System_State directive

The System_State:\ directive is needed for the operating system versions which do not support Shadow Copy Components, such as the 32-bit version of Windows 2003 XP.

Windows 2003 Server computers recognize the System_State:\ directive and behave as if following the Shadow Copy Components:\ directive. A message informs the user that this directive translation occurred.

The System_State:\ directive creates a backup for critical system-related components. The exact set of system components that are backed up depends on the operating system version and system configuration.

The list of items that are backed up can include the following:

Active Directory
COM+ Class Database
Cluster Database
IIS Database
Registry
Boot Files and protected files
SYSVOL
Certificate Server

The files that comprise the registry can be found in the following location:

%SystemRoot%\SYSTEM32\Config

At a minimum, the following files are backed up as part of the registry:

DEFAULT
SAM
SOFTWARE
SECURITY
SYSTEM