Backup/Restore info

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stan
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Stan

I'm using Windows XL SP2. I would like to buy an external drive with
large capacity and use it to back up Windows, other programs, and data
(including lots of photos).

Is there a document that discusses simple ways to do this? Or perhaps, a
program that I can use to do it?

Thanks
Stan



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Stan said:
I'm using Windows XL SP2. I would like to buy an external drive with
large capacity and use it to back up Windows, other programs, and data
(including lots of photos).

Is there a document that discusses simple ways to do this? Or
perhaps, a program that I can use to do it?
Click to expand...


There are several programs that can do this, including Norton Ghost and
Acronis True Image. Acronis True Image is my personal favorite.
 
While third party programs may cost a few dollars they are well worth the
price PROVIDING they meet your needs. over the years I have tried a number
of different backup programs and , like Ken Blake, have settled on Acronis
True Image. It will easily meet the objectives that you mentioned.
www.acronis.com
 
There is a way you can do this without backing-up. Folder such as My
Documuments,
My Pictures, My Music, Favorites, and My Videos do not have to be located on
the C
Drive. It is possible to have these folder on another hard drive. What you
would do is the following:
1. Install your hard drive.
2. Create the above folders.
3. Download Redirector at: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/folderredirector.htm
This is freeware too. Use it to tell windows where to new path is. These are
also located in the registry at:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders
If you computer dies, you buy a new computer or whatever, you'll be able to
take your
hard drive with you with all your files intack. No backup software needed.
 
That procedure, to relocate, is not necessary. there is a simpler option -
rt click My Documents>Properties>Move
Though of course this doesnt creat a backup
 
If you only move My Documents that is all that ill be preserved. What about
Favorites, & Templates. Also if a user doesn't want My Pictures, My Music &
My Videos to be stuck inside My Documents then Folder Redirection is
neccessary. Why do something only halfway? Let's do it right the first time.
Also in the end, if you export the shell folders to a reg file, redoing the
relocation is as east as activating a reg file.
 
Stan:

I got a a Maxtor external 200Gig USB HD hooked up to one machine, and a
76GIG one to another.

I've used Norton Ghost 9.0 for a number of years on both of these, but the
software occasionally have hiccups, which hangs up one PC in particular. When
it works OK, I have backups scheduled daily to back up PC data automatically.

I use my PC's for business and home, and in devising a "disaster recovery"
scheme, you have to consider:

- When I have a problem, can I easily find and recreate one file, on folder,
an entire partition. I can do this with Nortons. A few weeks back, the "user
profile" got corrupted, and I was able to restore that quickly.

- Practice restore to make sure you know how to do it before the disaster.

- Can you boot-up when windows goes down to do a restore with boot-up disks.

- Is the restore data good. Check it from time to time. A boss who hired me
got fired when the server of a subsidiary went down and the backup tapes
turned out to be no good, and no one ever checked.

-Additonally, I also do "on line" backup for key data as the home PC can be
wiped out by fire, hurricane, or theft.
 
You're missing the point. Let's say the OP follows your advice
and changes the storage location of all his data folders to the
second hard drive. And let's not forget his email. That's
another item that can be easily relocated. He's now got all his
important, and perhaps irreplaceable, files on the second hard
drive. Now, consider the following possibilities:

1. He goes to turn on his computer. Unfortunately, the second
hard drive, a component with moving parts that can and will
fail on occasion, has decided today is a good day to die.
2. He goes to turn on his computer. Unfortunately, the power
supply unit has decided today is a good day to die. It gives
off a god-awful smell as it fries the motherboard, cpu, ram and
both hard drives.
3. He goes to turn on his computer. Unfortunately, sometime
overnight a local crack addict decided today was a good day to
climb through his second floor window. He steals the computer.

I could go on with a number of other scenarios but they all
yield the same result. He may have saved on backup software but
he lost all his files. Even if he used the built-in Windows
Backup program and backed up his files to some type of
removable media or external hard drive at least he'd have a
chance of recovering his files.

Like you said, "Why do something only halfway? Let's do it
right the first
time." Not having a backup plan in place is a recipe for
disaster.

Nepatsfan

(e-mail address removed),
 
Ken:

About Acronis True image:

- Any versions better than others, or the current one the best??
- Assume you can browse, click and restore one file, one folder, up to
cloning the entire drive??
- Can be scheduled for automatic daily??
- Does full baseline and incremental??
- I got Norton Ghost 9.0, find the software runs wild every so often
requiring a reboot. Just annoying.
 
I use a combination of methods and storage media. I use Acronis True Image
with an external drive once a month or whenever I make a significant change
(i.e. add a new program, install an update etc.). I do this after the change
has been tested. I also use synchtoy every couple of days to copy my
pictures, documents, etc. to a network share. Whenever I start to get
nervous about my data (changes depending on what I have been doing) I use
Nero to burn it to DVDs. You should use multiple methods to backup and
backup to multiple media.

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...54-C975-4814-9649-CCE41AF06EB7&displaylang=en
 
FrankChin said:
Ken:

About Acronis True image:

- Any versions better than others, or the current one the best??
Click to expand...


I use the current version. I haven't used many versions, but with most
software products, newer versions contain improvements over the old ones,
and are usually better. That's true of Acronis True Image, as far as I know.

- Assume you can browse, click and restore one file, one folder, up to
cloning the entire drive??

Yes.


- Can be scheduled for automatic daily??

Yes.


- Does full baseline and incremental??
Click to expand...


Yes.
 
The current version of TrueImage 9 is excellent but you should also get the
update. and the answer to your questions is
Yes you can backup an entire drive or individual files/folders.
Yes you can restore and entire drive or individual files/folders
Yes you can schedule it
Yes it does full backups, incremental and differential backups on the fly
without having to restart.
You can create a fully functional self booting CD that will enable you to
access your backups on network drives, usb drives or from optical and or
tape media.
You can setup a small hidden partition called the Acronis Zone and save to
it. By pressing F11 at system startup you can access your backup
The latest version (with the update) can backup directly to DVD and of
course it will backup to network drives, usb, secondary drives, etc.

Acronis TrueImage is a very good tool and one that I switched to about 2
years ago after running many different backup apps including Ghost.
 
Stan wrote:

Thank you everyone for your responses to my question. Just the info I
have needed.

Stan
I'm using Windows XL SP2. I would like to buy an external drive with
large capacity and use it to back up Windows, other programs, and data
(including lots of photos).

Is there a document that discusses simple ways to do this? Or perhaps, a
program that I can use to do it?

Thanks
Stan
Click to expand...


--
PLEASE READ......................................

I'm using SeaMonkey, a suite in the style of Netscape and Mozilla.
Have you tried it?

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/
 
OK, Ok, Point well taken Dude. I guess the best approach is to back-up
to a external hard drive and burn valueable files to CD/DVD. My sister
says you got some wild imagination.
 
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