Update: Norton Ghost 12 will not read the files.:sigh:

 

At some point (I thought it was version 14 actually), norton ghost wouldn't read the older .gho files (uses the .v2i files now).
Technically all you need is ghost explorer to browse the files inside the ghost image and extract them (you don't even need to clone or rebuild the partition).
What's the extension of the file(s)? And what version(s) of ghost do you have available?

 

These backup files .001-.039 for the extension which indicates the floppy number.
I have tried the last version of PCtools and ghost 14 today with no luck.
I have been looking on a site www.vetusware.com for some older backup software.

 

First you'll want to copy them to a hard drive somewhere (old floppies can be difficult to read, but hopefully that won't be another problem). Do you know what program was used to produce them? If ghost, do you know what version?
You could try looking at the .001 file with a hex editor (winhex for example) and see what the starting strings are.

 

All i Have been able to find out it was created with norton backup. No verstion # or anything else. Since norton aquired pctools I thought pc-tools might work. (No luck)

 

what is the date when the files were created?

 

January 1998
Remember this was an old system then running win95.

 

oooh! Norton Backup! That's totally different from Norton Ghost!
Norton backup was an old backup tool similar to central point backup (the makers of PC Tools - a different pc tools from the company that got acquired by symantec in 2008 - central point software got acquired by symantec in 1994) and the backup tool later included in MS-DOS and Windows 9x (I suspect under license from either symantec or central point software).
Actually after doing some research (I've been at it all morning), I think the version of Norton Backup you want is 3.0. It worked under Windows 95. I'm not clear as to whether it was included as part of Norton Desktop.
This page may have more information
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nsw.nsf/pfdocs/1997537696955807
Do you see a .cat, a .cpy, or a .ful file somewhere?

You could ask this person
http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/symantec.htm
whether Norton Desktop had backup in it. He has backup 2.2, which may be a tad too old (it was for Windows 3.1).

Look around the grandmother's software and see if you can find any old floppies with Norton anything on it (hopefully desktop or backup).

Getting it to work in Windows XP or later is another matter. You'll probably need to install Windows 95 or 98 in a virtual machine (Microsoft Virtual PC). I'll walk you through it though.

 

oooh! Norton Backup! That's totally different from Norton Ghost!I figured this out.
Norton backup was an old backup tool similar to central point backup (the makers of PC Tools - a different pc tools from the company that got acquired by symantec in 2008 - central point software got acquired by symantec in 1994) and the backup tool later included in MS-DOS and Windows 9x (I suspect under license from either symantec or central point software). This is why I tried PC Tools also.
Actually after doing some research (I've been at it all morning), I think the version of Norton Backup you want is 3.0. It worked under Windows 95. I'm not clear as to whether it was included as part of Norton Desktop.Thanks for your time
This page may have more information
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nsw.nsf/pfdocs/1997537696955807
Do you see a .cat, a .cpy, or a .ful file somewhere?

You could ask this person
http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/symantec.htm
whether Norton Desktop had backup in it. He has backup 2.2, which may be a tad too old (it was for Windows 3.1). He only has one disk.

Look around the grandmother's software and see if you can find any old floppies with Norton anything on it (hopefully desktop or backup).
We are on oppisite sides of Washington State. She informs me she had norton utilities installed.

Getting it to work in Windows XP or later is another matter. You'll probably need to install Windows 95 or 98 in a virtual machine (Microsoft Virtual PC). I'll walk you through it though.I know how to setup a virtual machine. My granddaught has my old compac if need be. Which came with 95 installed and I still have all the drivers and a copy of 95.

 

Hi all


If the source disks for the old Norton Utilities can't be found, there are some older versions still around on the auction sites. If Norton Utilities 2001 would do the trick, there are several listings for that (around $8 and up). There's even an old DOS 2.0 version for sale, but I don't think that it would be the one you're looking for.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

 

It's not in Norton Utilities (or SystemWorks) 2001.
The first place I checked when I saw the thread was my old Norton Utilities 3.0 for Windows 95 and 98. It doesn't have any kind of backup software on it (neither Norton Backup nor Ghost). I looked on my Norton SystemWorks 2000 Professional Edition CD and by then Symantec had already switched to Ghost.
I was looking at an old PC magazine (september 14, 1993) and it confirmed what I'd been thinking: the Microsoft backup utility in Windows 3.1 was licensed from Symantec and was a trimmed-down version of Norton Backup. It suggests there is some compatibility between the two programs (Microsoft Backup and Norton Backup).
I looked in Windows 95B and the about box says licensed from Colorado Tape Backup (a division of HP), so I'm not so sure the Windows 95 version can read Norton stuff.

To thread starter: ask the grandmother whether she remembers using Norton Backup to back up her data, or whether she used the backup utility built-in Windows 95. If the former, ask her if she remembers having Norton Backup, or Norton Desktop. (I don't think Norton Backup was part of Norton Utilities - unless they got combined at some point in the Windows 95 days)
If she used the Windows 95 backup, I think you can just restore from the floppies. Start, program, accessories, system tools, backup. Go to the restore tab.
If you don't see backup in the start menu, go to control panel, add/remove programs, windows setup, disk tools, backup. You may need your Windows 95 CD.

 

It's not in Norton Utilities (or SystemWorks) 2001.
The first place I checked when I saw the thread was my old Norton Utilities 3.0 for Windows 95 and 98. It doesn't have any kind of backup software on it (neither Norton Backup nor Ghost). I looked on my Norton SystemWorks 2000 Professional Edition CD and by then Symantec had already switched to Ghost.
I was looking at an old PC magazine (september 14, 1993) and it confirmed what I'd been thinking: the Microsoft backup utility in Windows 3.1 was licensed from Symantec and was a trimmed-down version of Norton Backup. It suggests there is some compatibility between the two programs (Microsoft Backup and Norton Backup).
I looked in Windows 95B and the about box says licensed from Colorado Tape Backup (a division of HP), so I'm not so sure the Windows 95 version can read Norton stuff.

