Windows Server 2000 Emergency Backup Procedures

Critical Backup Notice

⚠️ Windows Server 2000 systems are at extreme risk of catastrophic failure. This guide provides emergency backup procedures to protect critical data while planning immediate migration.

Introduction
Backup Strategy Overview
NTBackup Procedures
Third-Party Backup Solutions
Manual Backup Methods
Active Directory Backup
Application Data Backup
Disaster Recovery Planning
Backup Verification
Recovery Procedures

Introduction

With Windows Server 2000's age and lack of support, having comprehensive backup procedures is critical. Hardware failures, security breaches, and data corruption are not just possible—they're probable.

Backup Priorities

System State - AD, Registry, Boot files
User Data - Documents, profiles, shares
Application Data - Databases, configurations
System Configuration - Settings, policies
Security Information - Certificates, keys

Backup Strategy Overview

3-2-1 Rule Implementation

3 - Keep 3 copies of important data
2 - Store on 2 different media types
1 - Keep 1 copy offsite

Backup Schedule Matrix

Backup Type	Frequency	Retention	Priority
System State	Daily	7 days	Critical
Full Server	Weekly	4 weeks	Critical
User Data	Daily	30 days	High
Application Data	Daily	14 days	High
Configuration	On Change	90 days	Medium

Media Rotation Strategy

# Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) Rotation
Daily:   Mon-Thu (4 tapes) - 1 week retention
Weekly:  Friday (5 tapes) - 5 week retention  
Monthly: Last Friday (12 tapes) - 1 year retention

NTBackup Procedures

System State Backup

# Create backup directory structure
md C:\Backups\SystemState
md C:\Backups\Logs
md C:\Backups\Scripts

# Daily System State backup script
@echo off
set BACKUP_DATE=%DATE:~10,4%-%DATE:~4,2%-%DATE:~7,2%
set BACKUP_FILE=C:\Backups\SystemState\SystemState_%BACKUP_DATE%.bkf
set LOG_FILE=C:\Backups\Logs\SystemState_%BACKUP_DATE%.log

echo Starting System State Backup at %TIME% > %LOG_FILE%
ntbackup backup systemstate /j "Daily System State" /f "%BACKUP_FILE%" /v >> %LOG_FILE% 2>&1
echo Backup completed at %TIME% >> %LOG_FILE%

# Verify backup
ntbackup backup /? >> %LOG_FILE% 2>&1

Full Server Backup

# Full server backup with exclusions
# Create selection file: backup_selection.bks
[Backup]
C:\
D:\
[Exclude]
C:\pagefile.sys
C:\hiberfil.sys
C:\WINNT\Temp\*.*
C:\Temp\*.*

# Run full backup
ntbackup backup "@C:\Backups\Scripts\backup_selection.bks" ^
  /j "Weekly Full Backup" ^
  /f "E:\Backups\Full_%DATE:~10,4%%DATE:~4,2%%DATE:~7,2%.bkf" ^
  /v /r:no /rs:no /hc:on

Automated Backup Scheduling

# Schedule daily System State backup at 10 PM
at 22:00 /every:M,T,W,Th,F,S,Su C:\Backups\Scripts\daily_backup.bat

# Or using Task Scheduler
schtasks /create /tn "Daily System State Backup" ^
  /tr "C:\Backups\Scripts\daily_backup.bat" ^
  /sc daily /st 22:00 /ru SYSTEM

NTBackup Advanced Options

# Backup with verification and hardware compression
ntbackup backup systemstate ^
  /j "Verified Backup" ^
  /f "E:\Backup.bkf" ^
  /v ^              # Verify after backup
  /hc:on ^          # Hardware compression
  /r:no ^           # Don't restrict access
  /rs:no ^          # Don't backup removable storage
  /m normal         # Backup type

# Command line restore
ntbackup restore /f "E:\Backup.bkf" ^
  /j "Emergency Restore" ^
  /p ^              # Restore permissions
  /r                # Restore removable storage

