Common RESTORE Problems, Including "No Files Found to Restore" (60713)


The information in this article applies to:
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.1
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.2
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.21
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.3
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.3a
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 4.0
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 4.01
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0a
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.0
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.2
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.21
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.22
This article was previously published under Q60713

SUMMARY

The MS-DOS RESTORE command expects a full target file specification, including the exact filename or wildcard. If the target file(s) to be RESTOREd are not fully specified, RESTORE reads all of the BACKUP disks and display the following message:

Warning! No files found to restore.
For example, to RESTORE all files backed up from the C:\TEST directory, use the following command: 
   restore a: c:\test\*.*
To RESTORE all files that are backed up, use the following command: 
   restore a: c:\*.* /s
The RESTORE command places the files in the same directory that they were backed up from, creating directories as needed.

MORE INFORMATION

Listed below are a few points you should keep in mind when using the BACKUP and RESTORE commands:
    • You must RESTORE to the same path that you specified (either implicitly or explicitly) when you used BACKUP. You can RESTORE to a different drive.
    • The files created by the version of BACKUP that comes with MS-DOS versions 3.3 and later are different from those created by earlier versions of BACKUP. You can determine which version of BACKUP was used by looking at the output of a DIR command on your BACKUP disk. Versions of BACKUP earlier than version 3.3 produce files similar to the following: 
          BACKUPID.@@@
      TEST1.BAR
      TEST2.BAR
      ...
      TESTn.BAR
    The version of BACKUP that comes with MS-DOS versions 3.3 and later produces the following files only (where x signifies the disk number in the backup sequence): 
          BACKUP.00x
      CONTROL.00x

    • The version of RESTORE that comes with MS-DOS version 3.3 RESTOREs backup files created with earlier versions of BACKUP, except for backup files created with MS-DOS version 3.2. (Backup files created with IBM PC-DOS 3.2 are different from those created with MS-DOS 3.2, and can be restored with MS-DOS versions 3.3 and later). Backup files created with MS-DOS 3.2 must:

    Be RESTOREd with MS-DOS 3.2, MS-DOS 3.21, or MS-DOS 5.0.


    • The version of RESTORE included with MS-DOS 6.0 and 6.2 restores backup files created with MS-DOS 2.0 through 5.x. To restore backup files created with MS-DOS 6.0 and 6.2, use the MSBACKUP program.
    • RESTORE expects a full file specification in all cases. The command: 
          restore a: c:\test
    causes RESTORE to search the backup disks for a file backed up from the root directory called TEST, ignoring any files that were backed up from the \TEST subdirectory. BACKUP, however, is different. The command 
          backup c:\test a:
    causes BACKUP to attempt to back up the file C:\TEST; but if that file does not exist, BACKUP attempts to back up C:\TEST\*.*.

    Thus, the command 
          backup c:\test a:
    backs up the contents of the directory C:\TEST to a floppy; but the command: 
          restore a: c:\test
    does not restore that directory; instead, the following message is displayed:

    Warning! No files found to restore
    To RESTORE a directory called TEST, the file(s) to be restored must be included as well, as in the following: 
          restore a: c:\test\*.*
NOTE: For MS-DOS versions 3.1-3.21, when RESTOREing a subdirectory that was previously backed up, you do not need to specify a filename with the path IF the intended directory is already present on the target drive. If the subdirectory you intend to RESTORE does not exist, RESTORE always fails with the "No files found to restore" message. Again, you need to specify a full filename.
Modification Type: Major Last Reviewed: 5/12/2003
Keywords: KB60713
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