Can't Recover Data Stored by Files and Settings Transfer W..

I'm using WinXP Home, SP2 on a HP/Compaq notebook PC. As a registry
hacker/tweaker, I am used to system crashes and corresponding data backup and
restore functions. About a year ago I started using the FAST Wizard, assuming
that it could provide a fairly straightforward, OS-integrated backup solution.

Early on I realized that the Wizard would not "talk to" my DVD/CD combo
drive. Apparently the preloaded CD burning software on my PC was installed in
the form of trialware, meaning that I'd have to shell out an extra 70 $ just
to enable XP to burn straight to disc - something the CD software refers to
as "Direct-To-Disc".

In playing around with program configs, I managed to store backup data on my
recovery partition using the Wizard; then burn those files onto a CD-R disc.
Trouble was, since Windows had no direct method for burning this material as
a 'package' onto the CD sans a full-version CD burning program, I ended up
using the trialware's clunky backup tool to transfer data onto the disc.

Now I can extract a couple of the backed up archives, but the rest won't
respond to the Wizard's restore process. As an FYI, I have been using a
stripped-down version of Easy Media Creator Plus called Digital Media Plus,
both from Sonic (a.k.a. Roxio?). It looks like certain .DAT files were stored
in such a way that they reopen with no problems. Others won't budge, no
matter what folder shuffling or file renaming tricks I try to use.

Have I burned most of my data into oblivion? Is there a certain
folder/filename convention that I can mimic in order to 'unlock' the problem
archives? Or did I scramble up the data when I used the proprietary 3rd-party
backup program?

Any feedback will be immensely appreciated!

Thx,
jr

In my opinion, you screwed yourself by using software in ways it was not
intended to be used. Good luck...the way you do things, you'll need it.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

jr_guru wrote:
> I'm using WinXP Home, SP2 on a HP/Compaq notebook PC. As a registry
> hacker/tweaker, I am used to system crashes and corresponding data backup and
> restore functions. About a year ago I started using the FAST Wizard, assuming
> that it could provide a fairly straightforward, OS-integrated backup solution.
>
> Early on I realized that the Wizard would not "talk to" my DVD/CD combo
> drive. Apparently the preloaded CD burning software on my PC was installed in
> the form of trialware, meaning that I'd have to shell out an extra 70 $ just
> to enable XP to burn straight to disc - something the CD software refers to
> as "Direct-To-Disc".
>
> In playing around with program configs, I managed to store backup data on my
> recovery partition using the Wizard; then burn those files onto a CD-R disc.
> Trouble was, since Windows had no direct method for burning this material as
> a 'package' onto the CD sans a full-version CD burning program, I ended up
> using the trialware's clunky backup tool to transfer data onto the disc.
>
> Now I can extract a couple of the backed up archives, but the rest won't
> respond to the Wizard's restore process. As an FYI, I have been using a
> stripped-down version of Easy Media Creator Plus called Digital Media Plus,
> both from Sonic (a.k.a. Roxio?). It looks like certain .DAT files were stored
> in such a way that they reopen with no problems. Others won't budge, no
> matter what folder shuffling or file renaming tricks I try to use.
>
> Have I burned most of my data into oblivion? Is there a certain
> folder/filename convention that I can mimic in order to 'unlock' the problem
> archives? Or did I scramble up the data when I used the proprietary 3rd-party
> backup program?
>
> Any feedback will be immensely appreciated!
>
> Thx,
> jr