Godlybandit
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2017
I had to reset my pc and it asked me to backup my files before I did it, so I backed up all of my files using 2 cd's. Now how do I get my backed up files back onto my pc from the cd's?
Windows 10 How do I recover my backup files from a cd
- Thread starter Godlybandit
- Start date
- Joined
- May 16, 2010
- Location
- North Lincolnshire, England
How did you back them up - just a straight copy of folders and files ir did you used some kind of compression, imaging etc?
Godlybandit
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2017
Im pretty sure its compressed cause when i go into the cd's files all i see is backup42.swm, backup43.swm, etc.
- Joined
- May 16, 2010
- Location
- North Lincolnshire, England
Which program did you use to create the backups - a Windows one or one from your pc manufacturer?
- Joined
- May 25, 2009
- Location
- Ada Michigan
Hi
I'm not sure how this works, I've never used it myself, but try this...
Try typing "Restore your files" in the search box on the task bar.
Select the option "Restore your files with File History".
See if that brings up a list that shows your backed up files or a way to navigate to the DVDs.
I have also seen a message that says that they can be extracted using 7-Zip.
7-Zip
However I don't see the format listed on their web page.
Mike
I'm not sure how this works, I've never used it myself, but try this...
Try typing "Restore your files" in the search box on the task bar.
Select the option "Restore your files with File History".
See if that brings up a list that shows your backed up files or a way to navigate to the DVDs.
I have also seen a message that says that they can be extracted using 7-Zip.
7-Zip
However I don't see the format listed on their web page.
Mike
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
- Location
- Big Bear, California
For your future reference, Windows Backup has never been a reliable method to backup your personal data files! 
It's always been better to backup them up with Windows Explorer (Windows File Manager in W10) manually, using copy-and-paste to external media of some sort; CD/DVD disc, flash/thumb drive, external hard drive, Cloud storage account (on the Internet). You may get lucky and get some of your files back using Mike's methods. More likely, if you never tested those CDs with Windows Backup, you have a better chance of winning the State Lottery than getting 100% of your files back! 
Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news.
I might also suggest that you find yourself a licensed Computer Pro in your community or a computer chain repair shop such as Best Buy Geek Squad or Micro Center, and pay a professional to try and attempt to recover the files on your CDs to your computer. This will typically cost from $40-$160 US or so.
In the future, you should consider using one of these 3 programs to make Backup Image files of your hard drive. These work like a snapshot of your drive and capture 100% of your Windows settings, systems files, desktop settings, Library folder data, AND all your installed programs. The way you backed up, after you Reset your PC; you'll have to MANUALLY put all this stuff back 1 item at a time.
This typically takes an average home user 2 weeks - 3 months or more, depending on how much stuff you had on that PC prior to your Reset.
Since you posted your question in the W10 sub-forum, I'll assume you are running W10 (if not, please tell us!). We've thoroughly tested these 3 programs and they are only in order or my Personal preference; any will work for you FAR better than Windows Backup. Here they are:
1.) MACRIUM REFLECT
2.) ACRONIS TRUEIMAGE
3.) EASEus TODO
You can simply Google these to get their home website pages, from which you can download the Free versions of their programs. Macrium, which many of us think is the best of the lot, has altered their policy and their program is free to use for 30 days trial basis; and if you wish to use longer, you'll have to pay around $69 US. My recommended strategy here is that if you choose Macrium, you can get your PC properly backed up for free, but say a year or more from now you have to Reset your PC again, or your hard drive fails and you have to replace it, you may have to purchase the Macrium in order to Restore your Backup image file and get all your stuff back!
I have 8-Win10 computers, so I'm looking at purchasing a 4-pack at least in order to do Restores on all my computers. However, that's a small price to pay rather than having to spend weeks or months, as you will now be doing, in order to get your PC back to where it was before you did your Reset to get it working properly again, don't you agree??
Hope this helps you.
<<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>>
It's always been better to backup them up with Windows Explorer (Windows File Manager in W10) manually, using copy-and-paste to external media of some sort; CD/DVD disc, flash/thumb drive, external hard drive, Cloud storage account (on the Internet). You may get lucky and get some of your files back using Mike's methods. More likely, if you never tested those CDs with Windows Backup, you have a better chance of winning the State Lottery than getting 100% of your files back! Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news.I might also suggest that you find yourself a licensed Computer Pro in your community or a computer chain repair shop such as Best Buy Geek Squad or Micro Center, and pay a professional to try and attempt to recover the files on your CDs to your computer. This will typically cost from $40-$160 US or so.