Third-Party Backup Solutions

Compatible Backup Software

Software	Version	Win2000 Support	Features
Veritas Backup Exec	9.x-10.x	Yes	Enterprise features
Symantec Ghost	7.5-8.0	Yes	Image-based backup
Acronis True Image	8.0	Yes	Disk imaging
ARCserve 2000	r11.5	Yes	Tape management

Veritas Backup Exec Configuration

-- Backup job configuration
CREATE JOB 'Win2000_Daily'
  TYPE SystemState
  SCHEDULE Daily AT 22:00
  DESTINATION TapeLibrary
  VERIFY Yes
  COMPRESSION Hardware

Ghost Image Creation

# Create disk image using Norton Ghost
ghost.exe -clone,mode=create,src=1,dst=image.gho -sure -rb

# Create with compression
ghost.exe -clone,mode=create,src=1,dst=image.gho -z9 -sure -rb

# Network backup
ghost.exe -clone,mode=create,src=1,dst=@MCUDP:backup_server -sure

Manual Backup Methods

File-Based Backup Script

@echo off
:: Manual file backup script
set SOURCE_DIR=C:\ImportantData
set DEST_DIR=E:\Backups\Manual
set BACKUP_DATE=%DATE:~10,4%%DATE:~4,2%%DATE:~7,2%
set BACKUP_DIR=%DEST_DIR%\Backup_%BACKUP_DATE%

echo Creating backup directory...
md "%BACKUP_DIR%" 2>nul

echo Copying files...
xcopy "%SOURCE_DIR%" "%BACKUP_DIR%" /E /I /H /Y /R

echo Setting archive bit...
attrib +A "%BACKUP_DIR%\*.*" /S

echo Backup complete: %BACKUP_DIR%

Registry Backup

# Export entire registry
regedit /e C:\Backups\Registry\FullRegistry_%DATE:~10,4%%DATE:~4,2%%DATE:~7,2%.reg

# Export specific hives
reg export HKLM C:\Backups\Registry\HKLM_backup.reg
reg export HKCU C:\Backups\Registry\HKCU_backup.reg
reg export HKCR C:\Backups\Registry\HKCR_backup.reg
reg export HKU C:\Backups\Registry\HKU_backup.reg
reg export HKCC C:\Backups\Registry\HKCC_backup.reg

# Backup system hives directly
copy C:\WINNT\System32\Config\SYSTEM C:\Backups\Registry\SYSTEM.bak
copy C:\WINNT\System32\Config\SOFTWARE C:\Backups\Registry\SOFTWARE.bak
copy C:\WINNT\System32\Config\SECURITY C:\Backups\Registry\SECURITY.bak
copy C:\WINNT\System32\Config\SAM C:\Backups\Registry\SAM.bak

Critical Files Checklist

# Create list of critical files
dir C:\WINNT\System32\*.dll /b > C:\Backups\critical_files.txt
dir C:\WINNT\System32\drivers\*.sys /b >> C:\Backups\critical_files.txt

# Backup using the list
for /f "tokens=*" %%f in (C:\Backups\critical_files.txt) do (
  copy "%%f" "E:\Backups\SystemFiles\" /Y
)

Active Directory Backup

Domain Controller Backup

# System State includes AD, must backup on each DC
ntbackup backup systemstate /j "DC System State" ^
  /f "\\BackupServer\DC\%COMPUTERNAME%_SS_%DATE:~10,4%%DATE:~4,2%%DATE:~7,2%.bkf"

# Backup SYSVOL separately for granular restore
ntbackup backup C:\WINNT\SYSVOL ^
  /j "SYSVOL Backup" ^
  /f "\\BackupServer\DC\%COMPUTERNAME%_SYSVOL_%DATE:~10,4%%DATE:~4,2%%DATE:~7,2%.bkf"

NTDS Database Backup

# Online NTDS backup using VSS (if available)
# Otherwise use ntbackup system state

# Manual offline backup (DC must be stopped)
net stop ntds /y
copy C:\WINNT\NTDS\ntds.dit E:\Backups\AD\ntds_backup.dit
copy C:\WINNT\NTDS\edb*.log E:\Backups\AD\
net start ntds

