Backup from batch file - please critique

[Rondog]

Can someone please give me some feedback on my backup batch file?

Cheers

@ECHO off
cd\
g:
md email
echo.
md database
echo.
md documents
echo.
md "neis important docs"
echo.
md desktop
echo.
xcopy "c:\documents and settings\owner\local settings\application data\microsoft\outlook\*.*" g:\email
echo.
xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\*.mdb" g:\database
echo.
xcopy "C:\Documents and settings\owner\my documents\*.doc" g:\documents
echo.
xcopy "C:\Documents and settings\owner\my documents\*.docx" g:\documents
echo.
xcopy "C:\Documents and settings\owner\my documents\*.pdf" g:\documents
echo.
xcopy "C:\Documents and settings\owner\my documents\*.xls" g:\documents
echo.
xcopy "C:\Documents and settings\owner\my documents\*.rtf" g:\documents
echo.
xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Neis Important Docs" "g:\neis important docs" /s /i
echo.
xcopy "E:\Documents and Settings\Amelia Dohnt\My Documents\Converted ABDCData.mdb" g:\database
echo.
xcopy "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop" g:\desktop /s /i
echo.
pause

[Aedan]

You need to give some more information - what's the scenarios you will be using this? How does the restore work? What kind of file/files are you intending to back up.

[Rondog]

Its just going to be used to backup one PC to a portable USB hard drive. It is only temporary and only needs to last until June. Backup includes 1 PST file, numerous .doc and .docx and thats about it. All it is for, if the PC goes down, work can continue from another location.

[Aedan]

I just wondered why you didn't copy the whole of the \documents and settings\userid\ across?
Tools like Rsync can do a compare then copy, so that they only copy files that have changed. This helps speed things up.

How do you intend to restore the data if the system dies? Have you tested the plan?

[Rondog]

Yes its been tested. Systems are very similar, it can be just copied back as easily. Reason for not copying entire user ID is size limits. The client is on a government contract which ends in June and they are unsure at this stage if it will be renewed. If it gets renewed, they will be purchasing a server with tape back up. So it is only required to backup mission critical data until then.

[danrok]

It might be worth adding some error handling.

Also, a message and pause, at the start, telling them to ensure the USB drive is connected.

[Rondog]

Ahah, good idea thanks danrok!

However, I do not understand what you mean by error handling?

[danrok]

You can use the IF ERRORLEVEL command, to handle errors.

DOS commands will set ERRORLEVEL depending on what happened when they were executed.