Backup Tab

Backup Tab - use this page to make a backup of the registry and other files.  Only the Configs checked will be backed up.  To create or change a Config press the Change Backup Properties button.  If you do not make a Config, WinRescue will have a default configuration for Config1 and the rest of them will not be available.

Press the "Change Backup Properties" to change Backup Preferences, like, the number of backups, the target directory, full backup or incremental backup, compression level, what files to include, close WinRescue after Backup, delete files on diskette before backup, and password,.
If you have not performed a Backup with WinRescue, you cannot restore from a backup or from the Spare Registry.  You may, however, try restoring the Win98 Backups or using RegPack to fix the registry.


Restore Tab

Restore Tab - use this page to restore Windows or files that you have backed up.  There is no magic in the Restore process.  It simply changes files back to the way they were before.  So if Windows crashes, Restore will change things back to the way that they were before you had problems, if you restore a backup that was produced before you had problems.

There are three steps to Restore.

First, select which backup to restore from the "Choose Backup to Restore" dropdown box.  I know that it is confusing to some people to have several choices here, but it is to your advantage.  If one backup will not work, another one will.  It is usually best to start at the top of the list and work your way down.

If you choose "Win98 Backups" or "WinRescue Backups", a popup list of Backups will appear so that you can select one.  Most Recent is the Backup with the most recent date.

Second, select which files to restore from the Backup.  Only WinRescue Backups, and Diskette will allow you to choose anything other than Windows Crash (Registry).

The three selections are Windows Crash (Registry) - this restores only the registry files, win.ini, and system.ini, Another Type of Crash (WinConfig) - this restores the items identified in the Backup Preferences as WinConfig files, and Lost User Data (UserProfile) - this restores the items identified in the Backup Preferences as User Profile.

Third, press the big Restore button.  This will start the Restore process.  If the registry or autoexec.bat is being restored, Windows will restart after the Restore process.

Restoring does not improve the registry, it only changes the registry back to what it was before.  To improve the registry, try the RegPack feature.


RegPack Tab

RegPack Screen - press the RegPack button to repair and rebuild the registry.
During the RegPack process, Windows98 will quit and the registry will be exported into a text file, and then rebuilt.  This often fixes and makes the registry smaller.  Let me explain why this is so.

Why RegPack is so important.  The Registry is a database.  Think of it as a chart with rows and columns.  When an entry is removed, the entry is made into a blank entry.  It still occupies the same amount of space that it occupied before. This is neccessary so that the information below it is still in the same place.  When new items are added to the registry, they are added at the bottom.  So if you think of the registry as a chart, over time, the registry ends up will a lot of blank cells.  RegPack removes these blank cells by writing the information to a file and rebuilding it from the top down.

If Windows does not shut down properly (goes to a blank screen and a blinking cursor), try using autoexec.bat on the Advanced tab of Preferences.

Quick/Expanded RegPack - the dropdown box selects Quick RegPack or Expanded RegPack.  Expanded RegPack takes longer to perform, but it may be successful when Quick RegPack fails and it supports multiple users in Windows.  If you do not have multiple users, use Quick RegPack.  If you have multiple users or if Quick RegPack doesn't work properly (this rarely happens), then use Expanded RegPack.

Check Registry - this button runs Windows' Registry Checker and checks to see if the registry is good.

Undo RegPack - if for some reason you want to restore Windows to how it was before you ran RegPack, press the Undo RegPack button.  This will shut down Windows and change Windows back to the way it was before.  Undo RegPack is also available in the DOS Version of WinRescue.


Boot Disk Tab

Boot Disk Tab - this page will produce a Boot Disk to use when Windows crashes and you are not able to restart in Safe Mode.  Pressing the Boot Disk button will produce a boot disk, backup the CMOS and Boot Sector, copy ScanDisk, and copy the DOS version of WinRescue to the boot disk.

When making the bootup diskette, after you press the "Boot Disk" button, an input box will appear.  Put the drive letter of the diskette and press OK.  A DOS window will open and begin to format the diskette.  Then the DOS window will close and WinRescue will continue making the Boot Disk.
After a diskette has been created, check out the new diskette.  Place the diskette in the drive and restart the computer.  If the DOS program starts, then the diskette is good.  Store it in a safe place.
If the diskette does not work, it may be due to a bad diskette.  Try it again with a different diskette.

Once you have a good Boot Disk there is no need to make a new one, unless you change versions of DOS, change the CMOS settings, change the partitions of the Main Hard Drive, or change computers.

The CMOS and Boot Sector functions of the Boot Disk should not be used on a different computer.


Help Tab

Help Screen - press the Help button to show the Help pages.

Preferences - this button will open the Preferences of WinRescue.  Preferences has the Backup Manager, Backup Properties, Win98 Backups, Automation, and Advanced.

Tutorial - this is special set of help screens that will quickly teach you how to use WinRescue.

Windows Troubleshooters - clicking on this button will display a popup menu of Windows Troubleshooters.  The Troubleshooters available are

Dial-up Networking,

Direct Cable Connection,

DirectX,

Display,

DriveSpace 3,

Hardware Conflict,

Memory,

Microsoft Network,

Modem,

MS-DOS Programs,

Network,

PC Card,

Print,

Sound, and

Startup and Shutdown.

Selecting one of these will run the designated Windows Troubleshooter.  These troubleshooters are also available from Windows Help and the Microsoft website.

About WinRescue 98 - this is the screen that is shown when WinRescue 98 is first started.
Register WinRescue - shows the registration information screen in Help.


Backup Manager

Backup Manager - this page shows the WinRescue backups and allows you to add, rename, or remove Backups.

Backup Sets - when a backup is made all of the files are put in a new subdirectory of the specified Target directory.  The names of the Backup Sets and their locations are listed here.

