NTBACKUP - Verify Option Does Not Verify WinNT Registry Files

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, and 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, and 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you use NTBackup.exe, the verify after backup option does not verify the files in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config directory on your hard drive by comparing them to the files in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config directory against those backed up to tape.

CAUSE

The verify operation for the files in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config directory is skipped by design. This is because this directory contains the Windows NT registry and event log files which are always open and continuously changing when Windows NT is running. It is therefore, irrelevant to perform the compare and report discrepancies for these files in the backup log because they are open during the backup process and are bound to be different by the end of the backup process. For example, the event log may collect several event messages and the Windows NT registry is dynamically changing for many reasons (for example, passwords between computers, user passwords, and many other processes and programs that store information in the registry).

RESOLUTION

Even though no compare is performed, all open files in \%SystemRoot%\System32\Config directory are backed up to tape.

To ensure higher reliability of the backup data you can use a high-end tape drive with Error Correction Control (ECC). These drives actually verify the reliability of the data on the tape. Lower-end tape drives without ECC, typically IDE QIC157 drives or drives with only one Read/Write head, do not check for errors.

Keywords          : ntbackup ntsetup NTSrvWkst kbtool
Version           : WinNT:3.5,3.51,4.0
Platform          : winnt
Issue type        : kbinfo