Newbie: I Am SCARED of a backup drive.

[MsFancyPants]

Hi. I don't know what happened, but I decided to quick restore my compaq presario (yup i still have a presario), then all of the sudden i have a backup drive. (not a good idea to install programs when you're half asleep) I don't know if this backup drive is a good thing, Im new to this so I really feel uncomfortable in looking at my computer with a Drive E (backup of :C).

Questions are:
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Backup drive to drive C?
2. Is it possible to take it out?
3. I used to backup drive with Microsoft backup, if I should uninstall microsoft
backup would it uninstall the backupdrive?

Thank you in advance....
Looking forward to your replies
MsFancyPants

[pam123]

I'm a little confused.
First tell us what operating system you have (XP, 2000, ME?) and then tell us if you mean you used the Sytem Restore in the program or reinstalled the Compaq's full OS from the restore disk that came with it.

[MsFancyPants]

oh! alright. I am using Windows ME. I used quick restore. (The CD is with the whole package when I bought it). After restoring the whole computer to when i bought the computer state and upgrading the operating system to windows ME and installing the mcafee virus-scan, I noticed that I suddenly found an extra drive :E (backup of C). I wouldn't know what to do with it. I am really not familiar with backups.

Questions still remains:
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a backup drive?
2. Would it lessen my memory storage? Would it affect the memory?
3. If I don't like the extra backup drive, how can I take it out from my computer folder?

[pam123]

Don't do anything with it.
I think I know what happened but I have a few more questions.
First : Why are you calling it a "back up"?
Is that just an assumption or did one of those little boxes flash up telling you that's what it was?
Second : How big is it? How much of your hard drive space is it using?

Hard drive space is what partitions use, they appear in My Computer as seperate drives. Your memory in untouched.
From your description you didn't somehow create and format a partiton without being aware that you were doing so even if you were half asleep.

[MsFancyPants]

Thanks pam for replying. I guess the best way for me to explain is to show you my computer looks like.

ohwww...now i kinda figured how to insert images in this reply....heheheh so i hope you see it. I attached the pic to this file so that you'll understand what I mean by back up.

The sleep thing was a silly joke hihihihih.

Thanks Pam
Roselle

[pam123]

ME has created a back up of your previous 9X install so that you can revert to it should you decide to ditch the upgrade.
No need to worry.

[glc]

I'm thinking it was put there by the restore CD to give you the ability to do a quick restore in the future without using the CD. I'm guessing it has compressed images of the factory OS and preinstalled applications. It would help us if you could tell us how much space it occupies and what folders/files it contains.

[pam123]

I'm thinking it was put there by the restore CD to give you the ability to do a quick restore in the future without using the CD. I'm guessing it has compressed images of the factory OS and preinstalled applications. It would help us if you could tell us how much space it occupies and what folders/files it contains.

I do remember that ME Upgrade created back ups so that the original OS would be reinstalled.
I'm thinking that that's what happened here.
Given that it was a Compaq restore cd I think it would be the factory OS.

[glc]

AAAH.........this is now clear after re-reading all the posts. I thought that the ME was on the restore CD. If the restore CD was Win9x and you did a generic ME upgrade, then Pam is totally correct. Why did you upgrade to ME? I think I'd rather have Win98SE, it takes up a lot less space and in my opinion, it's more stable and faster. ME is fine if you do a clean install with it on a machine that is designed for it, but doing an in-place upgrade can be troublesome.

[KilluminatiStyle]

GLC nailed your BACKUP drive situation on the head. I too once had a Compaq presario and there was indeed a back-up drive. I eventually wiped the back-up partition out cause I needed the space but when I did my first restore with the cd's that came with the computer the back-up drive came back. I also had Win98SE.