Full Path of Backups - the location of each backup set is listed here.  This setting cannot be changed.

Date/Time - the time and date when the backup was made.

Rename Backups - the Backups may be renamed by selecting a Backup and then either pressing the Rename button or clicking the mouse one more time.  Renaming an item renames the directory.
WARNING - if you rename a backup outside of WinRescue (with the Windows Explorer) the Backup will not be listed in the Backup Manager when you start WinRescue.

Add Backup - this is for adding WinRescue Backups that somehow got removed from the Backup Manager.  Backups will be listed in the order in which they were added to the Backup Manager, not according to date.

Delete Backup - to delete a Backup select the Backup and then press the Delete button.  This will delete the subdirectory of that Backup and all of its files.

At the bottom there are also two value boxes.  These effect all Backup Configurations.  Maximum Backups is the maximum number of backups that are allowed before WinRescue starts replacing the oldest backup.  Keeps is how many of these that you want to keep from being deleted.  If you choose, 1, the first backup will never be replaced.  If you choose 2, the first two backups will never be deleted.


Backup Properties

Backup Properties - this page has five tabs of its own and a dropdown box at the top.  Select which Config you want to setup or change and then go through the tabs at the bottom.  If you don't like the names, Config 1, Config 2, etc., you can change these by typing a new name in the dropdown box (10 letter limit).

Next to the dropdown box showing the Config names is a button that says, "Display Config Settings".  When you click on this button, a list of all of the settings for the current Config will be printed up and displayed in a Notepad window.  You can then save or print out this information.

Settings

Backup Type - there are three types of Backups:  Full Backup, Incremental Backup, Differential Backup, and Replace Files.

Full Backup - backs up all files in the list.

Incremental Backup - backs up only the files that have changed since the last Full or Incremental backup.  If Incremental Backup is checked, WinRescue will check the archive attribute of each file (excluding the registry files and WinConfig files) and see if it is on.  If it is, it backs up the file and turns it off.  If it isn't, the file is skipped.  The archive attribute file remains off until the file is changed.  So only the files that have changed are backed up.

If you use Incremental Backups, you should first make a Full Backup.  Then if you are limiting the number of backups, when the Full Backup is deleted, you should make another Full Backup.

Differential Backup - backs up only the files that have changed since the last Full backup.  If Differential Backup is checked, WinRescue will check the archive attribute of each file (excluding the registry files and WinConfig files) and see if it is on.  If it is, it backs up the file but unlike Incremental the archive bit is not turned off.  This means that when two differential backups are done in a row, the second backup will include all of the files that are in the first differential backup plus any other files that have changed.  When restoring you only have to restore the latest Full Backup and the latest Differential Backup.

If you use Differential Backups, you should first make a Full Backup.  Then if you are limiting the number of backups, when the Full Backup is deleted, you should make another Full Backup.

Replace Files - replaces files that have changed with the newer files.  If Replace Files is selected, during Backup, WinRescue will go through the list of files, check a file in the backup and see if it is different, if it is, it replaces it, if not, it leaves the old file.

Target - tells where to put the Backup.  Use the ... button to find a location.  If the Target points to the hard drive, when a backup is produced, a subdirectory will be produced in the Target and the backup files will be added to the subdirectory.  Any drives that are set up in Windows as drives are accessible, for example, A:\ diskette, C:\ harddrive, D:\ 2nd harddrive, E:\ CD, F:\ Zip drive, G:\ Jaz drive, H:\ Network drive.

Compression Level - the following choices are given: Do Not Compress, Low/Fast Compression, Medium Compression, High/Slow Compression, Higher/Slower Compression, Highest/Slowest Compression.  Some of the higher settings will not produce much smaller files, but will take longer.

Verify Backup - if you check this checkbox, Backup will take an extra step and go back to the Backup after it is produced and check it.  This will take a little longer than if you don't verify it.  If the Backup is bad, a dialog box will be displayed after Backup listing the bad file.  There should be no problem with not checking this checkbox, but if you do check it, you will have the added assurance that everything is good.

Verify Backup only works on backups to the harddrive and that are not divided into blocks (see below).  Otherwise, the Verify step will be skipped.

WinFiles - this page has a list of files to backup.  You can check or uncheck each item.  The word in parenthesis, WinConfig or User Profile, tells what group the files belong in for Restoring.  Below are a list of each of the files and a short description.

Registry - system.dat, user.dat (including files of multiple users), system.ini, and win.ini.

autoexec.bat (WinConfig) - bootup file for DOS for backwards compatibility only.

config.sys (WinConfig) - bootup file for DOS for backwards compatibility only.  If you have only had a later version of Win98 on your computer, it is highly likely that you will not have autoexec.bat or config.sys on your computer.

msdos.sys (WinConfig) - bootup configuration for DOS and Windows.

command.com (WinConfig) - DOS.

io.sys (WinConfig)

system.cb (WinConfig) - empty shell of system.ini.

ttfcache (WinConfig) - a cache of fonts used by Windows, sometimes Windows deletes this file if it doesn't need it, this is normal.

dosstart.bat (WinConfig) - something like, autoexec.bat, but it is only activated when DOS is run from Windows.  Sometimes this file does not exist.  This is normal.

protocol.ini (WinConfig) - initiation file for networks.

Application Data (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Application Data subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directories.  These are put in appdata.zip.

Desktop (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Desktop subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directories.  These appear on the desktop too.  These are put in desktop.zip.

Favorites (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Favorites subdirectory of the Windows directory.  These are put in favorites.zip.

Net Hood (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Net Hood subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directory.  These are put in nethood.zip.

Recent (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Recent subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directory.  These are put in recent.zip.

