A while back, I posted a document that went through backups on Vista using the native backup functionality. While reading it, you’ll notice that backups have changed a lot. No longer are we using a BKF file that simulates a tape but we’re using a VHD file (virtual disk) that we can mount either in the operating system (using VHDMount) or in a virtual machine. We can assume that "Longhorn" will use a similar tool, if not the same one. But what do you do if you need to restore from an old Windows NTBackup back up?
Yesterday, Microsoft released a "Windows NT Backup – Restore" utility. If you enable the Removable Storage Manager feature then you can use this tool to recover files from your old backups.
If you are using Vista:
- Click the Start button, click Control Panel, click Programs, and then click Turn Windows Features on or off. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
- Select the check box next to Removable Storage Management to turn the feature on, and then click OK.
If you are using "Longhorn":
- Click Control Panel and then click Administrative Tools.
- Open Server Manager, navigate to the Features Summary section, and click Add features.
- Select the check box next to Removable Storage Manager, click Next, and then click Install.
Now you can install the utility. The icon for it will be in "All Programs … Windows NT Backup – Restore Utility". The download supports IA66, x64 and x86 builds of Windows Vista and "Longhorn".
Credit: Bink.