.
When a high compression recovery point is created, CPU usage
might be higher than normal. Other processes on the computer
might also be slower. To compensate, you can adjust the
operation speed of Symantec System Recovery. This might
improve the performance of other resource-intensive
applications that you are running at the same time.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.

Running a one-time backup from Symantec System
Recovery
You can use One Time Backup to quickly define and run a backup that creates an
independent recovery point. You use the One Time Backup wizard to define the
backup. The backup runs when you complete the wizard. The backup definition
is not saved for future use. You can use the independent recovery point later.
This feature is useful when you need to back up your computer or a particular
drive quickly before a significant event. For example, you can run a one-time
backup before you install new software. Or, you can run it when you learn about
a new computer security threat.
You can also use Symantec System Recovery Disk to create one-time cold backups.
See “About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 94.
To run a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery

1

On the Tasks page, click One Time Backup.

2

Click Next.

3

Select one or more drives to back up, and then click Next.

93

94

Backing up entire drives
About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk

4

If the Related Drives dialog box is displayed, set the appropriate option, and
then click Next. Otherwise, skip to the next step.
See “Related drives options” on page 75.

5

In the Backup Destinations panel, select the appropriate options.
See “Backup destination options” on page 77.

6

Click Next.

7

On the Options panel, select the appropriate options.
See “Recovery point options” on page 79.

8

Click Next.

9

If appropriate, in the lists, select the command files that you want to run
during a particular stage in the recovery point creation process. Then, specify
the amount of time (in seconds) that you want the command to run before it
is stopped.
If you added the command file to the Command Files folder, you may need
to click Back, and then Next to see the files in each stage’s list.
See “Command files options” on page 84.

10 Click Next.
11 Click Finish to run the backup.

About running a one-time backup from Symantec
System Recovery Disk
Using a valid license key, you can create independent recovery points using the
Back Up My Computer feature in Symantec System Recovery Disk. You can create
recovery points of a partition without the need to install Symantec System
Recovery or its agent. This feature is sometimes known as a cold backup or offline
backup.
With a cold backup, all files are closed when the backup occurs. You do not copy
any data that may be in the middle of being updated or accessed on the desktop
or server. Cold backups are particularly useful for databases. They ensure that
no files are written to or accessed at any time during the backup so you have a
complete recovery point.
You can also use the Symantec System Recovery Disk to create recovery points
if you experience any of the following:
■

A level of corruption prevents you from starting Windows on the computer.

Backing up entire drives
About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk

■

Symantec System Recovery does not function properly while it runs on a
Windows operating system.

■

You want to back up the condition of a damaged system before you recover.
For example, if a computer is severely damaged, you can use the Symantec
System Recovery Disk. You can back up what remains of the system. Then,
you can recover what you can later, after you restore an independent recovery
point.

Note: Recovery points that you create using Symantec System Recovery Disk are
restored to dissimilar hardware using Restore Anyware.
When you want to create a backup fromSymantec System Recovery Disk , you are
prompted for a valid license key only for the following scenarios:
■

You use the original, shipping version of the Symantec System Recovery Disk
CD to create a backup of a computer. The computer does not have Symantec
System Recovery installed.

■

The computer that you intend to back up using the original, shipping version
of the Symantec System Recovery Disk CD has an unlicensed installation of
the software.

■

You create a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk on a computer that has
an unlicensed installation (60-day trial) of Symantec System Recovery. You
then use the custom Symantec System Recovery Disk to create a backup of a
computer. The computer does not have an installation of Symantec System
Recovery.
See “Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 37.

■

You choose not to add a license key at the time you create the customized
Symantec System Recovery Disk.

See “Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 95.

Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk
Using a valid license key, you can create independent recovery points using the
Back Up My Computer feature in Symantec System Recovery Disk. You can create
recovery points of a partition without the need to install Symantec System
Recovery or its agent. This feature is sometimes known as a cold backup or offline
backup.

95

96

Backing up entire drives
About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk

To run a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk

1

If you intend to store the resulting recovery point on a USB device (for
example, an external hard drive), attach the device now.

2

Start the Symantec System Recovery Disk on the computer you want to back
up.
See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 228.

3

On the Home panel, click Back Up My Computer, and then click Next.

4

On the Welcome panel, click Next.

5

If you are prompted, on the Specify License Key panel, enter a valid license
key, and then click Next.

6

On the Drives panel, select one or more drives that you want to back up, and
then click Next.

7

On the Backup Destination panel, set the options you want, then click Next.
See “Backup Destination options” on page 96.

8

On the Options panel, set the desired backup options and advanced options
for the recovery point.
See “Back Up My Computer options” on page 97.

9

On the Options panel, click Advanced.

10 On the Advanced options panel, set the advanced backup options you want
for the recovery point, and then click OK.
See “Advanced options” on page 98.

11 On the Options panel, click Next.
12 On the Completing the Back Up My Computer Wizard panel, click Finish to
run the backup.

13 When the backup is finished, click Close to return to the main Symantec
System Recovery Disk window.
See “About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 94.

Backup Destination options
The following table describes the options on the Backup Destination panel. This
panel is available from the Back Up My Computer wizard in Symantec System
Recovery Disk.

Backing up entire drives
About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk

Table 6-14

Backup Destination options

Option

Description

Folder

Lets you browse to and specify the location
where you want to store the independent
recovery point.

Map a network drive

Maps a network drive by using the UNC path
of the computer on which you want to store
the recovery point.
For example, \\computer_name\share_name
or \\IP_address\share_name.

Browse

Lets you browse to locate a backup
destination that you want to use.

Destination Details

Displays the type of destination path. If you
add a network path it also displays the user
name.

Recovery point file name

Lets you edit the recovery point file name.

Rename

Lets you rename the recovery point file
name.
Default file names include the name of the
computer and then followed by the drive
letter.

See “Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 95.

Back Up My Computer options
The following table describes the options on the Options panel. This panel is
available from the Back Up My Computer wizard in Symantec System Recovery
Disk.

97

98

Backing up entire drives
About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk

Table 6-15

Back Up My Computer options

Options

Description

Compression

Lets you set one of the following
compression levels for the recovery point:
■

None

■

Standard

■

Medium

■

High

See “Compression levels for recovery points”
on page 92.
The results can vary depending on the types
of files that are saved in the drive.
Verify recovery point after creation

Tests whether a recovery point or set of files
is valid or corrupt.

Description

Indicates a description for the recovery
point. The description can help you further
identify the recovery point's contents.

Advanced

Lets you further add security options to the
recovery point.
See “Advanced options” on page 98.

See “Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 95.

Advanced options
The following table describes the options on the Advanced options panel. This
panel is available from the Back Up My Computer wizard in Symantec System
Recovery Disk.
Table 6-16

Advanced options for drive-based backups

Option

Description

Divide into smaller files to simplify
archiving

Lets you split the recovery point into smaller
files and specify the maximum size (in MB)
for each file.

Backing up entire drives
About running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk

Table 6-16

Advanced options for drive-based backups (continued)

Option

Description

Disable SmartSector™ Copying

Lets you copy used and unused hard-disk
sectors. This option increases process time
and usually results in a larger recovery point.
SmartSector technology speeds up the
copying process by copying only the
hard-disk sectors that contain data.
However, in some cases, you might want to
copy all sectors in their original layout,
whether or not they contain data.

Ignore bad sectors during copy

Lets you run a backup even if there are bad
sectors on the hard disk. Although most
drives do not have bad sectors, the potential
for problems increases during the lifetime
of the hard disk.

Use password

Sets a password on the recovery point when
it is created. Passwords can include standard
characters. Passwords cannot include
extended characters, or symbols. (Use
characters with an ASCII value of 128 or
lower.)
A user must type this password before they
can restore a backup or view the contents of
the recovery point.

Use AES encryption

Encrypts recovery point data to add another
level of protection to your recovery points.
Choose from the following encryption levels:
Standard 128-bit (8+ character
password)
■ Medium 192-bit (16+ character
password)
■ High 256-bit (32+ character password)
■

See “Back Up My Computer options” on page 97.
See “Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 95.

99

100

Backing up entire drives
About Offsite Copy

About Offsite Copy
Backing up your data to a secondary hard disk is a critical first step to protecting
your information assets. But to make certain your data is safe, use Offsite Copy.
This feature can copy your latest complete recovery points to the following:
■

A portable storage device.

■

A remote server in your network.

■

A remote FTP server.

Regardless of the method you use, storing copies of your recovery points at a
remote location provides a crucial level of redundancy in the event that your office
becomes inaccessible. Offsite Copy can double your data protection by ensuring
that you have a remote copy.
See “How Offsite Copy works” on page 100.
See “About using external drives as your offsite copy destination” on page 101.
See “About using a network server as your offsite copy destination” on page 103.
See “About using an FTP server as your offsite copy destination” on page 104.

How Offsite Copy works
You enable and configure Offsite Copy when you define a new drive-based backup
job. Or you can edit an existing backup job to enable Offsite Copy.
When you enable Offsite Copy, you specify up to two offsite copy destinations.
After the backup job finishes creating recovery points, Offsite Copy verifies that
at least one of the offsite copy destinations is available. Offsite Copy then begins
copying the new recovery points to the offsite copy destination.
The most recent recovery points are copied first, followed by the next newest
recovery points. If you have set up two offsite copy destinations, Offsite Copy
copies recovery points to the destination that was added first. If an offsite copy
destination is unavailable, Offsite Copy tries to copy recovery points to the second
destination, if it is available. If neither destination is available, then Offsite Copy
copies the recovery points the next time an offsite copy destination becomes
available.
For example, suppose you have configured a backup job to run at 6:00 p.m. and
configured an external drive as an offsite copy destination. However, when you
leave the office at 5:30 p.m., you take the drive with you for safekeeping. When
the backup job completes at 6:20 p.m., Symantec System Recovery detects that
the offsite copy destination drive is not available and the copy process is aborted.

Backing up entire drives
How Offsite Copy works

The following morning, you plug the drive back in to the computer. Symantec
System Recovery detects the presence of the offsite copy destination drive and
automatically begins copying your recovery points.
Offsite Copy is designed to use very few system resources so that the copying
process is done in the background. This feature lets you continue to work at your
computer with little or no impact on system resources.
If an offsite copy destination runs out of disk space, Offsite Copy identifies the
oldest recovery points and removes them to make room for the most current
recovery points. Offsite Copy then copies the current recovery points to the offsite
copy destination.
See “About using external drives as your offsite copy destination” on page 101.
See “About using a network server as your offsite copy destination” on page 103.
See “About using an FTP server as your offsite copy destination” on page 104.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

About using external drives as your offsite copy destination
You can use an external drive as your offsite copy destination. This method lets
you take a copy of your data with you when you leave the office. By using two
external hard disks, you can be certain that you have a recent copy of your data
both on site and off site.
For example, suppose on a Monday morning you define a new backup job of your
system drive. You choose a recovery point set as your backup job type. You set up
an external drive (A) as the first offsite copy destination, and another external
drive (B) as the second offsite copy destination. You schedule the backup job to
run every midnight except on the weekends. You also enable recovery point
encryption to protect the data from unauthorized access.
See “About recovery point encryption” on page 89.
Before you leave the office on Monday evening, you plug in drive A and take drive
B home with you.

101

102

Backing up entire drives
How Offsite Copy works

On Tuesday morning, you find that Monday's base recovery point has been
successfully copied to drive A. At the end of the day, you unplug drive A and take
it home for safekeeping.
On Wednesday morning, you bring drive B to the office. You plug in drive B and
Symantec System Recovery detects that drive B is an offsite copy destination.
Symantec System Recovery then automatically begins copying Monday night's
base recovery point and Tuesday night's incremental recovery point. At the end
of the day Wednesday, you take drive B home and place it in a safe place with
drive A.
You now have multiple copies of recovery points stored at two separate, physical
locations: your original recovery points stored on your backup destinations at the
office, and copies of those same recovery points stored on your offsite copy
destination drives. Your offsite copy destination drives are stored in a safe place
at your home.
The next morning, Thursday, you take drive A to the office and plug it in. Tuesday
and Wednesday night's recovery points are then automatically copied to drive A.
Note: Consider using the external drive naming feature that lets you provide a
unique name to each drive. Then place matching physical labels on each external
drive to help you manage the task of swapping the drives.
See “About using unique names for external drives” on page 53.

Backing up entire drives
How Offsite Copy works

Each time you plug in either drive A or B, the latest recovery points are added to
the drive. This method gives you multiple points in time for recovering your
computer in the event that the original backup destination drives fail or become
unrecoverable.
Using external drives as your offsite copy destination ensures that you have a
copy of your backup data stored at two separate, physical locations.
See “How Offsite Copy works” on page 100.

About using a network server as your offsite copy destination
You can specify a local area network server as an offsite copy destination. You
must be able to access the server that you plan to use. You must either map a local
drive to the server, or provide a valid UNC path.
For example, suppose that you set up a local external drive as your first offsite
copy destination. Then you identify a server that is located at a second physical
location from your own office. You add the remote server as a second offsite copy
destination. As backups occur, recovery points are copied first to the external
hard drive, and then to the remote server.
If the remote server becomes unavailable for a period of time, Offsite Copy copies
all recovery points that were created since the last connection. If there is no room
to hold all of the recovery points that are available, Offsite Copy removes the
oldest recovery points from the network server. In turn, it makes room for the
newest recovery points.

103

104

Backing up entire drives
How Offsite Copy works

See “How Offsite Copy works” on page 100.

About using an FTP server as your offsite copy destination
Using an FTP server as your offsite copy destination is similar to using a network
path. You must provide a valid FTP path to the FTP server.
You must also provide the correct FTP connection information to Symantec System
Recovery for this method to work correctly. When Offsite Copy is configured
correctly, it copies recovery points to the directory that you specified on the FTP
server. If the server becomes unavailable for a period of time, Offsite Copy copies
all recovery points that were created since the last connection. If there is no room
to hold all of the recovery points that are available, Offsite Copy removes the
oldest recovery points or recovery point sets from the FTP server. In turn, it makes
room for the newest recovery points.
See “Configuring default FTP settings for use with Offsite Copy” on page 54.

Backing up entire drives
How Offsite Copy works

See “How Offsite Copy works” on page 100.

105

106

Backing up entire drives
How Offsite Copy works

Chapter

7

Backing up files and folders
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About backing up files and folders

About backing up files and folders
You can back up specific files and folders you want to protect. When you run this
type of backup, copies are made of the files and folders you chose to back up. The
files are converted into a compressed format. They are then stored in a subfolder
at the location you specify. By default this location is the same backup destination
that is used for storing recovery points.
The following folders and their contents are excluded by default from file and
folder backups:
■

Windows folder

■

Program files folder

■

Temporary folder

■

Temporary Internet Files folder

These folders are typically not used for storing personal files or folders. However,
they are backed up when you define and run a drive-based backup of your system
drive (typically C).
If you want, you can choose to include these folders when you define the backup.
See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Backing up files and folders
You can select specific files and folder to back up.

108

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

To back up files and folders

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

In the Run or Manage Backups window, click Define New.
If you have not yet defined a backup, the Easy Setup dialog box appears.

3

Select Back up selected files and folders, and then click Next.

4

On the Select Files and Folders to Back Up panel, select the files and folders
that you want to include in your backup.
See “Select Files and Folders to Back Up options” on page 109.
Note: On all versions of Windows except for Windows Vista, the My Documents
folder contains two subfolders by default: My Pictures and My Music. These
folders contain only the shortcuts to folders at another location and not the
actual files.
If you intend to back up your pictures and music files, be sure to include the
actual folders where your files are stored. On Windows Vista, these folders
exist at the same level as Documents (formerly, My Documents).

5

Click Next.

6

In the Name and Destination panel, enter a backup name and destination.
See “Name and Destination options” on page 111.

7

Click Next

8

In the Backup Time panel, select the scheduling options you want.
Note: Ensure that the time for running a base backup and an incremental
backup is not the same.
See “Backup Time options for a file and folder backup” on page 113.

9

Click Next.

10 In the CompletingtheDefineBackupWizard panel, review the backup options
you have selected.

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

11 To review the total number and size of files to be included in the backup, click
Preview.
Note: Depending on the amount of data you have identified for file and folder
backup, the preview process can take several minutes.

12 If you want to run the backup immediately, click Run backup now, then click
Finish.
See “About backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Select Files and Folders to Back Up options
The following table describes the options on the Select Files and Folders to Back
Up panel.
Table 7-1

Select Files and Folders to Back Up options

Option

Description

Select All

Selects all check boxes in the Types and
Folders column. Selected data types and
folders are backed up.

Select None

Deselects all check boxes in the Types and
Folders column. Deselected data types and
folders are not backed up.

Add Folder

Lets you specify additional folders to back
up.
See “Add Folder options” on page 110.

Add File

Lets you specify additional files to back up.

Add File Type

Lets you specify additional data file types to
back up.
See “Add File Type options” on page 110.

Edit

Lets you edit the options, settings, or
properties for a selected data type name or
folder name in the table list.

109

110

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

Table 7-1

Select Files and Folders to Back Up options (continued)

Option

Description

Remove

Lets you remove from the table list a selected
data type name or folder name that you have
added.
Default data types and folders are not
removable from the table list.

See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Add Folder options
The following table describes the options on the Add Folder panel. This panel is
available from the Select Files and Folder to Back Up panel in the Define Backup
wizard for files and folders.
Table 7-2

Add Folder options

Option

Description

Folder to back up

Lets you specify the path to a folder that you
want to back up.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
folder that you want to back up.

Subfolders

Indicates that you want to back up all
subfolders under the parent folder.

All files

Indicates that you want to back up all files
in all subfolders.

Only files of type

Lets you specify the data file types that you
want to back up.

See “Select Files and Folders to Back Up options” on page 109.
See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Add File Type options
The following table describes the options on the Add File Type panel. This panel
is available from the Select Files and Folder to Back Up panel in the Define Backup
wizard for files and folders.

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

Table 7-3

Add File Type options

Option

Description

Name

Specifies the name of a data file type and
folder. The name is added to the table list in
the Select Files and Folder to Back Up panel.

Add an extension

Adds a specific data type file extension that
you want to back up.

Remove an extension

Deletes a specific data type file extension
from the list.

Rename an extension

Renames a specific data type file extension
that you added to the list.

Restore default extension list

Restores the default file extensions that were
added to the predefined list of types and
folders in the Select Files and Folder to Back
Up panel.

See “Select Files and Folders to Back Up options” on page 109.
See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Name and Destination options
The following table describes the options on the Name and Destination panel.
This panel is available in the Define Backup wizard for files and folders.
Table 7-4

Name and Destination options

Option

Description

Name

Indicates the name for the new backup.

Description (optional)

Lets you type a description for the new
backup.

Advanced

Adds security options to the recovery point.
See “Advanced Options for a file and folder
backup” on page 112.

Backup destination

Indicates the default backup location. Or,
you can specify your own local or network
path for the recovery point files.

111

112

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

Table 7-4

Name and Destination options (continued)

Option

Description

Browse

Lets you browse to locate a folder for storing
your backup data.
You cannot use an encrypted folder as your
backup destination. If you want to encrypt
your backup data to prevent another user
from accessing it, you can use the Advanced
option.

User name

Specifies the user name if you back up to a
folder that is located in a network path.

Password

Specifies the password to a network path.

See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Advanced Options for a file and folder backup
The following table describes the options on the Advanced Options panel. This
panel is available from the Name and Destination panel in the Define Backup
wizard for files and folders.
Table 7-5

Advanced Options for a file and folder backup

Option

Description

Use password

Indicates whether password protection is
enabled for the backup.

Password

Lets you specify a password for the backup.
Use standard characters, not extended
characters, or symbols. You must type this
password before you restore a backup or
view its contents.

Confirm password

Lets you retype the password for
confirmation.

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

Table 7-5

Advanced Options for a file and folder backup (continued)

Option

Description

Use AES encryption

Indicates whether or not AES encryption is
enabled for the backup for additional
security.
You can select from the following levels of
encryption:
Standard 128-bit (8+ character
password)
■ Medium 192-bit (16+ character
password)
■ High 256-bit (32+ character password)
■

See “About recovery point encryption”
on page 89.
Exclude

Lets you deselect any of the following folders
that you do not want to include in the
backup:
■

Windows folder

■

Program Files folder

■

Temporary folder

■

Temporary Internet Files folder

■

Save backup files to a unique subfolder

The folders that are listed are typically not
used for storing personal files or folders.
Therefore, they are all selected for backup
exclusion by default. These folders are
backed up when you define and run a
drive-based backup of your system drive
(typically C).
See “Defining a drive-based backup”
on page 74.

See “Name and Destination options” on page 111.
See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Backup Time options for a file and folder backup
The following table describes the options on the Backup Time panel. This panel
is available in the Define Backup wizard for files and folders.

113

114

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

Table 7-6

Backup Time options

Option

Description

Schedule

Indicates whether a schedule is enabled for
the backup .

Default

Lets you use the default backup schedule.

Start time

Specifies the start time of the backup.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

Lets you select the days of the week that you
want the backup to run.

Advanced

Runs the backup more than once per day at
a set number of times. You can also specify
the amount of time that should lapse
between backups.
See “Change Schedule - File Backup options”
on page 114.

Select event triggers

Lets you select the types of events that
automatically start a backup.
See “Change Schedule - File Backup options”
on page 114.

See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.

Change Schedule - File Backup options
The following table describes the options on the Change Schedule - File Backup
panel. This panel is available from the Backup Time panel in the Define Backup
wizard for files and folders.
Table 7-7

Change Schedule - File Backup scheduling options

Schedule options

Description

Schedule

Lets you select the days and a start time for
when you want to back up files and folders.

Run more than once per day

Runs the backup more than once a day to
protect the data that you edit or change
frequently.

Time between backups

Specifies the maximum time that should
occur between file and folder backups.

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

Table 7-7

Change Schedule - File Backup scheduling options (continued)

Schedule options

Description

Number of times

Specifies the number of times per day file
and folder backups should run.

Table 7-8

Change Schedule - File Backup event trigger options

Event trigger options

Description

General

Lets you select the types of events that
automatically start a backup, such as when
you log off from the computer.
See “Enabling event-triggered backups”
on page 122.

ThreatCon Response

Sets the ThreatCon Response level that
automatically starts a backup.
See “ThreatCon Response options”
on page 125.

See “Backing up files and folders” on page 107.
See “Backup Time options for a file and folder backup” on page 113.

115

116

Backing up files and folders
About backing up files and folders

Chapter

8

Running and managing
backup jobs
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

Running an existing backup job immediately

■

Adjusting the speed of a backup

■

Stopping a backup or a recovery task

■

Verifying that a backup is successful

■

Editing backup settings

■

Enabling event-triggered backups

■

Editing a backup schedule

■

Turning off a backup job

■

Deleting backup jobs

■

Adding users who can back up your computer

■

Configuring access rights for users or groups

Running an existing backup job immediately
If you have a backup job already defined, you can use Run Backup Now to make
a recovery point immediately. This feature is sometimes useful if you are about
to install a software program. Or, maybe you have modified a large number of
files and you do not want to wait for a regularly scheduled backup.
You can run an existing backup job at any time.

118

Running and managing backup jobs
Running an existing backup job immediately

To run an existing backup immediately from the system tray

1

On the Windows desktop, right-click the Symantec System Recovery system
tray icon.

2

Click Run Backup Now.

3

Click a backup job to start the backup.
If the menus displays No Jobs, you must start Symantec System Recovery
and define a backup.

To run an existing backup immediately from within Symantec System Recovery

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

Select a backup from the list, and then click Run Now.

See “Running a one-time backup from Symantec System Recovery” on page 93.
See “Enabling event-triggered backups” on page 122.
See “Editing a backup schedule” on page 126.

Running a backup with options
You can use Run Backup With Options to run an existing drive-based backup but
create an alternate type of recovery point.
Note: Using this option does not change the original settings of the defined backup.
To do that, you must open the backup and edit its settings manually.
To run a backup with options

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

In the Run or Manage Backups window, select the drive-based backup job
that you want to run.

3

On the Tasks menu, click Run Backup With Options.

Running and managing backup jobs
Running an existing backup job immediately

4

On the Run Backup With Options panel, select the appropriate options.
Note: Depending on the current state of the backup, one or more options
might be disabled. For example, if you have not yet run the backup, you cannot
select Incremental recovery point of recent changes because the base
recovery point is not yet created.
See “Run Backup With Options properties” on page 119.

5

Click OK to run the backup job and create the recovery point type you selected.

See “Editing a backup schedule” on page 126.
See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

Run Backup With Options properties
The following table describes the options that are available in the Run Backup
With Options dialog box.
Table 8-1

Run Backup With Options properties

Options

Description

Incremental recovery point of recent
changes

Creates a backup that includes the changes
that were made to the drive since the last
backup. This option is available only if a base
recovery point exists.

New recovery point set

Starts a completely new recovery point set
and creates a base recovery point.

Independent recovery point

Creates an independent recovery point,
which is a complete snapshot of your entire
drive. After you select this option, you must
enter a backup location.

Folder

Indicates the location where you want to
store the recovery point.

Browse

Lets you browse to locate a backup
destination that you want to use.

Description Details

Displays the type of destination path. If you
add a network path it also displays the user
name.

119

120

Running and managing backup jobs
Adjusting the speed of a backup

Table 8-1

Run Backup With Options properties (continued)

Options

Description

Edit

Lets you enter the user name and password
for access to the network that is specified in
the Folder field. This option is available only
if you selected a backup destination that is
on a network. Or, if you want to save the
recovery point on a network share.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

See “Running a backup with options” on page 118.

Adjusting the speed of a backup
Depending on your computer's speed, amount of installed RAM, and the number
of programs you run during a backup, your computer can become sluggish.
You can manually adjust the effect of a backup on the performance of your
computer to match your needs at the moment. This feature is useful while you
work on your computer and do not want the backup process to slow you down.
To adjust the speed of a backup

1

While a backup is running, on the View menu, click Progress and
Performance.

2

Do one of the following:

3

■

If you want to increase the speed of your computer by reducing the speed
of the backup, drag the slider toward Slow.

■

If you want the backup to complete quickly, and you have minimal work
to do on your computer, drag the slider toward Fast.

When you are finished, click Hide to dismiss the Progress and Performance
dialog box.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

Stopping a backup or a recovery task
You can stop a backup or a recovery task that has already started.

Running and managing backup jobs
Verifying that a backup is successful

To stop a backup or a recovery task
◆

Do one of the following:
■

If the Progress and Performance dialog box is displayed, click Cancel
Operation.

■

If the Progress and Performance dialog box is hidden, on the View menu,
click Progress and Performance, and then click Cancel Operation.

■

If the Progress and Performance dialog box is hidden, on the Windows
system tray, right-click the Symantec System Recovery tray icon. Click
Cancel Current Operation.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

Verifying that a backup is successful
After a backup completes, you can validate the success of the backup to ensure
that you have a way to recover lost or damaged data.
The Status page contains a scrolling calendar that is aligned with each drive on
your computer. The calendar lets you quickly identify when a backup ran, and
what type of backup it was. It also identifies upcoming, scheduled backups.
See “About the icons on the Status page” on page 150.
Note: When you define a drive-based backup, you should select the option to verify
the recovery point after it is created.
Depending on the amount of data being backed up, this verification can
significantly increase the time it takes to complete the backup. However, it can
ensure that you have a valid recovery point when the backup finishes.
See “Verifying the integrity of a recovery point” on page 90.
To verify that a backup is successful

1

On the Status page, review the Backups calendar, and verify that the backup
appears on the date that you ran it.

2

Move your mouse over a backup icon to review the status of the backup.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

121

122

Running and managing backup jobs
Editing backup settings

Editing backup settings
You can edit the settings of an existing backup. The Edit Settings feature gives
you access to several of the key pages of the Define Backup Wizard. You can edit
every setting except the option to change the recovery point type.
To edit backup settings

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

Select a backup to edit.

3

On the Run or Manage Backups toolbar, click Edit Settings.

4

Make changes to the backup.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Enabling event-triggered backups” on page 122.

Enabling event-triggered backups
Symantec System Recovery can detect certain events and run a backup when they
occur.
For example, when you install new software, a backup can run when it detects
that new software is about to be installed. If a problem occurs that harms your
computer, you can use this recovery point to restore your computer to its previous
state.
You can configure Symantec System Recovery to automatically run a backup when
the following events occur:
■

Any application is installed or uninstalled.

■

A specified application is started.

■

Any user logs on or off of the computer.

■

The data that was added to a drive exceeds a specified number of megabytes.
This option is unavailable for backing up files and folders.

To enable event-triggered backups

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

Select the backup you want to edit, and then click Change Schedule.

3

Under Event Triggers, click General.

Running and managing backup jobs
Enabling event-triggered backups

4

Select the events you want to be detected.
See “General Event Trigger options” on page 123.
See “ThreatCon Response options” on page 125.

