Can't restore Microsoft backup


Tip
Recently I had to reformat my hard drive and reload all my software after Windows became inoperable. That cured a particular problem, but I am now unable to restore any of the files I had backed up prior to the software reinstallation.
I have many projects backed up (permanently, I had thought) -- thousands of files -- and I can restore none of them. The message I get is: "The compression header for the file xxxx.yyy is corrupted. Restore cannot process this file and must stop."
-- David Ferguson

Editor's note: This was David's first letter. In his second, he reported the problem solved and explained how. This opens up a new approach to Help Screen. If I just lie low, eventually you'll solve your own problems and write in with the answer, thus creating a useful tip and saving me from doing any work at all.
Bob Lent performed the same very helpful service in the next tip. David's solution:

Problem solved. It is caused by a different version of DOS. The suppliers originally installed DOS 6.20, and my version, which I reinstalled, is 6.21! Fortunately I had backed up my C: drive fully (on tape) before formatting and reinstalling all the software, and was able to get back the old 6.20 to test. I can now restore my old backups, but it is a little disconcerting that such a minor change in software can have such a major effect. Another consequence is that Edlin would not work under 6.21, but does work under 6.20!! (Not that I use Edlin much, but it does have one particular feature that I find useful.)

-Editor's note: Thanks very much, David. There must be huge numbers of people being driven crazy by not being able to restore their backups, and there is nothing worse than knowing the data is there but being unable to get at it. I'm impressed by the solution, and very pleased you took the trouble to write in, but the real eye-opener is that you use Edlin. What's wrong with edit.com? What's the useful feature?
- David Ferguson

Category: General
Issue: Sep 1996
Pages: 164

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