# Export AD structure
ldifde -f E:\Backups\AD\AD_Structure.ldf -s localhost
csvde -f E:\Backups\AD\AD_Users.csv -r "(objectClass=user)"

DNS Zone Backup

# Export DNS zones
dnscmd /zoneexport domain.local domain.local.dns.bak
move C:\WINNT\System32\dns\domain.local.dns.bak E:\Backups\DNS\

# Backup all zones
for /f "tokens=1" %%z in ('dnscmd /enumzones ^| findstr /i "Primary"') do (
  dnscmd /zoneexport %%z %%z.dns.bak
  move C:\WINNT\System32\dns\%%z.dns.bak E:\Backups\DNS\
)

Application Data Backup

SQL Server 2000 Backup

-- Full database backup
BACKUP DATABASE [YourDatabase] 
TO DISK = 'E:\Backups\SQL\YourDatabase_Full.bak'
WITH FORMAT, INIT, 
     NAME = 'Full Backup',
     COMPRESSION,
     STATS = 10

-- Transaction log backup
BACKUP LOG [YourDatabase]
TO DISK = 'E:\Backups\SQL\YourDatabase_Log.trn'
WITH FORMAT, INIT,
     NAME = 'Log Backup'

IIS Configuration Backup

# Backup IIS metabase
cscript C:\WINNT\System32\iisback.vbs /backup /b IISConfig_%DATE:~10,4%%DATE:~4,2%%DATE:~7,2%

# Export IIS configuration
iiscnfg /export /f E:\Backups\IIS\IISConfig.xml /sp /LM/W3SVC

# Backup website content
xcopy C:\Inetpub\wwwroot E:\Backups\IIS\wwwroot\ /E /I /H /Y

Exchange 2000 Backup

# Online Exchange backup using NTBackup
ntbackup backup ^
  "Microsoft Exchange Server\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group" ^
  /j "Exchange Backup" ^
  /f "E:\Backups\Exchange\Exchange_%DATE:~10,4%%DATE:~4,2%%DATE:~7,2%.bkf"

# Offline backup (services must be stopped)
net stop MSExchangeIS /y
xcopy "C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\MDBDATA" "E:\Backups\Exchange\Offline\" /E /I /H /Y
net start MSExchangeIS

Disaster Recovery Planning

Emergency Recovery Disk

# Create Emergency Repair Disk
rdisk /s

# Backup repair directory
xcopy C:\WINNT\Repair E:\Backups\ERD\ /E /I /H /Y

# Create bootable recovery media
# Copy these files to floppy/CD:
# - NTLDR
# - NTDETECT.COM
# - BOOT.INI
# - NTBOOTDD.SYS (if SCSI)

Documentation Package

# System configuration documentation
systeminfo > E:\Backups\Docs\systeminfo.txt
ipconfig /all > E:\Backups\Docs\network.txt
net share > E:\Backups\Docs\shares.txt
net user > E:\Backups\Docs\users.txt
net localgroup > E:\Backups\Docs\groups.txt

# Service configuration
sc query > E:\Backups\Docs\services.txt
reg export HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services E:\Backups\Docs\services.reg

# Driver information
driverquery /v > E:\Backups\Docs\drivers.txt

Recovery Time Objectives

System Component	RTO	RPO	Backup Method
Domain Controller	4 hours	24 hours	System State
File Server	8 hours	4 hours	Full + Incremental
Application Server	4 hours	1 hour	Application-specific
Database Server	2 hours	15 minutes	Continuous replication

Backup Verification

Automated Verification Script

@echo off
:: Backup verification script
set BACKUP_FILE=%1
set LOG_FILE=E:\Backups\Logs\verify_%DATE:~10,4%%DATE:~4,2%%DATE:~7,2%.log

echo Verifying backup: %BACKUP_FILE% >> %LOG_FILE%
echo Start time: %TIME% >> %LOG_FILE%

:: List contents
ntbackup /?  /f "%BACKUP_FILE%" >> %LOG_FILE% 2>&1

:: Test restore to temp location
md C:\Temp\VerifyRestore
ntbackup restore /f "%BACKUP_FILE%" /j "Verify Job" /p C:\Temp\VerifyRestore >> %LOG_FILE% 2>&1

