Backups from Windows 7: Can I read them in Linux?

Onjay

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I would like to switch from Windoz 7 to Linux but I have backups that I saved from Windoz. Will I be able to read them in Linux?
 


G'day Onjay, Welcome to linux.org

i have linux installed on a ssd. I do not store any data/pics/music there at all

I then have two additional hard drives.......one stores backups made by the linux system.....and the other stores data/pics/music etc etc...all sorts of stuff that I do not wish to lose.

The thing is.....I connected the old windows hard drive, accessed it via 'computer' in Linux,,,,and then simply dragged and dropped from one hard drive to the other (the original windows hard drive was rather small...150 GB.....the new hard drive storing data/pics/music etc is 500 GB)

So....think your way around it.......you can connect external hard drives via usb........Linux WILL recognise them....and you can move the info on that drive to wherever you wish.

You can buy a cradle to hold a hard drive which then connects to any pc via usb.......not expensive.

I am just floating ideas here.......

New hard drives are not expensive anymore....
 
I guess i visual test would be put say knoppix onto a usb stick; attach that to Windows usb port and boot from usb then. you can play around from knoppix to "see what you can see" from knoppix. i.e you can access windows from knoppix
 
I would like to switch from Windoz 7 to Linux but I have backups that I saved from Windoz. Will I be able to read them in Linux?
I think it may depend on what format the backup files are. If they are just copies of files and folders then yes, Linux will be able to read the files. If the backups are ".img" files made using the Windows backup utility then perhaps not. I'm not sure about that one. It has been a while since I have tried to read a Windows .img backup file and so I cannot remember exactly the result. I have some old Windows backups on an external hard drive and will experiment and report back here what I learn.
 
G'day Onjay, Welcome to linux.org

i have linux installed on a ssd. I do not store any data/pics/music there at all

I then have two additional hard drives.......one stores backups made by the linux system.....and the other stores data/pics/music etc etc...all sorts of stuff that I do not wish to lose.

The thing is.....I connected the old windows hard drive, accessed it via 'computer' in Linux,,,,and then simply dragged and dropped from one hard drive to the other (the original windows hard drive was rather small...150 GB.....the new hard drive storing data/pics/music etc is 500 GB)

So....think your way around it.......you can connect external hard drives via usb........Linux WILL recognise them....and you can move the info on that drive to wherever you wish.

You can buy a cradle to hold a hard drive which then connects to any pc via usb.......not expensive.

I am just floating ideas here.......

New hard drives are not expensive anymore....
Ah yes.... Hard Drives. :) An example and reminder that, sometimes, you don't need to spend a lot of money just to get enough space for your Files. :D
 
I would like to switch from Windoz 7 to Linux but I have backups that I saved from Windoz. Will I be able to read them in Linux?
Welcome to the Forums, Onjay! :) As the others have said, NTFS is readable entirely by Linux, and I should add, the BSDs as well, through a Driver called ntfs-3g. :) If you have an NTFS Partition mounted, it will show up in /etc/fstab with the ntfs-3g Program. :) BTW, since you're new to Linux, fstab is simply a File that contains instructions for the OS to mount Filesystems and Partitions a certain way, such as Read-only, Read-and-Write, etc.. :) It's accessible by any Text Editor. :D Just be cautious while modifying it, and ask us any questions if you are ever unsure about how to do so. :)
 
Thanks All. I see that the Windoz backup files are in xml format and I cannot read them: "is not readable. It may have been removed, moved, or file permissions may be preventing access. " A great and wonderful feature of the MIckysoft Backup program. So apparently I will have to backup and save the files from my Win 7 system in their original format.

I made backups on my Win 7 system and would only like to be able to read them from Linux but it seems unlikely or very difficult to do so. So I will have to re-record the Win 7 files in their original format, whatever that was.
 
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It is quite possible to run Lunix via a usb (NOT installed) on the win 7 pc, and access the original files to then move them to another hard drive which you would also have connected via usb.

Sounds messy....i know !!.....but, it works.

My messy approach may not be for everyone.
 
Thanks All. I see that the Windoz backup files are in xml format and I cannot read them: "is not readable. It may have been removed, moved, or file permissions may be preventing access. " A great and wonderful feature of the MIckysoft Backup program. So apparently I will have to backup and save the files from my Win 7 system in their original format.

I made backups on my Win 7 system and would only like to be able to read them from Linux but it seems unlikely or very difficult to do so. So I will have to re-record the Win 7 files in their original format, whatever that was.
Interesting. I thought .xml was viewable by just about any browser. But being viewable isn't the same as "useful" data. Were the backups made with something like 'DriveImage XML'? I've used that program before - seems to work good. They also offer a Knoppix based Live CD for a recovery environment.

I found the following in their FAQ and wonder if this could be the issue;
Q. I want to browse an image. Why is the screen empty?

A. The image was created in RAW format. In RAW format, DriveImage does not interpret the data. Thus it has no knowledge about individual files.
 
you can definitely read XML ; XML is just a markup language with rules. So for instance I recently took data from my mobile phone SMS texts, using an app and backed up to my PC for evidence in a case against Islington Council parking ticket (I won) . They can obviously though look complicated .
 
Thanks all. I assume that it's just a peculiarity of the Windows Backup program but the files seem to be unreadable and since they are not in the same format as the originals, I plan to save them again to my external hard drive in their original format.
 
depending on what sort of backup files are; you could also boot from linux , access windows and copy said files as a back up using linux
 
^^^.....what @captain-sensible has written/suggested above is well worth doing

Jump in the deep end .......burn linux mint to a thumb drive and then boot the pc to that usb stick

You can access the windows folders etc etc etc drives etc from linux......copy and paste or drag and drop ....right click and move to.....


Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. ... It is a textual data format with strong support via Unicode for different human languages.
 
Thanks All. I see that the Windoz backup files are in xml format and I cannot read them: "is not readable. It may have been removed, moved, or file permissions may be preventing access. " A great and wonderful feature of the MIckysoft Backup program. So apparently I will have to backup and save the files from my Win 7 system in their original format.

I made backups on my Win 7 system and would only like to be able to read them from Linux but it seems unlikely or very difficult to do so. So I will have to re-record the Win 7 files in their original format, whatever that was.
My friend calls them Mickeysoft too. :3
 

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