H
Happy
Anyone have any thoughts about what the best method for back up is in XP?
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K
Ken Blake
In
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. I alternate between the two,
and use Drive Image to make a complete copy of the primary drive.
Happy said:Anyone have any thoughts about what the best method for back up
is in
XP?
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. I alternate between the two,
and use Drive Image to make a complete copy of the primary drive.
G
Guest
I have been trying to use the backup utillity in windows xp pro. I can run a
backup fine, but if I try to schedule them in the future I get an error that
states I dont have permission to do so. I am an administrator, it is my home
PC and I have no problems with any other permissions. It does ask for a
password when I try to save the backup schedule and since I dont have a
password I just entet my user name and click ok. Then I get the error, but
the backup job appears on the little calendar but never runs.
Any suggestions?
backup fine, but if I try to schedule them in the future I get an error that
states I dont have permission to do so. I am an administrator, it is my home
PC and I have no problems with any other permissions. It does ask for a
password when I try to save the backup schedule and since I dont have a
password I just entet my user name and click ok. Then I get the error, but
the backup job appears on the little calendar but never runs.
Any suggestions?
M
Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)
Scheduler will not work on a system with a null password. You need to have
the user ID from which you run scheduler to be password protected.
the user ID from which you run scheduler to be password protected.
H
Happy
What would seem to work best for me is backup to CD, probably weekly or
every two weeks, but I can't seem to get the XP Pro backup to write to CD.
(I guess it doesn't). Is there another alternative?
I like your thoughts about "what you can't afford to lose". I use Belarc
Advisor to give me a good map of what I have, and print it off whenever I
make a change. I will now go through it carefully, inspect it a bit better.
every two weeks, but I can't seem to get the XP Pro backup to write to CD.
(I guess it doesn't). Is there another alternative?
I like your thoughts about "what you can't afford to lose". I use Belarc
Advisor to give me a good map of what I have, and print it off whenever I
make a change. I will now go through it carefully, inspect it a bit better.
C
Colin Barnhorst
I use Retrospect 6.5 (Dantz) and also recommend BackUpMyPC (Stomp). I
schedule incremental backups to an external usb 2.0 hard drive. I back up
the C: drive. The XP provided Backup program is a limited version of
BackUpMyPC (very limited).
It is not useful to back up essential files to a folder on your C: drive
since a loss of the C: drive would mean the loss of the backup too.
Creating a partition on the same drive as your system has the same
disadvantage. Backing up to another internal hard drive is almost as bad an
idea.
The best idea is to back up to an external drive. DVD backups are excellent
also.
CD backups are out of fashion with most users because it takes a LOT of CD's
to make back ups on most of today's systems.
schedule incremental backups to an external usb 2.0 hard drive. I back up
the C: drive. The XP provided Backup program is a limited version of
BackUpMyPC (very limited).
It is not useful to back up essential files to a folder on your C: drive
since a loss of the C: drive would mean the loss of the backup too.
Creating a partition on the same drive as your system has the same
disadvantage. Backing up to another internal hard drive is almost as bad an
idea.
The best idea is to back up to an external drive. DVD backups are excellent
also.
CD backups are out of fashion with most users because it takes a LOT of CD's
to make back ups on most of today's systems.
M
Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)
The XP backup applet cannot backup directly to CD unless third party packet
writing software such as Easy Media Creator's Drag to Disk or Nero's InCD is
installed.
You can backup directly to your hard drive and then copy the file to CD.
What you can't afford to lose are files you create yourself. Your data,
photos, music, anything that can't be replaced. If you have disks for your
applications, you don't need to back those up or to save time, you could
create an image of your system using imaging software such as an XP
Compatible version of Norton Ghost and supplement that with backups. The
image would eliminate the need for having to reinstall the OS and all your
applications while your backup would protect YOUR files, the ones you
create, the ones that cannot be replaced. Only you can make that judgment.
writing software such as Easy Media Creator's Drag to Disk or Nero's InCD is
installed.
You can backup directly to your hard drive and then copy the file to CD.
What you can't afford to lose are files you create yourself. Your data,
photos, music, anything that can't be replaced. If you have disks for your
applications, you don't need to back those up or to save time, you could
create an image of your system using imaging software such as an XP
Compatible version of Norton Ghost and supplement that with backups. The
image would eliminate the need for having to reinstall the OS and all your
applications while your backup would protect YOUR files, the ones you
create, the ones that cannot be replaced. Only you can make that judgment.
G
Guest
Colin said:I use Retrospect 6.5 (Dantz) and also recommend BackUpMyPC (Stomp). I
schedule incremental backups to an external usb 2.0 hard drive...
I've never understood using an external hard drive for backup like this.
I figure there are basically three ways I'm going to lose my data -
technology failure, house burns down or a burglar steals my electronics.
The single hard drive backup doesn't seem to do anything to protect
against two of the three possibilities.
My preferred approach is many levels of DVD backups that I rotate
through -- some of which are kept away from the house.
Your optimal backup approach of course depends on your personal level of
paranoia and how much you have to lose if your data departs. I've got
lots of paranoia! <g>
Bill
C
Colin Barnhorst
It is because the external hard drive is easy to set up for an unattended
backup (and then can be moved to another location if security (physical
access) is a concern).
I also use dvd backups, which I rotate to my daughter's house weekly, for
offsite security against a catastrophic event. The external hard drive
backup is protection against a software failure. This would be an important
step for a home or small office business (which I don't have but have
learned from).
backup (and then can be moved to another location if security (physical
access) is a concern).
I also use dvd backups, which I rotate to my daughter's house weekly, for
offsite security against a catastrophic event. The external hard drive
backup is protection against a software failure. This would be an important
step for a home or small office business (which I don't have but have
learned from).