Backing up XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter Henry Reardon
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Henry Reardon

What is the best way to backup Windows XP?

I am currently running XP Pro SP1 (!) so I'm way overdue to install SP2. I
finally started to do that today but it recommended that I do a backup
first. Frankly, I am not very confident that I know the best technique for
doing a backup so I'd appreciate some advice on this.

I suppose it would be best if I backed up the whole hard drive, which has
an 80 gig capacity with about 30 gig still unused, although some of the
files don't really need it since they are downloads of one kind or another
which I could simply download again if I lost. Then again, figuring out
exactly what HAS to be backed up and what doesn't need to be would take a
lot of time which I don't want to spend. Therefore, a full backup is
probably easiest.


I'm uneasy about this because the last time I thought about doing a backup,
I read the XP tutorial and tried to do a backup with the native utilities
but it didn't go well at all. I started the backup, then realized I wanted
to change something, then couldn't get out and sort of half-aborted it
without getting any backup at all. That was several months ago and I don't
remember any details but I'd like to avoid any grief this time, if
possible.

I have a new DVD burner and nearly 50 blank DVDs so media should not be a
problem ;-)

So, what's my best way of doing a backup of XP?
 
Its nice that you have a DVD Burner but XP backup program will not let you
back up directly to a DVD.You would need to back up to a folder on your HD
and then burn the file to DVD using your DVD burning software.
There are lots of different backups........the Whole HD...........Partitions
of the HD...........Work Files.........etc etc.

In order to backup your whole HD or even Paritions on your HD it is best to
get different software.I use Acronis TrueImage.It lets me "clone" my HD to
another HD and makes that HD bootable.If I incur HD failure or XP Failure I
just remove the offending HD and install the "cloned" drive and I am up and
running.
It also lets me "image" a partion of one HD onto another HD and us such I
can restore that partition if something or someone(me?)damages that
partition.
http://www.acronis.com/
For simple file backup I use the XP backup program.

SP2 usually will not damage anything but your best bet is to backup what you
cannot replace or would take too long to find and replace.
If something does wreck avoc it will take some time to rebuild with the
original XP CD and reload all programs from their original CD's.
So on that note the ultimate decision is yours........backup only what you
need.........backup selectively............backup everything.
After all its your time and effort IF something does go wrong.

peterk
 
In
Henry Reardon said:
What is the best way to backup Windows XP?

I am currently running XP Pro SP1 (!) so I'm way overdue to
install
SP2. I finally started to do that today but it recommended that
I do
a backup first. Frankly, I am not very confident that I know
the best
technique for doing a backup so I'd appreciate some advice on
this.
Click to expand...



Here's my standard blurb on backup:

First of all, almost everyone should be backing up regularly--not
just now when you are about to install a service pack. It is
always possible that a hard drive crash, user error, nearby
lightning strike, virus attack, even theft of the computer, can
cause the loss of everything on your drive. As has often been
said, it's not a matter of whether you will have such a problem,
but when.

Essentially you should back up what you can't afford to
lose--what you can't readily recreate. What that is depends on
how you use your computer and what you use it for.

It takes time and effort to backup, but it also takes time and
effort to recreate lost data. If you back up daily, you should
never have to recreate more than one day's worth of last data. If
weekly, there's potentially a lot more to recreate. You should
assess how much pain and trouble you would have if you lost x
days of data, and then choose a backup frequency that doesn't
involve more pain and trouble than that you would have if you had
to recreate what was lost.

At one extreme is the professional user who would likely go out
of business if his data was lost. He probably needs to back up at
least daily. At the other extreme is the kid who doesn't use his
game except to play games. He probably needs no backup at all,
since worst case he can easily reinstall his games.

Most of us fall somewhere between those extremes, but nobody can
tell you where you fall; you need to determine that for yourself.

Should you back up Windows? Should you back up your applications?
Most people will tell you no, since you can always reinstall
these easily from the original media. But I don't think the
answer is so clear-cut. Many people have substantial time and
effort invested in customizing Windows and configuring their apps
to work the way they want to. Putting all of that back the way it
was can be a difficult, time-consuming effort. Whether you should
backup up Windows and apps depends, once again, on you.

How to backup? What software to use? There are many choices,
including the Windows-supplied backup program. Which choice is
best for you depends at least in part on the answers to some of
the questions above.

Finally what backup media should you choose, and how should it be
stored? There are many choices, including CDs, tape, zip drives,
and second hard drives.

I don't recommend backup to a second non-removable hard drive
because it leaves you susceptible to simultaneous loss of the
original and backup to many of the most common dangers: severe
power glitches, nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even
theft of the computer.

In my view, secure backup needs to be on removable media, and not
kept in the computer. For really secure backup (needed, for
example, if the life of your business depends on your data) you
should have multiple generations of backup, and at least one of
those generations should be stored off-site.

My computer isn't used for business, but my personal backup
scheme uses two identical removable hard drives, which fit into a
sleeve installed in the computer (see
http://www.kingwin.com/pdut_Cat.asp?CateID=35). I alternate
between the two, and use Drive Image to make a complete copy of
the primary drive.
 
Purchase a third party backup program that will burn to DVD. There are
several good programs. While Norton Ghost was excellent in version prior to
version 10, I wouldn't bother spending good money on it now. If you can pick
up Norton Ghost 2003, 7.5 or version 8 go for that instead. Or do a search
for BootIt NG and use it's Image for Windows function.
 
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