Backup Restore

My Gateway SX2840 PC crashed a few times while I was typing, then one day it crashed many times, just before, during or a few seconds after Windows started. The blue screen suggested doing System Recovery using 3 CD I created initially; before actual Recovery began I was asked about complete backup of my personal settings, etc., to C:\\. I clicked Yes, and after that everything was more or less automatic. Now the PC is back to factory settings, i. e. without my data, programs, bookmarks, etc.
I can see "Backup" folder on C:\\, can open it, and every folder in it, yet cannot restore it, as a whole or its individual files: When I start "Backup Wizard" and click on Restore, it says "Windows cannot find Backup on this machine".
Gateway techsupport guy said "I am trained in HW, I'll connect you with a SW tech". English-speaking Josh told me that this particular issue can be fixed for $199.95. For $100 more I'll get some kind of extended support.
I told him that in that price range I can buy a new computer, etc., and ended the chat.
The "Search programs and Files" Start menu bar could not find 5,8 GB folder either!
Any help is appreciated.

yurka--See the last post here
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...4-a834e9f91d20
(you right click on the Backup file to look for a Restore option)

C:\\ seems a bit strange. Is that a typo? Normally it is C:\ .

I think I have an idea what may have happened here, and it isn't good news :(

The 3 disc set that you made initially are the HP recovery discs, and by using them you have restored your hard dive to the state it was in when it left the factory. That's all well and good, but if you backed up to C:\ then you did the backup of your data to the same volume that was overwritten by the recovery discs :eek:

If my scenario is correct, then I hope you have other backups of your data, because otherwise your only hope would be data recovery specialists, and they are very costly :(

This time something happened: it looked as the Backup was restoring; yet my PC is the same: no My Documents, no programs I installed, nothing.
I have another backup I did a few month ago to an external HD. I still have painters doing some cosmetic renovations. I'll try it as soon as I find the HD and connect it :-).
P. S. I remember my surprise when I was offered to create a backup on C:\, yet it was the only option.

Sounds like your C: drive was the only drive that could be seen by the backup software at that moment in time, so, that was the only drive that was offered. If you had had another drive attached, it probably would have shown up as another drive to backup to.

Why would you do a backup to a drive that you're fixing to erase?

1. In its wisdom, Gateway set it up like that; the Backup folder is there - apparently, everything was erased, except Backup. Still, it is unrecoverable, as far as I am concerned.
2. I wish instead of "Do you want to backup you personal settings to drive C:\" I saw "Please connect a removable drive to your PC". Perhaps. one day...
3. This Gateway PC was #3 on CNET editor's list when I bought it. My custom-assembled in 2002 PC with WinPX Pro is still fully functional although a bit slow. It NEVER crashed (and probably never will).
Thank you all for your help.

Terrible things continue to happen: To run Euseus Todo Recovery I am instucted to download Recovery Wizard. I cannot do that because there is code 255 error. I tried to troubleshoot it but all this: Error 255 - Error Code 0xFF
Windows Error Message 255: 'ERROR_EA_LIST_INCONSISTENT'
The extended attributes are inconsistent.
To learn more about errors in your system run a free registry scan.
Description of Error
The 255 error happens in the systems that run on Microsoft Windows NT. The issue can happen on the releases Workstation 3.51, Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition, Server 3.51 and Server 4.0 Standard Edition. The error is reported in the 668th line of Spool.c. The issue happens when the following script is run: #COMMAND /c CAPTURE /S=servername /Q=queuename. The script is used to login to a server. This error happens because the Capture.exe program is not supported. The error happens whenever the process is started from the command prompt.
Troubleshooting Error 255
THE PROBLEM
The error makes it impossible to run the Capture.exe process from the command line. The script that causes the error runs in the background and parses the # CAPTURE command. But the structure of the Windows NT Operating System prevents the Capture.exe file to be run manually this way.

THE SOLUTION
The error is caused by the structure of the Windows NT platform. The command in question can be run via the command line using another login script. The script #CAPTURE / S=<severname> /Q=<queuename> will be able to run Capture.exe from the command line. This can be used to workaround the error.
is far beyond me.
If anyone could translate it into English or just explain to stupid me how to do Todo Recovery ... After all, there is some sort of wizard already (Todo Backup Home 2.5) but when I click "Browse" and then highlight any folder I want to recover, it just turns "+" sign into minus "-" sign, till it reaches individual files. The entire thing does not make any sense to me: I want to recoveryeverything. After all, I am recovering 5-6 GB of data!

yurka--Just reading this thread, but having no experience with Gateway's Backup tool(s)
1) Are there no instructions about restoring from that Backup folder? Have you called Gateway? These webpages have some instructions
http://support.gateway.com/s/tutorials/Tu_848639.shtml
http://support.gateway.com/s/softwar...5418su30.shtml

2) What are you trying to accomplish with Easeus Todo Recovery? I would think ETR is for recovering deleted files. But that Backup folder is not deleted. Rather you do not know how to use it. (See #1 above.)

Thank you, Welshjim. Just got home, will try tomorrow.
Basically, Gateway Backup asks me to to a backup first - it appears that it does not see that I'd made a Backup already - see above.