| Most backup tools, including Windows Explorer
have a hidden flaw. They can scramble the
"short file names" for your files.
It doesn't matter at all for your data (documents,
financial records, pictures, email, etc.),
but if it scrambles the short file names
for any system or program files that you
try to restore, they just won't work. Windows
will find the wrong file when it goes looking.
This is not a big deal for most users, because
they rarely back up system or program files.
A short file name will be different from
the corresponding long file name if the file
name is too long to fit the dimensions of
the "8.3 format" -- 8 characters
for the name and 3 characters for the extension
(thanks Bill Gates). Otherwise, they're the
same.
Suppose your original files were: [program
file1.dll, program file2.dll, program file3.dll]
Notice that the file names are longer than
8 characters. The short names might be (in
the same order) [progra~1.dll, progra~2.dll,
progra~3.dll]. If you restore them the long
file names will be just the same as before,
but the short file names can get scrambled.
They might come out in this order [progra~1.dll,
progra~3.dll, progra~2.dll]. For example,
2 has been swapped with 3 for the third file.
The "Backup" program that comes
with Windows 98, and "Windows Backup"
(NTbackup) that comes with Windows XP do
not have this long file name problem.
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