5

Click OK.

See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

General Event Trigger options
The following table describes the options on the Event Triggers panel.
Table 8-2

Event Triggers - General options

Option

Description

Any application is installed or uninstall

Creates a backup at the time you initiate an
install or uninstall of a software application.

Specific applications are launched

Creates a backup when you start a software
application.

Application

Lets you specify the software applications
that can trigger a backup when you start
them.
See “Trigger Application options”
on page 123.

Any user logs on to the computer

Creates a backup when a user logs on to the
computer.

Any user logs off to the computer

Creates a backup when a user logs off from
the computer.

Data added to the drive exceeds

Creates a backup when the amount of data
that is added to the hard disk exceeds a
specified number of megabytes.

See “Enabling event-triggered backups” on page 122.
See “About ThreatCon Response” on page 124.

Trigger Application options
The following table describes the options on the Trigger Application panel.

123

124

Running and managing backup jobs
Enabling event-triggered backups

Table 8-3

Trigger Application options

Option

Description

Application

Identifies the name of the software
application's executable file (.exe, .com).

Browse

Lets you browse to a software application.

Applications that trigger a backup

Lists the software applications that can
trigger a backup when you start them.

Add

Adds the software application to the list box.

Remove

Removes the software application from the
list box.

See “General Event Trigger options” on page 123.
See “Enabling event-triggered backups” on page 122.

About ThreatCon Response
ThreatCon is Symantec's early warning security threat system. When Symantec
identifies various threats, the ThreatCon team adjusts the threat level. This
adjustment gives people and systems adequate warning to protect data and systems
against attack.
When you enable the ThreatCon Response trigger for a selected backup job,
Symantec System Recovery detects changes in the threat level. Your computer
must be connected to the Internet at the time. If the ThreatCon level is either
reached or exceeded, the backup job in which you enabled ThreatCon Response
is started automatically. You then have a recovery point to use to recover your
data if your computer becomes affected by the latest threat.
Note: If your computer is not online, then it is not susceptible to online threats.
But if you connect your computer to the Internet at any time, it becomes
vulnerable. You do not have to enable or disable ThreatCon Response when you
go online or offline. It works if you are online, but does nothing if you are offline.
For more information about Symantec ThreatCon, visit http://www.symantec.com.

Configuring ThreatCon Response for a backup job
You can set the ThreatCon Response level for backups.

Running and managing backup jobs
Enabling event-triggered backups

To configure ThreatCon Response for a backup job

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

Select the backup you want to edit, and then click Change Schedule.

3

Select the desired threat option that when met or exceeded runs the selected
backup job.
See “ThreatCon Response options” on page 125.

4

Click OK.
On the Home page, in the Current ThreatCon Level box, you can also click
Change ThreatCon event to change the ThreatCon response level for a
selected backup job.

See “About ThreatCon Response” on page 124.

ThreatCon Response options
The following table describes the four ThreatCon Response options.
Table 8-4

ThreatCon Response options

Option

Description

Do Not Monitor - Disable

Turns off monitoring of ThreatCon levels for
the selected backup job.

Note: Level 1 of Symantec ThreatCon indicates
that there are no discernable security threats.
Because level 1 suggests no threats, it is not an
option.
Level 2

Indicates that security threats can occur,
although no specific threats have been known
to occur.

Level 3

Indicates that an isolated security threat is in
progress.

Level 4

Indicates that extreme global security threats
are in progress.

See “Configuring ThreatCon Response for a backup job” on page 124.
See “Enabling event-triggered backups” on page 122.

125

126

Running and managing backup jobs
Editing a backup schedule

Editing a backup schedule
You can edit any of the schedule properties for a defined backup to adjust the date
and time.
To edit a backup schedule

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

Select a backup to edit.

3

On the toolbar, click Change Schedule.

4

Make changes to the schedule.
See “Backup time options” on page 91.

5

Click OK.

See “Enabling event-triggered backups” on page 122.

Turning off a backup job
You can turn off a backup and turn it on later. When you turn off a backup, it does
not run according to its defined schedule, if it has one. When a backup is turned
off, triggered events do not run the backup, nor can you manually run the backup.
You can also delete a defined backup (not recovery points).
To turn off a backup job

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

Select the backup that you want to turn off.

3

On the Run or Manager Backups dialog box, on the Tasks menu, click Disable
Backup.
Repeat this procedure to turn on the backup. The Disable Backup menu item
changes to Enable Backup when you disable the selected backup.

See “Deleting backup jobs” on page 126.

Deleting backup jobs
You can delete backup jobs when they are no longer needed.
Deleting a backup job does not delete the recovery points or backed up file and
folder data from the storage location. Only the backup job is deleted.

Running and managing backup jobs
Adding users who can back up your computer

To delete backup jobs

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Backups.

2

Select one or more backup names.

3

On the toolbar, click Remove.

4

Click Yes.

See “About backup destinations” on page 172.

Adding users who can back up your computer
You can use the Security Configuration Tool to control which users on your
computer can access and configure key features of Symantec System Recovery.
For example, all users with Limited Windows accounts can run existing backup
jobs, but they cannot create new jobs or edit existing jobs. Using the Security
Configuration Tool, you can grant administrative privileges to a Limited user
account. When you do, that user has full access to Symantec System Recovery
and can create, edit, delete, and run backup jobs.
Note: By default, all users can run existing backup jobs. But only users with
administrative accounts can create, edit, or delete backup jobs.
To add or users who can back up a computer

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start>Programs>SymantecSystemRecovery
> Security Configuration Tool.
On Windows Vista, click Start > All Programs > Symantec System Recovery
> Security Configuration Tool.

2

Click Add.

3

In Enter the object names to select field, type the names of the users or groups
you want to add.

4

Click OK.

5

Click OK to apply your changes and close the Security Configuration Tool.

See “Configuring access rights for users or groups” on page 127.

Configuring access rights for users or groups
You can use the Security Configuration Tool to give users or groups certain access
rights to the features of Symantec System Recovery.

127

128

Running and managing backup jobs
Configuring access rights for users or groups

To configure access rights for users or groups

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start>Programs>SymantecSystemRecovery
> Security Configuration Tool
On Windows Vista and Windows 7, click Start > All Programs > Symantec
System Recovery > Security Configuration Tool.

2

In Group or user names, select a user or group.

3

Choose from the following options:

4

Permissions

Allow

Deny

Full Control

Gives a user or a group
access to all of the features
of Symantec System
Recovery. Allows a user and
group to create, edit, and
delete backup jobs,
including existing jobs.

Lets the selected user or
group run existing backup
jobs. Prevents the selected
user or group from
creating, editing, or
deleting backup jobs.

Status Only

Lets the selected user or
group run existing backup
jobs. Prevents the selected
user or group from
creating, editing, or
deleting backup jobs.

Prevents the selected user
or group from accessing
any of the features of
Symantec System
Recovery.

Click OK to apply your changes and close the Security Configuration Tool.

See “Adding users who can back up your computer” on page 127.

Chapter

9

Backing up remote
computers from your
computer
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About backing up other computers from your computer

■

About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent

■

About the Symantec System Recovery Agent

■

Best practices for using services

■

About viewing Symantec System Recovery Agent dependencies

■

About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery

About backing up other computers from your
computer
Symantec System Recovery lets you connect to a second computer and back it up
on your home or your office network. You can manage as many computers as
needed, but you can only manage one computer at a time.

130

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About backing up other computers from your computer

Note: You must purchase a separate license for each computer you want to manage.
You can deploy the agent without a license for a 60-day evaluation. After that
time, you must purchase and install the license to continue managing the remote
computer. You can purchase additional licenses at the Symantec Global Store.
Visit the following Web site:
http://shop.symantecstore.com
First, you add a computer's name or IP address to the Computer List. Then, you
deploy the Symantec System Recovery Agent to the remote computer. After the
agent is installed, the computer automatically restarts. After the computer restarts,
you can then connect to the computer. The Symantec System Recovery product
interface changes to reflect the status of the remote computer. At any time, you
can switch back to manage your local computer.
See “Adding remote computers to the Computer List” on page 130.
See “Adding local computers to the Computer List” on page 131.
See “Removing a computer from the Computer List” on page 131.

Adding remote computers to the Computer List
Before you can back up drives on a remote computer, you must first add the
computer to the Computer List. You can then quickly switch between your local
computer and any other computer on the list.
To add remote computers to the Computer List

1

On the Computers menu, click Add.

2

Do one of the following:

3

■

Type the name of the computer

■

Type the IP address of the computer
If you are in a workgroup environment instead of a domain you must
manually specify the computer name for the computer you want to
manage. You can do so by browsing to it using the Browse option.

■

Click Browse to search for the name or IP address of the computer

Click OK to add the computer to the Computer List.

See “About backing up other computers from your computer” on page 129.
See “Adding local computers to the Computer List” on page 131.
See “Removing a computer from the Computer List” on page 131.

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent

Adding local computers to the Computer List
Before you can back up drives on a local computer, you must first add the computer
to the Computer List. You can then quickly switch between your local computer
and any other computer on the list.
To add a local computer to the Computer List

1

On the Computers menu, click Add Local Computer.

2

Click OK.

See “About backing up other computers from your computer” on page 129.
See “Adding remote computers to the Computer List” on page 130.
See “Removing a computer from the Computer List” on page 131.

Removing a computer from the Computer List
You can remove local or remote computers from the Computer List.
Removing a computer from the Computer List does not uninstall the agent from
the computer. You must run your operating system's uninstall program instead..
To remove a computer from the Computer List

1

On the Computers menu, click Edit List.

2

Select the remote or the local computer that you want to remove, and then
click the minus sign (–).

3

Click OK

See “About backing up other computers from your computer” on page 129.
See “Adding remote computers to the Computer List” on page 130.
See “Adding local computers to the Computer List” on page 131.
See “Removing a computer from the Computer List” on page 131.

About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent
You can deploy the Symantec System Recovery Agent to the computers that are
on the Computer List by using the Agent Deployment feature. After you install
the agent, you can create backup jobs directly from Symantec System Recovery.
See “About backing up other computers from your computer” on page 129.

131

132

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent

Note: Because of increased security with Windows Vista, you cannot deploy the
Symantec System Recovery Agent to Windows Vista without making security
configuration changes. The same issue occurs when you attempt to deploy the
agent from Windows Vista to another computer. You can manually install the
agent on the target computer by using the product CD.
If you deselected the Agent Deployment option during installation, this feature
is not available. You can run the installation again, and select the Modify option
to add this feature back in.
Your computer must meet the minimum memory requirement to run the Recover
My Computer wizard or the Recovery Point Browser in Symantec System
Recovery Disk.
If you install a multilingual version of the product, you must have a minimum of
1 GB of RAM to run Symantec System Recovery Disk.
If your computers are set up in a workgroup environment, you should prepare
your local computer before you deploy an agent.
See “Preparing a computer in a workgroup environment to deploy the agent”
on page 132.
See “Deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 133.
See “Manually installing the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 134.
See “Granting rights to domain users on Windows 2003 SP1 servers” on page 135.

Preparing a computer in a workgroup environment to deploy the agent
You must complete certain steps in Windows to prepare a computer in a workgroup
environment to deploy the Symantec System Recovery Agent.
To prepare a computer in a workgroup environment to deploy the agent

1

On the Windows taskbar, right-click Start, and then click Explore.

2

On the Tools menu, click Folder Options > View.

3

On the View tab, scroll to the end of the list and verify that the Use simple
file sharing check box is not selected, and then click OK.

4

On the Windows Control Panel, click Windows Firewall.
You may need to also click Change Settings if you are running Windows
Server 2008.

5

On the Exceptions tab, select File and Printer Sharing, and then click OK.

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent

Note: You should close any open applications before you continue with the agent
installation. If the Reboot check box is selected, the computer automatically
restarts at the end of the installation wizard.
See “About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 131.
See “Deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 133.
See “Manually installing the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 134.

Deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent
You can deploy the Symantec System Recovery Agent to local or to remote
computers.
To deploy the Symantec System Recovery Agent

1

On the Symantec System Recovery menu bar, click Computers > select a
computer from the menu.
You must have administrator rights on the computer to which you install the
agent.

2

Click Deploy Agent.

3

In the Deploy Symantec System Recovery Agent dialog box, specify the
administrator user name (or a user name that has administrator rights) and
the password.
In a workgroup environment, you must specify the remote computer name.
You cannot use an IP address, even if you have successfully connected to the
computer by using an IP address.
For example, type RemoteComputerName\UserName

4

If you want to restart the computer when the agent installation is finished,
click Reboot when finished.
Note: The computer cannot be backed up until the computer is restarted.
However, be sure to warn the user of the impending reboot so that they can
save their work.

5

Click OK.

See “About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 131.
See “Preparing a computer in a workgroup environment to deploy the agent”
on page 132.

133

134

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent

See “Manually installing the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 134.

Manually installing the Symantec System Recovery Agent
You can manually install the Symantec System Recovery Agent to local or to
remote computers.
To manually install the Symantec System Recovery Agent

1

Insert the Symantec System Recovery product CD into the media drive of the
computer.
The installation program should start automatically.
If the installation program does not start, on the Windows taskbar, click Start
> Run, type the following command, then click OK.
:\browser.exe

where  is the drive letter of your media drive.

2

In the CD browser panel, click Install Symantec System Recovery.

3

In the Welcome panel, click Next.

4

Read the license agreement, click I accept the terms in the license agreement,
and then click Next.

5

If you want to change the default location for the program files, click Change.
Then locate the folder in which you want to install the agent, and then click
OK.

6

Click Next.

7

Click Custom, and then click Next.

8

Click Symantec System Recovery Service, and then click This feature will
be installed on local hard drive.
This feature is the agent.

9

Set all other features to This feature will not be installed.

10 Click Next, and then click Install.
See “About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 131.
See “Deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 133.
See “Preparing a computer in a workgroup environment to deploy the agent”
on page 132.
See “Manually installing the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 134.

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About the Symantec System Recovery Agent

Granting rights to domain users on Windows 2003 SP1 servers
You can remotely manage a Windows 2003 SP1 server that is in a domain with a
user in the domain. The server administrator must grant rights to all of the domain
users who use Symantec System Recovery to remotely manage the server.
To grant rights to domain users on Windows 2003 SP1 servers

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Run.

2

In the Open field of the Run dialog box, type dcomcnfg and then click OK

3

Navigate to Component Services > Computers > My Computer.

4

Right-click My Computer, and then select Properties.

5

On the COM Security tab, under Launch and Activation Permissions, click
Edit Limits.

6

Add the domain users to the Group or user names list, and then allocate the
appropriate permissions.

7

Click OK.

8

Close Component Services, and then restart the Symantec System Recovery
service.

See “About deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 131.
See “Deploying the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 133.
See “Preparing a computer in a workgroup environment to deploy the agent”
on page 132.
See “Manually installing the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 134.

About the Symantec System Recovery Agent
The Symantec System Recovery Agent is the unseen “engine” that does the actual
backing up and restoring of data on a remote computer. Because the Symantec
System Recovery Agent functions as a service, it does not have a graphical user
interface.
See “Using the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 136.
The Symantec System Recovery Agent does, however, have a tray icon.available
from the Windows system tray. The icon provides feedback of current conditions
and lets you perform common tasks. For example, you can view backup jobs,
reconnect the Symantec System Recovery Agent, or cancel a task that is currently
running.

135

136

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About the Symantec System Recovery Agent

You can install the agent manually by visiting each computer you want to protect
and installing the agent from the product CD. A more efficient method, however,
is to use the Symantec System Recovery Deploy Agent feature. You can remotely
install the agent on a computer in the domain whose data you want to protect.
See “About managing the Symantec System Recovery Agent through Windows
Services” on page 136.
See “About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery ” on page 142.

Using the Symantec System Recovery Agent
You can use the Symantec System Recovery tray icon in the Windows system tray
to quickly access a variety of useful tasks.
To use the Symantec System Recovery Agent
◆

On the Windows system tray, do one of the following:
■

Right-click the Symantec System Recovery tray icon, and then click
Reconnect to restart the service automatically.
You cannot run a backup until the service is running.

■

If Symantec System Recovery is installed on the computer, double-click
the Symantec System Recovery tray icon to start the program.
If only the agent is installed, double-clicking the tray icon only displays
an About dialog box.

■

If the computer has the software installed, right-click the Symantec System
Recovery tray icon to display a menu of common agent tasks.

See “About the Symantec System Recovery Agent ” on page 135.
See “About managing the Symantec System Recovery Agent through Windows
Services” on page 136.

About managing the Symantec System Recovery Agent through
Windows Services
The Symantec System Recovery Agent is a Windows service that runs in the
background.
It provides the following:
■

The ability to locally run scheduled backup jobs, even when there are no or
unauthorized users that are logged on to the computer.

■

The ability to allow administrators to remotely back up computers throughout
an enterprise from Symantec System Recovery running on another computer.

Backing up remote computers from your computer
Best practices for using services

See “Using the Symantec System Recovery Agent” on page 136.
To use the features of Symantec System Recovery, the Symantec System Recovery
Agent must be started and properly configured. You can use the Windows Services
tool to manage and troubleshoot the agent.
Note: To manage the Symantec System Recovery Agent, you must be logged on
as a local administrator.
You can manage the Symantec System Recovery Agent in the following ways:
■

Start, stop, or disable the Symantec System Recovery Agent on local and remote
computers.
See “Starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent service”
on page 140.

■

Configure the user name and password that the Symantec System Recovery
Agent uses.
See “About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery ” on page 142.

■

Set up recovery actions to take place if the Symantec System Recovery Agent
fails to start.
For example, you can restart the Symantec System Recovery Agent
automatically or restart the computer.
See “Setting up recovery actions when the Symantec System Recovery Agent
does not start” on page 140.

Best practices for using services
The following table describes some best practices for using services.
Table 9-1

Best practices for using services

Best practice

Description

Check the Events tab first before using Services.

The Events tab in the Advanced view
can help you to track down the source
of a problem. Particularly when it is
associated with the Symantec System
Recovery Agent. You should view the
most recent log entries in the Events
tab for more information about the
potential causes of the problem.

137

138

Backing up remote computers from your computer
Best practices for using services

Table 9-1

Best practices for using services (continued)

Best practice

Description

Verify that the Symantec System Recovery Agent The Symantec System Recovery Agent
starts without user intervention.
is configured to start automatically
when Symantec System Recovery
starts. You can view the status
information to verify that the
Symantec System Recovery Agent has
started. The status area in the Task
pane displays a Ready status message
when the agent starts.
You can also test that the Symantec
System Recovery Agent starts
automatically by looking in Services.
You can check the status and restart
the service if necessary. If the Startup
type is set to automatic, you should
restart the agent.
See “Starting or stopping the
Symantec System Recovery Agent
service” on page 140.
Use caution when changing default settings for the Changing the default Symantec
Symantec System Recovery Agent.
System Recovery Agent properties can
prevent Symantec System Recovery
from running correctly. You should
use caution when changing the default
Startup type and Log On settings of
the Symantec System Recovery Agent.
It is configured to start and log on
automatically when you start
Symantec System Recovery .

See “Opening Windows services ” on page 138.

Opening Windows services
You can use several methods to open Windows services to manage the Symantec
System Recovery Agent.
To open Windows services

1

Do one of the following:
■

On the Windows Control Panel, click Administrative Tools > Services.

Backing up remote computers from your computer
Best practices for using services

■

2

On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Run.
In the Open text field, type services.msc, and then click OK.

Under the Name column, scroll through the list of services until you see
Symantec System Recovery (the name of the agent).
Its status should be Started.

See “About starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent service”
on page 139.
See “Starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent service”
on page 140.

About starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent service
To start, stop, or restart the Symantec System Recovery Agent service, you must
be logged on as an administrator. (If your computer is connected to a network,
network policy settings might prevent you from completing these tasks.)
You might need to start, stop, or restart the Symantec System Recovery Agent
service for the following reasons:
Start or Restart

You should start or restart the agent if Symantec System
Recovery is unable to connect to it on a computer. Or, you
cannot reconnect from Symantec System Recovery.

Restart

You should restart the agent. This restart is necessary if
you changed the user name or password that you use to log
on to the agent service. You should also restart the agent
after you have used the Security Configuration Tool to give
additional users the ability to back up computers.
See “About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery
” on page 142.

Stop

You can stop the agent if you believe that it causes a problem
on the computer, or if you want to temporarily free memory
resources.
If you stop the agent, you also prevent all of your drive-based
backups and file and folder backups from running.

If you stop the Symantec System Recovery Agent service and then start Symantec
System Recovery, the agent restarts automatically. The Status changes to Ready.
If you stop the Symantec System Recovery Agent service while the software runs,
you receive an error message. Symantec System Recovery is disconnected from

139

140

Backing up remote computers from your computer
Best practices for using services

the agent. In most cases, you can click Reconnect from the Task pane or from the
Tray icon to restart the Symantec System Recovery Agent.
See “Starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent service”
on page 140.
See “Setting up recovery actions when the Symantec System Recovery Agent does
not start” on page 140.

Starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent service
You can start or stop the Symantec System Recovery Agent service.
To start or stop the Symantec System Recovery Agent service

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Run.

2

In the Run window, type services.msc

3

Click OK.

4

In the Services window, in the Name column, click Symantec System
Recovery.

5

On the Action menu, select one of the following:
■

Start

■

Stop

■

Restart

See “About starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent service”
on page 139.

Setting up recovery actions when the Symantec System Recovery Agent
does not start
You can specify the computer’s response if the Symantec System Recovery Agent
fails to start.
To set up recovery actions when the Symantec System Recovery Agent does not
start

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Run.

2

In the Run window, type services.msc

3

Click OK.

4

In the Services window, on the Action menu, click Properties.

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About viewing Symantec System Recovery Agent dependencies

5

6

On the Recovery tab, in the First failure, Second failure, and Subsequent
failures lists, select the action that you want:
Restart the Service

Specify the number of minutes before an
attempt to restart the service is made.

Run a Program

Specify a program to run. You should not
specify any programs or scripts that require
user input.

Restart the Computer

Click Restart Computer Options, and then
specify how long to wait before restarting
the computer. You can also create a message
that you want to display to remote users
before the computer restarts.

In the Reset fail count after box, specify the number of days that the agent
must run successfully before the fail count is reset.
When the fail count is reset to zero, the next failure triggers the action set
for the first recovery attempt.

7

Click OK.

See “About starting or stopping the Symantec System Recovery Agent service”
on page 139.

About viewing Symantec System Recovery Agent
dependencies
The Symantec System Recovery Agent depends on other required services to run
properly. If a system component is stopped or is not running properly, the
dependent services can be affected.
If the Symantec System Recovery Agent fails to start, check the dependencies.
Check to ensure that they are installed and that their Startup type is not set to
Disabled.
Note: To view the Startup type setting for each of the interdependent services,
you must select one service at a time. Then click Action > Properties > General.
The top list box on the Dependencies tab displays services the Symantec System
Recovery Agent requires to run properly. The bottom list box does not have any
services that need the Symantec System Recovery Agent to run properly.

141

142

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery

The following table lists the services the Symantec System Recovery Agent requires
to run properly, along with their default startup setting.
Table 9-2

Required services

Service

Startup type

Event log

Automatic

Plug and play

Automatic

Remote procedure call (RPC)

Automatic

See “Viewing Symantec System Recovery Agent dependencies” on page 142.

Viewing Symantec System Recovery Agent dependencies
If the Symantec System Recovery Agent fails to start, you can check the Symantec
System Recovery Agent dependencies. When you check dependencies, you can
ensure that they are installed and that their Startup type is not set to Disabled.
To view Symantec System Recovery Agent dependencies

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Run.

2

In the Run window, type services.msc

3

Click OK.

4

In the Services window, under Name, click Symantec System Recovery.

5

On the Action menu, click Properties.

6

Click the Dependencies tab.

See “About viewing Symantec System Recovery Agent dependencies ” on page 141.

About controlling access to Symantec System
Recovery
You can use the Security Configuration Tool to grant the necessary permissions
to access the agent, or the full Symantec System Recovery user interface.
When you use the Security Configuration Tool, any permission that you grant
to the Users group applies to the members within that group.
Note: The agent service can only be run as LocalSystem or by a user who belongs
to the Administrator's group.

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery

The following table describes the permissions that can be allowed or denied for
user and groups who use the Symantec System Recovery Agent.
Table 9-3

Permission options

Option

Description

Full Control

Gives the user or the group complete access to all
Symantec System Recovery functionality as if
they are the administrator. If you do not want
users to define, change, or delete backups, or to
manage recovery point storage, do not give them
Full Control.

Status Only

Users or groups can get status information, and
can run a backup job. But they cannot define,
change, or delete any backup jobs, or use any
other function of the product.

Deny

Users cannot perform any function, or see any
information. They are blocked from any access
to Symantec System Recovery.

A deny setting takes precedence over an inherited allow setting. For example, a
user who is a member of two groups is denied permissions if the settings for one
of the groups denies permissions. User-denied permissions override group-allow
permissions.
See “Adding users and groups” on page 143.
See “Changing permissions for a user or a group” on page 144.
See “Removing a user or a group” on page 144.
See “Running Symantec System Recovery using different user rights” on page 145.

Adding users and groups
You can use the Security Configuration Tool to add a user or a group so they can
access Symantec System Recovery.
To add users and groups

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start>Programs>SymantecSystemRecovery
> Security Configuration Tool.

2

Click Add.

3

In the Select Users or Groups dialog box, click Advanced.

4

If necessary, click Object Types to select the types of objects that you want.

143

144

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery

5

If necessary, click Locations to select the location that you want to search.

6

Click Find Now, select users and groups you want, and then click OK.

7

Click OK when you are finished.

See “About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery ” on page 142.
See “Changing permissions for a user or a group” on page 144.
See “Removing a user or a group” on page 144.
See “Running Symantec System Recovery using different user rights” on page 145.

Changing permissions for a user or a group
You can use the Security Configuration Tool to change the Symantec System
Recovery access permissions of a user or a group.
To change permissions for a user or a group

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start>Programs>SymantecSystemRecovery
> Security Configuration Tool.

2

In the Permissions for Symantec System Recovery dialog box, select the
user or group whose permissions you want to change. Then do one of the
following:

3

■

To set Full Control permissions, click Allow or Deny for the selected user
or group.

■

To set Status Only permissions, click Allow or Deny for the selected user
or group.

Click OKwhen you are finished.

See “About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery ” on page 142.
See “Adding users and groups” on page 143.
See “Removing a user or a group” on page 144.
See “Running Symantec System Recovery using different user rights” on page 145.

Removing a user or a group
You can use the Security Configuration Tool to remove a user or a group so they
cannot access Symantec System Recovery.

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery

To remove a user or a group

1

On the Windows Start menu, click Programs > Symantec System Recovery
> Security Configuration Tool.

2

Select the user or group that you want to remove, and then click Remove.

3

Click OK when you are finished.

See “About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery ” on page 142.
See “Adding users and groups” on page 143.
See “Changing permissions for a user or a group” on page 144.
See “Running Symantec System Recovery using different user rights” on page 145.

Running Symantec System Recovery using different user rights
If the permissions for a user are insufficient for running Symantec System
Recovery, you can use the Run As feature in Windows. The Run As feature lets
you run the software using an account that has sufficient rights. This situation
is true even if you are not currently logged on with the account.
To perform Run As from Windows

1

On the Windows taskbar, click Start > All Programs > Symantec System
Recovery.

2

Right-click Symantec System Recovery, and then click Run As.

3

In the Run As dialog box, click The following user to log onto with another
account.

4

In the User name and Password fields, enter the account name and password
that you want to use, and then click OK.

See “About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery ” on page 142.
See “Adding users and groups” on page 143.
See “Changing permissions for a user or a group” on page 144.
See “Removing a user or a group” on page 144.

145

146

Backing up remote computers from your computer
About controlling access to Symantec System Recovery

Chapter

10

Monitoring the status of
your backups
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About monitoring backups

■

About the icons on the Home page

■

About the icons on the Status page

■

Configuring Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP traps

■

About customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)

■

Viewing drive details

■

Improving the protection level of a drive

■

About using event log information to troubleshoot problems

About monitoring backups
You should monitor your backups to ensure that you can effectively recover lost
data when you need it.
The Home page provides a general status of your backup protection. The Status
page provides details about which drives are protected, as well as a calendar view
of past and future backups.
Note: In addition to ensuring that you back up each drive, carefully review and
follow best practices for backing up your computer.

148

Monitoring the status of your backups
About the icons on the Home page

See “About the icons on the Home page” on page 148.
See “About the icons on the Status page” on page 150.