Start Menu (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Start Menu subdirectory of the Windows directory and the Users' directory.  These are put in start.zip.

Send To (User Profile) - files and shortcuts in the Send To subdirectory of the Windows directory.  These are put in sendto.zip.

IECache (User Profile) - files in the Temporary Internet Files subdirectory of the Windows directory.  These are sites and images that are accessed by the Internet Explorer while browsing.  They are kept temporarily on your harddrive for offline browsing.  These are put in iecache.zip.

Control Panel (User Profile) - files that make up the Control Panel.  These files do not contain the settings of the Control Panel, just the shell of each icon.  The settings are usually kept in the registry but may be kept elsewhere depending on the program.  These are put in cntlpanl.zip.

Other Files - this page allows you to select files from your hard drive to backup.  Check an entry to enable backing up the files in it.  Press the Add button to add an entry to the list.  The Files to Backup dialog box will appear allowing you to select all of the files to include in the entry.  The Edit button allows you to change the contents of an already existing entry using the Files to Backup dialog box.  The Delete button removes an entry.

Miscellaneous - some more settings.

Close WinRescue after Backup - if this is checked WinRescue will close when Backup is finished.

Minimize during Backup - if this is checked WinRescue is minimized to the taskbar during Backup.  No progress bar is shown.  While it is minimized, you can click on it to restore it to its normal size.

Delete all Files on Diskette before Backup - if this is checked all of the files in the Target directory will be deleted before performing Backup.

Treat Removable Disk as Fixed Disk - when this is checked during Backups a new directory is assigned and backed up to and the Backup is included in the limited number in the Backup Manager.

Password - if anything is entered in the Password text box during Backup all files will be encrypted with that password and during Restore all files will be extracted with that password.  For security reasons, the password is not saved by WinRescue.  You must reenter it each time you start WinRescue.  If you make a Backup with a password and then wish to Restore without a password (or vice versa), you must be sure to remove the password before Restoring.

Save Large Files in Blocks of - when checked WinRescue will divide up the large backup files into smaller files the size specified in the text box.  This is good for backing up a harddrive to CD, if your CD doesn't support backing up directly to the CD.  WinRescue will keep track of the size of files already backed up (if you are creating more than one backup file) and subtract this from the size of the first block.  The blocks will have extensions starting at .001 and going up, as in, .002, .003, and so forth.  Once the backup is finished, you can then copy *.001 and any files created before this file to the first CD.  Be sure to include the *.zfc file so that WinRescue can read the contents of the first block, otherwise you will need to start restoring with the last block.  You would then copy the *.002 file to the second CD and so forth.

Files can be extracted using the Extractor.

The number in the textbox is in bytes.  A kilobyte is 1024 bytes.  A megabyte is 1,048,576 (1024 x 1024) bytes.  A gigabyte is 1,073,741,824 bytes.


Automation

Automation - this page allows automatic functions to be setup.  If one of these functions is set to something besides "Do Not Perform" or "Use Scheduler", a shortcut in the Startup directory will check to see if it is time to perform the function every time Windows is started.
Start WinRescue and Wait - at the selected interval (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or never) WinRescue will start when Windows is started.
Automatically Perform Backup - at the selected interval (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or never) WinRescue will start and perform a backup when Windows is started.  The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th refer to the Backup Configs.  Perform 1st Backup will backup using the settings for Config1.  You can use as many of these as you wish.
If you have registered WinRescue and are not displaying the startup screen, this function will be automatically performed at the selected interval without the need for any input by you.  If you want WinRescue to remain running after this operation is performed, set the "Start WinRescue 98 and Wait" function.

Automatically Perform RegPack - at the selected interval (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or never) WinRescue will start and rebuild the Registry when Windows is started.
If you have registered WinRescue and are not displaying the startup screen, this function will be automatically performed at the selected interval without the need for any input by you.  If you want WinRescue to remain running after this operation is performed, set the "Start WinRescue 98 and Wait" function.

Use Task Scheduler - each of the Automation functions can be set to Use Task Scheduler.  Task Scheduler comes with Win98 or you can find a similar program on the internet.  These programs run in the background and can run WinRescue at a predetermined time.  Task Scheduler Setup Tutorial.


Advanced

Advanced - this page has a few options that may need to be set, if WinRescue doesn't work with it's default settings.

Windows Restart - WinRescue uses the startwin.pif file (Windows Explorer doesn't show the .pif extension) to restart Windows and run RegPack.  Some computers have drivers or programs that keep this from working properly.  Many have reported that their computer goes to a blank screen with a blinking cursor.  If this happens, you can select autoexec.bat and try it again.

Default Directories - two directories can be changed.  Root is the hard drive on which the computer boots.  This is usually C.  If your computer does not boot up in C, you will need to change this.

Startup - this is the directory that has programs that are started when Windows starts.  If you change users, this may need to be reset.

Temp - this is the directory that is used by WinRescue to create the backup.  A temporary file is placed in this directory while the backup is being built.  When the backup is finished, this file is removed.  The default directory is the TEMP setting of DOS (usually C:\Temp).  If there is not enough free space on this drive, you will receive a Stream Write or Stream Seek error during Backup.  If you have a drive that has more free space, you can specify it here.

Cab Extractor - WinRescue must use an Cab Extractor to get files out of the Win98 Backups.  Windows comes with these two extractors:  a driver or command.com.  If one doesn't work, select the other and try again.


Extract Files from Backup

Extract Files from Backup - this dialog box will extract individual files from a WinRescue backup file.

First, select the WinRescue backup file to extract from by clicking on the ... button next to the Backup File textbox.  WinRescue will read the files in the backup file and show them in the Contents list box.  If the backup file is big, this may take a while.