To thread starter: ask the grandmother (Mother in-law) whether she remembers using Norton Backup to back up her data, or whether she used the backup utility built-in Windows 95. If the former, ask her if she remembers having Norton Backup, or Norton Desktop. (I don't think Norton Backup was part of Norton Utilities - unless they got combined at some point in the Windows 95 days)She informed me she used the backup in Norton Utilities. All my systems are running XP Pro
If she used the Windows 95 backup, I think you can just restore from the floppies. Start, program, accessories, system tools, backup. Go to the restore tab. I have yet to go into town and pick up my old laptop i gave to my grand daughter to reinstall win 95 onto. All 4 of my systems are running XP Pro.
If you don't see backup in the start menu, go to control panel, add/remove programs, windows setup, disk tools, backup. You may need your Windows 95 CD.

Again thanks for your time.

 

OK I think I found something.
http://www.doslife.org/stuff.html
Get Norton Desktop 3.0 at the bottom.
Naturally unzip everything. You can unzip all the installation files to a single folder (no need to put them on separate floppies). The people at Symantec were smart and thought of the eventuality where Windows can't start, or you're restoring to a system where you haven't installed Windows yet, so they made the program DOS-compatible, so you could restore from DOS if needed.
The minimum you will need is all files that start with NR (I think).
Copy them to the root folder of a DOS or Windows 9x installation. Boot in DOS mode if it's a Windows PC. Then type nrestore. It'll go through a few configuration settings, but eventually the program will start, and you can start popping in your floppies.
If the version of norton backup your mother-in-law used wasn't too new, this version should be able to restore it all.

P.S: I tried installing (in GUI mode) Norton Desktop 3.0 (from the link I sent you) onto a Windows 95B Virtual PC image. It failed (I first got the warning about it not being compatible, you know the same kind of warning when you insert a Windows 95 CD into a Windows 2000 system or something, then in the midst of installation it gave another error message and exited).

P.S. #2: I just installed Norton Utilities 3.0 for Windows 95/98 on a Windows 95B virtual machine (full installation), and there is no Norton Backup in the start menu. If your mother-in-law was certain it was with Norton Utilities, it's possible it was in NU 2.0 (which also works with Windows 95).

 

I found an article / review from 1992 that talks about the backup in Norton desktop V2.
I down loaded the zip files and extracted them to disks. I will try them on a 95 system when I get the chance.

 

Picked up an old laptop running Win 95. Installed Norton Desktop V2.2.
No luck with it's backup.:4-dontkno

 

Try Norton Desktop 3.0. It was on the doslife page I linked, but apparently that site got suspended! (what do you know?) Fortunately I'd saved the zip for testing earlier (like I said it doesn't install properly in GUI mode in Windows 95, but you can just run the DOS-mode restore program - no need to actually install - see a couple of posts above)
The max attachment size for this site is under 5 MB, and the zip is 8+, so I'm uploading it to rapidshare.
http://rapidshare.com/files/288289325/desktop3.zip.html
Let me know when you get it, then I can delete it.

 

I got it, Thanks for the trouble.

 

Just an update No luck so far.
Software tried:
Norton Desktop 2.2, 3.3
Pctools 4.3, 7 and 8

 

another update:
Msbackup is not it backup Exec nether.
The disk when accessed say they were formated with pcbackup.

 

Hi again


Just to make sure -- is the format "pcbackup" or "cpbackup"?

Dos 6.1 used Central Point's Backup, and theoretically can be used to "restore" files created in compatible formats. Do your files have names such as "Backup.001" and "Control.001" - where the numbers increase incrementally in tandem?

It seems the backup executable was called CPBackup.exe, and it can reside in C:\DOS There also were other supporting files, which look like they were stored in C:\DOS\System = these were CPBACKUP.MSG, CPBH.OVL, CPBX.OVL, CPB1.OVL, CPB2.OVL, CPB3.OVL, CPB4.OVL, CPB5.OVL, and FILECHK.OVL

If you have an old enough tester-PC laying around, you could have a go adapting an old IBM PC "recovery" sort of routine & see if it works with your files. Here's the link --- http://ps-2.kev009.com:8081/pcpartnerinfo/ctstips/3342.htm

I believe that in those old instructions, when they refer to the IBM recovery diskette, they are just referring to a bootable DOS 6.1 diskette onto which they've copied the necessary files.
_______________

I think the last time I used a computer running DOS exclusively was in the early 1990s, so I'm mostly guessing (but I've had fairly good luck with some guesses). Though I can still remember back when powerful computing was word-processing with DOS programs on a 286, I doubt that I can remember what DOS versions were available.

Best of luck,
. . . Gary


P.S. .... late note --- if you have that old laptop still loaded with Win95 on it -- does it have a version of CPBackup.exe on it (if you search the drive)? If so, I imagine you could give that version a try, too. It seems that the DOS 7 in Win95 had a version of CPBackup, as well as the standalone DOS 6.1

 

Thanks for the info.
The old laptop is still mostly working (It will not find a mouse or the touch pad). lots of practice using hot keys.
Today I installed dos 6.22 and tried msbackup. NO
Installed dos 7.1 nothing
installed windows 3.11 with norton desktop 2.2 nothing
installed PCtool 4.3 nothing
CPtools for dos nothing
installed Hp Smart backup nothing (this was an old Hp machine).
then reinstalled win 95.