In the future, you should consider using one of these 3 programs to make Backup Image files of your hard drive. These work like a snapshot of your drive and capture 100% of your Windows settings, systems files, desktop settings, Library folder data, AND all your installed programs. The way you backed up, after you Reset your PC; you'll have to MANUALLY put all this stuff back 1 item at a time.
This typically takes an average home user 2 weeks - 3 months or more, depending on how much stuff you had on that PC prior to your Reset.Since you posted your question in the W10 sub-forum, I'll assume you are running W10 (if not, please tell us!). We've thoroughly tested these 3 programs and they are only in order or my Personal preference; any will work for you FAR better than Windows Backup. Here they are:
1.) MACRIUM REFLECT
2.) ACRONIS TRUEIMAGE
3.) EASEus TODO
You can simply Google these to get their home website pages, from which you can download the Free versions of their programs. Macrium, which many of us think is the best of the lot, has altered their policy and their program is free to use for 30 days trial basis; and if you wish to use longer, you'll have to pay around $69 US. My recommended strategy here is that if you choose Macrium, you can get your PC properly backed up for free, but say a year or more from now you have to Reset your PC again, or your hard drive fails and you have to replace it, you may have to purchase the Macrium in order to Restore your Backup image file and get all your stuff back!
I have 8-Win10 computers, so I'm looking at purchasing a 4-pack at least in order to do Restores on all my computers. However, that's a small price to pay rather than having to spend weeks or months, as you will now be doing, in order to get your PC back to where it was before you did your Reset to get it working properly again, don't you agree??Hope this helps you.
<<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>>
- Joined
- May 25, 2009
- Location
- Ada Michigan
Hi Again.
Just to add to what Bear has said, my personal preference is to always back up my files uncompressed by just copying them to the media I'm backing them up to, better to use a few more disks and be safe.
That way you can always get them back with no third party software on any computer just by copying them back.
It's much safer, with compressed backups you can lose everything just by one file getting corrupted.
I've had this happen, it's why I don't do that anymore.
Mike
Just to add to what Bear has said, my personal preference is to always back up my files uncompressed by just copying them to the media I'm backing them up to, better to use a few more disks and be safe.
That way you can always get them back with no third party software on any computer just by copying them back.
It's much safer, with compressed backups you can lose everything just by one file getting corrupted.
I've had this happen, it's why I don't do that anymore.
Mike
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
- Location
- Big Bear, California
I concur with Mike; very few Businesses use ANY kind of file compression on their backups nor on the hard drives they are being backed up from. And many of us don't use it at home or recommend it to any of our Customers.
<<<BBJ>>>
<<<BBJ>>>
northangrywolf
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2017
Backup ur files to cds? did u just copy the files to the media? I never try it. why not just choose one simple way to backup? from the windows system or thge third-party software?
Claudiaglobal
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2017
Just use any good CD data recovery software and recover all your essential data.
Using compression is always a good idea especially if you have a backup schedule containing a mix of full, differential and incremental backups. That's besides the point for this post. You will want to use the same utility to restore the data.
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2013
- Location
- Big Bear, California
I will have to agree to disagree with Neemo on this one, at least as far as home users go. Reason being that they not only have to remember WHICH backup program or utility they used to create their backup (in this OP's case it was Microsoft Backup), AND they have to remember which compression program or utility they used, where it is located (if not using the built-in Windows Compression program), and since many compression programs now ask you to use a password for security or worse yet, encrypt your backup with a passphrase key, the User's chance of recovering that data after several years of use is slim and none.
That's at least 2 maybe 3-4 things they have to remember in order to recovery their data. For a business PC backup, in a corporate environment where there are IT techs who document all this sort of thing (write it down), this can and does work well.
I cannot even tell you the number of my Clients who tell me they write down their passwords for their PC or laptop, or backup/compression/encryption, and then manage to lose it after only 1 year or more! This is especially true for seniors of for those who have Brain Injury issues. Asking them to remember this many things is not a workable idea IMO. This is yet another reason why I have stopped giving them backup disc sets, as they manage to lose or throw away those as well. I simply have to store their Backup Image files on external media/Cloud here.
<<<BBJ>>>
That's at least 2 maybe 3-4 things they have to remember in order to recovery their data. For a business PC backup, in a corporate environment where there are IT techs who document all this sort of thing (write it down), this can and does work well. I cannot even tell you the number of my Clients who tell me they write down their passwords for their PC or laptop, or backup/compression/encryption, and then manage to lose it after only 1 year or more!
This is especially true for seniors of for those who have Brain Injury issues. Asking them to remember this many things is not a workable idea IMO. This is yet another reason why I have stopped giving them backup disc sets, as they manage to lose or throw away those as well. I simply have to store their Backup Image files on external media/Cloud here.<<<BBJ>>>