Second, check the files that you want to extract.  Use the buttons at the bottom of the list to select all or unselect all.

Third, select where you want to extract the files to.  This is found in a dropdown box labeled, Extract to:.  Selecting Original Location will extract the files to the original location from which they were backed up.  Selecting Temporary Directory will extract the files to the Temp directory of the drive which has WinRescue on it.  And selecting Select Location will open a dialog box which will allow you to select the location from the hard drive.

Below the Extract to: dropdown box is the Recurse Directories checkbox.  Check this if you want the original directories to be reproduced in the selected directory.

And last of all, press the Extract button to extract the checked files.

When you are finished, press Exit.


Files to Backup

Files to Backup - this dialog box will let you choose what files to backup and put them all in one entry.

Select a Directory - click on a directory from the Folders box.  The files in the selected directory will be displayed in the Files box.

Specify Groups of Files - if there is a file type (for example, all text files, *.txt) that you want to include or exclude from this entry, that can be done with the buttons under the word, Select.  When a button is pressed, all the files of that type are selected in the current directory (and its subdirectories if include subdirectories is checked).  Clicking a pressed button will exclude that type of files from the current directory (and its subdirectories if include subdirectories is checked).  The status of the button indicates which file types are included and excluded in the current directory.

Use the Include Subdirectories checkbox to include or not include subdirectories of the current directory.  After changing this checkbox, the Select selections must be reselected in order for Include Subdirectories to take effect.

To specify more file types or groups of files using wildcards, press the More button.  This will display the Select File Groups screen.  Select the File Type from the dropdown box or type it in the dropdown box.  An asterisk (*) may be used to signify any number of any character.  A question mark (?) is used to signify one character.  Check the Include Subdirectories checkbox to include subdirectories (| before the entry indicates no subdirectories and a > before the entry indicates include subdirectories).  Press Include to include them or press Exclude to exclude them.  The file type will be added to the appropriate list.  If you decide not to use one of the entries in the list, just delete it by selecting it and pressing the delete button under the list.  When you add and remove items from these lists, the corresponding files are checked or unchecked from the list in the next tab.

Select Individual Files - if there are individual files that you would like to mark for backup, find them in the Files box and check them.

Name of this Zip Package - enter a word here that is no longer than 8 letters long.  This will be the name of the zip file that the backed up files will be put into.  So if you enter, "programs", when you perform a backup, all of the files specified here will be put in a zip file called "programs.zip".

Clicking on OK produces the entry and closes the dialog box.  Clicking on Cancel closes the dialog box without making an entry.

Find Size of Backup - click this button and another screen will be displayed.  It will immediately start figuring out the size and number of total files in the Backup.  This may take some time to accomplish depending on the size of the Backup.  All files checked and included in the Backup are counted.  When it is finished, you can return to the main Files to Backup screen by clicking on OK.


Download Upgraded RegEdit

Download Upgraded RegEdit - this dialog box will help you get an upgraded RegEdit file.

If RegPack will not run because it says that you have the wrong version of RegEdit, this is because you are running Win95, Win95A, or Win95B.  Microsoft upgraded the regedit.exe file in Win95C and removed some bugs.  You can't just get that regedit.exe file and run it in your Windows because Win95C uses a different version of DOS than the earlier versions and this regedit.exe file runs in DOS.  So someone (unfortunately, not Microsoft) has changed the Win95C regedit.exe file so that it runs in any version of DOS.  This upgraded RegEdit is available from http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/%7Eflibble/reg/reg.zip.

Press the Download button to download this file.  If a browser is not correctly associated with http files in Windows, this button will not work and you will have to get this file on your own.  Remember where you download the file to on your computer.

Press the Browse button to find the downloaded file, extract it, and replace the old regedit.exe.  WinRescue will rename the old regedit.exe file to regedit.bak, just in case.

Press the OK button when you are finished.


Startup Screen

Links to Super Win - under the version number is a link to the WinRescue website and a link to send email to Super Win Software.

Last Backup - the bottom of the startup screen tells when you made the last backup.  If you have made no backups, it will say, "Welcome to WinRescue".

Register Now - shows information on how to register WinRescue.

Registration Key - when you register WinRescue, you will receive a code.  Enter it in the Registration Key text box on the startup screen.  Be sure to enter exactly as it is written.  When you press, "Continue", WinRescue will acknowledge whether it is correct or not.  If it is correct, the "Do Not Show This Form" checkbox will be enabled next time the startup screen is displayed.  If the Registration Key is not correct, WinRescue will be terminated.
You may use WinRescue for 30 days by not entering a number.
Do Not Show This Form - when WinRescue is registered, this checkbox is enabled allowing the user to skip the startup screen.

Countdown - sorry.  Register WinRescue and you will never see this countdown again, otherwise wait ten seconds.


Manual Restore

Emergency Restore Instructions.

Just in case WinRescue 98 cannot restore Windows, here are instructions on how to do it yourself in DOS.

How to Restore the Registry in DOS

The easiest way to restore in DOS is to use the bootup diskette, that WinRescue 98 creates.  There is also a DOS version of WinRescue 98 that will restore the Previous Registry, Spare Registry, WinRescue Backup or Original Registry.  It is called, wnresq98.exe.  It may be found in the WinRescue 98 directory or the root directory (usually, C:).  If you didn't make a bootup diskette or you can't find wnresq98.exe, you can do it the hard way outlined below.

To Get Into DOS

•	 Press <F8> when your computer says, "starting Windows98".

•	 From the list select, Safe mode command prompt only.  This should be number 7.

Running wnresq98.exe in DOS

•	Go to C Drive by typing, C:<ENTER>.  (<ENTER> means to press the Enter key)

•	Change to the root directory by typing, CD\<ENTER>.