Rescanning a computer’s hard disk
Use Refresh to update the drive information that is displayed in various views of
the product. This feature is useful when hard disk configurations have changed
but the changes do not immediately appear in Symantec System Recovery. For
example, adding hard disk space or creating a partition.
When you use Refresh, Symantec System Recovery scans all attached hard disks
for any configuration changes. It also updates information on removable media,
media drives, hard drives, file systems, and hard drive letters.
To rescan a computer’s hard disks
◆

On the View menu, click Refresh.
The status bar at the bottom of the product's window indicates when the
scanning takes place.

See “About monitoring backups” on page 147.

About the icons on the Home page
On the Home page, the Backup Status pane provides a summary of the backup
protection status of your computer. For example, suppose one or more drives are
not included in a defined backup. In such cases, the background color and status
icon change to reflect the level of backup protection. The Status Details pane
provides recommendations on which actions you should take.
The following table describes each of the levels of backup protection that the
Home page displays.
Table 10-1
Icon

Backup protection levels
Title

Description

Backed up

At least one drive-based
backup is defined and it runs
on a regular basis.
This status indicates that all
drives, files, and folders can
be fully recovered, if
necessary.

Monitoring the status of your backups
About the icons on the Home page

Table 10-1
Icon

Backup protection levels (continued)
Title

Description

Partially backed up

A backup is defined, but it is
not scheduled or has not run
for a long time. This status
can indicate that the existing
recovery points are outdated.
It can also indicate that one
or more drives are not
assigned to a defined backup.
A partially protected drive
can be recovered, but if the
recovery points are outdated,
it might not contain the
latest versions of your data.

At risk

No defined backup exists and
no recovery points are
available from which to
recover the drive.
An unprotected drive cannot
be recovered and is at risk.

Status unknown

The status is forthcoming, or
you have not yet licensed
your product.
Either wait a few seconds for
the status to display, or make
sure that you have licensed
your copy of the product.

No backup protection
assigned

The drive that displays this
icon is not monitored for
backup status; or, it is
monitored for errors only.
However, there are no errors
to report.
Use the Customize Status
Report feature on the Status
page to change the status
report setting.

See “About monitoring backups” on page 147.

149

150

Monitoring the status of your backups
About the icons on the Status page

See “About the icons on the Status page” on page 150.

About the icons on the Status page
The Status page lets you monitor the status of your backups. The Status page
lists each drive on your computer and includes a calendar that contains your
backup histories. The calendar lets you quickly identify when a backup ran, and
what type of backup it was. It identifies your upcoming, scheduled backups. It
also lists the file and folder backup history if you have defined one or more file
and folder backups.
Note: You can right-click any of the calendar icons to access a context-sensitive
menu. These menus offer quick access to related tasks.
Refer to the following table for the meaning of each icon that is displayed in the
Backups calendar.

Monitoring the status of your backups
About the icons on the Status page

Table 10-2
Icon

Backups calendar icons
Description

States

Represents a drive-based
backup that is configured to
create a single, independent
recovery point. When this
icon appears in the Backup
timeline, it indicates that a
drive-based backup is
scheduled to occur.

This icon can appear in the
following states:

Indicates that a backup has
run and an independent
recovery point was created.

Indicates that the backup is
unavailable.

Indicates that the backup did
not run as scheduled. This
problem could occur if an
error prevents the backup
from running or if you
manually cancel a backup
before it completes.

Indicates a drive-based
backup that is scheduled to
run at a future time.

151

152

Monitoring the status of your backups
About the icons on the Status page

Table 10-2
Icon

Backups calendar icons (continued)
Description

States

Represents a drive-based
backup that is configured to
create incremental recovery
points. It indicates that a
drive-based backup is
scheduled to occur on the day
that it appears in the backup
timeline.

This icon can appear in the
following states:

Indicates that a backup has
run and an incremental
recovery point was created.

Indicates that the backup is
unavailable.

Indicates that the backup did
not run as scheduled. This
problem could occur if an
error prevents the backup
from running or if you
manually cancel a backup
before it completes.

Indicates that the backup is
scheduled to run at a future
time.

Monitoring the status of your backups
About the icons on the Status page

Table 10-2
Icon

Backups calendar icons (continued)
Description

States

Represents backing up files
and folders. It indicates that
a backup of files and folders
occurs on the day that it
appears in the backup
timeline.

This icon can appear in the
following states:

Indicates that a backup has
run and that backup data for
files and folders was created
successfully.

Indicates that the backup is
not available.

Indicates that the backup did
not run as scheduled. This
problem could occur if an
error prevents the backup
from running, or if you
manually canceled a backup
before it completed.

Indicates that the backup is
scheduled to run at a future
time.

153

154

Monitoring the status of your backups
About the icons on the Status page

Table 10-2
Icon

Backups calendar icons (continued)
Description

States

Represents two or more
This icon can appear in the
backups are scheduled to run following states:
on the day on which this icon
appears.
Indicates that two or more
backups have run and the
last backup was created
successfully.

Indicates that two or more
backups are scheduled and
that at least one is
unavailable.

Indicates that two or more
backups have run and the
last backup was
unsuccessful. This problem
could occur if an error
prevents a backup from
running.

Indicates that the backup is
scheduled to run at a future
time.

To monitor backup protection from the Status page, you can do the following:
■

On the Status page, review the Backups calendar and verify that the backup
appears on the date that you ran it.

■

In the Drives column, select the drive that you want to view.
The status information appears in the bottom half of the Status page.

■

Move your mouse over a backup icon in the calendar to review the status of
the backup.

■

To move around in the calendar, use one of the following methods:
■

Click anywhere in the title bar to navigate quickly to a different point in
time.

Monitoring the status of your backups
Configuring Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP traps

■

Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the calendar to scroll backward or
forward in time.

See “About monitoring backups” on page 147.
See “About the icons on the Home page” on page 148.

Configuring Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP
traps
If you use Network Management System (NMS) applications, you can configure
Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP traps for different priority and
notification types.
By default, Symantec System Recovery is not enabled to send SNMP traps to NMS
managers. You can configure Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP traps for
different priority and notification types.
To configure Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP traps

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options.

2

Under Notifications, click SNMP Trap.

3

Click the Select the priority and type of messages list and select the priority
level at which traps should be generated.

4

5

All messages

Send all messages, regardless of priority
levels.

Medium and high priority messages

Send only medium and high priority
messages.

High priority messages only

Send only high priority messages.

No messages

Do not send any messages, regardless of
priority levels.

Select one or more of the following options:
■

Errors

■

Warnings

■

Information

Select the version of SNMP traps to be sent (Version 1 or Version 2), and then
click OK.

155

156

Monitoring the status of your backups
About customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)

See “About the Symantec System Recovery Management Information Base”
on page 156.

About the Symantec System Recovery Management Information Base
The Symantec System Recovery Management Information Base (MIB) is an
enterprise MIB. It contains the Symantec System Recovery SNMP trap definitions.
All Network Management System (NMS) applications have options to load an MIB.
You can use any of these options to load the Symantec System Recovery MIB. If
you do not load the MIB, the NMS application can still receive, and display the
traps. However, the traps are not displayed in informative text. The MIB file,
named ssr_mib.mib, is located in the Support folder on the Symantec System
Recovery product CD.
See “Configuring Symantec System Recovery to send SNMP traps” on page 155.

About customizing the status reporting of a drive (or
file and folder backups)
You can configure how Symantec System Recovery reports the status of a
particular drive (or all backups of files and folders).
For example, suppose that drive D contains unimportant data and you have chosen
not to include it in a drive-based backup. The status on the Home page continues
to report that your computer is at risk. You can configure Symantec System
Recovery to ignore drive D. By ignoring it, you ensure that it does not calculate
the status of drive D in the Backup Status panel on the Home page.
Or, you can specify that only errors, such as missed or failed backups, are included
in the status report.
Note: The backup status of each drive is reported throughout the product, wherever
the drive is listed. When you customize status reporting for a drive, the status is
reflected anywhere that the drive is listed in Symantec System Recovery.
You should first determine the importance of the data that is on a particular drive.
Or, the importance of data you have included in a backup of files and folders. Then
you can decide on the level of status reporting to assign to it.
See “Customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)”
on page 157.

Monitoring the status of your backups
About customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)

Customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)
You can customize the status reporting of a selected drive, or files and folders.
To customize the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)

1

On the Status page, click a drive (or File and folders) to select it.
You can also click Customize status reporting from the Home page.

2

Click Customize status reporting.

3

Select a status reporting option.
See “Customize Status Reporting options” on page 157.

4

Click OK.

See “About customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)”
on page 156.

Customize Status Reporting options
The following table describes the options available on the Customize Status
Reporting dialog box.
Table 10-3

Customize Status Reporting options

Option

Description

Full status reporting

Shows the current status of the selected
drive or file and folder backups on the Home
and Status pages.
Select this option if the data is critical.

Errors only status reporting

Shows the current status of the selected
drive or file and folder backups only when
errors occur.
Select this option if the data is important,
but you only want the status to report errors,
whenever they occur.

No status reporting

Does not show any status for the selected
drive or file and folder backups.
Select this option if the data is unimportant
and missed or failed backups do not need to
be reported.

See “Customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)”
on page 157.

157

158

Monitoring the status of your backups
Viewing drive details

See “About customizing the status reporting of a drive (or file and folder backups)”
on page 156.

Viewing drive details
The Advanced page lets you view details about your hard drives.
You can view the following drive details:
Name

Displays the name that you assigned to the backup when you defined
it.

Type

Identifies the type of recovery point that the backup creates when it
runs.

Destination

Identifies the storage location of the recovery point, or the location
in which the drive should be backed up.

Last Run

Displays the day and time when the backup was last run.

Next Run

Displays the day and time of the next scheduled backup.

To view drive details

1

On the View menu, click Advanced.

2

On the Drives tab, in the Drive column of the table, select a drive.

3

Review the Details section.

See “Improving the protection level of a drive” on page 158.

Improving the protection level of a drive
When the status of a drive-based backup indicates that it needs attention, you
should take steps to improve the status.
You might need to add a drive to an existing backup, edit the schedule of a backup,
or edit the settings of a backup. Or, you may need to define a new backup.
See “About backing up your data” on page 63.

Monitoring the status of your backups
Improving the protection level of a drive

To improve the protection level of a drive

1

On the View menu, click Status.

2

In the Drives column, select a drive that requires attention.

159

160

Monitoring the status of your backups
Improving the protection level of a drive

3

In the Status panel, right-click on the name of a backup job you want to edit,
and then select one of the following menu items:
Run Backup Now

Runs the selected backup job immediately.

Run Backup With Options

Opens the Run Backup With Options dialog box, which
lets you select the desired recovery point type.
Recovery point option types include Incremental
recovery point, Recovery point set, and Independent
recovery point.

Change Schedule

Opens the Run When dialog box so that you can edit
the backup schedule.

Edit Settings

Opens the Define Backup Wizard, which lets you edit
the backup definition.
This option takes you to the second page of the wizard.

Edit Offsite

Opens the Offsite Copy Settings dialog box, where you
can edit or change settings for the Offsite Copy feature.

Remove Backup Job

Deletes the backup that you have selected.
When you delete a backup, only the backup definition
is deleted. The backup data is not deleted (for example,
the recovery points or the backup data of files and
folders).

Disable (Enable) Backup

Turns on or turns off the backup that you have
selected.

Define New Backup

Opens the Define Backup Wizard, where you can select
between backing up your computer or backing up
selected files and folders.
This option is useful if a drive in the Drives column is
not yet assigned to a backup. You can select a drive
that is assigned to a backup job. Then you have access
to the shortcut method for starting the Define Backup
Wizard from the Status page.

Manage Backup Destination Opens the Manage Backup Destination dialog box,
where you can specify destination drives as well as
delete, copy, or explore existing recovery points on
destination drives.
Customize Status Reporting Opens the Customize Status Reporting dialog box,
where you can specify if you want status reporting,
and the type of status reporting.

Monitoring the status of your backups
About using event log information to troubleshoot problems

See “Editing backup settings” on page 122.

About using event log information to troubleshoot
problems
When Symantec System Recovery performs an action, it records the event (for
example, when a backup job runs). It also records program error messages.
You can use the event log to track down the source of problems or to verify the
successful completion of a backup job.
Log entries provide information about the success or failure of numerous actions
by Symantec System Recovery or by a user. It offers a single view of all of the
information and the program error messages.
The following information is included in the event log:
Table 10-4

Event log information

Option

Description

Type

Indicates if the event is an error message or
other information, such as the successful
completion of a backup job.

Source

Identifies if Symantec System Recovery
generates the message or another program.

Date

Displays the exact date and time that a
selected event occurred.

Description

Lets you review information about an event
that can help you troubleshoot errors.

See “Logging Symantec System Recovery messages” on page 56.

161

162

Monitoring the status of your backups
About using event log information to troubleshoot problems

Chapter

11

Exploring the contents of a
recovery point
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About exploring recovery points

■

Exploring a recovery point through Windows Explorer

■

Opening and restoring files within a recovery point

■

About configuring a backup to create searchable recovery points

■

Dismounting a recovery point drive

■

Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point

About exploring recovery points
You can use Symantec System Recovery to explore files in a recovery point. You
mount the recovery point and assign it a drive letter so that is visible from
Windows Explorer.
You can perform the following tasks on the assigned drive:
■

Run ScanDisk (or CHKDSK).

■

Perform a virus check.

■

Copy folders or files to an alternate location.

■

View disk information about the drive, such as used space and free space.

■

Run programs existing within a mounted recovery point.

164

Exploring the contents of a recovery point
Exploring a recovery point through Windows Explorer

Within a mounted recovery point, programs that you run cannot rely on any
registry values. The programs also cannot rely on COM interfaces, dynamic
link libraries (DLLs), or other similar dependencies.
You can set up a mounted drive as a shared drive. Users on a network can connect
to the shared drive and restore files and folders from the recovery point.
You can mount one or more recovery points at a time. The drives remain mounted
until you unmount them or you restart the computer. Mounted drives do not take
up extra hard-disk space.
All security on the NTFS volumes remains intact when they are mounted.
You do not need to mount a drive to restore the files or folders from within a
recovery point.
Note: Any data that is written to a mounted recovery point is lost when the
recovery point is unmounted. This data includes any data that is created, edited,
or deleted at the time.
See “Exploring a recovery point through Windows Explorer” on page 164.
See “Dismounting a recovery point drive” on page 167.
See “Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point” on page 167.

Exploring a recovery point through Windows Explorer
When you explore a recovery point, Symantec System Recovery mounts the
recovery point as a drive letter and it opens in Windows Explorer.
For each drive that is included in the recovery point, a new mounted drive letter
is created. For example, if your recovery point contains backups of drives C and
D, two newly mounted drives appear (for example, E and F). The mounted drives
include the original drive labels of the drives that were backed up.
To explore a recovery point through Windows Explorer

1

On the Tasks menu, click Manage Backup Destination.

2

Select the recovery point or recovery point set that you want to explore, and
then click Explore.

3

If you select a recovery point set that contains more than one recovery point,
in the Range column, select a recovery point, and click OK.

See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.

Exploring the contents of a recovery point
Opening and restoring files within a recovery point

Mounting a recovery point from Windows Explorer
You can manually mount a recovery point as a drive by opening your backup
destination folder in Windows Explorer.
You can use Windows Explorer to search the contents of the recovery point. For
example, if you cannot remember where a particular file was originally stored,
you can use the Windows Explorer search feature. You can locate the file, as you
normally would locate a file on your hard drive.
To mount a recovery point from Windows Explorer

1

In Windows Explorer, navigate to a recovery point.
The recovery point is located in the storage location that you selected when
you defined your backup.

2

Right-click the recovery point, and then click Mount.

3

In the Mount Recovery Point window, under the Drive Label column, select
the drive that you want to mount.

4

In the Drive letter list, select the letter that you want to associate with the
drive.

5

Click OK.

6

To mount additional drives, repeat steps 1-5.

See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.

Opening and restoring files within a recovery point
Using the Recovery Point Browser, you can open files within a recovery point.
The file opens in the program that is associated with that file type. You can also
restore files by saving them using the application that is associated with them.
Or, you can restore files by using the Recover Files option in the Recovery Point
Browser.
If the file type is not associated with a program, the Microsoft Open With dialog
box is displayed. You can then select the correct program for opening the file.
Note: You cannot view encrypted file system (EFS) NTFS volumes.
To open files within a recovery point

1

On the Tools page, click Run Recovery Point Browser.

2

Navigate to your backup destination folder, select the recovery point file that
you want to browse, and then click Open.

165

166

Exploring the contents of a recovery point
Opening and restoring files within a recovery point

3

In the Recovery Point Browser, in the tree panel on the left, select a drive.

4

In the right content panel, double-click the folder that contains the file that
you want to view.

5

Right-click the file that you want to view, and then click View File.
The View option is dimmed (unavailable) if you select program files with any
of the following file extensions.
.exe
.dll
.com

To restore files within a recovery point

1

On the Tools page, click Run Recovery Point Browser.

2

Navigate to your backup destination folder, select the recovery point file you
want to browse, and then click Open.

3

In the Recovery Point Browser, in the tree panel on the left, select a drive.

4

In the right content panel, double-click the folder that contains the file that
you want to view.

5

Right-click the file you want to view and click View File.
The View option is dimmed (unavailable) if you select program files with any
of the following file extensions.
.exe
.dll
.com

6

In the Recovery Point Browser, in the list panel on the right, select one or
more files.

7

Click Recover Files, and then click Recover to restore them to their original
location.
If you are prompted, click Yes, or Yes to All to overwrite the existing (original)
files.

See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.
See “About configuring a backup to create searchable recovery points” on page 167.

Exploring the contents of a recovery point
About configuring a backup to create searchable recovery points

About configuring a backup to create searchable
recovery points
If you have a desktop search engine such as Google Desktop, you can configure
your backups to create recovery points that are searchable.
Note: If your organization uses Symantec Backup Exec Retrieve, it is likely that
your network administrator has already enabled this feature.
Be sure to select the Enable search engine support option at the time you define
the backup.
See “To define a drive-based backup” on page 74.
See “About using a search engine to search recovery points” on page 277.

Dismounting a recovery point drive
All of your mounted recovery point drives are unmounted when you restart the
computer. You can also unmount the drives without restarting the computer.
To dismount a recovery point drive

1

2

Do one of the following:
■

To dismount a recovery point drive in Windows Explorer, navigate to the
mounted recovery point.

■

To dismount a recovery point drive in Recovery Point Browser, in the
tree view, locate the mounted recovery point.

Right-click the mounted recovery point that is displayed as a drive, and then
click Dismount Recovery Point.

See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.
See “Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point” on page 167.

Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point
You can use Properties to view various drive properties of a recovery point.

167

168

Exploring the contents of a recovery point
Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point

To view the drive properties of a recovery point

1

In the Recovery Point Browser, in the tree panel on the left, click the recovery
point that contains the drive that you want to view.

2

Select a drive.

3

Do one of the following:
■

On the File menu, click Properties.

■

Right-click the recovery point, and then click Properties.

See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.
See “Recovery point drive properties” on page 168.

Recovery point drive properties
The following table describes the drive properties on the Recovery Point
Properties dialog box.
Table 11-1

Recovery point drive properties

Property

Description

Description

A user-assigned comment that is associated
with the recovery point.

Original drive letter

The original drive letter that was assigned
to the drive.

Cluster size

The cluster size (in bytes) of the FAT, FAT32,
or NTFS drive.

File system

The file system type that is used within the
drive. For example, FAT, FAT32, or NTFS.

Primary/Logical

The selected drive's status as either a
primary partition or a logical partition.

Size

The total size (in MB) of the drive. This total
includes used space and unused space.

Used space

The amount of used space (in MB) within the
drive.

Unused space

The amount of unused space (in MB) within
the drive.

Contains bad sectors

Indicates if any bad sectors exist on the
drive.

Exploring the contents of a recovery point
Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point

Table 11-1

Recovery point drive properties (continued)

Property

Description

Cleanly quiesced

Indicates whether the database application
quiesced properly when a recovery point was
created.

See “Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point” on page 167.
See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.

169

170

Exploring the contents of a recovery point
Viewing the drive properties of a recovery point

Chapter

12

Managing backup
destinations
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About backup destinations

■

About backup methods

■

Cleaning up old recovery points

■

Deleting a recovery point set

■

Deleting recovery points within a set

■

Making copies of recovery points

■

Defining a virtual conversion job

■

Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately

■

Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job

■

Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job

■

Editing a virtual conversion job

■

Deleting a virtual conversion job

■

Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

■

About managing file and folder backup data

■

Automating the management of backup data

■

Moving your backup destination

172

Managing backup destinations
About backup destinations

About backup destinations
A backup destination is the location in which your backup data is stored.
Symantec System Recovery includes features for managing the size of your backup
destinations so that you can use your computer's valuable disk space for other
purposes.
See “Cleaning up old recovery points” on page 174.
See “Deleting a recovery point set” on page 175.
See “Deleting recovery points within a set” on page 175.
See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.

About backup methods
Symantec System Recovery offers two backup methods:
Drive-based backup

Use this option to back up an entire drive (for example your
system drive which is typically C). You can then restore any
file or folder, or your entire drive.
See “About drive-based backups” on page 172.

File and folder backup

Use this option to back up only the files and folders that
you select. You can then restore any file or all of them at
any time.
This option typically requires less disk space than
drive-based backups.
See “About file and folder backups” on page 173.

See “About defining a drive-based backup” on page 73.
See “About backing up files and folders” on page 107.

About drive-based backups
When you run a drive-based backup, a snapshot of everything is taken and stored
on your computer's hard disk. Each snapshot is stored on your computer as a
recovery point. A recovery point is a point in time. You can use the recovery point
to restore your computer back to the way it was when the snapshot was created.
The types of recovery points are as follows:

Managing backup destinations
About backup methods

Independent recovery point Creates a complete, independent copy of the drives that you
(.v2i)
select. This backup type typically requires more storage
space than a recovery point set.
Recovery point set (.iv2i)

Includes a base recovery point. A base recovery point is a
complete copy of your entire drive, and is similar to an
independent recovery point. The recovery point set also
includes recovery points. These recovery points capture
only the changes that were made to your computer since
the creation of the base recovery point.

Although you can recover files and folders from a drive-based backup, you cannot
select a specific set of files or folders to back up. Your entire hard drive is backed
up.
See “About backup methods” on page 172.
See “About backing up files and folders” on page 107.

About file and folder backups
You can edit or create a select set of personal documents and folders, and then
define a backup for those files and folders. For example, you might want to define
a backup to capture one or more folders. Within those folders contain the files
that you change on a regular basis. This kind of backup is useful because you do
not need to use additional hard disk resources to back up your entire computer.
File and folder backups let you select individual files or folders to back up. You
can also specify a file type to back up. Then Symantec System Recovery can locate
and back up all files of the type you specified. For example, suppose you have
Microsoft Word documents stored at several locations on your computer. Symantec
System Recovery locates all Word documents (files that end with .doc) and includes
them in your backup. You can even edit the list of file types to include the types
that are unique to the software you use.
Symantec System Recovery also keeps multiple versions of the same files for you.
This redundancy means you can restore the version of a file that contains the
changes you need to restore. You can even set a limit to the number of versions
that are kept so that you can control the use of disk space.
See “About backup methods” on page 172.
See “About defining a drive-based backup” on page 73.

173

174

Managing backup destinations
Cleaning up old recovery points

Cleaning up old recovery points
Over time, you might end up with recovery points that you no longer need. For
example, you might have several recovery points created months ago that you no
longer need because you have more current ones containing your latest work.
See “Automating the management of backup data” on page 204.
The Clean Up feature deletes all but the most current recovery point set, to help
make more space available on your hard disk.
Note: After you delete a recovery point, you no longer have access to the files or
system recovery from that point in time. You should explore the contents of the
recovery point before you delete it.
To clean up old recovery points

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Manage Backup Destination.

3

Do one of the following:
■

In the Clean Up Recovery Points dialog box, select the recovery points
that you want to delete.

■

In the Manage Backup Destination window, on the toolbar, click Clean
Up. Select the recovery points that you want to delete.

The recovery point sets that can be safely removed without eliminating your
latest recovery point are selected automatically. You can also select or deselect
the recovery point sets to specify which ones to remove.

4

Click Delete.

5

Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

6

Click OK.

See “Opening and restoring files within a recovery point” on page 165.
See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.
See “Deleting a recovery point set” on page 175.
See “Deleting recovery points within a set” on page 175.
See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.

Managing backup destinations
Deleting a recovery point set

Deleting a recovery point set
If you know that you no longer want a particular recovery point set, you can delete
it at any time.
Note: After you delete a recovery point, you no longer have access to file or system
recovery for that point in time.
To delete a recovery point set

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Manage Backup Destination.

3

In the Recovery Point Sets table, select a recovery point set that you want
to delete.
The recovery point set you select should have just one set associated with it
and appear as "1 Recovery Point" in the table.

4

In the Manage Backup Destination window, on the Tasks menu, click Delete.

5

In the Delete Recovery Point Set dialog box, click Yes to confirm the deletion.

6

Click OK.

See “Cleaning up old recovery points” on page 174.
See “Deleting recovery points within a set” on page 175.
See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.
See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.

Deleting recovery points within a set
A recovery point set can contain multiple recovery points that were created over
time. You can delete recovery points to reclaim more storage space.
The Delete Recovery Points option lets you delete all of the recovery points that
were created between the first recovery point and last recovery point in the set.

175

176

Managing backup destinations
Deleting recovery points within a set

Warning: Be careful about which recovery points you choose to delete. You could
inadvertently lose data. For example, you create a new document, which is captured
in the third recovery point in a recovery point set. You then accidentally delete
the file, which is captured by the fourth recovery point. If you delete the third
recovery point, you permanently lose the version of the file that was backed up.
If you are unsure, you should explore the contents of a recovery point before you
delete it.
See “Opening and restoring files within a recovery point” on page 165.
You can manually select which recovery points to remove, if you know which
recovery points that you want to keep within a set.
See “Cleaning up old recovery points” on page 174.
To delete recovery points within a set

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Manage Backup Destination.

3

In the Recovery Point Sets table, select the recovery point set that contains
recovery points that you want to delete.
The recovery point set you select should have more than one set associated
with it. For example, a recovery point set that contains more than one recovery
point may appear as "4 Recovery Points" in the table.

4

In the Manage Backup Destination window, on the Tasks menu, click Delete.

5

Do one of the following:

6

■

To automatically delete all but the first and last recovery point in the set,
click Automatic.

■

To manually select which recovery points in the set to delete, click Manual,
and then select the recovery points you want to delete.

■

To delete all the recovery points in the set you selected, click Delete all
recovery points in the set.

Click OK.

See “Deleting a recovery point set” on page 175.
See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.
See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.

Managing backup destinations
Making copies of recovery points

Making copies of recovery points
You can copy recovery points to another location for added security. For example,
you can copy them to another hard disk, another computer on a network, or on
removable media such as DVDs or CDs. You can then store these copies in a
protected location.
You can also create archive copies of your recovery points to free up disk space.
For example, you can copy recovery points to a CD or DVD, and then manually
delete the original recovery points. You should verify the copies of the recovery
points to ensure that they are on the disk and are valid.
To make copies of recovery points

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Manage Backup Destination.

3

In the Recovery Point Sets table, select a recovery point set.

4

In the Manage Backup Destination window, on the Tasks menu, click Copy.

5

If the Copy Recovery Point dialog box is displayed, select a recovery point
within the set that you want to copy. Otherwise, skip to the next step.

6

On the Welcome panel of the Copy Recovery Point Wizard, click Next.

7

Do one of the following:
■

If you selected a recovery point in step 5, the recovery point that you want
to copy is already highlighted (selected) for you in the Date table of the
Source panel. Click Next.

■

On the Source panel, select the recovery point that you want to copy.
See “Source options” on page 178.
Recovery point sets appear as single recovery points. Select View all
recovery points to display all incremental recovery points that are
included within the recovery point sets.

8

Click Next.

9

In the Destination Location panel, specify the folder path where you want
to copy the recovery point, and then click Next.
See “Destination Location options” on page 180.

10 On the Options panel, set the options you want.for the copied recovery point,
and then click Next.
See “Copy recovery point options” on page 181.

11 Review the options that you selected, and then click Finish.

177

178

Managing backup destinations
Making copies of recovery points

After the recovery points are safely copied, you can delete them from your
computer.
See “Deleting a recovery point set” on page 175.
See “Cleaning up old recovery points” on page 174.
See “Deleting recovery points within a set” on page 175.
See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.

Source options
The following table describes the options on the Source panel. This panel is
available in the Copy Recovery Point Wizard wizard from the Manage Backup
Destination window.
Table 12-1

Source options when you copy recovery points by Date

Option

Description

View by - Date

Displays all of the discovered recovery points
in the order in which they were created.

Date

Lets you select an alternate date by using
the drop-down calendar. Use the calendar if
no recovery points are discovered and
displayed in the table.

View all recovery points

Lets you view all recovery points that are
available.

