How to Install MS Backup with Windows 9X and  Windows Me
last updated: 11/12/00

If you just installed Windows Me and are wondering what happened to Microsoft Backup program, read on...

Windows 9X (Windows 95, 98, 98 Second Edition).  Windows 9X includes a very good backup program which many users do not know about because it isn’t included in the “typical” Windows installation. To install it, Click Start>Setting>Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs>Windows Setup>System Tools>Details>OK>OK. I use the program to back-up customer hard disks and to back-up my own data to my NT file server. If you are installing a new hard disk, keep that old hard disk, if it works, install it on the Secondary IDE port with your CD-ROM, and use MS Backup (which is really a program developed by Seagate Software) to do disk-to-disk backups of your critical user data. I include My Documents, my FrontPage web sites, graphics, C:\WINDOWS\FAVORITES, C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES, and a few others. Altogether, its about 240 Mbytes of data and it takes only a few minutes to run, and is a heck of lot faster than a tape drive or even a Zip drive. The program will also work with Zip and Tape drives. It is very easy to restore individual files from previous backups. I have found it to be very reliable. I would be happy to answer any questions about it.

Windows ME (Windows Millennium Edition or Win Me).  For some unknown reason, it seems that Microsoft is trying even harder to hide this gem.   It is not part of the Win ME installation and it cannot be installed from the Control Panel.  But it is on the Win Me CD.  Here are the steps for installing it:

1.  Insert the Win Me CD in your CD-ROM drive and wait for it to autostart.

2.  Click on Browse this CD.

3.  Double-click the Add-ons folder.

4.  Double-click the MSBackup folder.

5.  Execute msbexp.exe by double-clicking it.  That will install the program on your hard disk, but it will still be hidden.  Windows may produce an error message during the installation saying it cannot find a file named mfc42.dll.  If so, browse to C:\windows\options\install, where Win Me stores all of its cab files when it is installed, and the MSBackup installation program should find win_12.cab which contains the missing file.  The cab file is also located on the Win Me CD in D:\win9x.

6.  Next, let's find the program...  Click Start, Search, For Files and Folders, enter "msbackup.exe" (without the parenthesis) in the "Search for files and folders named:" box, and select Local Disk (C:) in the "Look in:" box.  Search should find the file C:\Program Files\Accessories\BACKUP.

7.  Click the entry MSBACKUP.EXE listed in the right side of the Window, select Create Shortcut, and click Yes when prompted to put the shortcut on your desktop.  From there I moved it to my System Tools shortcut folder using Start, Settings, Task Bar and Start Menu, Advanced, Advanced again, and dragging the Shortcut to the System Tools folder, where I am accustomed to finding it from previous version of Windows.  Also, I draged the entire System Tools folder to Start Menu folder itself right after installing Win Me because I use System Tools frequently.

Larry