Restore from Backup

[CKLayoka]

A friend of mine has a 1TB External that he has a large Windows Vista backup file on. Of course, they're compressed and cataloged, so they can't be browsed or used. The USB port on it broke, bot the eSata port still works. I'm the only person he knows with eSata, and he wants me to help him restore the files with my computer. The thing is --

I just want to restore files (like music, pictures, documents, ect.) but not settings or registry or anything. How do I restore his content without replacing my own environment with his backuped settings? I don't want to risk ruining my own settings, but I do want to help him retrieve his stuff. From the looks of the Windows restore utility up to the "Go" button, it seems pretty likely that it might replace my own settings, registry, ect..

Anyone know anything about this?

 

[daship]

Take the external apart down to the bare drive and hook it up to his onboard sata and run the backup.

 

[sminlal]

I agree with daship - if there's a way to disassemble the external drive without breaking the case then that's what I'd try first.

 

[CKLayoka]

No, you don't understand, he doesn't have sata at all. That's why he needs me. It says in Windows 7 help that it will simply put the files on a separate user on my computer. I just want to confirm that doing so won't replace my registry, settings...

 

[sminlal]

Well, unless he wants to just write his 1TB drive off completely, his best option would be to get a new enclosure with a working USB port to put the drive into. That way he could still use his drive, and it would also allow him to restore the files himself.