Re: Backing up protected system files

Hi

Thanks for your reponse, appreiate it, I'll try your suggestion and see 
what can be done

When it comes to that config dir, there is a lot more files there, but 
they are hidden, u need to deactivate the "Hid protected system files 
.." or some such option under View->options

Sincerely /Mehrdad

On 2025-11-25 12:34, Arno Lehmann via Bacula-users wrote:
> Hi Mehrdad,
>
> Am 20.11.2025 um 16:54 schrieb Mehrdad Ravanbod:
>> Hi guys
>>
>> I have encountered  problem and was wondering if anyone knows how to 
>> get around this
>>
>> I am trying to have bacula do a backup on "Windows/system32/config/" 
>> folder, this is a protected system folder where windows saves all the 
>> files which has to do with the registry.
>
> Have you had a look at the registry key
> Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup 
>
> which is used to tell backup applications which file to *not* back up?
>
> A similar setting called FilesNotToSnapshot might also be relevant.
>
> If I recall correctly, we have some functionality to honor those 
> settings, although my (admittedly dim) recollection is that this was 
> only done with the VSS plugin (which should be Bacula Enterprise only).
>
>> Windows system restore can do this (it is a part of the restoration 
>> points that get created) and since bacula uses the VSS writer I 
>> thought that bacula should be able to read protected system files.
>> But apparemtly not, bacula sees the folder, sees the folder structure 
>> and creates all the sub-folders in the backp, but none of actual 
>> files are backed up.
>> Anyone knows why and how can this be fixed??
>
>> Btw, client is running windows 7 if that makes a diff, bacula-fd and 
>> bacula-sd are installed on the client and both are running under 
>> "local system account"  so it should have enough privileges
>
> I'm not having any Windows 7 system available to check, but on the 
> remaining Windows 10 host I'm currently using, the directory is rather 
> empty and does not, in fact, seem to contain any registry backups:
>
> C:\Windows\System32\config>dir
>  Volume in Laufwerk C: hat keine Bezeichnung.
>  Volumeseriennummer: 1669-28AE
>
>  Verzeichnis von C:\Windows\System32\config
>
> 25.11.2025  09:27    <DIR>          .
> 25.11.2025  09:27    <DIR>          ..
> 21.11.2025  04:51         1.310.720 BBI
> 18.05.2020  21:26            28.672 BCD-Template
> 25.11.2025  09:27        41.418.752 components
> 21.11.2025  04:51         1.572.864 default
> 19.11.2025  02:32        10.596.352 drivers
> 15.02.2024  09:52            32.768 ELAM
> 07.12.2019  10:14    <DIR>          Journal
> 07.12.2019  10:14    <DIR>          RegBack
> 21.11.2025  04:51           262.144 sam
> 21.11.2025  04:51            65.536 security
> 21.11.2025  04:51        99.876.864 software
> 21.11.2025  04:51        22.282.240 system
> 03.07.2021  12:47    <DIR>          systemprofile
> 15.10.2023  14:05    <DIR>          TxR
> 13.05.2023  19:04             1.607 VSMIDK
>               11 Datei(en),    177.448.519 Bytes
>                6 Verzeichnis(se), 76.653.162.496 Bytes frei
>
> C:\Windows\System32\config>tree /F
> Auflistung der Ordnerpfade
> Volumeseriennummer : 1669-28AE
> C:.
> │   BBI
> │   BCD-Template
> │   components
> │   default
> │   drivers
> │   ELAM
> │   sam
> │   security
> │   software
> │   system
> │   VSMIDK
> │
> ├───Journal
> ├───RegBack
> ├───systemprofile
> │   └───Contacts
> └───TxR
>
>
>> Appreciate any and all advice
>
> You could try to create a snapshot manually, mount it and check if the 
> files in question are actually included. I have no idea which tools 
> were available in Windows 7, but in general, once you have a snapshot 
> you can identify, a link to its "real" path might be enough:
>
> mklink /d \mount \\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy2
>
> for example works on this host.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Arno
>
>> Sincerely /Mehrdad
>>
>>   --
>> ________________________________________________________
>>
>> Ampfield Aktiebolag
>> Mehrdad Ravanbod
>> System administrator
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Bacula-users mailing list
>> [email protected]
>> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
>
-- 
________________________________________________________

Ampfield Aktiebolag
Mehrdad Ravanbod
System administrator




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