•	Run wnresq98.exe by typing, wnresq98<ENTER>.

If the DOS version Doesn't Work:

•	Go to the Windows Directory

•	Change drives by typing the drive letter, colon [:], and <ENTER>.

•	Change to the root directory by typing, CD\<ENTER>.

•	Change to directories by typing, CD, the name of the directory, and <ENTER>.

•	Find out what is in a directory by typing, DIR<ENTER>.

•	Type the Following Commands to Restore the Registry to the Spare Registry (produced by WinRescue 98 when you make a backup)

command\attrib -h -r -s user.dat<ENTER> (if this produces an error, you need to find out where attrib.exe is and type that location instead of command\attrib)

command\attrib -h -r -s system.dat<ENTER>

command\attrib -h -r -s user.ray<ENTER>

command\attrib -h -r -s system.ray<ENTER>

copy system.ray system.dat<ENTER>

copy user.ray user.dat<ENTER>

exit or win (to start Windows98)


WinRescue Features

Four Utilities in One: Crash Fixer, RegPack, File Backup, and Troubleshooter.

Crash Fixer

Default Settings for Eleven different files, the Start Menu, the Desktop, Favorites, Send To, Net Hood, Application Data, and Recent items.

Provides FIVE different ways to restore the Registry.

Supports Muliple Users

Makes an Emergency Boot Disk which restores CMOS, restores the Boot Sector of the main hard drive, scans the hard drives, and runs the DOS version of WinRescue.

Specify Target Location of WinRescue Backups.

DOS version of WinRescue 98 for Emergency Recovery.

Specify the number of Backups to keep and the number of Backups to replace with newer Backups.

Backs up to and restores from multiple diskettes.

Compresses backups into PKZip files.

Backup daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly or use Windows' Task Scheduler.

Specify Compression Level.

Password Protect Backups

RegPack

Streamlines and Fixes the Registry.

Works with Multiple Users.

Undo RegPack with a click of a button.

File Backup

Specify any or all files for backup.

Password protect backups.

Use wildcards to specify files to include or exclude from the Backup.

Extract individual files from a backup.

Full, Incremental, Differential, Replace Backup Types

See Crash Fixer above for more features.

Troubleshooter

Runs the Windows' Troubleshooters to help solve certain problems (see Help tab).


Instructions
Task Scheduler Instructions

1. Setup Task Scheduler.

If you would like to configure the Task Scheduler to run WinRescue Click Here to continue.

2. Edit Settings.

If you have already configured the Task Scheduler to run WinRescue but would like to change some of the settings Click Here to continue.

3. Delete WinRescue.

If you would like to remove WinRescue from the Task Scheduler Click Here to continue.


Adding a Task

The Task Scheduler is started when Use Scheduler is selected in Automation.  Look on the TaskBar next to the Time.  There should be an icon that looks like this [image].  Double click on it.

This will open the Scheduling Tasks window.  Double click on "Add Scheduled Task".

This will start the Scheduled Tasks Wizard.  Click on "Next >".

In the next window find WinRescue 98 under "Application".  It should be near the bottom.  Click on WinRescue 98 and then click on "Next >".

Next>>


Editing a Task

The Task Scheduler is started when Use Scheduler is selected in Automation.  Look on the TaskBar next to the Time.  There should be an icon that looks like this [image]  Double click on it.

This will open the Scheduling Tasks window.  If WinRescue has already been setup, there should be a WinRescue 98 task in this window.  If it isn't there, go to the instructions on Adding WinRescue by Clicking Here.

Double click on the WinRescue task and make the desired changes in the Properties window.  Click on OK or Cancel to quit.


Deleting a Task

The Task Scheduler is started when Use Scheduler is selected in Automation.  Look on the TaskBar next to the Time.  There should be an icon that looks like this [image].  Double click on it.

This will open the Scheduling Tasks window.  If WinRescue has already been setup, there should be a WinRescue 98 task in this window.  Highlight it by clicking on it then press the Delete button on the keyboard.

If you want to close the Task Scheduler and keep it from being run at startup,  click on "Stop Using Task Scheduler" in the "Advanced" menu of the Task Scheduler.


Adding a Task (cont.)

In the next two windows, fill in the information to your preferences.  It is recommended that you keep the name of the task as "WinRescue 98".  Click on "Next >".

In the last window, check the "Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish" checkbox.  Click on "Finish".

Now the Properties box will open.  In the "Run:" textbox, add " schedule" (that is a space and the word, schedule) to the end of the filename.  So it should look something like, c:\winres~2\rescue98.exe schedule, depending on where WinRescue 98 is located.  If there is a space in the filename, quote marks should be put around the filename and path only, for example, "C:\Program Files\WinRescue 98\Rescue98.exe" schedule.  Using "schedule" without any additional parameters will run the Automated options that are set to "Use Scheduler".

If you would like to run certain functions, you can add the following parameters.

To have it run Start and Wait use 's' or 'S'.

To run Config1 use '1'.

To run Config2 use '2'.

To run Config3 use '3'.

To run Config4 use '4'.

To run RegPack use 'r' or 'R'.

These parameters must come after the 'schedule' parameter and must all be separated by a space.  You can use more than one, but each must be separated by a space.  So if you wanted the Scheduler to run WinRescue and backup Config2 and Config4 and do RegPack, the command line would look like, '"C:\WinRescue 98\rescue98.exe" schedule 2 4 r' (without ').

 When you are finished, click on "OK".


Frequently Asked Questions

Question - How do I update WinRescue 98?

Answer - Whether you are a registered user or not, updating is the same.  Go to http://superwin.com/rescue98.htm and download the shareware version.  When the shareware version is run it will be registered for registered users.
When you enter the registration key, WinRescue hides it on your hard drive and later versions find it and use it.  So unless you erase your hard drive, you should only have to enter the registration key once (sometimes new major versions require the reentry of the key).

When updating versions, it is recommended that the previous version not be uninstalled.  Just install the new version over the previous version.

Question - Does WinRescue 98 work with Win95?

Answer - I wish it did.  We have produced WinRescue 98 for Win98.  Although they may look alike, inside WinRescue 95 and WinRescue 98 are two different programs.  WinRescue 95 is for Win95, Win96, and Win97 and WinRescue 98 is for Win98.  This is because (thanks, to the folks at Microsoft) Win98 must be restored differently than Win95.
WinRescue 95 will not work with Win98 and WinRescue 98 will not work with Win95, Win96, and Win97.

Question - Why doesn't WinRescue restart Windows when it says it will?

Answer - WinRescue uses the Startwin.bat (or Prompt.bat in earlier versions) file to restart Windows and run the RegPack process in dos.  Something is keeping this from working properly (usually a video driver or other program).

Find the advanced tab in the Preferences section of WinRescue and check autoexec.bat.  Checking autoexec.bat will cause WinRescue to use autoexec.bat and not startwin.bat to run the RegPack process.  Even if Windows doesn't restart, you can restart your computer and RegPack will continue on start up.

I don't like using autoexec.bat because if you have a problem and Windows doesn't start properly, then WinRescue will not be able to delete the entry from the autoexec.bat and it will run RegPack everytime you start Windows.  To solve this problem you will have to open the autoexec.bat file with a text editor and remove the line that says: 'c:\startwin.bat'.

Question - Why am I getting an error that says that the dosstart.bat file could not be backed up.

Answer - I would assume that the dosstart.bat file does not exist in the Windows folder and that is why you are getting this error message.  Dosstart.bat is consulted by Windows before it runs DOS from Windows.  It is like an addition to autoexec.bat.  It is used if Windows wants to add something to the way DOS should run.  Otherwise it isn't needed and so does not exist.
There is no harm in getting the error message.  You could just continue running Backup in this way or you can uncheck dosstart.bat from the Files list of WinRescue's configuration.
This may also happen with autoexec.bat, config.sys, or ttfcache.

Question - What is your postal address for ordering.

Answer - Our address for ordering is:
Super Win Software
811 W. 17th. St.
Hutchinson, KS
67501
For more ordering information go to http://superwin.com/order5.htm or read the Registration section.

Question - Where do I enter the registration key?

Answer - Enter the registration key on the startup screen (the screen that has thecountdown from 10).  The key must be entered exactly as it is given.

Question - How do I uninstall the old version?

Answer - newer versions of WinRescue come with an uninstall program.  This program is in the WinRescue folder of the Start Menu and in the Add/Remove Programs list of Windows.

If the old version has an uninstall option in the setup program, use it.  Be sure not to delete user.ray and system.ray.  Warning - if the setup program says that it could not delete all of the files and asks if you want it to delete the entire directory, answer, no.  On some computers this ends up deleting more than the WinRescue directory.
If you cannot find the uninstall program, you can uninstall WinRescue manually by removing the following files:
Delete everything in the old version directory.
In Windows directory, delete the following files that have endings of .ra0, .ra1, .ra2, etc., and .ca0, .ca1, .ca2, etc.
system
user
start
win
sys
DO NOT delete user.dat, user.da0, user.ray, system.dat, system.da0, system.ray, win.ini, or system.ini
In the Windows System directory, delete rescue95.ini
In the Root directory (usually c:), delete the following files that have endings of .ra0, .ra1, .ra2, etc., and .ca0, .ca1, .ca2, etc.
autoexec
config
wnresq95.exe

unzip.exe

rescue.exe

DO NOT delete autoexec.bat or config.sys.
In the Startup directory, delete rescuest.exe
Go to Start - Settings - Taskbar and remove the old version from the Start Menu.

Question - After doing a backup I received a message that certain files could not be copied?

Answer - The problem is that WinRescue could not find these files.  There are two reasons why WinRescue may not be able to find these files.  1) because the wrong directory is specified in the Default Directories section of Misc. Settings.  Check these setting and make sure that they are correct.  2) because these files do not exist (this may also be true if the file is 0kb).  Windows uses but does not need some of the files (like, autoexec.bat and config.sys) that WinRescue backs up.  You can select not to backup and restore individual files in the Files section of Preferences.
Note - system.dat and user.dat must be backed up.

Question - Does WinRescue work with CD/R or CD/RW?

Answer - WinRescue will work with most CD/RWs but not with CD/R.  WinRescue should detect when to span files and ask for the next CD, but some users report that it does not work with their CDs.  It all depends on which model of CD burner that you have.  It is definite that WinRescue will not work with a CD/R disk.  WinRescue will work with most CD/RW, but with many it will not span to another CD.  This seems to be dependent on the drivers and model of CD burner and not WinRescue.  The only way to find out whether it works or not is to try it.

If it doesn't span disks properly, you could set up only enough files to be backed up that will fit on one CD in one Config and then other files that will fit on another CD in another Config, and etc.

If WinRescue doesn't backup directly to your CD, you can use the Save Large Files in Blocks of: option on the Misc. tab of the Backup Properties to divide of the Backup into blocks that will fit on a CD.  Then you can use your CD program to write the blocks to the CD.


Welcome (tutorial)
Welcome

WinRescue is one of the first and best Windows Recovery programs.  Features, like, RegPack, Multiple User Compatibilities, Boot Disk (with CMOS, Boot Sector, and ScanDisk), and Full Backup Capabilities, put WinRescue at the top of its class.  This tutorial will acquaint you with the major features.  Consult Help for more information.