Table 12-2

Source options when you copy recovery points by File name

Option

Description

View by - File name

Lets you view recovery points by their file
name.

File name

Specifies a path and a file name of a recovery
point.

Managing backup destinations
Making copies of recovery points

Table 12-2

Source options when you copy recovery points by File name
(continued)

Option

Description

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
recovery point.
For example, you can browse for a recovery
point (.v2i) or incremental recovery point
(.iv2i) file on an external (USB) drive. Or, you
can browse to a network location, or
removable media.

User name

Specifies the user name if you specify a
recovery point file name that is located in a
network path.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Password

Table 12-3

Specifies the password to a network path.

Source options when you copy recovery points by System

Option

Description

View by - System

Lets you use the current system index file
that is located in the recovery point storage
location. The system index file displays a list
of all of the drives on your computer and any
associated recovery points from which you
can select.
The use of a system index file reduces the
time it takes to convert multiple recovery
points. When a recovery point is created, a
system index file is saved with it. The system
index file contains a list of the most recent
recovery points, which includes the original
drive location of each recovery point.

Date

Lets you select an alternate date of a system
index file date by using the drop-down
calendar. Use the calendar if no recovery
points are discovered and displayed in the
table.

179

180

Managing backup destinations
Making copies of recovery points

Table 12-3

Source options when you copy recovery points by System (continued)

Option

Description

Use latest recovery points for this computer Restores the most recent recovery points
that exist in the recovery point storage
location on your computer.
The list of drives, source files (.v2i and .iv2i
files), and dates comes from the most current
system index file (.sv2i).
Use alternate system index (.sv2i) file

Restores recovery points that exist on
another computer.

Browse to and select the .sv2i file for the
desired system

Specifies a path to a system index file (.sv2i)
file that resides elsewhere, such as a network
location.
If you selected a system index file that is
stored on a network, you are prompted for
your network credentials.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
system index file.
For example, you can browse to an external
(USB) drive, a network location, or to
removable media to select a system index
file.

Drives

Lets you select the drives with the recovery
points that you want to restore based on the
selected system index file.

See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.

Destination Location options
The following table describes the options on the Destination Location panel. This
panel is available in the Copy Recovery Point Wizard wizard from the Manage
Backup Destination window.

Managing backup destinations
Making copies of recovery points

Table 12-4

Destination Location options

Option

Description

Folder

Lets you type the path to which you want to
copy the recovery point.

Browse

Lets you browse to a folder path where you
want to copy the recovery point.

Edit

Lets you edit the destination information.

File name

Lets you select a file name that you want to
rename.

Rename

Lets you renames the file that you have
selected in the File name table.

See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.

Copy recovery point options
The following table describes the options on the Options panel. This panel is
available in the Copy Recovery Point Wizard wizard from the Manage Backup
Destination window.
Table 12-5

Copy recovery point options

Option

Description

Compression

Lets you use one of the following
compression levels for the recovery point:
■

None

■

Standard

■

Medium

■

High

See “Compression levels for recovery points”
on page 92.
The results can vary depending on the types
of files that are saved in the drive.
Verify recovery point after creation

Verifies whether the recovery point is valid
after it is created.

181

182

Managing backup destinations
Making copies of recovery points

Table 12-5

Copy recovery point options (continued)

Option

Description

Enable search engine support

Lets a search engine, such as Google Desktop,
index all of the file names that are contained
in each recovery point. By indexing the file
names, you can then use your search engine
to locate files you want to restore.
This option is for NTFS file systems only.
See “About using a search engine to search
recovery points” on page 277.

Include system and temporary files

Includes indexing support for operating
system and temporary files when a recovery
point is created or copied on the client
computer.

Advanced

Lets you add, among other things, security
options to the recovery point.
See “Advanced Options” on page 182.

Description

Indicates a description for the recovery
point. The description can be anything that
helps you further identify the recovery
point's contents.

See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.

Advanced Options
The following table describes the options on the Advanced Options panel. This
panel is available in the Copy Recovery Point Wizard wizard from the Manage
Backup Destination window.
See “Copy recovery point options” on page 181.

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

Table 12-6

Advanced options for drive-based backups

Option

Description

Divide into smaller files to simplify
archiving

Lets you split the recovery point into smaller
files and specifies the maximum size (in MB)
for each file.
For example, if you plan to copy a recovery
point to ZIP disks from your backup
destination, specify a maximum file size of
100 MB, according to the size of each ZIP
disk.

Use password

Sets a password on the recovery point when
it is created. Passwords can include standard
characters. Passwords cannot include
extended characters, or symbols. (Use
characters with an ASCII value of 128 or
lower.)
A user must type this password before he or
she can restore a backup or view the contents
of the recovery point.

Use AES encryption

Encrypts recovery point data to add another
level of protection to your recovery points.
Choose from the following encryption levels:
Standard 128-bit (8+ character
password)
■ Medium 192-bit (16+ character
password)
■ High 256-bit (32+ character password)
■

See “Making copies of recovery points” on page 177.

Defining a virtual conversion job
You can create a schedule to convert recovery points and incremental recovery
points to a VMware virtual disk or a Microsoft virtual disk . You can also convert
recovery points directly to VMware ESX Server. Virtual disks are excellent for
testing and evaluation purposes.
The following platforms support virtual disks created from recovery points:
■

VMware Workstation 4, 5, 6, and 6.5

■

VMware ESX 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.1

183

184

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

■

VMware ESXi 3.5, 4.0, and 4.1

■

VMware Server 1 and 2

■

VMware GSX Server 3.x (replaced by VMware Server)

■

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 and later

■

Microsoft Hyper-V 1.0 and 2.0

Scheduled conversions use the system index file (.sv2i) to convert recovery points
to virtual disks. The .sv2i file reduces the time it takes to convert multiple recovery
points. When a recovery point is created, a .sv2i file is saved with it. The .sv2i file
contains a list of the most recent recovery points, which includes the original
drive location of each recovery point.
You can also create a one-time virtual conversion.
See “Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk”
on page 194.
To define a virtual conversion job

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Virtual Conversions.

2

On the toolbar, click Define New.

3

Select the virtual disk type (and version, if applicable) that you want to create,
and then click Next.

4

In the Source panel, select the recovery points you want to convert, and then
click Next..
See “Source options” on page 195.

5

In the Virtual Disks Destination panel, set the options you want based on
the virtual disk format and version (if applicable) that you selected earlier.
Then click Next.
See “Virtual Disks Destination options” on page 198.

6

In the General Options panel set the conversion options you want, and then
click Next.
See “General Options properties” on page 200.

7

In the Conversion Time panel, set the conversion job schedule that you want,
and then click Next:
See “Conversion Time options” on page 190.

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

8

If you want to run the new conversion job immediately, click Run conversion
now.
This option is not available if you selected the Only run once option in the
Conversion Time panel.

9

Click Finish.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

Source options
The following table describes the options on the Source panel. This panel is
available from the Define Virtual Conversion Wizard.
Table 12-7

Source options when you view recovery points by System

Option

Description

Perform conversion using latest recovery Converts the most recent recovery points
points for this computer
that exist in the recovery point storage
location on your computer.
The list of drives, source files (.v2i and .iv2i
files), and dates comes from the most current
system index file (.sv2i).
Perform conversion using recovery points Converts recovery points that exist on
for another computer
another computer.
Browse to and select the .sv2i file for the
desired system

Specifies a path to a system index file (.sv2i)
that resides elsewhere, such as a network
location.
If you selected a system index file that is
stored on a network, you are prompted for
your network credentials.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

185

186

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

Table 12-7

Source options when you view recovery points by System (continued)

Option

Description

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
system index file.
For example, you can browse to an external
(USB) drive, a network location, or to
removable media to select a system index
file.

Drives

Lets you select the drives with the recovery
points that you want to convert based on the
selected system index file.

See “Defining a virtual conversion job” on page 183.

Virtual Disks Destination options
The following table describes the options on the Virtual Disks Destination panel.
This panel is available from the Define Virtual Conversion Wizard.
Table 12-8

Virtual Disks Destination options for converting to VMware virtual
disk or Microsoft virtual disk

Option

Description

Folder for virtual disks

Lets you type the path to the folder where
you want to place the virtual disk files.

Browse

Lets you browse to locate the folder in which
you want to place the virtual disk files.

User name

Lets you type the user name if you specified
a virtual disk folder location on a network
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Password

Specifies the password to a network path.

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

Table 12-8

Virtual Disks Destination options for converting to VMware virtual
disk or Microsoft virtual disk (continued)

Option

Description

Create one virtual disk per volume

Creates one virtual disk file per volume.
If you do not select this option, each drive is
matched to its respective hard drive letter
assignment during the conversion.
Therefore, it results in multiple drives within
one virtual disk file.

Note: This option is not available if the
volumes are on separate disks.
Rename

Table 12-9

Lets you edit the file name of the resulting
virtual disk file.

Virtual Disks Destination options for converting to VMware ESX
Server

Option

Description

ESX server name or IP address

Lets you type the name of the server or the
server's IP address.

User name

Lets you type a valid administrator user
name that has sufficient rights to an ESX
server.

Password

Lets you type a valid password to the ESX
server.

Destination for the virtual disks

Lets you type the path to the folder where
you want to place the virtual disk files.

Browse

Lets you browse to a destination location for
the virtual disks.

Rename

Lets you edit the name of the resulting
virtual disk file.

Next

Specifies additional options for VMware ESX
Server virtual disks.

Temporary location for conversion

Lets you type the name of the server or the
server's IP address that you can use as a
temporary location for files.

187

188

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

Table 12-9

Virtual Disks Destination options for converting to VMware ESX
Server (continued)

Option

Description

Temporary Location Credentials

Lets you type a valid administrator user
name and password that has sufficient
rights.

See “Defining a virtual conversion job” on page 183.

General Options properties
The following table describes the properties on the General Options panel. This
panel is available from the Define Virtual Conversion Wizard.
Table 12-10

General Options properties

Option

Description

Conversion job name

Lets you type a name for the virtual
conversion job or you can leave the default
name.

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

Table 12-10

General Options properties (continued)

Option

Description

Run Windows Mini-Setup

Runs Windows Mini-Setup when you restart
the computer after recovery.
During recovery a text-based answer file is
generated that scripts the answers for a
series of dialog boxes. When the Mini-Setup
Wizard starts, it looks for this answer to
automate the wizard. For example, the
answer file can automatically apply network
card settings and other hardware and
software settings on the computer.
Unlike Windows Welcome which can take
up to 60 minutes or more to set up Windows,
Mini-Setup takes about six minutes. Specific
information such as accepting the End–User
license agreement, and entering the product
key get applied automatically by Mini-Setup
which uses the answer file.
Deselect this option if you want any of the
following to occur at the time of recovery
instead:
Run Windows Welcome instead
Mini-Setup
■ You do not want to change any of the
configurable options for which the
Mini-Setup Wizard changes for you at
the time of recovery. This state ensures
that the computer is recovered to its
original state before recovery.
■

For more detailed information about
Mini-Setup. you can perform a search for
"Mini-Setup" on the Microsoft Help &
Support Web site.

189

190

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

Table 12-10

General Options properties (continued)

Option

Description

Split virtual disk into 2 GB (.vmdk) files

Lets you split the virtual disk into multiple
2 GB .vmdk files.
For example, use this option if your virtual
disk is stored on a FAT32 drive. Or, any file
system that does not support files larger
than 2 GB. Or, if you want to copy the virtual
disk files to a DVD but the size is larger than
the DVD allows.

Note: This option is specific to VMware; it
is not available if you selected Microsoft
Virtual Disk as the conversion format.

See “Defining a virtual conversion job” on page 183.

Conversion Time options
The following table describes the options on the Conversion Time panel. This
panel is available from the Define Virtual Conversion Wizard.
Table 12-11

Conversion Time options for a Weekly schedule

Option

Description

Automatically convert latest recovery
points - Weekly

Converts the latest recovery points to virtual
disks using a weekly schedule.

Default

Uses the default conversion schedule.

Start time

Lets you select the time you want the
conversion to start.

Days

Lets you select the day of the week that you
want the conversion to take place.

Run more than once per day

Converts recovery points multiple times
throughout a day.

Time between conversions

Lets you select the amount of time to elapse
before the next conversion.

Number of times

Specifies the number of times that you want
the conversion to occur, beginning from the
selected start time.

Managing backup destinations
Defining a virtual conversion job

Table 12-11

Conversion Time options for a Weekly schedule (continued)

Option

Description

Details

Displays the conversion time information
you have selected.

Table 12-12

Conversion Time options for a Monthly schedule

Option

Description

Automatically convert latest recovery
points - Monthly

Converts the latest recovery points to virtual
disks using a monthly schedule.

Default

Lets you use the default conversion schedule.

Start time

Lets you select the time you want the
conversion to start.

Days of the month

Lets you select the day of the month that you
want the conversion to take place.

Details

Displays the conversion time information
you have selected.

Table 12-13

Conversion Time options for an Only Run Once schedule

Option

Description

Automatically convert latest recovery
points - Only run once

Runs the conversion one time on the date
and at the time that you specify.

Date

Lets you select the day, month, and year that
you want the conversion to run.

Time

Lets you select the time that you want the
conversion to start.

Details

Displays the conversion time information
you have selected.

See “Defining a virtual conversion job” on page 183.

191

192

Managing backup destinations
Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately

Running an existing virtual conversion job
immediately
After you create a conversion job, you can use Run Now to create an on-demand
recovery point conversion to virtual disk format. A manual conversion starts
immediately.
To run an existing virtual conversion job immediately

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Virtual Conversions.

2

Select the name of a conversion job that you want to run immediately.

3

On the toolbar, click Run Now.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job
You can use Properties for a selected virtual conversion job to review a summary
of the settings, options, and assigned schedule.
To view the properties of a virtual conversion job

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Virtual Conversions.

2

Select the name of a conversion job whose properties you want to view.

3

On the Tasks menu, click Properties.

4

Click OK.

See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job
You can view the progress of a virtual conversion job while it runs to determine
how much time remains until the conversion completes.

Managing backup destinations
Editing a virtual conversion job

To view the progress of a virtual conversion job
◆

Do one of the following:
■

On the View menu, click Progress and Performance.

■

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Virtual Conversions, and then
on the View menu, click Progress and Performance.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

Editing a virtual conversion job
You can edit the schedule portion of an existing conversion job or you can edit all
aspects of the job.
To edit a virtual conversion job

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Virtual Conversions.

2

Select the name of a conversion job that you want to edit.

3

Do one of the following:
To change the schedule

On the toolbar, click Change Schedule.
Make changes to the conversion schedule,
and then click OK.

To change the job settings

On the toolbar, click Edit Settings.
Make the changes you want in each wizard
pane, and then click Finish.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

Deleting a virtual conversion job
You can delete virtual conversion jobs you no longer need or use.

193

194

Managing backup destinations
Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

When you delete a virtual conversion job, no recovery points or virtual disks are
deleted from the storage location. Only the conversion job itself is deleted.
To delete a virtual conversion job

1

On the Tasks menu, click Run or Manage Virtual Conversions.

2

Select the names of one or more conversion jobs that you want to delete.

3

On the toolbar, click Remove.

4

Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.

Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery
point to a virtual disk
You can use Symantec System Recovery to convert recovery points of a physical
computer to VMware virtual disk. You can also convert recovery points to Microsoft
virtual disk, or a VMware ESX Server. Virtual disks are excellent for testing and
evaluation purposes.
The following platforms support virtual disks created from recovery points:
■

VMware Workstation 4, 5, 6, and 6.5

■

VMware ESX Server 3.0, 3.5, 3.5i, 4.0, 4.0i, 4.1, and 4.1i

■

VMware Server 1

■

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 and later

■

Microsoft Hyper-V 1.0 and 2.0

You can also create scheduled recovery point conversions to virtual disks.
See “Defining a virtual conversion job” on page 183.
To run a one-time recovery point conversion to virtual disk

1

On the Tasks menu, click One Time Virtual Conversion.

2

Click the virtual disk type (and version, if applicable) that you want to create,
and then click Next.

3

Do one of the following:

Managing backup destinations
Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

■

Click View all recovery points near the bottom of the pane, and then
select a recovery point in the list based on its creation date.

■

In the View by list, select a recovery point source.
See “Source options” on page 195.

4

Click Next.

5

Set the virtual disk destination options based on the virtual disk format and
version (if applicable) that you selected, and then click Next.
See “Virtual Disks Destination options” on page 198.

6

Set the general conversion options you want, and then click Next.
See “General Options properties” on page 200.

7

Review the summary of the choices you made.
If you need to make any changes, click Back.

8

Click Finish.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

Source options
The following table describes the options on the Source panel. This panel is
available from the One Time Virtual Conversion Wizard.
See “Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk”
on page 194.
Table 12-14

Source options when you view recovery points by Date

Option

Description

View by - Date

Displays all of the discovered recovery points
in the order in which they were created.

Date

Lets you select an alternate date by using
the drop-down calendar. Use the calendar if
no recovery points are discovered and
displayed in the table.

195

196

Managing backup destinations
Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

Table 12-14

Source options when you view recovery points by Date (continued)

Option

Description

View all recovery points

Lets you view all recovery points that are
available.

Table 12-15

Source options when you view recovery points by File name

Option

Description

View by - File name

Lets you view recovery points by their file
name.

File name

Specifies a path and a file name of a recovery
point.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
recovery point.
For example, you can browse for a recovery
point (.v2i) or incremental recovery point
(.iv2i) file on an external (USB) drive. Or, you
can browse to a network location, or
removable media.

User name

Specifies the user name if you specify a
recovery point file name that is located in a
network path.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Password

Specifies the password to a network path.

Managing backup destinations
Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

Table 12-16

Source options when you view recovery points by System

Option

Description

View by - System

Lets you use the current system index file
that is located in the recovery point storage
location. The system index file displays a list
of all of the drives on your computer and any
associated recovery points from which you
can select.
The use of a system index file reduces the
time it takes to convert multiple recovery
points. When a recovery point is created, a
system index file is saved with it. The system
index file contains a list of the most recent
recovery points, which includes the original
drive location of each recovery point.

Date

Lets you select an alternate date of a system
index file by using the drop-down calendar.
Use the calendar if no recovery points are
discovered and displayed in the table.

Perform conversion using latest recovery Converts the most recent recovery points
points for this computer
that exist in the recovery point storage
location on your computer.
The list of drives, source files (.v2i and .iv2i
files), and dates comes from the most current
system index file (.sv2i).
Perform conversion using recovery points Converts recovery points that exist on
for another computer
another computer.
Browse to and select the .sv2i file for the
desired system

Specifies a path to a system index file (.sv2i)
that resides elsewhere, such as a network
location.
If you selected a system index file that is
stored on a network, you are prompted for
your network credentials.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

197

198

Managing backup destinations
Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

Table 12-16

Source options when you view recovery points by System (continued)

Option

Description

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
system index file.
For example, you can browse to an external
(USB) drive, a network location, or to
removable media to select a system index
file.

Drives

Lets you select the drives with the recovery
points that you want to convert based on the
selected system index file.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

Virtual Disks Destination options
The following table describes the options on the Virtual Disks Destination panel.
This panel is available from the One Time Virtual Conversion Wizard.
See “Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk”
on page 194.
Table 12-17

Virtual Disks Destination options for converting to VMware virtual
disk or Microsoft virtual disk

Option

Description

Folder for virtual disks

Lets you type the path to the folder where
you want to place the virtual disk files.

Browse

Lets you browse to locate the folder in which
you want to place the virtual disk files.

User name

Lets you type the user name if you specified
a virtual disk folder location on a network
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Password

Specifies the password to a network path.

Managing backup destinations
Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

Table 12-17

Virtual Disks Destination options for converting to VMware virtual
disk or Microsoft virtual disk (continued)

Option

Description

Create one virtual disk per volume

Lets you create one virtual disk file per
volume.
If you do not select this option, each drive is
matched to its respective hard drive letter
assignment during the conversion.
Therefore, it results in multiple drives within
one virtual disk file.

Note: This option is not available if the
volumes are on separate disks.
Rename

Table 12-18

Lets you edit the file name of the resulting
virtual disk file.

Virtual Disks Destination options for converting to VMware ESX
Server

Option

Description

ESX server name or IP address

Indicates the name of the server or the
server's IP address.

User name

Indicates a valid administrator user name
that has sufficient rights to an ESX server.

Password

Indicates a valid password to the ESX server.

Destination for the virtual disks

Indicates the path to the folder where you
want to place the virtual disk files.

Browse

Lets you browse to a destination location for
the virtual disks.

Rename

Lets you edit the name of the resulting
virtual disk file.

Next

Specifies temporary location options for
VMware ESX Server virtual disks.

Temporary location for conversion

Lets you type the name of the server or the
server's IP address that you can use as a
temporary location for files.

199

200

Managing backup destinations
Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

Table 12-18

Virtual Disks Destination options for converting to VMware ESX
Server (continued)

Option

Description

Temporary Location Credentials

Lets you type a valid administrator user
name and password that has sufficient
rights.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

General Options properties
The following table describes the properties on the General Options panel. This
panel is available from the One Time Virtual Conversion Wizard.
See “Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk”
on page 194.

Managing backup destinations
Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk

Table 12-19

General Options properties

Option

Description

Run Windows Mini-Setup

Runs Windows Mini-Setup when you restart
the computer after recovery.
During recovery a text-based answer file is
generated that scripts the answers for a
series of dialog boxes. When the Mini-Setup
Wizard starts, it looks for this answer to
automate the wizard. For example, the
answer file can automatically apply network
card settings and other hardware and
software settings on the computer.
Unlike Windows Welcome which can take
up to 60 minutes or more to set up Windows,
Mini-Setup takes about six minutes. Specific
information such as accepting the End–User
license agreement, and entering the product
key get applied automatically by Mini-Setup
which uses the answer file.
Deselect this option if you want any of the
following to occur at the time of recovery
instead:
Run Windows Welcome instead
Mini-Setup
■ You do not want to change any of the
configurable options for which the
Mini-Setup Wizard changes for you at
the time of recovery. This state ensures
that the computer is recovered to its
original state before recovery.
■

For more detailed information about
Mini-Setup. you can perform a search for
"Mini-Setup" on the Microsoft Help &
Support Web site.

201

202

Managing backup destinations
About managing file and folder backup data

Table 12-19

General Options properties (continued)

Option

Description

Split virtual disk into 2 GB (.vmdk) files

Splits the virtual disk into multiple 2 GB
.vmdk files.
For example, use this option if your virtual
disk is stored on a FAT32 drive. Or, any file
system that does not support files larger
than 2 GB. Or, if you want to copy the virtual
disk files to a DVD but the size is larger than
the DVD allows.

Note: This option is specific to VMware; it
is not available if you selected Microsoft
Virtual Disk as the conversion format.

See “Viewing the properties of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Viewing the progress of a virtual conversion job” on page 192.
See “Editing a virtual conversion job” on page 193.
See “Running an existing virtual conversion job immediately” on page 192.
See “Deleting a virtual conversion job” on page 193.

About managing file and folder backup data
Drive-based backups capture your entire hard drive. As such, the size of a recovery
point is typically much larger than the data that is captured during the backup
of files and folders. However, file and folder backup data can take up significant
disk space if it is not managed. For example, audio files, video files, and
photographs are typically large files.
You must decide how many versions of backup files that you want to keep. This
decision can depend on how frequently you change the content of your files and
how frequently you run the backups.
See “Viewing how much file and folder backup data is stored” on page 203.
See “Limiting the number of file versions to keep” on page 203.
See “Manually deleting files from your backups of files and folders” on page 203.
See “Finding versions of a file or folder” on page 204.

Managing backup destinations
About managing file and folder backup data

Viewing how much file and folder backup data is stored
Start by viewing the total amount of file and folder backup data that you currently
store.
To view how much file and folder backup data is stored

1

On the Tasks menu, click Manage Backup Destination.

2

To select an alternate backup destination, in the Drives list, select another
drive to use as a backup destination.

3

Near the bottom of the Manage Backup Destination window, view the Space
used for file and folder storage box to see how much storage space is currently
used.

See “About managing file and folder backup data” on page 202.

Limiting the number of file versions to keep
You can manage your file and folder backup data by limiting the number of
versions of backup files that you keep. This kind of maintenance can significantly
reduce the amount of disk space that is required, especially if the file size is large.
To limit the number of file versions to keep

1

On the Tasks menu, click Manage Backup Destination.

2

Click Settings.

3

Select Limit file versions for file and folder backups, and then type a number
between 1 and 99.

4

You can also select Monitor disk space usage for backup storage. Then you
can specify a limit to the total amount of disk space that can be used.
See “Automating the management of backup data” on page 204.

5

Click OK.

See “About managing file and folder backup data” on page 202.

Manually deleting files from your backups of files and folders
You can manually delete the files that are stored in your backup destination.
To manually delete files from your backups of files and folders

1

On the Tasks menu, click Recover My Files.

2

Do one of the following:

203

204

Managing backup destinations
Automating the management of backup data

■

In the Find files to recover box, type the file name of the file that you
want to delete, and then click Search.

■

If you do not know the name of the file, click Search, and then browse for
the file.

3

Click View All Versions to display all versions of each file that exist in the
backup of files and folders data.

4

Select one or more files that you want to delete.

5

Right-click, and then click Delete.

See “About managing file and folder backup data” on page 202.

Finding versions of a file or folder
You can use Windows Explorer to view information about the available versions
that are included in a backup of files and folders.
You can limit the number of versions of each file and folder that you want to store.
See “Limiting the number of file versions to keep” on page 203.
To find versions of a file or folder

1

Open Windows Explorer.

2

Navigate to a file that you know is included in a backup of files and folders.

3

Right-click the file, and then click Show Versions.

See “About managing file and folder backup data” on page 202.

Automating the management of backup data
Symantec System Recovery can monitor your backup storage space and notify
you when it gets full. It can also automatically delete old recovery points and older
versions of files from file and folder backups exceeding the threshold. If you do
not specify a threshold, Symantec System Recovery notifies you when the disk
reaches 90 percent of its total capacity.
To automate the management of backup data

1

On the Tasks menu, click Manage Backup Destination.

2

Select Limit file versions for file and folder backups, and then type a number
between 1 and 99.

3

Select Monitor disk space usage for backup storage. Drag the slider to limit
the total amount of disk space that can be used for your backup data.

Managing backup destinations
Moving your backup destination

4

Do one of the following:
■

Select Warn me when backup storage exceeds threshold if you only want
to be notified when the storage size is exceeded, but you do not want any
action to be taken.

■

Select Automatically optimize storage if you want Symantec System
Recovery to manage the backup data automatically, without prompting
you.
Symantec System Recovery automatically deletes the old recovery points,
and limits file versions to remain within the threshold that you set.

5

Select Delay changes until next backup if you do not want to apply your
changes until the next backup runs.

6

Click OK.

See “About managing file and folder backup data” on page 202.

Moving your backup destination
You can change the backup destination for your recovery points and move your
existing recovery points to a new location. For example, suppose you install an
external hard drive for storing your backup data. You can then change the backup
destination for one or more backups to the new drive.
When you select a new location, you can also choose to move the existing recovery
points to the new destination. All future recovery points for the backups that you
select are created at the new location.
Note: You can move your backup destination to a new internal or external hard
drive. Make sure that the drive is properly installed or connected before you
proceed.
To move your backup destination

1

On the Tasks menu, click Manage Backup Destination.

2

In the Manage Backup Destination window, in the Drives list, select the
drive that contains the backup destination that you want to move.

3

Click Move.

4

In the Move Backup Destination dialog box, do one of the following:
■

In the New backup destination box, type the path to the new backup
destination.

205

206

Managing backup destinations
Moving your backup destination

■

5

Click Browse to locate and select a new backup destination, and then click
OK.

Select the defined backups that should use the new backup destination.
Deselect the defined backups that you do not want to move.

6

Select Save as default backup destination if you want to use this destination
as the default backup destination for any new backups that you define in the
future.

7

Click OK.

8

To move existing recovery points to the new backup destination, select Move
recovery points, and then do one of the following:

9

■

Select Move the latest recovery points for each backup and delete the
rest.

■

Select Move all recovery points to the new destination.

If you have file and folder backup data that you want to move to the new
backup destination, click Move file backup data.
The Move file backup data option is not available if no backup data of files
and folders is found at the original backup destination.

10 Click OK.
See “About managing file and folder backup data” on page 202.

Chapter

13

Recovering files, folders, or
entire drives
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About recovering lost data

■

Recovering files and folders by using file and folder backup data

■

Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point

■

About opening files and folders stored in a recovery point

■

About finding the files or folders you want

■

Recovering a secondary drive

■

Customizing the recovery of a drive

■

About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut Restore

About recovering lost data
Symantec System Recovery can restore lost files, folders, or entire drives by using
recovery points or file and folder backup data.
You must have either a recovery point or file and folder backup data to recover
lost files and folders. You must have a recovery point to recover an entire drive.
You can recover recent changes to a lost file or folder. However, your backup data
must be at least as current as the changes that were made to the lost file or folder.
See “Recovering files and folders by using file and folder backup data” on page 208.
See “Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point” on page 209.

208

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Recovering files and folders by using file and folder backup data

Recovering files and folders by using file and folder
backup data
If you defined a backup of files and folders and need to recover files, you can
recover them from a recent file and folder backup.
Symantec System Recovery includes a search tool to help you locate the files that
you want to recover.
See “About recovering lost data” on page 207.
To recover files and folders by using file and folder backup data

1

On the Tasks menu, click Recover My Files.

2

In the left pane of the Recover My Files dialog box, select File and Folder as
the search method.

3

Do one of the following:
■

In the Find files to recover search box, type the whole name or partial
name of a file or folder that you want to restore. Click Search.
For example, type recipe. Any file or folder that includes the word recipe
in its name such as Chocolate Cheesecake Recipes.doc, Cathy Read
Recipes.xls, Recipes for Success.mp3 are found.

■

Click Advanced Search, type your search criteria, and then click Search.
To return to the standard search text box, click Basic search.

4

In the search results list box, select the files that you want to restore.

5

Click Recover Files.

6

In the Recover My Files dialog box, do one of the following:
■

Click Original folders to restore your files to the same folders where they
existed when they were backed up.
If you want to replace the original files, select Overwrite existing files. If
you do not select this option, a number is added to the file name. The
original file is untouched.
Caution: The Overwrite existing files option replaces your original files
with the files that you restore. Or, it replaces the files of the same names
that are currently stored at that location.

■

Click Recovered Files folder on the desktop to restore your files to a
Recovered Files folder on your Windows desktop.
Symantec System Recovery creates this folder during the restore.

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point

■

Click Alternate folder and type the path to the location in which you want
to restore your files.

7

Click Recover.

8

If you are prompted to replace the existing file, click Yes. Be certain that the
file that you what to recover is the file that you want.

9

Click OK.

See “Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point” on page 209.

Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point
You can restore files or folders using recovery points if you have defined and run
a drive-based backup.
See “About recovering lost data” on page 207.
To recover files and folders by using a recovery point

1

On the Tasks menu, click Recover My Files

2

In the left pane of the Recover My Files dialog box, select Recovery Point
as the search method.

3

If you want to use a different recovery point than the one selected for you in
the Recovery Point dialog box, click Change. Locate the recovery point you
want to use, and then click OK.
See “Select Recovery Point options” on page 210.
Note: If Symantec System Recovery cannot locate any recovery points, the
Select Recovery Point dialog box opens automatically.

4

In the Find files to recover field, type the whole name or partial name of a
file or folder that you want to restore, and then click Search.
For example, type recipe. Any file or folder that includes the word recipe in
its name such as Chocolate Cheesecake Recipes.doc, Cathy Read Recipes.xls,
Recipes for Success.mp3 are found.

5

In the Name table, select the files that you want to restore.

6

Click Recover Files.

7

In the Recover My Files dialog box, select the option you want.
See “Recover My Files options” on page 212.

8

Click Recover.

209

210

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point

9

If you are prompted to replace the existing file, click Yes. Be certain that the
file that you want to recover is the file that you want.

10 Click OK.
See “Recovering files and folders by using file and folder backup data” on page 208.

Select Recovery Point options
The following table describes the options on the Select Recovery Point dialog
box. This dialog box is available from the Recovery My Files dialog box.
Table 13-1

Select Recovery Point options when you view recovery points by
Date

Option

Description

View by - Date

Displays all of the discovered recovery points
in the order in which they were created.

Date

Lets you select an alternate date by using
the drop-down calendar. Use the calendar if
no recovery points are discovered and
displayed in the table.

View all recovery points

Lets you view all recovery points that are
available.

Table 13-2

Select Recovery Point options when you view recovery points by File
name

Option

Description

View by - File name

Lets you view recovery points by their file
name.

File name

Specifies a path and a file name of a recovery
point.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
recovery point.
For example, you can browse for a recovery
point (.v2i) or incremental recovery point
(.iv2i) file on an external (USB) drive. Or, you
can browse to a network location, or
removable media.

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point

Table 13-2

Select Recovery Point options when you view recovery points by File
name (continued)

Option

Description

User name

Specifies the user name if you specify a
recovery point file name that is located in a
network path.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Password

Table 13-3

Specifies the password to a network path.

Select Recovery Point options when you view recovery points by
System

Option

Description

View by - System

Uses the current system index file that is
located in the recovery point storage
location. The system index file displays a list
of all of the drives on your computer and any
associated recovery points from which you
can select.
The use of a system index file reduces the
time it takes to convert multiple recovery
points. When a recovery point is created, a
system index file is saved with it. The system
index file contains a list of the most recent
recovery points, which includes the original
drive location of each recovery point.

Date

Lets you select an alternate date of a system
index file date by using the drop-down
calendar. Use the calendar if no recovery
points are discovered and displayed in the
table.

Use latest recovery points for this computer Restores the most recent recovery points
that exist in the recovery point storage
location on your computer.
The list of drives, source files (.v2i and .iv2i
files), and dates comes from the most current
system index file (.sv2i).
Use alternate system index (.sv2i) file

Restores recovery points that exist on
another computer.

211

212

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point

Table 13-3

Select Recovery Point options when you view recovery points by
System (continued)

Option

Description

Browse to and select the .sv2i file for the
desired system

Specifies a path to a system index file (.sv2i)
file that resides elsewhere, such as a network
location.
If you selected a system index file that is
stored on a network, you are prompted for
your network credentials.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
system index file.
For example, you can browse to an external
(USB) drive, a network location, or to
removable media to select a system index
file.

Drives

Lets you select the drives with the recovery
points that you want to restore based on the
selected system index file.

See “Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point” on page 209.

Recover My Files options
The following table describes the options on the Recover My Files dialog box.
This dialog box is available from the Recover My Files main dialog box.
Table 13-4

Recover My Files options

Option

Description

Original folders

Recovers files to the original folder where
they existed when they were backed up.

New folder ("Recovered Files") on the
desktop

Recovers files to a new folder that is created
on your Windows desktop called Recovered
Files.

Alternate folder

Specifies the path to an alternate location
where you want your files to be restored.

See “Recovering files and folders by using a recovery point” on page 209.

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
About opening files and folders stored in a recovery point

About opening files and folders stored in a recovery
point
If you are not sure which files you want to restore you can locate, open, and view
their contents by using the Recovery Point Browser. From there, you can also
restore files and folders using the Recovery Point Browser.
See “Opening and restoring files within a recovery point” on page 165.

About finding the files or folders you want
If you cannot find the files or folders that you want to restore by browsing through
a recovery point, you can use the Explore feature. This feature assigns a drive
letter to a recovery point (mounts the recovery point) as if it were a working drive.
You can then use the Windows Explorer search feature to search for the files.
You can drag and drop files to restore them.
See “About exploring recovery points” on page 163.

Recovering a secondary drive
If you lose data on a secondary drive, you can use an existing recovery point for
that drive to restore the data. A secondary drive is a drive other than the drive on
which your operating system is installed.
Note: You can recover your system drive (typically, drive C).
For example, suppose your computer has a D drive and the data is lost. You can
restore the D drive back to an earlier date and time.
See “About recovering a computer” on page 227.
To recover a drive, you must have a recovery point that includes the drive that
you want to recover. If you are not sure, review the Status page to determine what
recovery points are available.
See “About the icons on the Status page” on page 150.
Note: Before you proceed, close any applications and files that are open on the
drive that you want to restore.

213

214

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Recovering a secondary drive

Warning: When you recover a drive, the data in the recovery point replaces all of
the data on the drive. Any changes that you made to the data on a drive after the
date of the recovery point you use to recover it are lost. For example, if you created
a new file on the drive after you created the recovery point, the new file is not
recovered.
To recover a secondary drive

1

On the Tasks menu, click Recover My Computer.

2

Select a recovery point.
See “ Recover My Computer options” on page 214.

3

Click Recover Now.

4

Click OK.

5

Click Yes.

See “Customizing the recovery of a drive” on page 216.

Recover My Computer options
The following table describes the options on the Recover My Computer dialog
box.
Table 13-5

Recover My Computer options when you view recovery points by
Date

Option

Description

View by - Date

Displays all of the discovered recovery points
in the order in which they were created.

Date

Lets you select an alternate date by using
the drop-down calendar. Use the calendar if
no recovery points are discovered and
displayed in the table.

View all recovery points

Lets you view all recovery points that are
available.

Table 13-6

Recover My Computer options when you view recovery points by
File name

Option

Description

View by - File name

Views recovery points by their file name.

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Recovering a secondary drive

Table 13-6

Recover My Computer options when you view recovery points by
File name (continued)

Option

Description

File name

Specifies a path and a file name of a recovery
point.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
recovery point.
For example, you can browse for a recovery
point (.v2i) or incremental recovery point
(.iv2i) file on an external (USB) drive. Or, you
can browse to a network location, or
removable media.

User name

Specifiesy the user name if you specify a
recovery point file name that is located in a
network path.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Password

Table 13-7

Specifies the password to a network path.

Recover My Computer options when you view recovery points by
System

Option

Description

View by - System

Uses the current system index file that is
located in the recovery point storage
location. The system index file displays a list
of all of the drives on your computer and any
associated recovery points from which you
can select.
The use of a system index file reduces the
time it takes to convert multiple recovery
points. When a recovery point is created, a
system index file is saved with it. The system
index file contains a list of the most recent
recovery points, which includes the original
drive location of each recovery point.

Date

Lets you select an alternate date of a system
index file date by using the drop-down
calendar. Use the calendar if no recovery
points are discovered and displayed in the
table.

215

216

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Customizing the recovery of a drive

Table 13-7

Recover My Computer options when you view recovery points by
System (continued)

Option

Description

Use latest recovery points for this computer Restores the most recent recovery points
that exist in the recovery point storage
location on your computer.
The list of drives, source files (.v2i and .iv2i
files), and dates comes from the most current
system index file (.sv2i).
Use alternate system index (.sv2i) file

Restores recovery points that exist on
another computer.

Browse to and select the .sv2i file for the
desired system

Specifies a path to a system index file (.sv2i)
file that resides elsewhere, such as a network
location.
If you selected a system index file that is
stored on a network, you are prompted for
your network credentials.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
system index file.
For example, you can browse to an external
(USB) drive, a network location, or to
removable media to select a system index
file.

Drives

Lets you select the drives with the recovery
points that you want to restore based on the
selected system index file.

See “Recovering a secondary drive” on page 213.
See “Customizing the recovery of a drive” on page 216.

Customizing the recovery of a drive
You can set various options to customize the recovery of a drive.
To customize the recovery of a drive

1

On the Tasks menu, click Recover My Computer.

2

Select a recovery point, and then click Recover Now.

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Customizing the recovery of a drive

3

In the Recover My Computer dialog box, click Custom to start the Recover
Drive Wizard.

4

On the wizard's Welcome panel, click Next.

5

In the Recovery Point to Restore panel, set the options you want.
See “Recovery Point to Restore options” on page 217.

6

In the Target Drive panel, select one or more drives that you want to restore,
and then click Next.
If the drive does not have enough space available to restore a recovery point,
press Shift. Select multiple, contiguous destinations that exist on the same
hard disk.

7

If the recovery point is password-protected, in the Password dialog box, type
the password, and then click OK.

8

In the Recovery Options panel, select the restore options you want.
See “Recovery options” on page 218.
The options that are available depend on the restore destination that you
have selected.

9

Click Next, and then review your selections.

10 Click Finish, then click Yes.
Sometime the wizard cannot lock the drive to perform the recovery in
Windows (typically, because the drive is in use by a program). In such cases,
make sure that the drive is not in use. For example, close any files or
applications that may be in use, and then click Retry.
If the Retry option fails, click Ignore to attempt a forced lock on the drive.
If Ignore fails, you might be prompted to insert the Symantec System Recovery
Disk. You must then manually start the recovery environment so that you
can complete the recovery. When the recovery is finished, the computer
restarts automatically.
See “Recovering a secondary drive” on page 213.

Recovery Point to Restore options
The following table describes the options on the Recovery Point to Restore panel.
This panel is available from the Recover Drive Wizard.

217

218

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Customizing the recovery of a drive

Table 13-8

Recovery Point to Restore options

Option

Description

Recovery point file name

Specifies the recovery point you want to use
to recover the drive.
You can use the recovery point that is
already added to this field, or you can browse
to a different recovery point.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
recovery point.
For example, you can browse for a recovery
point (.v2i) or incremental recovery point
(.iv2i) file on an external (USB) drive. Or, you
can browse to a network location, or
removable media.

User name

Specifies the user name if you specify a
recovery point file name that is located in a
network path.
See “About network credentials” on page 83.

Password

Specifies the password to a network path.

See “Customizing the recovery of a drive” on page 216.

Recovery options
The following table describes the options on the Recovery Options panel. This
panel is available from the Recover Drive Wizard.
Table 13-9

Recovery options

Option

Description

Verify recovery point before restore

Verifies whether a recovery point is valid or
corrupt before it is restored.
This option can significantly increase the
time that is required for the recovery to
complete.

Check for file system errors

Checks the restored drive for errors after the
recovery point is restored.

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
Customizing the recovery of a drive

Table 13-9

Recovery options (continued)

Option

Description

Resize restored drive

Expands the drive automatically to occupy
the target drive's remaining unallocated
space.

Set drive active (for booting OS)

Makes the restored drive the active partition
(for example, the drive from which the
computer starts).
This option is appropriate if you restore the
drive on which your operating system is
installed.

Restore original disk signature

Restores the original, physical disk signature
of the hard drive.
Disk signatures are part of all Windows
operating systems that Symantec System
Recovery supports. Disk signatures are
required to use the hard drive.
Select this option if either of the following
situations are true:
Your computer's drive letters are atypical
(for example, assigned letters other than
C, D, E, and so forth).
■ You restore a recovery point to a new,
empty hard disk.
■

Primary partition

Because hard disks are limited to four
primary partitions, this option is appropriate
if the drive has four or fewer partitions.

Logical partition

This option is appropriate if you need more
than four partitions. You can have up to
three primary partitions, plus any number
of logical partitions, up to the maximum size
of your hard disk.

Drive letter

Lets you assign a drive letter to the partition.

See “Customizing the recovery of a drive” on page 216.

219

220

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut Restore

About restoring a computer from a remote location
by using LightsOut Restore
Symantec System Recovery LightsOut Restore lets administrators restore a
computer from a remote location. It works regardless of the state of the computer
provided that its file system is intact.
For example, suppose you are on vacation in the Bahamas and a computer on your
network in Vancouver goes down. You can connect to the computer from your
remote location by using your server's remote connection capabilities. You can
remotely access Symantec System Recovery Disk to start the computer in the
recovery environment. You can then use Symantec System Recovery Disk to
restore files or an entire system partition.
LightsOut Restore installs a custom version of Symantec System Recovery Disk
directly to the file system on the system partition. It then places a Symantec
System Recovery Disk boot option in the Windows boot menu. Whenever the boot
menu option is selected, the computer boots directly into Symantec System
Recovery Disk. It uses the files that are installed on the system partition.
LightsOut Restore uses Symantec pcAnywhere technology. It also uses the
Windows boot menu, and hardware devices such as RILO and DRAC. These features
combine to let an administrator remotely control a system during the boot process.
When the custom Symantec System Recovery Disk boots as part of LightsOut
Restore, you can have it automatically start a pcAnywhere thin host. You can then
use Symantec pcAnywhere from your remote location to connect to the thin host.
After you configure LightsOut Restore and add the boot menu option, you can use
a hardware device to remotely connect to the system. After you connect, you can
turn on or reboot the system into Symantec System Recovery Disk.
Note: If you use Microsoft BitLocker to secure the data on a drive, be aware that
LightsOut Restore does not work on BitLocked drives. Therefore, if you "BitLock"
your system drive, you cannot recover the drive using LightsOut Restore.
See “About setting up and using LightsOut Restore” on page 220.
See “Configuring LightsOut Restore” on page 222.

About setting up and using LightsOut Restore
Before you set up LightsOut Restore, review the following information:

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut Restore

Note: If you use Microsoft's BitLocker Drive Encryption to encrypt the data on a
drive, be aware that LightsOut Restore does not work on encrypted drives. You
must turn off BitLocker and then decrypt the drive before you can use LightsOut
Restore on it.
■

Install a licensed version of Symantec pcAnywhere on a central computer that
you use for management (for example, a help desk computer).

■

Ensure that all of your servers can be managed remotely through a hardware
device such as RILO or DRAC.

■

Install Symantec System Recovery on the servers that you want to protect,
and then define and run backups to create recovery points.

■

Run the Set Up LightsOut Restore wizard to install a custom Symantec System
Recovery Disk directly to the computer's local file system.
The wizard creates an entry in the Windows boot menu that can be used to
boot into Symantec System Recovery Disk .
Note: LightsOut Restore works only on the primary operating system. It does
not work on multiple-boot computers (for example, a computer that starts
multiple operating systems from the same partition). LightsOut Restore is
accessible only from the boot menu. If the file system becomes corrupt and
you cannot access the boot menu, you must boot the computer from the
Symantec System Recovery Disk.

Note: The LightsOut Restore feature requires at least 1 GB of memory to run.

■

Use the RILO or the DRAC device to connect to the remote server so you can
recover a file or system from a remote location. Then you can turn on the
system or restart it.

■

Open the boot menu as the remote server starts, and then select the name that
you have given to Symantec System Recovery Disk.
The remote server boots into Symantec System Recovery Disk and the
connection through RILO or DRAC is lost. If you configured it during the Set
Up LightsOut Restore wizard, a pcAnywhere thin host automatically starts.

■

Use Symantec pcAnywhere to connect to the pcAnywhere thin host that waits
on the remote server.

■

Use Symantec System Recovery Disk to restore individual files, or entire drives
by way of pcAnywhere.

See “Configuring LightsOut Restore” on page 222.

221

222

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut Restore

Configuring LightsOut Restore
You must run the LightsOut Restore Wizard on the computer that you want to
protect. The Set Up LightsOut Restore Wizard installs a customized version of
Symantec System Recovery Disk to the computer's local file system. The wizard
creates an entry in the Windows boot menu that you use to boot into LightsOut
Restore.
You can run the Setup LightsOut Restore Wizard again if you need to edit the
configuration settings. Or, run the wizard again if you need to rebuild an existing,
customized Symantec System Recovery Disk.
To configure LightsOut Restore

1

Insert the Symantec System Recovery Disk into your media drive.

2

Start Symantec System Recovery.

3

On the Tasks menu, click Set Up LightsOut Restore, then click Next.

4

On the Source Location panel, specify the path or browse to the media drive
in which you placed the Symantec System Recovery Disk, then click Next.

5

On the Drivers to Include panel, review the list of any storage or network
drivers to be included, and then click Next.
See “Drivers to Include options” on page 223.

6

On the StartupOptions panel, specify Symantec System Recovery Disk startup
options you want, and then click Next.
See “Startup options” on page 223.

7

On the Options panel, select the options you want, and then click Next.
See “LightsOut Restore options for Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 224.

8

On the Licensing panel, specify how you want to enable licensed features
(such as the cold imaging feature called Back Up My Computer) in the
customized recovery environment.
See “Licensing options” on page 226.

9

Click Next.

10 Click Finish to set up LightsOut Restore on your computer.
At the conclusion of the setup , you should test LightsOut Restore.

11 To ensure that you can use the LightsOut Restore feature when you need it,
click Yes.

12 Click Yes to restart the computer.

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut Restore

See “About setting up and using LightsOut Restore” on page 220.

Drivers to Include options
The following table describes the options on the Drives to Include panel in the
LightsOut Restore Wizard.
Table 13-10

Drivers to Include options

Options

Description

Storage and network drivers

Lets you review the list of any storage or
network drivers to be included.

Add

Lets you add additional drivers.
The location that you specify should contain
the fully extracted installation package for
the driver you add. If you have more than
one missing storage or network driver, you
must rerun the Set Up LightsOut Restore
wizard for each missing driver.

Remove

Deletes the drivers you do not need.

Reset

Resets the list to the original list of drivers.

See “Configuring LightsOut Restore” on page 222.

Startup options
The following table describes the options on the Startup Options panel in the
LightsOut Restore Wizard.
Table 13-11

Startup options

Options

Description

Time zone

Sets the time zone to use inside LightsOut
Restore.

Display language

Sets the default display language for
LightsOut Restore.

Keyboard layout

Lets you select the default keyboard layout
to use when you run LightsOut Restore.

223

224

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut Restore

Table 13-11

Startup options (continued)

Options

Description

Boot menu label

Indicates the title that you want to appear
on the Windows boot menu for LightsOut
Restore.

Time to display boot menu

Specifies (in seconds) how long you want the
boot menu to display.
The default is 10 seconds.

See “Configuring LightsOut Restore” on page 222.

LightsOut Restore options for Symantec System Recovery Disk
The following table describes the options on the Options panel in the LightsOut
Restore Wizard.
Table 13-12

LightsOut Restore options for Symantec System Recovery Disk

Option

Description

Automatically start network services

Starts networking automatically when you
recover the computer through LightsOut
Restore.

Dynamic IP

Connects to a network without the need for
additional network configuration. This
option is also appropriate if you know there
is a DHCP server available on the network
at the time you restore.

Static IP

Connects to a network with a particular
network adapter and specific address
settings. You should click this option if you
know there is no DHCP server (or the DHCP
server may be unavailable) when you
recover.

AutomaticallystartSymantecpcAnywhere Starts the Symantec pcAnywhere thin host
automatically when you start the Symantec
Recovery Environment . This option is
appropriate for troubleshooting a system
recovery.

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut Restore

Table 13-12

LightsOut Restore options for Symantec System Recovery Disk
(continued)

Option

Description

Configure

Lets you configure Symantec pcAnywhere
options.
See “Configure Symantec pcAnywhere
options” on page 225.

See “Configuring LightsOut Restore” on page 222.

Configure Symantec pcAnywhere options
The following table describes the options on the Options panel in the LightsOut
Restore Wizard.
Table 13-13

Configure Symantec pcAnywhere options

Option

Description

User name

Indicates the user name for authenticating
to pcAnywhere.

Password

Indicates the password for authenticating
to pcAnywhere.

Confirm password

Lets you retype the password for
authenticating to pcAnywhere.

Host name

Indicates the name that you want to use for
the host.
You can leave this box blank to configure the
host name to be the same as the computer
name.

Encryption level

Encrypts the data stream between the host
and remote computer.

Encryption level–None

Specifies that no encryption of the data
stream occurs between the host and the
remote computer.

225

226

Recovering files, folders, or entire drives
About restoring a computer from a remote location by using LightsOut Restore

Table 13-13

Configure Symantec pcAnywhere options (continued)

Option

Description

Encryption level–pcAnywhere

Scrambles the data using a mathematical
algorithm so that a third party cannot easily
interpret it.
This option is available on any operating
system that pcAnywhere supports.

Encryption level–Symmetric

Encodes and decode data using a
cryptographic key.
This option is available on any Windows
operating system that supports the Microsoft
CryptoAPI.

See “LightsOut Restore options for Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 224.

Licensing options
The following table describes the options on the Licensing panel in the LightsOut
Restore Wizard.
Table 13-14

Licensing options

Options

Description

Use the license key that is activated on this Enables features in the customized Symantec
computer
System Recovery Disk by using the activated
product license key. The key must already
reside on the computer that you want to
restore.
Use the following license key

Enables features in the customized Symantec
System Recovery Disk by typing a product
license key.

Prompt for a license key

Prompts you for a product license key at the
time you want to enable features in the
customized Symantec System Recovery Disk.

See “Configuring LightsOut Restore” on page 222.

Chapter

14

Recovering a computer
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About recovering a computer

■

Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk

■

Preparing to recover a computer by checking the hard disk for errors

■

Recovering a computer

■

Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file

■

About recovering to a computer with different hardware

■

Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk

■

Exploring files and folders on your computer by using Symantec System
Recovery Disk

■

About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk

■

Viewing the properties of a recovery point

■

Viewing the properties of a drive within a recovery point

■

About the Support Utilities

About recovering a computer
If Windows fails to start or does not run normally, you can still recover your
computer. You can use the Symantec System Recovery Disk and an available
recovery point or a virtual disk that you created from a recovery point.

228

Recovering a computer
Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk

Note: If you can start Windows and the drive that you want to restore is a
non-operating system drive, you can restore the drive within Windows.
The Symantec System Recovery Disk lets you run a recovery environment that
provides temporary access to Symantec System Recovery recovery features. For
example, you can access the recovery features of Symantec System Recovery to
restart the computer into its previous, usable state.
Note: If you purchased Symantec System Recovery from your computer
manufacturer, some features in the recovery environment might not be available.
For example, if the manufacturer installed the recovery environment on your
computer's hard disk. Your manufacturer might also assign a keyboard key for
the purpose of starting the recovery environment.
When you restart your computer, watch for instructions on your computer monitor,
or refer to your manufacturer's instructions.
See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.

Booting a computer by using the Symantec System
Recovery Disk
The Symantec System Recovery Disk lets you boot a computer that can no longer
run the Windows operating system. Symantec System Recovery Disk is included
with Symantec System Recovery. When you boot your computer using the
Symantec System Recovery Disk, a simplified version of Windows starts that runs
a recovery environment. In the recovery environment, you can access the recovery
features of Symantec System Recovery.
Note: Depending on which product version you have purchased, Symantec System
Recovery Disk is either included on your product CD, or as a separate CD. You
should place the CD containing Symantec System Recovery Disk in a safe place.

Note: Symantec System Recovery Disk requires a minimum of 1 GB of RAM to
run. If your computer's video card is configured to share your computer's RAM,
you might need more than 1 GB of RAM.

Recovering a computer
Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk

To boot a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk

1

If you store your recovery points on a USB device, attach the device now (for
example, an external hard drive).
Note: You should attach the device before you restart the computer. Otherwise,
Symantec System Recovery Disk might not detect it.

2

Insert the CD containing the Symantec System Recovery Disk into the media
drive of the computer. If your Symantec System Recovery Disk is on a USB
device, plug in the USB device into the media drive of the computer.
If a computer manufacturer installed Symantec System Recovery, the recovery
environment already could be installed on your computer's hard drive. Either
watch your computer monitor after the computer restarts for on-screen
instructions, or refer to your manufacturer's documentation.

3

Restart the computer.
If you cannot start the computer from the CD/DVD or the USB device, you
might need to change the startup settings on your computer.
See “Configuring a computer to start from a CD/DVD or a USB device”
on page 229.

4

As soon as you see the prompt Press any key to boot from CD/DVD or USB
device, press a key to start Symantec System Recovery Disk.
Note: You must watch for this prompt. It can come and go quickly. If you miss
the prompt, you must restart your computer again.

5

Read the license agreement, and then click Accept.
If you decline, you cannot start Symantec System Recovery Disk, and your
computer restarts.

See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.

Configuring a computer to start from a CD/DVD or a USB device
Your Symantec System Recovery Disk might be on a CD/DVD or a USB device.
Accordingly, to run Symantec System Recovery Disk, you must be able to start
your computer using a CD/ DVD or a USB device.
See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 228.

229

230

Recovering a computer
Preparing to recover a computer by checking the hard disk for errors

To configure a computer to start from a CD/DVD or a USB device

1

Turn on your computer.

2

As the computer starts, watch the bottom of the screen for a prompt that tells
you how to access the BIOS setup.
Generally, you need to press the Delete key or a function key to start your
computer's BIOS program.

3

In the BIOS setup window, select Boot Sequence, and then press Enter.

4

Follow the on-screen instructions to set the CD/DVD or the USB device to be
the first startup device in the list.

5

Place your Symantec System Recovery Disk CD/DVD into the media drive. If
your Symantec System Recovery Disk is on a USB device, plug in the USB
device into the media drive.
Note: Depending on which product version you have purchased, Symantec
System Recovery Disk is either included on your product CD or as a separate
CD. You should place the CD that contains Symantec System Recovery Disk
in a safe place. If you lose the CD, you can create a new one if you have a CD
burner.

6

Save the changes and exit the BIOS setup to restart the computer with the
new settings.

7

Press any key to start Symantec System Recovery Disk.
When you start your computer with the Symantec System Recovery Disk
CD/DVD or USB device in the drive, you see a prompt to Press any key to
boot from CD/DVD or USB device. If you do not press a key within five
seconds, your computer attempts to start from the next startup device.
Note: Watch carefully as the computer starts. If you miss the prompt, you
must restart the computer again.

See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.

Preparing to recover a computer by checking the hard
disk for errors
If you suspect that your hard disk is damaged, you can examine it for errors.

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer

To prepare to recover a computer by checking the hard disk for errors

1

Boot the computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 228.

