Reader Needs Help With XP Backup – Laptop Has No Floppy

During the past few days, I have been trying to help one of our readers who is having a problem with using XP Backup. His laptop does not have a floppy disk which XP wants to create a boot disk for. The conversation started like this:

Bill:

I have a Segate External 500 GB. I want to perform a systems back up to both my desktop and laptop. I use Windows to back up thus forcing me to use a floppy recovery 3.5 disk. This is fine for my desktop but my laptop does not have a floppy. How can I get around this floppy problem and just go to a straight systems back for both computers and avoid the floppy issue?

My response:

Hi Bill,
On your laptop, does it have a burner? Or does your desktop have a burner? If either one does, you can make a recovery disk onto a CD or DVD.

Of course both must have the same OS as well.

Hope this helps.

Bill:

Ron:

Yes, both have burners and both have the same OS which is XP Pro. But how do I get from the prompt to make a floppy when it comes up to my respective burners? Something new to this old man trying to keep up with the ever changing technology.Ron:

My response:

Bill,
I am not sure if this will work, but try burning the floppy to a CD and see if it will boot. Unfortunately XP I believe doesn’t support burning to CD, just floppy.

Let me know if this works. If not we will try something else.

Bill:

Ron;

But when I do the backup on my Laptop XP forces me to create a floppy. And at that point I have to X out then I get a message that my backup may not be complete or may not have been fully successful. Even if I am successful in doing the burn from the floppy to the CD the fact still remains my laptop back up is incomplete unless I create a floppy then and there.

I must admit I am at a loss for two reasons. I haven’t used XP for about 3 years and second, when I did use XP I never used the built in backup program. I use Acronis.

Any suggestion for Bill would be appreciated.

Comments welcome.