Begin by clicking on the "Backup Tab" and then on the "Change Backup Properties" button.

(New features with this version are in red.)

Next>>


Backup Properties (tutorial)
Backup Properties (more info)

Notice the Backup Configurations dropdown box at the top.  Please make sure that Config1 is selected (you can later change the other Configs).  If you don't like the name Config 1, you can change it in the dropdown box.

Click on the Settings tab at the bottom.

If you don't want the backups placed in the default directory, change the "Target" setting.  The other settings are best to keep as they are.

Click on the "WinFiles" tab at the bottom.

Next>>


WinFiles (tutorial)
WinFiles

Check here which entries you want to backup.

Checking Registry is sufficient for recovering from a simple Windows crash.

Checking the WinConfig files will help in recovering from most other types of crashes and problems.

And checking the User Profile entries will help you recover user profile data.

Click on the "Other Files" tab at the bottom.

Next>>


Other Files (tutorial)
Other Files

Click on the Add button.  The Files to Backup dialog box will appear.

If you want to specify files to backup, you can do that in two ways.

One way is to click one of the buttons under the word, Select.  These buttons will select or deselect a range of files in the present directory and its subdirectories.  To backup all text files in the Windows directory and its subdirectories, click on the Windows directory in the Folders box and then press the button with the Text icon on it.  If you want to specify other groups of files, press the More button.

Click on the More button.

Next>>


Backup (tutorial)
Backup (more info)

If Windows is running correctly, now is a good time to make a backup.  Check Config1 and click on the big Backup button.

If you are having problems with the Registry, try going to RegPack.

Click on the "Boot Disk" tab.

Next>>


Boot Disk (tutorial)
Boot Disk (more info)

Click on the big "Boot Disk" button to make an emergency boot diskette.

Once you have made a boot diskette, turn off the computer, insert the diskette, and start the computer.

If a DOS program starts, then the diskette is good.  Save it for an emergency.

If it doesn't work, the diskette may be bad.  Try making another diskette.

Remove the diskette from the drive and restart Windows.

Click on the RegPack tab.

Next>>


RegPack (tutorial)
RegPack (more info)

Click on the big "RegPack" button.  Windows will restart and the Registry will be rebuilt with Microsoft's Registry Checker.  This will remove errors and excess from the Registry.  The Registry will end up smaller and more efficient.  This should be done about once a month.

Click on the "Crash Fixer" tab.

Next>>


Crash Fixer (tutorial)
Crash Fixer (more info)

I brought you here so that you could see where to go if you have a Windows crash.  If Windows crashes, try to get in Window's Safe Mode and run WinRescue 98.  If you can't get into Windows, run wnresq98.exe from DOS (it is located in the root directory and WinRescue's directory) or use the WinRescue 98 boot up diskette.

This ends your tutorial.  It has introduced you to the basic elements of WinRescue.  It was not intended to explain everything in WinRescue.  For more information, see Help.


Automation (tutorial)
Automation (more info)

Enter a name (eight letters or less) in the textbox at the bottom.

Click on OK.

If you want WinRescue to start up and perform a task automatically, click on the "Automation" tab and specify the appropriate time intervals for each task.  If you want a task to be performed at a certain time, select "Use Scheduler" for that task and instructions will be given on how to proceed (Task Scheduler comes with Win98).

Go to  the Backup Manager tab.

At the bottom of the Backup Manager there are two value boxes.  These effect all Backup Configurations.  Maximum Backups is the maximum number of backups that are allowed before WinRescue starts replacing the oldest backup.  Keeps is how many old backups you want to keep.

The Backup Manager lists the WinRescue Backups.

Click on OK to close Preferences.

Next>>


Files to Backup (tutorial)
Files To Backup (more info)

If you know how to use wildcards and want to use them, this is the place to do it.  The dropdown box will help you with a selection of file types.  Select a file type or enter your own.  Press the Include button to include those files in the backup or press the exclude button to exclude them.

Click on the OK button to return to the Files to Backup main screen.  If you chose to include a file type in the previous tab, those files will be checked in the Files box.

The other way to select files is to click on the file in the Files box.  Check the files that you want included in the backup and uncheck the files that you do not want to include.

Next>>


Registration
Registration Information

Order Information - there are many ways to order WinRescue (also known as registering).  The easiest way is to go to our website and order from there.

Our website - http://superwin.com/rescue98.htm.  Order using our secure order form and a credit card.

Below are some ways to order without a credit card.

You may order by telephone through PsL with credit card.  Their phone numbers are:

800-242-4775 Ext. # 15136 (Toll Free in USA)

713-524-6394 Ext. # 15136

You may send a check (USA only) or postal money order to:

Super Win Software

811 W. 17th. St.

Hutchinson, KS  67501

If you live outside of the USA it may be easier for you to use one of the registration services listed at the end.

The price for WinRescue 98 is $24.95 plus one of the following shipping and handling charges:

+$0 - I will email the registration key to you.

+$2 - I will email the latest version of WinRescue 98.

+$4 - I will mail the latest version of WinRescue 98 in the USA.

+$6 - I will mail the latest version of WinRescue 98 outside of the USA.

The latest shareware version of WinRescue 98 may be downloaded from our website at http://superwin.com/rescue98.htm

ShareIt in Germany:

WinRescue 95 http://shareit1.element-5.de/programs.html?nr=102698&ver=1

WinRescue 98 http://shareit1.element-5.de/programs.html?nr=102550&ver=1

UKShareReg in the United Kingdom

WinRescue 95 http://www.uksharereg.com/wrescu95.html

WinRescue 98 http://www.uksharereg.com/wrescue.html

Shareware-Australia in Australia

WinRescue 95 http://www.shareware-australia.com/superwin/winrescue95.htm

WinRescue 98 http://www.shareware-australia.com/superwin/winrescue98.htm


Extractor Tab

Extractor Tab - If you want to extract files from a WinRescue Backup, press the Extractor button and the Extract Files from Backup dialog box will appear.  This dialog box will allow you to check the files that you want to extract.  This can be used on any of the Backup files produced by WinRescue.  This is recommended for extracting files added by the user on the Other Files tab.


DOS Version

The DOS Version resembles the Crash Fixer page of WinRescue.

If you are running the DOS version from a boot up with the Boot Disk, a menu will first be displayed with five options:  Restore CMOS, Restore Boot Sector, Check Hard Drives (ScanDisk), Run WinRescue (DOS version), and Exit.

Use Restore CMOS, if the CMOS or BIOS is corrupted or nonfunctional.  This will change it back to how CMOS was when you made the Boot Disk.

Use Restore Boot Sector, if the main HardDrive will not boot up.

The differences between the DOS version and Crash Fixer are as follows.

The WinRescue Backups are listed in the dropdown box.  If it only says, "WinRescue Backups", then the DOS version has not found any backups.  You will be prompted to find them for yourself when you perform Restore if this one is selected.

The DOS version uses the resray.ini file from WinRescue to get its settings.  If it cannot find this file, it may also ask you to find other files and directories that it cannot find.

There is a place to enter a password, if you have encrypted the backup files with a password.  Do not enter anything in this space, if you have not encrypted the backup files with a password.

An Undo RegEdit button will return the registry to the way it was before the last RegEdit was performed.

The Exit button will either return you to the menu or exit the program.


Win98 Backups

Win98 Backups - this page allows you to change the location of the Win98 Backups, change the number of Win98 Backups kept, and shows what Win98 Backups exist.

Win98 Backups are produced by Windows when the computer starts for the first time each day and when backups are made in WinRescue.

The listbox shows the Win98 Backups that exist in the Win98 Backup directory.  Sometimes Windows will declare a backup, BAD.  You can delete these backups or any others by selecting the backup and pressing the Delete button.


Instructions
How to Prepare for a Crash

If Windows is running well, take the following steps to protect your system from a crash.

Make a WinRescue Backup - press the big Backup button on the Backup tab of WinRescue or use the Backup Wizard to backup the registry (to backup the registry, you must not uncheck the Registry item in Backup Preferences).  You should make WinRescue Backups regularly.

Make a Boot Disk - insert a blank diskette in the diskette drive and press the Boot Disk button on the Boot Disk tab.  A new Boot Disk doesn't have to be made unless you change to a different version of WinRescue, change the harddrives or partitions on your computer, or change versions of Windows (in which case, you would have to also get a new WinRescue which corresponds to that version of Windows).

What to do when Windows does strange things

When Windows starts to do unexpected things, the registry is usually to blame.  You can change the registry back to the way it was before by restoring to a WinRescue backup that was made before the problems started occuring.

If Windows will not start, see the next section.

What to do when Windows crashes

When Windows will not start properly, it is preferred to try to get into Safe Mode and run the Windows version of WinRescue.  To get into Safe Mode, hold down on the CTRL button as the computer starts.  When the words, "Starting Windows 98" are displayed, you should be taken you to a menu.  Choose Safe Mode.

If that doesn't work, put the Boot Disk (made with WinRescue) into the diskette drive and restart the computer.  This should show a menu from which you can choose to run the DOS version of WinRescue.

Another option is to run the DOS version of WinRescue found in the WinRescue directory or in C:\.  It is called, wnresq98.exe.

No matter which version of WinRescue you use (Windows or DOS), you should restore the latest WinRescue backup or the Spare Registry.

More detailed instructions for restoring the registry without WinRescue may be found in the Manual Restore section of WinRescue Help.


Desktop Icons

This feature allows you to put icons on the Desktop that will run WinRescue.  To create an icon, you must type in what you want to be below the icon, check what you want to be done when the icon is clicked (Start and Wait, Back up Config 1, Back up Config 2, Back up Config 3, Back up Config 4, and run RegPack), and click on the Create Icon button.  This will put the icon on the Desktop.

The list shows all of the icons on the desktop that point to WinRescue.  When an entry from the list is clicked, it's name is put in the textbox and it's settings are checked.


Backup Names

When an automatic Backup is performed, the Backup is given a default name.  When nonautomatic Backups are performed, you are shown the default name and allowed to change it, if you want to.

This screen allows you to specify what the default name will be.  You can choose between using consecutive numbers or dates.

If you choose consecutive numbers, the next backup will be given the next consecutive number from the last backup.

If you choose to use dates, you can specify how the date will be displayed.  An explanation of what can be used is given on the Backup Names page.  An example is also shown showing what the current date would look like.

Add Config - if this checkbox is checked the name of the Config being backed up will be added to the end of the Backup Name.


Backing up to CD or Network

WinRescue will back up to a CD and a Network drive, but certain things must be done first.

CD

In order to back up to a CD using WinRescue, the CD must be formatted with a program like, PacketCD or DirectCD.  One of these programs usually comes with your CD/RW drive.  These programs will format the CD/R  or CD/RW so that it can have files copied directly to it, without going through your CD/RW drive software.

When WinRescue detects the end of the CD, it will prompt you for a new CD.

Network Drive

In order to back up over a network, you must map the network drive.  This is done in the Windows Explorer by right clicking on the drive and selecting "Map as Network Drive".  See Windows Help for more details.  This will assign the network drive a letter on your computer.  So if the last drive letter was F, then the Network Drive will be assigned the letter G.