2

In the Analyze panel of Symantec System Recovery Disk, click Check Hard
Disks for Errors.

3

Select the drive that you want to check.

4

Select any of the following options.

5

■

Automatically fix file system errors
Fixes the errors on the selected disk. If you do not select this option, errors
are displayed but are not fixed.

■

Find and correct bad sectors
Locates the bad sectors and recovers readable information.

Click Start.

See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.

Recovering a computer
You can restore your computer from within the recovery environment that is
known as Symantec System Recovery Disk. If you have a recovery point for the
hard drives that you want to recover, you can fully restore your computer. Or,
you can recover another hard drive back to the state it was in when the recovery
point was created.
Note: If you restore a recovery point to a computer that uses different hardware,
the Restore Anyware feature is automatically enabled for you.
See “Recovering a computer through Restore Anyware” on page 244.

231

232

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer

To recover a computer

1

Boot the computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 228.

2

On the Home panel of Symantec System Recovery Disk, click Recover My
Computer.
If your recovery points are stored on media and you only have one media
drive, you can eject the Symantec System Recovery Disk now. Insert the
CD/DVD or the USB device that contains your recovery points.

3

On the Welcome page of the wizard, click Next.

4

On the Select a Recovery Point to Restore panel, select a recovery point to
restore, and then click Next.
See “Select a Recovery Point to Restore options” on page 233.

5

On the Drives to Recover panel, select each drive that you want to recover
and set the options that you want, and then click Next.
See “Drives to Recover options” on page 235.
When you recover your computer, select the drive on which Windows is
installed. On most computer systems, this drive is the C drive. In the recovery
environment, the drive letters and labels might not match what appears in
Windows. You might need to identify the correct drive based on its label. Or,
you can identify the drive by its name, or by browsing the files and folders
in the recovery point.

6

Optionally, select a drive that you want to recover, and then click Edit.
Select the options that you want to perform during the recovery process, and
then click OK to return to the Drives to Recover panel.
See “Edit target drive and options” on page 236.

7

Click Next to review the recovery options that you selected.

8

Select Reboot when finished if you want the computer to restart automatically
after the recovery process finishes.

9

Click Finish.

10 Click Yes to begin the recovery process.
See “Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file” on page 238.
See “Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk ”
on page 246.

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer

Select a Recovery Point to Restore options
The following table describes the options on the Select a Recovery Point to Restore
panel. This panel is available from the Recover My Computer wizard in Symantec
System Recovery Disk.
Table 14-1

Select a Recovery Point to Restore options when you view recovery
points by Date

Option

Description

View by - Date

Displays all of the discovered recovery points
in the order in which they were created.
If no recovery points were discovered, the
table is empty. In such cases, you can search
all local drives on the computer or browse
to find a recovery point.

Select source folder

Lets you view a list of all available recovery
points that may exist on your computer's
local drives or on a specific drive.

Map a network drive

Specifies a shared network folder path and
assign it a drive letter. You can then browse
the folder location for the recovery point file
you want.

Browse

Locates a recovery point on a local drive or
a network folder.

Select a recovery point

Lets you select the recovery point to restore.

Recovery point details

Gives you additional information about the
recovery point you want to restore.

Table 14-2

Select a Recovery Point to Restore options when you view recovery
points by File name

Option

Description

View by - File name

Lets you view recovery points by their file
name.

Recovery point folder and file name

Specifies a path and a file name of a recovery
point.

233

234

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer

Table 14-2

Select a Recovery Point to Restore options when you view recovery
points by File name (continued)

Option

Description

Map a network drive

Specifies a shared network folder path and
assign it a drive letter. You can then browse
the folder location for the recovery point file
you want.

Browse

Locates a recovery point on a local drive or
a network folder.

Recovery point details

Gives you additional information about the
recovery point you want to restore.

Table 14-3

Select a Recovery Point to Restore options when you view recovery
points by System

Option

Description

View by - System

Lets you use the current system index file
that is located in the recovery point storage
location. The system index file displays a list
of all of the drives on your computer and any
associated recovery points from which you
can select.
The use of a system index file reduces the
time it takes to convert multiple recovery
points. When a recovery point is created, a
system index file is saved with it. The system
index file contains a list of the most recent
recovery points, which includes the original
drive location of each recovery point.

System index folder and filename

Specifies a path and a file name of a system
index file that you want to use for recovery.

Map a network drive

Specifies a shared network folder path and
assign it a drive letter. You can then browse
the folder location for the system index file
(.sv2i) you want.

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer

Table 14-3

Select a Recovery Point to Restore options when you view recovery
points by System (continued)

Option

Description

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
system index file.
For example, you can browse to an external
(USB) drive, a network location, or to
removable media to select a system index
file.

See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.
See “Recovering a computer through Restore Anyware” on page 244.

Drives to Recover options
The following table describes the options on the Drives to Recover panel. This
panel is available from the Recover My Computer wizard in Symantec System
Recovery Disk.
Table 14-4

Drives to Recover options

Option

Description

Select drives to recover

Lets you select the drives that you want to
recover.

Add

Adds additional drives you want to recover.

Remove

Removes selected drives from the list of
drives to recover.

Edit

Lets you edit the recovery options for a
selected drive.
See “Edit target drive and options”
on page 236.

Verify recovery point before restore

Verifies whether a recovery point is valid or
corrupt before it is restored. If the recovery
point is invalid, the recovery is discontinued.
This option can significantly increase the
time that is required for the recovery to
complete.

235

236

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer

Table 14-4

Drives to Recover options (continued)

Option

Description

Use Restore Anyware to recover to different Selected automatically if any of the following
hardware
are true:
You recover a non-operating system drive
to new or to different computer
hardware. Or, you can recover both an
operating system drive and one or more
data drives to new or to different
computer hardware.
■ You upgrade to new or to different
computer hardware from an older
computer.
■ The motherboard on the computer has
failed.
■

If you recover a data drive only to new or to
different computer hardware, this option is
not selected for you.

See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.
See “Recovering a computer through Restore Anyware” on page 244.

Edit target drive and options
The following table describes the options on the Edit Target Drive and Options
panel. This panel is available from the Drives to Recover panel in the Recover
My Computer wizard of Symantec System Recovery Disk.
Table 14-5

Edit target drive and options

Options

Description

Delete Drive

Deletes a selected drive in the list to make
space available to restore your recovery
point.
When you use this option, the drive is only
marked for deletion. The actual deletion of
the drive takes place after you click Finish
in the wizard.

Undo Delete

Returns a deleted drive to the list of drives.

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer

Table 14-5

Edit target drive and options (continued)

Options

Description

Resize drive after recover (unallocated
space only)

Resizes a disk after the recovery point is
restored. After you select this option, you
can specify the new size in megabytes. The
size must be greater than the identified size
of the disk that you selected in the list.

Primary partition

Because hard disks are limited to four
primary partitions, this option is appropriate
if the drive has four or fewer partitions.

Logical partition

This option is appropriate if you need more
than four partitions. You can have up to
three primary partitions, plus any number
of logical partitions, up to the maximum size
of your hard disk.

Check for file system errors after recovery Checks the restored drive for errors after the
recovery point is restored.
Set drive active (for booting OS)

Makes the restored drive the active partition
(for example, the drive from which the
computer starts).
You should select this option if you restore
the drive on which your operating system is
installed.

Restore original disk signature

Restores the original, physical disk signature
of the hard drive.
Disk signatures are part of all Windows
operating systems that Symantec System
Recovery supports. Disk signatures are
required to use the hard drive.
Select this option if either of the following
situations are true:
Your computer's drive letters are atypical
(for example, assigned letters other than
C, D, E, and so forth).
■ You restore a recovery point to a new,
empty hard disk.
■

237

238

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file

Table 14-5

Edit target drive and options (continued)

Options

Description

Restore master boot record

Restores the master boot record. The master
boot record is contained in the first sector
of a physical hard disk. The master boot
record consists of a master boot program
and a partition table that describes the disk
partitions. The master boot program
analyzes the partition table of the first hard
disk to see which primary partition is active.
It then starts the boot program from the boot
sector of the active partition.
This option is recommended only for
advanced users and is available only if you
restore a whole drive in the recovery
environment.
Select this option if any of the following
situations are true:
You are restore a recovery point to a new,
empty hard disk.
■ You restore a recovery point to the
original drive, but the drive's partitions
were modified since the recovery point
was created.
■ You suspect that a virus or some other
problem has corrupted your drive's
master boot record.
■

See “Drives to Recover options” on page 235.
See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.
See “Recovering a computer through Restore Anyware” on page 244.

Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file
Using the recovery environment, you can recover your computer from within a
virtual disk file (.vmdk or .vhd). If you have a virtual disk for the hard drives that
you want to recover, you can fully recover your computer. Or, you can recovery
another hard drive back to the state it was in when the original virtual disk was
created.
See “Defining a virtual conversion job” on page 183.

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file

See “Running a one-time conversion of a physical recovery point to a virtual disk”
on page 194.
Note: If you restore a virtual disk to a computer that uses different hardware, the
Restore Anyware feature is automatically enabled for you.
To recover a computer from a virtual disk file

1

Boot the computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 228.

2

On the Home panel of Symantec System Recovery Disk, click Recover My
Computer.

3

On the Welcome panel of the wizard, click Next.

4

On the Select a Recovery Point to Restore panel, in the View recovery points
by list, select Filename.

5

On the Select a Recovery Point to Restore panel, click Browse to locate,
select, and open a virtual disk file (.vmdk or .vhd).
If necessary, click Map a network drive. Specify a shared network folder path
and assign it a drive letter. You can then browse the folder location for the
virtual disk file you want.

6

Click Next.

7

In the Target Drive panel, select the target drive where you want to restore
the virtual disk.

8

Optionally, do any of the following:
■

Click Delete Drive.
Delete a selected drive in the list to make space available to restore your
virtual disk.
When you click Delete Drive, the drive is only marked for deletion. The
actual deletion of the drive takes place after you click Finish in the wizard.

■

Click Undo Delete.
If you delete a drive and then change your mind, click Undo Delete to
return the drive to the list.

239

240

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file

9

Click Next.
Use Restore Anyware to recover to different hardware is already selected
for you if you recover an operating system drive (the drive on which Windows
is installed; usually the C drive).
This option is not selected if the virtual disk already contains the necessary
drivers for the target computer. Or, if you restore a virtual disk that contains
a data drive.

10 If necessary, enter the product license key.
A license key is required to use Restore Anyware when you recover a system
from a virtual disk file.
If you choose, you can add a license key directly to a custom Symantec System
Recovery Disk by using the Create Custom Recovery Disk wizard. When you
restore a virtual disk and Restore Anyware is enabled in Symantec System
Recovery Disk, you are not prompted to enter the license key. It is already a
part of the custom Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Creating a custom Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 37.

11 Click Next.
12 In the Recovery Options panel, select the options that you want to perform
during the recovery process.
See “Recovery Options” on page 240.
The options that are available depend on the target drive that you selected
earlier.

13 Click Next to review the recovery options that you selected.
14 Select Reboot when finished if you want the computer to restart automatically
after the recovery process finishes.

15 Click Finish.
16 Click Yes to begin the recovery process.
See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.
See “Recovering a computer through Restore Anyware” on page 244.

Recovery Options
The following table describes the options on the Recovery Options panel. This
panel is available when you use the Recover My Computer wizard of Symantec
System Recovery Disk to recover a virtual disk.

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file

Table 14-6

Recovery Options

Option

Description

Verify recovery point before recovery

Verifies whether a recovery point is valid or
corrupt before it is restored. If the recovery
point is invalid, the recovery is discontinued.
This option can significantly increase the
time that is required for the recovery to
complete.

Check for file system errors after recovery Checks the restored drive for errors after the
recovery point is restored.
Resize drive after recover (unallocated
space only)

Specifies the new drive size in megabytes.

Primary partition

Because hard disks are limited to four
primary partitions, this option is appropriate
if the drive has four or fewer partitions.

Logical partition

This option is appropriate if you need more
than four partitions. You can have up to
three primary partitions, plus any number
of logical partitions, up to the maximum size
of your hard disk.

Set drive active (for booting OS)

Makes the restored drive the active partition
(for example, the drive from which the
computer starts).
You should select this option if you restore
the drive on which your operating system is
installed.

241

242

Recovering a computer
Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file

Table 14-6

Recovery Options (continued)

Option

Description

Restore original disk signature

Restores the original, physical disk signature
of the hard drive.
Disk signatures are part of all Windows
operating systems that Symantec System
Recovery supports. Disk signatures are
required to use the hard drive.
Select this option if either of the following
situations are true:
Your computer's drive letters are atypical
(for example, assigned letters other than
C, D, E, and so forth).
■ You are restore a recovery point to a new,
empty hard disk.
■

Restore master boot record

Restores the master boot record. The master
boot record is contained in the first sector
of a physical hard disk. The master boot
record consists of a master boot program
and a partition table that describes the disk
partitions. The master boot program
analyzes the partition table of the first hard
disk to see which primary partition is active.
It then starts the boot program from the boot
sector of the active partition.
This option is recommended only for
advanced users and is available only if you
restore a whole drive in the recovery
environment.
Select this option if any of the following
situations are true:
You restore a recovery point to a new,
empty hard disk.
■ You restore a recovery point to the
original drive, but the drive's partitions
were modified since the recovery point
was created.
■ You suspect that a virus or some other
problem has corrupted your drive's
master boot record.
■

Recovering a computer
About recovering to a computer with different hardware

See “Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file” on page 238.

About recovering to a computer with different
hardware
The Symantec System Recovery Restore Anyware feature lets administrators
restore a system drive of a supported Windows platform computer. You can restore
the system even if it has different hardware than was found in the original
computer from which the recovery point was made.
Restore Anyware lets you make the necessary changes for the system to be able
to start. Depending on your configuration, you may need to make additional
changes for the computer to run exactly as it did previously.
If you restore to identical (or very similar) hardware on which the recovery point
was originally made, the Restore Anyware feature is deselected for you.
See “How to use Restore Anyware” on page 243.

How to use Restore Anyware
Restore Anyware lets you restore a recovery point onto new hardware. For example,
Restore Anyware is automatically used for you in the following scenarios:
■

Your computer's motherboard has failed and you replaced it with a new or a
different motherboard.

■

You want to upgrade to new hardware from an older computer.

■

You want to restore a virtual disk file back to a physical computer.

This feature is used to recover drives only; it cannot be used to recover at a more
granular level such as files and folders.
Note: You can obtain more information about domain controller support.
See http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/V-269-16

Warning: If you have an OEM license from your hardware vendor or a single-user
license, you might be prompted to reactivate your Windows software. You can
reactivate by using your Windows license key. Be aware that OEM and single-user
licenses might have a limited number of activations. Verify that using Restore
Anyware does not violate your operating system or application license agreements.
Keep in mind the following when Restore Anyware is used:

243

244

Recovering a computer
About recovering to a computer with different hardware

■

Performing a Restore Anyware to hardware that is significantly different might
require you to do the following:
■

Add mass storage device drivers.

■

Install hotfixes for the Windows operating system that you restore.

■

Reactivate your Windows operating system when the system restarts.

■

Provide your license key when the system restarts.

■

Provide a local user name and password when the system restarts.

■

When you restore a recovery point with Restore Anyware, you might be
prompted for the local administrator name and password. You should have
this information ready before you perform the restore. Technical support
cannot restore a lost password.

■

Restore Anyware is not used to restore a single recovery point to multiple
computers. The product does not generate a unique SID (security identifier)
for every computer.

■

When you use Restore Anyware with a computer that uses a static IP address,
you must manually reconfigure the computer after the restore is complete.

■

Symantec System Recovery supports one NIC on a system. If you have a dual
NIC system, you might need to manually configure the additional NICs to
perform a restore through Restore Anyware.

See “About recovering to a computer with different hardware” on page 243.
See “Recovering a computer through Restore Anyware” on page 244.

Recovering a computer through Restore Anyware
Before you restore a computer with Restore Anyware, you must save the recovery
point or virtual disk file to an accessible location. During the recovery, you might
also be prompted to supply disk drivers, service packs, hotfixes, and so forth. You
should have your Windows media CD available.
For more information about getting Restore Anyware drivers, go to the Symantec
Knowledge Base at the following URL:
http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/V-269-15
Warning: Before you restore a computer through Restore Anyware, test your access
to the recovery points or virtual disk in the recovery environment. You should
ensure that you have access to SAN volumes and that you can connect to the
network.

Recovering a computer
About recovering to a computer with different hardware

To recover a computer through Restore Anyware

1

Start the computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 228.

2

On the Home panel, click Recover My Computer.
Your recovery points or virtual disks may be stored on media. In such cases,
if you only have one CD/DVD or USB drive, you can eject the Symantec System
Recovery Disk now. Insert the CD/DVD or the USB device that contains your
recovery points or virtual disks.

3

On the Welcome panel of the wizard, click Next.

4

Do one of the following:

5

■

If Symantec System Recovery Disk located recovery points, proceed to
step 7.

■

If Symantec System Recovery Disk did not locate any recovery points,
proceed to the next step.

On the Select a Recovery Point to Restore panel, select a recovery point to
restore.
See “Select a Recovery Point to Restore options” on page 233.

6

Click Next.

7

On the Drives to Recover panel, select each drive that you want to recover
and set the options that you want, and then click Next.
See “Drives to Recover options” on page 235.
When you recover your computer, select the drive on which Windows is
installed. On most computer systems, this drive is the C drive. In the recovery
environment, the drive letters and labels might not match what appears in
Windows. You might need to identify the correct drive based on its label. Or,
you can identify the drive based on the name that is assigned to it. Or, you
can browse the files and folders in the recovery point.
See “Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk
” on page 246.

8

Optionally, select a drive that you want to recover, and then click Edit.
Select the options that you want to perform during the recovery process, and
then click OK to return to the Drives to Recover panel.
See “Edit target drive and options” on page 236.

9

Click Next to review the recovery options you have selected.

245

246

Recovering a computer
Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk

10 Select Reboot when finished if you want the computer to restart automatically
when the recovery process finishes.

11 Click Finish.
12 Click Yes to begin the recovery process.
See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.
See “Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file” on page 238.

Recovering files and folders by using Symantec
System Recovery Disk
You can use the Symantec System Recovery Disk to start your computer and to
restore files and folders from within a recovery point.
To recover files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk

1

Start the computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 228.

2

Click Recover, and then click Recover My Files.

3

Do one of the following:
■

If Symantec System Recovery Disk cannot locate any recovery points, you
are prompted to locate one. In the Select Recovery Point dialog box,
navigate to a recovery point, select one, and then click OK.
See “Select Recovery Point options” on page 247.

■

If Symantec System Recovery Disk finds recovery points, select a recovery
point from the list, and then click OK.

Note: If you cannot find the recovery points in a network location, type the
name of the computer and the share that holds your recovery points. For
example, \\computer_name\share_name.
If you still have trouble, try entering the computer's IP address.
See “About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 249.

4

In the tree view pane of the Recovery Point Browser, double-click the drive
that contains the files or folders that you want to restore.

Recovering a computer
Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk

5

In the content pane of the Recovery Point Browser, select the files or folders
that you want to restore.

6

Click Recover Files.
In the Recover Items dialog box, the Restore to this folder field may already
contain the original path from which the files originated.
If the original location does not include a drive letter, you must type the drive
letter at the beginning of the path.
Note: While in the recovery environment, drive letters and labels might not
match what appears in Windows. You might have to identify the correct drive
based on its label, which is the name assigned to it.

7

If the original path is unknown or you want to restore the selected files to a
different location, click Browse to locate the destination.

8

Click Recover to restore the files.

9

Click OK to finish.

See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.
See “Recovering a computer from a virtual disk file” on page 238.

Select Recovery Point options
The following table describes the options on the Select Recovery Options panel.
This panel is available when you use the Recover My Files wizard of Symantec
System Recovery Disk.
Table 14-7

Select Recovery Point options when you view recovery points by
date

Option

Description

View by - Date

Displays all of the discovered recovery points
in the order in which they were created.
If no recovery points were discovered, the
table is empty. In such cases, you can search
all local drives on the computer or browse
to find a recovery point.

Select source folder

Lets you view a list of all available recovery
points that may exist on your computer's
local drives or on a specific drive.

247

248

Recovering a computer
Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk

Table 14-7

Select Recovery Point options when you view recovery points by
date (continued)

Option

Description

Map a network drive

Specifies a shared network folder path and
assign it a drive letter. You can then browse
the folder location for the recovery point file
you want.

Browse

Lets you locate a recovery point on a local
drive or a network folder.

Select a recovery point

Lets you select the recovery point to restore.

Recovery point details

Gives you additional information about the
recovery point you want to restore.

Table 14-8

Select Recovery Point options when you view recovery points by file
name

Option

Description

View by - File name

Lets you view recovery points by their file
name.

Recovery point folder and file name

Specifies a path and a file name of a recovery
point.

Map a network drive

Specifies a shared network folder path and
assign it a drive letter. You can then browse
the folder location for the recovery point file
you want.

Browse

Lets you locate a recovery point on a local
drive or a network folder.

Recovery point details

Gives you additional information about the
recovery point you want to restore.

See “Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk ”
on page 246.

Recovering a computer
Exploring files and folders on your computer by using Symantec System Recovery Disk

Exploring files and folders on your computer by using
Symantec System Recovery Disk
You can explore the files and folders on your computer from Symantec System
Recovery Disk by using the Explore My Computer feature.
This feature uses the Recovery Point Browser and functions similar to Windows
Explorer. You can browse the file structure of any drive that is attached to your
computer from Symantec System Recovery Disk.
To explore files and folders on your computer by using Symantec System Recovery
Disk

1

Start the computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Booting a computer by using the Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 228.

2

In the Analyze panel, click Explore My Computer.

See “Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk ”
on page 246.

About using the networking tools in Symantec System
Recovery Disk
If you store your recovery points on a network, you need access to the network.
This access lets you restore your computer or your files and folders from Symantec
System Recovery Disk. The Symantec System Recovery Disk includes a variety
of networking tools that you can use to assist you with recovery.
Note: Additional computer memory might be required to recover your computer
or files across a network.
See “Starting networking services” on page 249.
See “Using the pcAnywhere thin host for a remote recovery” on page 250.
See “Mapping a network drive from within Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 252.
See “Configuring network connection settings” on page 253.

Starting networking services
If you need to start networking services, you can do so manually.

249

250

Recovering a computer
About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk

To start networking services
◆

On the Network panel in Symantec System Recovery Disk, click Start My
Networking Services.
To verify the connection to the network, you can map a network drive.
See “Mapping a network drive from within Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 252.

See “About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 249.

Using the pcAnywhere thin host for a remote recovery
The Symantec System Recovery Disk includes a pcAnywhere thin host. It lets you
remotely access a computer in the recovery environment. The pcAnywhere thin
host contains the minimum settings that are needed to support a single-use remote
control session. The thin host requires an IP address for hosting a remote control
session.
See “About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 249.
Note: You cannot deploy a thin host to Symantec System Recovery Disk. The thin
host can only be started from the Symantec System Recovery Disk to host a remote
control session in Symantec System Recovery Disk. The thin host in Symantec
System Recovery Disk does not support file transfers and cannot be used to add
drivers for network or storage devices.
After you start the thin host from Symantec System Recovery Disk, it waits for a
connection from a remote computer. You can connect to the thin host to remotely
manage a recovery or to perform other tasks in Symantec System Recovery Disk.
You must use Symantec pcAnywhere to connect to the thin host.
See “Remotely connecting to the pcAnywhere thin host” on page 251.
To start the pcAnywhere thin host
◆

On the Network panel in Symantec System Recovery Disk, click Start the
pcAnywhere Thin Host.
The networking services are started, if necessary. The thin host waits for a
connection.

Recovering a computer
About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk

Remotely connecting to the pcAnywhere thin host
Symantec pcAnywhere lets you remotely connect to a computer that is running
in the recovery environment. The computer must be running the pcAnywhere
thin host. This host is included in the Symantec System Recovery Disk. The host
also must be available and waiting for a connection. When the host and the client
computer are connected, the client computer can remotely manage a recovery.
Or, the client computer can perform other tasks that are supported in Symantec
System Recovery Disk.
Note: The client computer cannot transfer files or add additional drivers for
network or storage devices on the computer that is running the thin host.
To remotely connect to the pcAnywhere thin host

1

Ensure that the computer to be remotely managed (the host) has started in
Symantec System Recovery Disk. Also, ensure that the pcAnywhere thin host
is available and waiting for a connection.

2

Obtain the IP address of the thin host computer.

3

On the client computer, in Symantec pcAnywhere, configure a remote
connection item.
For more information, see the Symantec pcAnywhere User's Guide.
Note: You do not need to choose to automatically log on to the host on
connection.

4

When you configure the connection in pcAnywhere, do the following:
■

Select TCP/IP as the connection type.

■

Specify the IP address of the host computer.

■

Choose to automatically log on to the host on connection.
If you do not include the logon information, you are prompted for it when
you connect to the thin host.

■

Type the following log on name:
symantec

■

Type the following password:
recover

The thin host shuts down when there is an attempt to connect by using any
incorrect configuration settings.

251

252

Recovering a computer
About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk

You can prevent unauthorized users from tampering with your settings. You
can also prevent users from trying to launch a session without your
permission. To do so, you can set a password for your remote connection
item.
This option is available in the Remote Properties window on the Protect
Item tab. The thin host does not support encryption.

5

In pcAnywhere, start the remote control session.
If the connection attempt is unsuccessful, the thin host must be restarted on
the host computer before you attempt to connect again.

6

Remotely perform the necessary tasks on the host computer.
The remote control session ends when the thin host is closed. It is also closed
when the thin host computer is restarted, or when the remote control session
is ended.
After the host computer starts Windows, the client computer can deploy and
connect a thin host on the computer. The connection can help you verify the
success of tasks that were performed in the recovery environment.

See “Using the pcAnywhere thin host for a remote recovery” on page 250.
See “About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 249.

Mapping a network drive from within Symantec System Recovery Disk
If you started the networking services after you started the recovery environment,
you can map a network drive. This mapping lets you browse to that drive and
select the recovery point that you want to restore. Or, if you create backups from
the recovery environment, you can select a destination that resides on a network
location.
See “About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 249.
If there is no DHCP server or the DHCP server is unavailable, you must provide a
static IP address. You must also provide a subnet mask address for the computer
on which you are running Symantec System Recovery Disk.
See “Configuring network connection settings” on page 253.
After you provide the static IP address and subnet mask address, you can enter
the recovery environment. However, there is no way to resolve computer names.
When you run the Recover My Computer wizard or the Recovery Point Browser,
you can only browse the network by using the IP addresses to locate a recovery
point. You can map a network drive so that you can locate the recovery points

Recovering a computer
About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk

more effectively. Or, you can use the mapped network drive as a destination for
recovery points that you create from within the recovery environment.
To map a network drive from within Symantec System Recovery Disk

1

In Symantec System Recovery Disk, on the Network panel, click Map a
Network Drive.

2

Map a network drive by using the UNC path of the computer on which the
recovery point is located.
For example: \\computer_name\share_name or \\IP_address\share_name
You can also map a network drive from within the Recover My Computer
wizard or the Back Up My Computer wizard in Symantec System Recovery
Disk.

See “Using the pcAnywhere thin host for a remote recovery” on page 250.

Configuring network connection settings
You can access the Network Configuration window to configure network settings
while running in the Symantec System Recovery Disk environment.
To configure network connection settings

1

In the Symantec System Recovery Disk environment, click Network, and
then click Configure Network Connection Settings.

2

If you are prompted to start networking services, click Yes.

See “About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 249.

Getting a static IP address
You can restore a recovery point that is located on a network drive or share.
Sometimes, however, you cannot map a drive or browse to the drive or share on
the network to access the recovery point. The lack of an available DHCP service
can cause such a failure. In such cases, you can assign a unique static IP address
to the computer that is running the recovery environment. You can then map to
the network drive or share.
See “Configuring network connection settings” on page 253.
See “About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 249.

253

254

Recovering a computer
About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk

To get a static IP address

1

In the Symantec System Recovery Disk environment, click Network, and
then click Configure Network Connection Settings.

2

In the Network Adapter Configuration dialog box, click Use the following
IP address.

3

Specify a unique IP address and subnet mask for the computer that you want
to restore.
Be sure that the subnet mask matches the subnet mask of the network
segment.

4

Click OK.

5

Click Close to return to the recovery environment's main menu.

6

In the Network panel, click Ping a Remote Computer.

7

Type the address of the computer that you want to ping on the network
segment.

8

Click OK.
If you specified a computer name or a computer name and domain as the
address method, make note of the IP address that is returned.
If communication to the storage computer operates as expected, you can use
the Map Network Drive utility to map a drive to the recovery point location.

See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.

Getting a static IP address if pinging is unsuccessful
If you ping an address and the address does not respond, you can use the ipconfig
/all command to determine the correct IP address.
See “Configuring network connection settings” on page 253.
See “About using the networking tools in Symantec System Recovery Disk”
on page 249.

Recovering a computer
Viewing the properties of a recovery point

To get an IP address if the ping is unsuccessful

1

On the computer that contains the recovery point that you want to restore,
at a DOS prompt, type the following command, and then press Enter.
ipconfig /all

2

Write down the IP address that is displayed.
Return to the computer that is running the Symantec System Recovery Disk
environment

3

In the Network panel of the Symantec Recovery Disk environment, click Ping
a Remote Computer and use the IP address you wrote down.

See “Recovering a computer” on page 231.

Viewing the properties of a recovery point
You can view various properties of a recovery point by using the Recovery Point
Browser.
See “Viewing the properties of a drive within a recovery point” on page 256.
To view the properties of a recovery point

1

Do one of the following:
■

In Symantec System Recovery, on the View menu, click Tools. Click Run
Recovery Point Browser.

■

On the Windows Start menu, click Programs>SymantecSystemRecovery
> Recovery Point Browser.

2

In the Recovery Point Browser, in the tree panel, select the recovery point
file name that you want to view.

3

Do one of the following:
■

On the File menu, click Properties.

■

Right-click on the recovery point file name, and then click Properties.

See “Recovery Point Properties” on page 255.

Recovery Point Properties
The following table describes the information available on the Recovery Point
Properties dialog box. This dialog box is available from the Recovery Point
Browser.

255

256

Recovering a computer
Viewing the properties of a drive within a recovery point

Table 14-9

Recovery Point Properties

Property

Description

Description

Displays a user-assigned comment that is
associated with the recovery point.

Size

Displays the total size (in megabytes) of the
recovery point.

Created

Displays the date and time that the recovery
point file was created.

Compression

Displays the compression level that is used
in the recovery point.

Split across multiple files

Identifies whether the entire recovery point
file is spanned over several files.

Password protected

Displays the password protection status of
the selected drive.

Encryption

Displays the encryption strength that is used
with the recovery point.

Version

Displays the version number that is
associated with the recovery point.

Computer name

Displays the name of the computer on which
the recovery point was created.

Restore Anyware

Identifies whether Restore Anyware was
enabled for the recovery point.

Search engine support

Identifies whether you enabled search engine
support for the recovery point.

Created by

Identifies the application (Symantec System
Recovery) that was used to create the
recovery point.

See “Viewing the properties of a recovery point” on page 255.

Viewing the properties of a drive within a recovery
point
You can view the properties of a drive within a recovery point:
See “Viewing the properties of a recovery point” on page 255.

Recovering a computer
Viewing the properties of a drive within a recovery point

To view the properties of a drive within a recovery point

1

Do one of the following:
■

In Symantec System Recovery, on the View menu, click Tools. Click Run
Recovery Point Browser.

■

On the Windows Start menu, click Programs>SymantecSystemRecovery
> Recovery Point Browser.

2

In the Recovery Point Browser, in the tree panel, double-click the recovery
point file name that contains the drive that you want to view.

3

Select the name of the drive.

4

Do one of the following:
■

On the File menu, click Properties.

■

Right-click on the drive name within the recovery point, and then click
Properties.

See “Driver properties within a recovery point” on page 257.

Driver properties within a recovery point
The following table describes the information available on the Recovery Point
Properties dialog box. This dialog box is available from the Recovery Point
Browser when you select a drive within a recovery point.
Table 14-10

Driver properties within a recovery point

Property

Description

Description

Displays a user-assigned comment that is
associated with the recovery point.

Original drive letter

Displays the original drive letter that was
assigned to the drive.

Cluster size

Displays the cluster size (in bytes) that is
used in a FAT, FAT32, or NTFS drive.

File system

Displays the file system type that is used
within the drive.

Primary/Logical

Displays the selected drive's drive status as
either the primary partition or the logical
partition.

257

258

Recovering a computer
About the Support Utilities

Table 14-10

Driver properties within a recovery point (continued)

Property

Description

Size

Displays the total size (in megabytes) of the
drive.
This total includes used and unused space.

Used space

Displays the amount of used space (in
megabytes) within the drive.

Unused space

Displays the amount of unused space (in
megabytes) within the drive.

Contains bad sectors

Identifies whether there are any bad sectors
on the drive.

Cleanly quiesced

Identifies whether the database application
quiesced properly when a recovery point was
created.

See “Viewing the properties of a drive within a recovery point” on page 256.

About the Support Utilities
The Symantec System Recovery Disk environment has several support utilities.
Symantec Technical Support might ask you to use these utilities to troubleshoot
any hardware issues that you encounter.
You might be required to supply the information that these utilities generate if
you call Symantec Technical Support for help resolving problems.
Note: You should only use these tools as directed by Symantec Technical Support.
See “Recovering files and folders by using Symantec System Recovery Disk ”
on page 246.

Chapter

15

Copying a hard drive
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About copying a hard drive

■

Preparing to copy a hard drive

■

Copying one hard drive to another hard drive

About copying a hard drive
You can use the Copy Drive feature to copy your operating system, applications,
and data from one hard drive to another hard drive.
You can copy a larger hard drive to a smaller hard drive. The data on the drive
that is copied must be at least 1/16th smaller in size than the total size of the new
drive.
Some hard drives that you want to copy contain more than one partition. In such
cases, you must copy the partitions one at a time to the new hard drive.
You can use the Copy Drive feature when you upgrade to a larger hard drive or
when you add a second hard drive. You should not use the Copy Drive feature to
set up a hard drive that is used in another computer. The drivers that are used to
run the hardware on one computer may not match the drivers on a second
computer.
See “About recovering to a computer with different hardware” on page 243.

Preparing to copy a hard drive
Before you can copy hard drives, you must have the hardware configured correctly.

260

Copying a hard drive
Preparing to copy a hard drive

Table 15-1

Preparing to copy a drive

Action

Description

Prepare the computer

Do the following:
Get the manufacturer's directions for
installing the drive.
■ Shut down the computer, and then
disconnect the power cord.
■ Discharge electricity by touching a
grounded metal object.
■ Remove the computer cover.
■

Arrange jumper settings

Change the jumper settings on the hard drive
to make the new hard drive the slave drive.
Or, connect it as the slave drive if you use
cable select instead of jumper settings to
determine the master and the slave drives.

Attach the new hard drive

Do the following:
Connect the cable so that the colored
stripe on the edge lines up with the I/O
pins on the motherboard.
The motherboard is marked Pin1 or 1
where the colored stripe should go.
■ Connect the other end of the cable to the
back of the hard drive. Match the striped
edge with the I/O pin position on the
drive itself.
The I/O pin is usually on the side closest
to the power supply.
■

Attach the power connector to the new hard Make sure that the angled edge of the plastic
drive
connector lines up with the angled edge of
the pin socket.
Anchor the drive

Anchor the drive in the bay area according
to the manufacturer's instructions.

Copying a hard drive
Copying one hard drive to another hard drive

Table 15-1

Preparing to copy a drive (continued)

Action

Description

Change the BIOS settings to recognize the
new hard drive

Do the following:
Open the BIOS setup. As the computer
starts, watch the computer screen for
instructions on how to open the BIOS
setup.
■ Select Auto Detect for both the master
and the slave drives.
■ Save the BIOS changes, and then exit.
Your computer restarts automatically.
■

See “Copying one hard drive to another hard drive” on page 261.

Copying one hard drive to another hard drive
After you install a new hard drive, you can copy your old hard drive to the new
one. The new hard drive does not need to be formatted.
Some hard drives that you want to copy contain more than one partition. In such
cases, you must copy the partitions one at a time to the new hard drive.
If the power or the hardware fails while you copy the data, no data is lost from
the source drive. However, you must restart the copying process.
To copy one hard drive to another hard drive

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Copy My Hard Drive.

3

In the Welcome panel, click Next.

4

In the Source Drive panel, select the drive that you want to copy, and then
click Next..

5

In the Destination panel, select the destination drive for the copy, and then
click Next.

6

In the Advanced Options panel, set the copy options you want, and then click
Next.
See “Advanced options” on page 262.

7

Click Finish to begin the copy.

See “Preparing to copy a hard drive” on page 259.

261

262

Copying a hard drive
Copying one hard drive to another hard drive

Advanced options
The following table describes the options on the Advanced Options panel. This
panel is available from the Copy Drive Wizard.
Table 15-2

Advanced options

Option

Description

Check source for file system errors

Checks the source drive for errors before you
copy it. The source drive is the original drive.

Check destination for file system errors

Checks the destination drive for errors after
you copy the drive. The destination drive is
the new drive.

Resize drive to fill unallocated space.

Expands the drive to occupy the destination
drive's remaining unallocated space.

Set drive active (for booting OS)

Makes the destination drive the active
partition (the drive from which the computer
starts). Only one drive can be active at a time.
To boot the computer, it must be on the first
hard disk, and it must contain an operating
system. When the computer boots, it reads
the partition table of the first hard disk to
find out which drive is active. It then boots
from that location. If you cannot start up the
computer from the drive, have a boot disk
ready. You can use the Symantec System
Recovery Disk.
The Set drive active option is valid for basic
disks only (not dynamic disks).

Disable SmartSector copying

Speeds up the copying process by only
copying the clusters and sectors containing
data.
In high-security environments, you might
want to copy all clusters and sectors in their
original layout, regardless of whether they
contain data. In such cases, this option
should be deselected.

Ignore bad sectors during copy

Copies the drive even if there are errors on
the disk.

Copying a hard drive
Copying one hard drive to another hard drive

Table 15-2

Advanced options (continued)

Option

Description

Copy MBR

Copies the master boot record from the
source drive to the destination drive. Select
this option if you intend to copy the C:\ drive
to a new, empty hard drive.
You should not select this option if you want
to copy a drive to another space on the same
hard drive as a backup.
You should also not select this option if the
destination drive has partitions and you do
not want to overwrite them.

Primary partition

Lets you make the destination (new) drive a
primary partition.

Logical partition

Lets you make the destination (new) drive a
logical partition inside an extended partition.

Drive letter

Lets you select the drive letter you want
assigned to the partition.

See “Copying one hard drive to another hard drive” on page 261.

263

264

Copying a hard drive
Copying one hard drive to another hard drive

Chapter

16

Using the Symantec System
Recovery Granular Restore
Option
This chapter includes the following topics:
■

About the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option

■

Best practices when you create recovery points for use with the Granular
Restore Option

■

Starting the Granular Restore Option

■

What you can do with the Granular Restore Option

■

Opening a specific recovery point

■

Restoring a mailbox

■

Restoring an email folder

■

Restoring an email message

■

Restoring SharePoint documents

■

Restoring files and folders

266

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
About the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option

About the Symantec System Recovery Granular
Restore Option
The Granular Restore Option is an administrative tool that works with Symantec
System Recovery to provide granular restore capabilities for the following
applications:
■

Microsoft Exchange™ 2003, 2007, and 2010
Note: Microsoft Exchange 2007 requires a Windows 64-bit operating system.
Microsoft Exchange 2010 requires Windows Vista SP2 64-bit or Windows
Server 2008 64-bit.

■

Microsoft SharePoint® 2003, 2007, and 2010

■

File and folder data

Symantec System Recovery is used to create volume-level recovery points. Using
the Granular Restore Option, you can open these recovery points and restore
Microsoft Exchange mailboxes, folders, and individual messages. You can also
restore Microsoft SharePoint documents, and unstructured files and folders.
See “Starting the Granular Restore Option” on page 268.
See “Opening a specific recovery point” on page 269.
See “What you can do with the Granular Restore Option” on page 268.
See “Best practices when you create recovery points for use with the Granular
Restore Option” on page 266.
See “Restoring a mailbox” on page 270.
See “Restoring an email folder” on page 271.
See “Restoring an email message” on page 272.
See “Restoring SharePoint documents” on page 273.

Best practices when you create recovery points for
use with the Granular Restore Option
When creating a recovery point, you should use the following guidelines:
■

Select the option to back up your computer, not the option to back up selected
files and folders.
See “Defining a drive-based backup” on page 74.

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Best practices when you create recovery points for use with the Granular Restore Option

■

When you select which drives to back up, make sure that you select all of the
drives on the system.
See “How to identify drives for backup” on page 267.

■

When you select the type of recovery point to create, you should select
Recovery Point Set instead of Independent Recovery Point. This selection
makes subsequent recovery points much smaller.
See “Recovery point type options” on page 76.

■

The Exchange or SharePoint server does not need to be turned off for a backup
to run successfully. However, you should schedule the backup at a time when
the server is less busy (for example, after midnight).
See “Advanced Scheduling options” on page 81.

■

If you use mount points, make sure that you select them for backup.

See “About the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option” on page 266.

How to identify drives for backup
The recommended way to protect your Exchange server is to create a single backup
job that contains all of the drives on your server. However, you can choose to run
your backups at the storage group and message store levels. You should consider
the following to ensure a successful backup:
Include the drive that
contains your Exchange
installation

Granular Restore Option uses the recovery point of the
Exchange server to perform the restore operation. Therefore,
you should routinely back up your Exchange server. When
you create the recovery point, you should select the drive
that contains your Exchange installation directory.
For example, if you installed Exchange in the C:\Program
File\Exchsrvr directory, make sure that you include the entire
C drive in your recovery point.

Include the storage group
for the message store that
you want to back up

A storage group is a collection of message stores. Each storage
group contains a transaction log that is used to buffer writes
to the message stores. You must back up the drive that
contains the storage group's log files for the message store
that you want to protect.
For example, suppose you have a storage group named First
Storage Group. If the storage group contains a transaction
log on E:\Exchsrvr\mdbdata, you should include the entire
E drive as part of the recovery point. If you have multiple
storage groups, you should back them up at the same time.
If you want to back up your storage groups on different
schedules, you still need to include Exchange in your backups.

267

268

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Starting the Granular Restore Option

Include the message stores A message store is a database file that stores email. Message
that you want to protect
stores are subgroups of storage groups. When you create a
recovery point for a message store, you must also include its
storage group.
For example, if you have a message store named Message
Store (myserver) that is located on
F:\Exchsrvr\mdbdata\Message Store (myserver).stm, you
should include the entire F drive in your recovery point.

You can select a subset of drives when backing up a Microsoft SharePoint server.
However, the recommended way is to protect the entire server. Unlike the method
for Exchange, it is not necessary to back up the SharePoint binaries. You should,
however, back up any volumes that contain SharePoint data.
See “Best practices when you create recovery points for use with the Granular
Restore Option” on page 266.

Starting the Granular Restore Option
How you start Granular Restore Option depends on the version of Windows you
use.
To start the Granular Restore Option
◆

Do one of the following:
■

In Symantec System Recovery, on the Tools page, click Run Granular
Restore Option.

■

On the classic Windows taskbar, click Start > Programs > Symantec
System Recovery > Granular Restore Option.

■

On the Windows 2003, 2008, XP, Vista, or 7 taskbar, click Start > All
Programs > Symantec System Recovery > Granular Restore Option.

See “What you can do with the Granular Restore Option” on page 268.
See “Opening a specific recovery point” on page 269.

What you can do with the Granular Restore Option
You can do the following tasks with the Granular Restore Option.

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Opening a specific recovery point

Table 16-1

Granular Restore Option tasks

Task
■

■

■

More information

Restore Exchange mail.
■ Open a specific recovery point.
■

Restore a mailbox.

■

Restore an email folder.

■

Restore or forward an email message.

Restore SharePoint documents.
■ Open a specific recovery point.
■

Search or browse for a lost document.

■

Restore a document.

Restore unstructured files and folders.
■ Open one or more recovery points.

See “Restoring a mailbox” on page 270.
See “Restoring an email folder” on page 271.
See “Restoring an email message”
on page 272.
See “Restoring SharePoint documents”
on page 273.

See “Restoring files and folders” on page 274.

Search or browse for a lost file or
folder.
■ Restore lost files and folders.
■

■

Restore a version of a file.

See “About the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option” on page 266.

Opening a specific recovery point
You open recovery points so you can restore mailboxes, email folders and messages,
SharePoint documents, and files and folders.
To open a specific recovery point

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Run Granular Restore Option.

3

In the Open Recovery Points dialog box, select the option you want and then
click OK.
See “Open Recovery Points options” on page 270.

4

You can change the backup date that you view by selecting a different date
in the upper right-hand corner.

See “What you can do with the Granular Restore Option” on page 268.

269

270

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Restoring a mailbox

Open Recovery Points options
The following table describes the options on the Open Recovery Points dialog
box. This dialog box is available when you run the Granular Restore Option.
Table 16-2

Open Recovery Points options

Option

Description

Use latest recovery points for this computer Opens a recovery point using the latest
recovery points from the computer on which
you work.
Use alternate system index (.sv2i) file

Opens a recovery point using its system
index file.

System index file name

Lets you specify a path and a file name of a
system index file that you want to use for
recovery.

Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains a
system index file.
For example, you can browse to an external
(USB) drive, a network location, or to
removable media to select a system index
file.

Use recovery points for another computer. Opens a recovery point that resides on
another computer.
Browse

Lets you browse to a path that contains
recovery points.
For example, you can browse to an external
(USB) drive, a network location, or to
removable media to select recovery points.

Computer Name

Identifies the names of recovery point files
and virtual disk files in the specified path of
another computer.

See “Opening a specific recovery point” on page 269.

Restoring a mailbox
A restored mailbox consists of all of the email that was contained in a user's
mailbox when the recovery point was created. A recover mailbox is saved on the
disk as a PST file.

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Restoring an email folder

You can use Microsoft Outlook to open and view the contents of the file. After a
restored mailbox has been opened in Outlook, you can then drag email or folders
back to their original locations.
Note: In many cases, it is easier to restore a user's entire mailbox than find a single
message.
To restore a mailbox

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Run Granular Restore Option.

3

In the Open Recovery Points dialog box, open the recovery point for the last
known time that the mail was present on the Exchange server.
See “Open Recovery Points options” on page 270.

4

Click OK.

5

On the Exchange Mail tab, from the list of mailboxes, select the mailbox you
want to restore.

6

Right-click the mailbox, and then click Recover Mailbox.

7

Select the folder where you want to place the restored mailbox, and then click
Save.
Note: If the size of the mailbox is large, you may want to copy it to a shared
folder.

See “Restoring an email folder” on page 271.
See “Restoring an email message” on page 272.

Restoring an email folder
You can restore a single folder instead of an entire mailbox. For example, if a user
needs a copy of a sent message, it may be quicker to restore only the Sent Items
folder.
A restored folder is saved on the disk as PST file. You can use Microsoft Outlook
to open and view the contents of the folder. After a restored email folder has been
opened in Outlook, you can drag email or folders back to their original locations.

271

272

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Restoring an email message

To restore an email folder

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Run Granular Restore Option.

3

In the Open Recovery Points dialog box, open the recovery point for the last
known time that the mail was present on the Exchange server.
See “Open Recovery Points options” on page 270.

4

Click OK.

5

On the Exchange Mail tab, select the mailbox for the user who requested the
restore.

6

In the folder list, right-click the folder you want to restore, and then click
Recover Folder.

7

Select the folder where you want to place the restored folder, and then click
Save.

See “Restoring an email folder” on page 271.
See “Restoring an email message” on page 272.

Restoring an email message
You can use the Granular Restore Option to restore individual email messages.
You can save individual messages in an .msg file format on the disk, or you can
forward them directly to a user. Use Microsoft Outlook to open and view the
contents of a saved message file.
To restore an email message

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Run Granular Restore Option.

3

In the Open Recovery Points dialog box, open the recovery point for the last
known time that the mail was present on the Exchange server.
See “Open Recovery Points options” on page 270.

4

Click OK.

5

Click the Exchange Mail tab, select the mailbox for the user who requested
the restore.

6

Select the folder that contains the message you want to restore.

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Restoring SharePoint documents

7

Select the message to restore.
Note: You can sort the list by clicking the column headers. You can also search
the subject lines of the messages by entering a search term in the search field
(near the message list). When you add or delete characters in the search box,
it automatically changes the results.

8

To return the email message to the user, do one of the following:
■

If you have Microsoft Outlook installed, double-click the message to open
it in Outlook. You can use Outlook to send the message back to its owner.

■

To forward the message in Outlook, right-click the message, and then
click Forward.
Outlook opens a new message. The message that you want to forward is
included as an attachment. You can then forward the message to the
original owner.

■

To save the message to a disk, right-click the message, and then click
Recover Message. Type the file name, and then click Save.
The email message is saved on the disk. You can use Outlook to open the
message.

See “Restoring a mailbox” on page 270.
See “Restoring an email folder” on page 271.

Restoring SharePoint documents
Symantec System Recovery can be used to restore backed up documents on a
Microsoft SharePoint server. SharePoint documents are restored to the local
system. Use Microsoft SharePoint to place the document back on the SharePoint
server if wanted.
To restore SharePoint documents

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Run Granular Restore Option.

3

In the Open Recovery Points dialog box, open the recovery point for the last
known time that the mail was present on the Exchange server.
See “Open Recovery Points options” on page 270.

4

Click OK.

273

274

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Restoring files and folders

5

On the SharePoint Documents tab, browse or search for the file that you
want to restore.
Note: You can sort the list by clicking the column headers. You can enter a
search term in the search field (near the documents list). When you add or
delete characters in the search box, it automatically changes the results.

6

Click the file to view its contents or to restore it, and then select the check
box beside it.

7

On the Tasks menu, click Restore Files, and then select the destination for
the restore.

See “Restoring files and folders” on page 274.
See “Restoring a mailbox” on page 270.
See “Restoring an email folder” on page 271.
See “Restoring an email message” on page 272.

Restoring files and folders
Granular Restore Option can be used to restore unstructured files and folders.
This feature is particularly useful if you need to search more than one recovery
point (multiple backup dates) to find a missing file or folder.
To restore a file or folder

1

On the View menu, click Tools.

2

Click Run Granular Restore Option.

3

In the Open Recovery Points dialog box, open the recovery point for the last
known time that the mail was present on the Exchange server.
See “Open Recovery Points options” on page 270.

4

Click OK.

5

On the Files and Folders tab, browse or search for the file that you want to
restore.

6

You can view more than one recovery point at a time. To see a view of the file
system that contains multiple recovery points, click Versions. Now select
the versions that you want to view by checking them in the list.
You can sort the list by clicking the column headers. You can enter a search
term in the search field (near the documents list). When you add or delete
characters in the search box, the results change automatically.

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Restoring files and folders

7

Click the file to view its contents or to restore it, and then select the check
box beside it.

8

On the Tasks menu, click Restore Files, and then select the destination for
the restore.
Note: If you view multiple recovery points and more than one version of a
file is available, you can expand the list of versions. Click the plus sign next
to each file. After you select a file for restore, choose the version of the file
that you want.

See “Restoring SharePoint documents” on page 273.
See “Restoring a mailbox” on page 270.
See “Restoring an email folder” on page 271.
See “Restoring an email message” on page 272.

275

276

Using the Symantec System Recovery Granular Restore Option
Restoring files and folders

Appendix

A

Using a search engine to
search recovery points
This appendix includes the following topics:
■

About using a search engine to search recovery points

■

Enabling search engine support

■

Recovering files using Google Desktop's Search Desktop feature

About using a search engine to search recovery points
Symantec System Recovery supports the use of Google Desktop for searching the
file names that are contained in recovery points.
Note: Symantec Backup Exec Retrieve is also supported, but your company's IT
department needs to install it. When they install it, there is nothing you have to
do to enable it. Ask your IT department for details.
When you enable search engine support, Symantec System Recovery creates a
catalog of all the files that are contained in a recovery point. Search engines like
Google Desktop use the catalog file to generate an index. You can then search for
files by name. Google Desktop does not index the content of files. It only indexes
the file names.
See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.

Enabling search engine support
The following table summarizes the steps for enabling search engine support.

278

Using a search engine to search recovery points
Enabling search engine support

Table A-1
Step

Enabling search engine support

Action

Step 1 Install a search
engine

Description
An organization's IT department installs Backup Exec
Retrieve. Ask your IT department if it is available.
You can download and install Google Desktop for free from
the Internet. Visit desktop.google.com.
See “Installing Google Desktop” on page 278.

Step 2 Enable Google
Desktop support

A Google plug-in for Symantec System Recovery is required
before you can use Google Search to locate and recover files.
The plug-in is installed for you automatically when you
enable this feature.
See “Enabling Google Desktop support” on page 279.

Step 3 Enable search engine When you define a backup job, or edit an existing backup
support when
job, enable search engine support.
defining or editing a
The next time the backup is run, it creates a list of all the
backup job
files that are contained in the resulting recovery point. A
search engine such as Google Desktop can then use the list
to generate its own index. You can then use the index to
perform searches by file name.
See “Enabling search engine support for a backup job”
on page 279.

Note: The generated list of files that search engines require for generating
searchable indexes are appended to recovery points as they are created. Hence,
recovery points that already exist when you enable this feature cannot be indexed.
After you enable this feature, run each of your backups to create a new recovery
point that contains the required information for indexing.

Note: If your backup destination is on a network drive, be sure to add the location
to the Google Desktop preferences.
See “About using a search engine to search recovery points” on page 277.

Installing Google Desktop
You can download and install Google Desktop using the following steps.

Using a search engine to search recovery points
Enabling search engine support

To install Google Desktop

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options, and then click Google Desktop.

2

Click Download Google Desktop from the Web and follow the instructions
for installation.

3

After completing the installation, click OK in the Symantec System Recovery
Options window.
For more information, visit desktop.google.com.

See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.

Enabling Google Desktop support
After installing Google Desktop, you must enable the Google Desktop support
feature. Enabling this feature automatically installs the Google plug-in for
Symantec System Recovery. This plug-in is required for using Google Search to
locate and recover files.
To enable Google Desktop support

1

On the Tasks menu, click Options, and then click Google Desktop.

2

Select Enable Google Desktop File and Folder Recovery.
This option is not available if you do not have Google Desktop installed. Install
Google Desktop, and then repeat this procedure.

3

Click OK.

4

Click OK to install the Google Plug-in.

See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.

Enabling search engine support for a backup job
You can enable search engine support when you define new backup jobs. To enable
search engine support for existing backup jobs, edit them.
To enable search engine support for a backup job

1

Start Symantec System Recovery.

2

Do one of the following:
■

Edit an existing backup job and select Enable search engine support for
Google Desktop and Backup Exec Retrieve on the Options page of the
wizard.

279

280

Using a search engine to search recovery points
Recovering files using Google Desktop's Search Desktop feature

■

Define a new backup job and select Enable search engine support for
Google Desktop and Backup Exec Retrieve on the Options page of the
wizard.

See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.

Recovering files using Google Desktop's Search
Desktop feature
If you have correctly set up and enabled support for Google Desktop, you can
search recovery points to locate and recover files using Google Desktop.
See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.
To recover files using Google Desktop's Search Desktop feature

1

Start Google Desktop.

2

Enter the name (or part of the name) of a file you want to recover, and then
click Search Desktop.

3

Click the search result that contains the file you want to recover.

4

When the file opens in the associated application, on the File menu, click
Save As to save the recovered file.
You can also right-click the search result and click Open to open the recovery
point in the Recovery Point Browser.
See “Opening and restoring files within a recovery point” on page 165.

Tips for finding a file using Google Desktop
If you do not find a file that is included in a recovery point that has search engine
support enabled, do the following:
■

Right-click the Google Desktop icon in the system tray. On the shortcut menu,
click Indexing, and then click Re-Index.
Re-indexing can take a significant amount of time. Be sure to wait until it
completes before attempting to search again.

■

Right-click the Google Desktop icon in the system tray and click Preferences.
Under Search Types, verify that Web history is checked. This option must be
checked or Google Desktop cannot index the content of your recovery points.

■

Verify that the drive that contains your recovery points (backup destination)
is available.

Using a search engine to search recovery points
Recovering files using Google Desktop's Search Desktop feature

For example, if your backup destination is on a USB drive, ensure that the
drive is plugged in and the power is turned on. Or, if your backup destination
is on a network, be sure that you are connected and logged on with the correct
credentials.
■

Narrow your search results. Recovery point files use .v2i as their file extension.
When you add the file extension to your search string, any results that are not
found in a recovery point are eliminated. For example, you can add V2i to the
search string "My Tune mp3 V2i" to find mp3 files only in recovery point files.

■

If your backup destination is on a network drive, be sure to add the location
to the Search These Locations setting in Google Desktop Preferences.

See “Enabling search engine support” on page 277.

281

282

Using a search engine to search recovery points
Recovering files using Google Desktop's Search Desktop feature

Appendix

B

Backing up databases using
Symantec System Recovery
This appendix includes the following topics:
■

About backing up databases using Symantec System Recovery

■

About backing up VSS-aware databases using Symantec System Recovery

■

About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System Recovery

About backing up databases using Symantec System
Recovery
Symantec System Recovery enables you to back up both, Microsoft's Volume
Shadow Copy Service (VSS)-aware and non-VSS aware databases. For backing up
VSS-aware databases, Symantec System Recovery integrates with VSS to automate
the backup process. While, for backing up non-VSS-aware databases, you can
create manual or automatic cold or hot recovery points of the databases.
See “About backing up VSS-aware databases using Symantec System Recovery”
on page 283.
See “About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System
Recovery” on page 284.

About backing up VSS-aware databases using
Symantec System Recovery
Symantec System Recovery integrates with Microsoft's VSS to automate the
process of backing up VSS-aware databases, such as the following:

284

Backing up databases using Symantec System Recovery
About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System Recovery

■

Exchange Server 2003 or later

■

SQL Server 2005 or later

■

Windows Server 2003-based domain controller or later

VSS-aware databases are auto-enabled and cannot be turned off. VSS lets
administrators create a shadow copy backup of volumes on a server. The shadow
copy includes all files and includes open files.
When it creates a recovery point, Symantec System Recovery alerts the Volume
Shadow Copy Service. VSS then puts the VSS-aware databases into a temporary
sleep state. While in this quiesced state, the database continues to write to
transaction logs during the backup. After the databases are quiesced, Symantec
System Recovery takes the snapshot. VSS is then notified that a snapshot is
completed. The databases are awakened, and the transaction logs continue to be
committed to the database. Meanwhile, the recovery point is created. The databases
are only quiesced for the snapshot, and are active for the rest of the recovery
point creation.
Symantec System Recovery supports Exchange Server 2003 or later, which
implements VSS technology. However, if the database load is heavy, the VSS
request might be ignored. Create recovery points at the lightest load time.
Be sure that you have installed the latest service packs for your given database.
Note: For backing up Exchange databases, additional backup applications are not
needed to run with Symantec System Recovery.
See “About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System
Recovery” on page 284.

About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using
Symantec System Recovery
With Symantec System Recovery, you can create manual cold backups, automatic
warm backups, or hot backups of non-VSS-aware databases.
See “About creating a cold backup manually using Symantec System Recovery or
Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 285.
See “About creating a warm backup automatically using Symantec System
Recovery” on page 286.
See “Creating a cold backup manually” on page 285.
See “Creating a warm backup automatically” on page 286.

Backing up databases using Symantec System Recovery
About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System Recovery

See “Creating a hot backup using Symantec System Recovery” on page 287.

About creating a cold backup manually using Symantec System
Recovery or Symantec System Recovery Disk
A manual cold (or offline) backup ensures that all database transactions are
committed to the hard disk. You can then use either Symantec System Recovery
or the Symantec System Recovery Disk to create the recovery point, and then
restart the database.
See “Creating a cold backup manually” on page 285.

Creating a cold backup manually
The following table summarizes the steps for creating a cold backup manually
using Symantec System Recovery or Symantec System Recovery Disk.
Table B-1

Creating a cold back manually

Step

Action

Description

Step 1

Stop the
database

Manually stop the database you want to back up.

Step 2

Create a
recovery point

Create a recovery point using either Symantec System
Recovery or the Symantec System Recovery Disk.
Do one of the following:
Use Symantec System Recovery to run a backup
immediately using the Run Backup or One-time
Backup feature.
See “Running a one-time backup from Symantec
System Recovery” on page 93.
■ Use the Symantec System Recovery Disk to create a
one time cold backup.
See “About running a one-time backup from Symantec
System Recovery Disk” on page 94.
■

Step 3

Restart the
database

Manually restart the database anytime after the recovery
point progress bar appears in the Monitor page of the
console.
While the database is restarted, the actual recovery point
is immediately created from the virtual volume recovery
point.

285

286

Backing up databases using Symantec System Recovery
About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System Recovery

See “About creating a cold backup manually using Symantec System Recovery or
Symantec System Recovery Disk” on page 285.
See “About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System
Recovery” on page 284.

About creating a warm backup automatically using Symantec System
Recovery
You can automate the creation of a warm backup of a non-VSS-aware database
by running a command file in the backup job. Run this command file before data
capture to stop (quiesce) the database momentarily and commit all transaction
logs to the hard disk. Symantec System Recovery instantaneously snaps a virtual
volume recovery point.
Run a second command file in the backup job to restart the database while the
recovery point is created from the virtual volume recovery point.
Because the virtual volume snapshot takes only a few seconds to create, the
database is in the recovery point state momentarily. As a result, there is a minimal
number of log files created.
See “Creating a warm backup automatically” on page 286.

Creating a warm backup automatically
The following table summarizes the steps for creating a warm backup automatically
using Symantec System Recovery.
Creating a warm backup automatically

Table B-2
Step

Action

Description

Step 1

Define a backup

Define a backup that includes the command files that you
have created for the following stages of the recovery point:
Before data capture: A command file that stops the
database.
■ After data capture: A command file that restarts the
database.
■

Step 2

Run the backup
job

Using Symantec System Recovery, run the backup job that
includes the command files.

See “About creating a warm backup automatically using Symantec System
Recovery” on page 286.
See “About running command files during a backup” on page 83.

Backing up databases using Symantec System Recovery
About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System Recovery

See “About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System
Recovery” on page 284.

Creating a hot backup using Symantec System Recovery
If a cold or a warm backup is not possible in your organization, create a hot (or
online) backup for backing up non-VSS-aware databases.
Symantec System Recovery takes a crash consistent recovery point. Such a
recovery point is equivalent to the state of a system that was running when the
power failed. A database that can recover from this type of failure can be recovered
from a crash consistent recovery point.
To create a hot backup
◆

Use Symantec System Recovery to create a recovery point without the need
to stop or restart the database.
Symantec System Recovery instantaneously snaps a virtual volume recovery
point from which the recovery point is created.

See “About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System
Recovery” on page 284.

287

288

Backing up databases using Symantec System Recovery
About backing up non-VSS-aware databases using Symantec System Recovery

Appendix

C

Backing up Active Directory
This appendix includes the following topics:
■

About the role of Active Directory

About the role of Active Directory
When protecting a domain controller with Symantec System Recovery, be aware
of the following:
■

If your domain controller is Windows Server 2003, it supports Microsoft Volume
Shadow Copy Service (VSS). Symantec System Recovery automatically calls
VSS to prepare the Active Directory database for backup.

■

To participate on a domain, every domain computer must negotiate a trust
token with a domain controller. This token is refreshed every 30 days by default.
This time frame can be changed, and is referred to as a secure channel trust.
But a trust token that is contained in a recovery point is not updated
automatically by the domain controller. Therefore, a computer that is recovered
using a recovery point containing an outdated token cannot participate in the
domain. For such a computer to participate in the domain it must be re-added
to the domain by someone who has the proper credentials.
In Symantec System Recovery, this trust token can be re-established
automatically if the computer participates in the domain when the recovery
process is started.

■

In most cases, domain controllers should be restored non-authoritatively.
Restoring domain controllers non-authoritatively prevents outdated objects
in the Active Directory from being restored. Outdated objects are referred to
as tombstones. Active Directory does not restore data older than the limits it
sets. Restoring a valid recovery point of a domain controller is the equivalent
of a non-authoritative restore. To determine which type of restore you want

290

Backing up Active Directory
About the role of Active Directory

to perform, please refer to the Microsoft documentation. A non-authoritative
restore prevents tombstone conflicts.
For additional details about protecting non-VSS aware domain controllers, see
the white paper titled "Protecting Active Directory," located on the Web.
http://sea.symantec.com/protectingdc
You can also refer to the Symantec Knowledge Base:
http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/V-269-16

Appendix

D

Backing up Microsoft virtual
environments
This appendix includes the following topics:
■

About backing up Microsoft virtual hard disks

■

About backing up and restoring Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines

About backing up Microsoft virtual hard disks
Microsoft Windows 7/Server 2008 R2 now support the use of Virtual Hard Disks
(VHDs). Microsoft does not support backing up a physical disk and a VHD on that
physical disk in the same backup job. This limitation also applies to Symantec
System Recovery. You cannot back up a physical disk and its VHD counterpart in
the same backup job using Symantec System Recovery. Also not supported is the
ability to back up a VHD that is hosted on or "nested" within another VHD. If you
want to back up a physical disk and a VHD on that disk, you must create separate
backup jobs for each disk.
Backing up a physical disk that hosts a VHD is supported as long as it is not
included as another volume in the same backup. When a physical disk hosting a
VHD is backed up, the VHD is treated as another file that is part of the physical
disk backup.
VHDs can be attached and detached from their physical disk hosts (volumes).
Microsoft recommends that you detach a VHD that is stored on a host volume
before you back up. Not detaching a VHD before you back up a host volume can
result in an inconsistent copy of the VHD in the backup. After you restore a host
volume, you can re-attach the VHD file.
http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/V-306-2
You can find more information on backing up VHDs on the Microsoft Web site.

292

Backing up Microsoft virtual environments
About backing up and restoring Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd440865(WS.10).aspx
Find information about backing up and restoring Microsoft Hyper-V virtual
machines:
See “About backing up and restoring Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines”
on page 292.

About backing up and restoring Microsoft Hyper-V
virtual machines
To create a backup of a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine, you must back up the
volumes of the computer where the virtual machine is hosted. Create either a live
backup or a system state backup of the host machine.You cannot back up or restore
a specific virtual machine. A live backup is created while the virtual machine is
running (hot backup).
A system state backup is created in any of the following conditions:
■

The guest operating system on the virtual machine is not running (cold backup).

■

The Hyper-V VSS integration component is not installed in the virtual machine.

Note: Symantec System Recovery is unable to back up cluster shared volumes.
Because volumes in such a configuration are accessible to each of the clustered
Hyper-V host computers, a given volume cannot be locked for backup . However,
clustered disks can be backed up by Symantec System Recovery because one host
has exclusive access to the disk.
To create a backup of a running virtual machine, the following conditions must
be met:
■

The guest operating system must be running.

■

The guest machine must be running Windows Server 2003 or later.
If the guest machine is running Winows 2000, Windows XP 32- or 64-bit, you
can only create a system state backup (cold backup).

■

The Hyper-V VSS integration component must be installed on each virtual
machine to be backed up.
If you move a virtual machine from Virtual Server 2005 to Hyper-V, first
uninstall the Virtual Server 2005 integration component from the virtual
machine. After you Virtual Server 2005 integration component, you can install
the Hyper-V VSS integration component.

Backing up Microsoft virtual environments
About backing up and restoring Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines

■

The guest virtual machine should be configured to only use basic disks, not
dynamic disks.
This configuration is the default for installing a Windows virtual machine.

■

All the volumes on the fixed disks must support the creation of snapshots.

If you perform a backup when these conditions are not met, Symantec System
Recovery creates a system state recovery point that is crash-consistent. A
crash-consistent recovery point captures the virtual machine as if it had
experienced a system failure or power outage.
To restore a virtual machine, you must restore the recovery point of the host
computer. The host computer recovery point must include the volume that holds
the virtual machine you want to restore. You cannot restore a specific virtual
machine.
To know about the limitations of Hyper-V when backing up databases on virtual
machines, refer to the Symantec Knowledge Base:
http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/V-306-2
Find information about backing up Microsoft virtual hard disks:
See “About backing up Microsoft virtual hard disks” on page 291.
http://entsupport.symantec.com/umi/V-306-2

293

294

Backing up Microsoft virtual environments
About backing up and restoring Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines

Appendix

E

Using Symantec System
Recovery 2011 and
Windows Server 2008 Core
This appendix includes the following topics:
■

About Symantec System Recovery 2011 and Windows Server 2008 Core

■

Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008 Core
using commands

About Symantec System Recovery 2011 and Windows
Server 2008 Core
Windows Server 2008 Core does not include the traditional graphical user interface
(GUI) that is available with other versions of Windows. It is installed and managed
primarily using commands at the command line interface.
Although Symantec System Recovery 2011 can be installed on Windows Server
2008 Core, it is an agent only install. Windows Server 2008 Core does not support
Microsoft .NET. Therefore, the Symantec System Recovery GUI cannot be installed.
Symantec System Recovery is supported on Windows Server 2008 Core by a
headless agent only. You can install Symantec System Recovery 2011 using
commands at the command line. You can also install (push) the agent from a
remote machine.
One-to-one management is the only supported method for backing up and restoring
a Windows Server 2008 Core machine. This means, after you install the agent on
a Windows Server 2008 Core machine, connect to it from a remote machine
running one of the following:

296

Using Symantec System Recovery 2011 and Windows Server 2008 Core
Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008 Core using commands

■

Symantec System Recovery 2011

■

Symantec System Recovery Management Solution

Before installing the agent remotely on a Windows Server 2008 Core machine,
you must configure the firewall to allow access to the server. By default, the
firewall is configured to allow no access to the server.
For more information on configuring the firewall on a Windows Server 2008 Core
machine, see the Microsoft Web site.
Windows-on-Windows 64-bit (WoW64) is a subsystem of the Windows operating
system and is required for running 32-bit applications on 64-bit versions of
Windows. It is installed by default and is included on all 64-bit versions of
Windows. If you have uninstalled WoW64 on a Windows Server 2008 Core R2
machine, you must reinstall it before installing Symantec System Recovery 2011.
See “Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008 Core
using commands” on page 296.

Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on
Windows Server 2008 Core using commands
The following options exist for installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on a
Windows Server 2008 Core system. They are
■

Full install with GUI support
See “Running a full install with GUI support” on page 296.

■

Full silent install with logging
See “Running a full silent install with logging” on page 297.

■

Agent-only silent install with logging
See “Running an agent-only silent install with logging” on page 297.

Running a full install with GUI support
The following table summarizes the steps for installing Symantec System Recovery
2011 using the option for full install with GUI support.

Using Symantec System Recovery 2011 and Windows Server 2008 Core
Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008 Core using commands

Table E-1

Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 using the option for full
install with GUI support

Step Action

Description

Step
1

On the Symantec System Recovery 2011 CD, browse to and run
Browser.exe.

Run
Browser.exe

A graphical environment (GUI) is launched where you complete
the remainder of the installation.
Step
2

Complete
installation

Complete the installation by following the steps in the installation
wizard.
Even though the full Symantec System Recovery is installed, only
the agent is needed and used on Windows Server 2008 Core.

See “Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008 Core
using commands” on page 296.

Running a full silent install with logging
The following are the steps for installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 using
the option for full silent install with logging.
To install Symantec System Recovery 2011 using the option for full silent install
with logging

1

On the Symantec System Recovery 2011 CD, change to the Install directory.

2

Run the following command:
Setup.exe /s /v"/qn /l*v %temp%\SSRInstall.log"

Even though the full Symantec System Recovery is installed, only the agent
is needed and used on Windows Server 2008 Core.
See “Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008 Core
using commands” on page 296.

Running an agent-only silent install with logging
The following are the steps for installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 using
the option for agent-only silent install with logging.

297

298

Using Symantec System Recovery 2011 and Windows Server 2008 Core
Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008 Core using commands

To install Symantec System Recovery 2011 using the option for agent-only silent
install with logging

1

On the Symantec System Recovery 2011 CD, change to the Install directory.

2

Run the following command:
Setup.exe /s /v"/qn AddLocal=Agent,Shared,SecurityShortCut /l*v
%temp%\SSRInstall.log"

See “Installing Symantec System Recovery 2011 on Windows Server 2008 Core
using commands” on page 296.

Index

Symbols
.sv2i, using to restore multiple drives 231

A
access, allowing or denying users or groups 142
activate the product 33
Active Directory, role of 289
administrator, run Symantec System Recovery as 145
Advanced page
about 60
showing or hiding 60
Advanced scheduling options 81
agent
dependencies, viewing 139, 141
Microsoft Services 136
setting security for 142
setting up recovery actions for 140
starting, stopping, or restarting 139
troubleshooting in Services 136
Agent Deployment
using 131
Windows Vista 131
agent, about 135
archive, copying recovery points 177
attached VHD 75

B
backing up dual-boot computers 71
backup
about defining drive-based 73
about file and folder 107
allowing other users to define 127
best practices 64
cancelling 120
database, non-VSS-aware 284
database, VSS-aware 283
defining drive-based 74
defining file and folder 107
defining first 60
deleting 126

backup (continued)
disabling 126
dual-boot computers 71
editing advanced options 88
editing schedule 126
editing settings 122
enabling event-triggered 122
excluding folders during file and folder
backups 107
file and folder 173
ignoring bad sectors during drive-based 87, 99
managing storage of 172
monitoring 147
monitoring status 150
one time from Symantec System Recovery Disk,
about 94
one time from Windows 93
other computers from your computer 129
run immediately 117
running command files during 83
running one time from Symantec System
Recovery Disk 95
running with options 118
selecting a backup destination 69
setting advanced options for drive-based 81,
182
setting advanced options for file and folder 112
slowing down to improve PC performance 120
speeding up 120
things to do after 67
things to do before 64
things to do during 66
tips 68
types of 64
verifying success 121, 150
viewing progress 91
viewing status of 121
backup data
automating management of 204
protecting with password 88, 99, 183
using for recovering files and folders 208

300

Index

backup destination
moving 205
understanding how it works 172
Backup destination options 77
backup job, editing advanced options 88
backup status 121
backup storage, about 172
Basic Edition, disabled features in 27
benefits of using Symantec System Recovery 17
best practices 266
best practices, services 137
boot configuration database 75

C
cancel the current operation 120
categories, managing file types 50
check computer agent services 136
clustered shared volumes 292
cold backup
about 94
creating manually 285
running one time 95
command files, running during a backup 83
compression levels in recovery point 92
computer
adding to Computer List, local 131
adding to Computer List, remote 130
configuring for CD or DVD booting 229
recovering 35–36, 231
recovering from virtual disk file 238
recovering remotely 250
recovering, about 227
computer agent
services, checking 136
tour 135
Computer List
adding local computers to 131
adding remote computers to 130
configuring agent security 142
conversion job
deleting 193
editing 193
recovery points to virtual disks 183
run now 192
viewing progress 192
viewing properties 192
convert recovery point to virtual disk one time 194
copying a drive 259
create recovery point 80

creating recovery point, options 181
creating recovery points, options 98
credentials, change for agent 145

D
databases
backing up non-VSS-aware 284
backing up VSS-aware 283
default options, configuring 45
default settings, changing for the Symantec System
Recovery Agent 138
dependencies, view agent 139
dependencies, viewing agent 141
devices, supported storage 26
different hardware, restoring to 243
disable a backup 126
disabled features 26
disk media, supported 26
disks, rescanning 148
documents, restoring 273
domain controllers, protecting using Symantec
System Recovery 289
domain users, granting rights on Windows 2003 SP1
servers
135
drive
copying 259
identifying for backup 267
improving protection level of 158
protecting 148
unmounting recovery point 167
viewing details of 158
viewing properties from within Symantec
System Recovery Disk 256
viewing within recovery point 167
drive letter, assigning to a recovery point 163
drive recovery options 218
drive-based backup
about 64, 73, 172
defining 74
excluding files from 82
setting advanced options 86
Driver Validation 35–36
drives
backup protection level 148
recovering 207
recovering multiple using system index file 231
dual-boot computers, backing up 71

Index

E
Easy Setup, defining first backup 60
email notification, setting up to send warnings and
errors 58
email, restoring 271–272
emergency
recovering a computer 231
recovering a computer, about 227
encryption, recovery point 89
error messages, configuring to show or hide 49
errors
setting notification for
warnings:setting up email to send 58
evaluation version, installing or upgrading 28
Event Log
about 161
using to troubleshoot 161
event-triggered backup
enabling 122
enabling ThreatCon Response 124
Events tab, log file history 137
Exchange
protecting 267
restoring a mailbox 270
restoring an email folder 271
restoring an email message 272
expiration of trial version 28
explore computer from Symantec System Recovery
Disk 249
external drive, assigning unique name 53

F
features, disabled in Basic Edition 27
feedback, send 21
file and folder backup
about 64, 107, 173
defining 107
deleting files from 203
excluding folders from 107
recovering using backup data from 208
file and folder backup data
backup destination 69
managing 202
viewing amount of data stored 203
file systems. supported 26
file types
creating new 51
deleting 53
editing 52

file types (continued)
managing 50
file versions, limiting number kept 203
files
deleting from file and folder backup,
manually 203
locating versions of 204
opening from within a recovery point 165
recovering lost or damaged 207
files and folders
opening when stored in a recovery point 213
recovering lost or damaged 207
recovering using Symantec System Recovery
Disk 246
restoring 274
restoring using a recovery point 209
searching for 213
folders
locating versions of 204
recovering lost or damaged 207

G
Google Desktop
configuring backups to support 167
enabling support for 31
setting up support for using 277
using to search for recovery points 277
Granular Restore Option 266
starting 268

H
hard disks
recovering 207
recovering primary 231
rescanning 148
hard drive, copying one to another 261
hot backup 287
defining drive-based 74
running one time 93
hybernate.sys 82
Hyper-V machines, support for 292

I
independent recovery point 76
installation
after 31
disabled features 26
preparing for 23

301

302

Index

installation (continued)
steps 29
supported file systems 26
supported removable media 26
system requirements 23

L
license product 31
LightsOut Restore
about 220
configuring or reconfiguring 222
setting up and using 220
LiveUpdate, using 33
log file
checking 137
using event 161
logs, truncate transaction 87

M
mail, restoring 270
mapping drive from Symantec System Recovery
Disk 252
master boot, restoring 238, 242
message stores
identifying 268
protecting 268
MIB, about 156
Microsoft Virtual Disk 194
Microsoft Virtual Disk (.vhd) 183
Microsoft virtual hard disks, support for 291

N
network credentials, rules when supplying 83
network drive, how to map 252
network services
configuring connection settings 253
getting a static IP address 253
starting in Symantec System Recovery Disk 249
using in Symantec System Recovery Disk 249
network, adjusting throttling during backup 49
non-VSS-aware databases, back up 284
NTbackup, backing up with 289

O
Offsite Copy
about 100
assigning unique names to external drives for
use with 53

Offsite Copy (continued)
copying recovery points 100
Offsite Copy Settings options 78
One Time Backup from Windows 93
operating system, backing up computers with
multiple 71
Options, configuring defaults 45
original disk signature, recovering 237, 242

P
P2V
one time 194
scheduling 183
virtual conversion job, deleting 193
virtual conversion job, editing 193
virtual conversion job, run now 192
virtual conversion job, viewing progress 192
virtual conversion job, viewing properties 192
pagefile.sys 82
pcAnywhere thin host, using to recover remotely 250
performance during backup, adjusting for network 49
permissions, allowing other users to back up 127
physical-to-virtual
job, deleting 193
job, editing 193
job, run now 192
job, viewing progress 192
job, viewing properties 192
scheduling 183, 194
progress of backup, viewing 91
protection
hard disks 148
protection status 121
push install of agent 131

R
RAM drives, supported 26
recovery point type options 76
recovery
about 207
cancelling 120
computer (C drive) 227
customizing 216
files and folders 207
original disk signature 237, 242
restoring files and folders 207
recovery actions, setting up when agent does not
start 140

Index

recovery point
archiving 177
assigning a drive letter to 163
checking for viruses 163
checking integrity of 80, 90, 98
choosing options for 80, 98, 181
cleaning up old 174
copying to CD or DVD 177
creating a specific type 118
creating cold manually 285
creating hot 287
creating offline 285
creating online 287
creating warm automatically 286
deleting sets 175
encrypting 89
exploring 163
independent 76
limiting number of sets 80
mounting 163–164
mounting from Windows Explorer 165
Offsite Copy 100
one time conversion to virtual disk 194
opening a specific 269
opening files and folders stored in 213
opening files within 165
opening up hard disk space 177
protecting with password 88, 99, 183
recovering files using 209
scheduling conversion to virtual disk format 183
setting compression levels 92
types, defined 76
unmounting as a drive letter 167
using a search engine to find 277
verifying 80, 98
verifying after creation 90
viewing properties of drive from Symantec
System Recovery Disk 255
viewing properties of drive within 167
viewing properties of mounted 167
virtual conversion job, deleting 193
virtual conversion job, editing 193
virtual conversion job, run now 192
virtual conversion job, viewing progress 192
virtual conversion job, viewing properties 192
Recovery Point Browser
using to open files within recovery points 165
recovery point files, locating 69
Recovery point options 79

recovery point options, Symantec System Recovery
Disk 236
recovery points
copying supported media for storing 71
related drives option 75
remote backup 129
removable media
saving recovery points to 71
splitting recovery points across multiple 71
supported 26
reports, log file 137
requirements, system 23
rescan disks 148
restart agent 139
restore
Exchange, email folders 271
Exchange, email messages 272
Exchange, mailboxes 270
files and folders 274
SharePoint documents 273
Restore Anyware, using 243
rights, granting to domain users on Windows 2003
SP1 servers 135
Run as, change logon using 145
Run Backup Now, about 117
Run Backup With Options feature 118

S
schedule, editing backup 126
scripts, running during a backup 83
search engine
enabling support 278
using 167
using for searching recovery points 277
Secondary drive, recovering 213
security
agent 127, 142
allowing or denying permissions 142
giving other users rights to back up 127
granting access to users to back up 142
service
starting, stopping, or restarting agent 139
services
best practices for using 137
using with agent 136
Share Your Ideas 21
SharePoint, restoring documents 273
SmartSector Copying, about 87, 99

303

304

Index

SNMP traps, configuing Symantec System Recovery
to send 155
start agent 139
start, computer Agent services 136
status messages
configuring to show or hide 49
using SNMP traps 155
status reports, customizing per drive 156
stop a backup 120
stop agent 139
stop computer agent services 136
storage groups, identifying and protecting 267
Support Utilities 258
Symantec Backup Exec Retrieve, configuring with
backups 167
Symantec Backup Exec Web Retrieve, using to search
for recovery points
277
Symantec System Recovery
configuring default options 45
getting more information 20
new features 19
restoring with 268
running with different user rights 145
using 43, 268
Symantec System Recovery Agent
changing default settings for 138
deploying over a network 131
installing from product CD, manually 131
setting up recovery actions for 140
starting automatically 138
Symantec System Recovery Disk
about 227
about creating backups from 94
booting into 228
configuring network connection settings 253
creating backups from 95
creating custom SSRD 37
exploring computer while using 249
getting a static IP address 253
mapping drive from 252
networking tools 249
options, LightsOut Restore 224
recovering computer 231
recovering computer from virtual disk file 238
recovering files and folders 246
recovery options 236
scanning hard disk 230
starting 228

Symantec System Recovery Disk (continued)
Support Utilities 258
testing 35–36
troubleshooting 229
viewing drive properties 256
viewing recovery point properties 255
system drive
recovering 35–36
system drive, recovering 35–36
system index file, using to recover multiple
drives 231
system requirements 23
system tray icon
adjusting default settings 49
showing or hiding 49
showing or hiding error messages 49
showing or hiding status messages 49

T
tabs, Events and log file 137
ThreatCon Response, enabling or disabling 124
throttling, adjusting during backup 49
time, elapsed time in Events tab 137
tips for running backups 68
transaction logs, truncate 87
trial version, installing or upgrading 28
troubleshooting, agent 136
truncate transaction logs 87

U
unmount recovery point drives 167
update, automatically with LiveUpdate 33
upgrade, trial version of Symantec System
Recovery 28
users, rights to run Symantec System Recovery 142

V
verify recovery point 90
verify recovery point after creation 150
VHD, attached 75
virtual disk
conversion job, viewing progress 192
conversion job, viewing properties 192
one time conversion of recovery point to 194
recovering computer from a 238
scheduling conversion of recovery point to 183
virtual conversion job, deleting 193
virtual conversion job, editing 193

Index

virtual disk (continued)
virtual conversion job, run now 192
viruses, checking recovery points for 163
VMware ESX 183
VMware ESX Server 194
VMware Virtual Disk 194
VMware Virtual Disk (.vmdk) 183
VSS
back up databases 283
performing full backup 87
support 289

W
warm backup, creating automatically 286
Windows 2003 SP1 servers, granting rights to domain
users on 135
Windows 7, support for 19, 23
Windows Explorer
mounting recovery points from 165
viewing file and folder version information
in 204
Windows services, opening on local computer 138

305



Source Exif Data:
File Type                       : PDF
File Type Extension             : pdf
MIME Type                       : application/pdf
PDF Version                     : 1.4
Linearized                      : No
Subject                         : Getting started
Title                           : Symantec™ System Recovery 2011 User's Guide: Windows Edition
Creator                         : Unknown
Author                          : Symantec Corporation
Producer                        : XEP 4.6 build 20060623
Trapped                         : False
Create Date                     : 2011:02:03 04:59:31
Modify Date                     : 2011:02:03 04:59:31
Page Count                      : 305
Page Mode                       : UseOutlines
EXIF Metadata provided by EXIF.tools

Navigation menu