:: Check restore success
if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
  echo Verification PASSED >> %LOG_FILE%
) else (
  echo Verification FAILED - Error: %ERRORLEVEL% >> %LOG_FILE%
)

:: Cleanup
rd /s /q C:\Temp\VerifyRestore
echo End time: %TIME% >> %LOG_FILE%

Manual Verification Checklist

[ ] Backup completed without errors
[ ] Backup size is reasonable
[ ] Backup catalog is readable
[ ] Test restore of sample files
[ ] Verify permissions preserved
[ ] Check backup logs for warnings
[ ] Confirm media integrity
[ ] Document verification results

Recovery Procedures

System State Recovery

# Boot into Directory Services Restore Mode (F8)
# Login with DSRM password

# Restore System State
ntbackup restore /f "E:\Backups\SystemState.bkf" ^
  /j "System State Restore" ^
  /r ^
  /p

# For authoritative AD restore
ntdsutil
authoritative restore
restore subtree "dc=domain,dc=local"
quit
quit

# Reboot
shutdown /r /t 0

File-Level Recovery

# Restore specific files
ntbackup restore /f "E:\Backups\Full.bkf" ^
  /j "File Restore" ^
  /s:C:\ImportantData\LostFile.doc ^
  /p C:\Recovered\

# Restore with original permissions
ntbackup restore /f "E:\Backups\Full.bkf" ^
  /j "Permission Restore" ^
  /r ^
  /p

Bare Metal Recovery

1. Boot from Windows 2000 CD
2. Press F2 for Automated System Recovery
3. Insert Emergency Repair Disk
4. Follow prompts to repair installation
5. Restore System State from backup
6. Restore data from full backup
7. Reinstall applications
8. Restore application data
9. Verify system functionality

Best Practices Summary

Do's

✓ Test restores monthly
✓ Store backups offsite
✓ Document procedures
✓ Automate where possible
✓ Monitor backup logs
✓ Maintain multiple copies
✓ Encrypt sensitive backups

Don'ts

✗ Rely on single backup method
✗ Store backups on same system
✗ Ignore verification errors
✗ Use failing media
✗ Skip documentation
✗ Delay migration planning

Conclusion

While these backup procedures can help protect Windows Server 2000 data, they cannot eliminate the fundamental risks of running an unsupported operating system. Hardware failures, security breaches, and corruption are inevitable.

Critical Reminders:

Backups are temporary protection - not a permanent solution
Test restores regularly - untested backups are worthless
Plan for total failure - it's not if, but when
Document everything - knowledge is critical in emergencies
Migrate immediately - backups buy time, not security

Use these backup procedures to protect data while executing an urgent migration plan to supported platforms.

Windows Server 2000 Emergency Backup Procedures

Need Professional Windows Server 2000?

Windows Server 2000 Emergency Backup Procedures

Critical Backup Notice

Table of Contents

Introduction

Backup Priorities

Backup Strategy Overview

3-2-1 Rule Implementation

Backup Schedule Matrix

Media Rotation Strategy

NTBackup Procedures

System State Backup

Full Server Backup

Automated Backup Scheduling

NTBackup Advanced Options

Third-Party Backup Solutions

Compatible Backup Software

Veritas Backup Exec Configuration

Ghost Image Creation

Manual Backup Methods

File-Based Backup Script

Registry Backup

Critical Files Checklist

Active Directory Backup

Domain Controller Backup

NTDS Database Backup

DNS Zone Backup

Application Data Backup

SQL Server 2000 Backup

IIS Configuration Backup

Exchange 2000 Backup

Disaster Recovery Planning

Emergency Recovery Disk

Documentation Package

Recovery Time Objectives

Backup Verification

Automated Verification Script

Manual Verification Checklist

Recovery Procedures

System State Recovery

File-Level Recovery

Bare Metal Recovery

Best Practices Summary

Do's

Don'ts

Conclusion

Critical Reminders: