Best app for backups

  • Thread starter Thread starter AliceW
  • Start date Start date
A

AliceW

This may sound like a basic question, but what is the best way to backup my
computer? I have Win XP-Pro running on a PC with an 80GB hard drive. When
I was moving to this PC from an older IBM Aptiva, I used a program called
"Backup Now!" to back up my hard drive in the hopes of restoring it to the
new PC. I purchased it specifically for that purpose, thinking I was doing
a good thing. The back-up used 18 CDs. When I attempted to do the restore
on the new machine, I kept freezing mid-way through the restore. Apparently
the 18 CDs overwhelmed the ram on the new machine. Never did figure it out
and never did complete the restore.

But, I still want to get my new machine backed up. I want to make sure I do
it correctly and with the ability of being able to restore if necessary.
Hoping I won't ever need to, but one never knows. TIA
 
You don't mention "how" you restored specifically, but if it was from within
windows, and your restore was -everything- from the old machine, the reason
for the freezes was most likely that the Restore was over-writing files that
Windows was using.
You don't mention what os you had on the old machine, but if it was not
XP then certainly there were problems with files in use being overwritten by
non-compatible files.
You were also restoring drivers and all kinds of things that were for the
old machine but not for the new machine.
For this kind of backup/restore the ONLY things that you can transfer are
data and non-windows programs. In particular, you did NOT want to Restore
the Registry files from the old machine into the new one, even if the os's
were identical; too many other things weren't.

Hope this helps. It's not a solution, but maybe knowing what went wrong
will help you get it right. The backup/restore you did was probably working
fine and it's almost certain it didn't tax you RAM to any excessive point.
RAM doesn't get "overwhelmed"; when RAM is full, it has ways to control that
situation. As long as you have a minimum of 128M RAM you're fine. I know
you don't have less than that or you would still be waiting for the Restore
to complete ;-), but the results would still be the same.
There are lots more reasons it won't work, but you probably feel like I'm
flaming you alreadyk, which I am not. I am only trying to clairfy why what
you want to do cannot be done just that way.

What you really want to do is to Restore all the files EXCEPT the ones in
the Windows and Program Files folders, and the root folder (directory),
which is c:\.
That way you get everything but the files that windows might be using.
Then you have to install all your applications again. You cannot just
move them from one machine to another for technical and valid reasons.
Unfortunately, it just ain't like the good old days of DOS and CP/M.

Luck!

Pop
 
Sorry, I should have been more specific. I was using Win98SE on the old
machine. The new machine has WinXP-Pro. I was trying to do a selective
restore so that only non-os files would be restored. I was not restoring
any registry or operating system files.

--
Alice in NJ, Royal Cybrarian
www.ourcyberfamily.us
"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at
once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
Anonymous




: You don't mention "how" you restored specifically, but if it was from
within
: windows, and your restore was -everything- from the old machine, the
reason
: for the freezes was most likely that the Restore was over-writing files
that
: Windows was using.
: You don't mention what os you had on the old machine, but if it was not
: XP then certainly there were problems with files in use being overwritten
by
: non-compatible files.
: You were also restoring drivers and all kinds of things that were for
the
: old machine but not for the new machine.
: For this kind of backup/restore the ONLY things that you can transfer
are
: data and non-windows programs. In particular, you did NOT want to Restore
: the Registry files from the old machine into the new one, even if the os's
: were identical; too many other things weren't.
:
: Hope this helps. It's not a solution, but maybe knowing what went wrong
: will help you get it right. The backup/restore you did was probably
working
: fine and it's almost certain it didn't tax you RAM to any excessive point.
: RAM doesn't get "overwhelmed"; when RAM is full, it has ways to control
that
: situation. As long as you have a minimum of 128M RAM you're fine. I know
: you don't have less than that or you would still be waiting for the
Restore
: to complete ;-), but the results would still be the same.
: There are lots more reasons it won't work, but you probably feel like
I'm
: flaming you alreadyk, which I am not. I am only trying to clairfy why
what
: you want to do cannot be done just that way.
:
: What you really want to do is to Restore all the files EXCEPT the ones in
: the Windows and Program Files folders, and the root folder (directory),
: which is c:\.
: That way you get everything but the files that windows might be using.
: Then you have to install all your applications again. You cannot just
: move them from one machine to another for technical and valid reasons.
: Unfortunately, it just ain't like the good old days of DOS and CP/M.
:
: Luck!
:
: Pop
:
:
:
: : > This may sound like a basic question, but what is the best way to backup
: my
: > computer? I have Win XP-Pro running on a PC with an 80GB hard drive.
: When
: > I was moving to this PC from an older IBM Aptiva, I used a program
called
: > "Backup Now!" to back up my hard drive in the hopes of restoring it to
the
: > new PC. I purchased it specifically for that purpose, thinking I was
: doing
: > a good thing. The back-up used 18 CDs. When I attempted to do the
restore
: > on the new machine, I kept freezing mid-way through the restore.
: Apparently
: > the 18 CDs overwhelmed the ram on the new machine. Never did figure it
: out
: > and never did complete the restore.
: >
: > But, I still want to get my new machine backed up. I want to make sure
I
: do
: > it correctly and with the ability of being able to restore if necessary.
: > Hoping I won't ever need to, but one never knows. TIA
: >
: >
: > --
: > Alice in NJ
: > "Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at
: > once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
: > Anonymous
: >
: >
: >
: >
: >
:
:
 
AliceW said:
This may sound like a basic question, but what is the best way to backup my
computer? I have Win XP-Pro running on a PC with an 80GB hard drive.
Click to expand...
--
Alice in NJ
"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at
once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
Anonymous
Click to expand...

Personally I like and use BackUP MyPC from Stomp. Last I looked a 30 day
trial was available.

www.stompinc.com

You might also want to take a look here.

http://www.langa.com/backups/backups.htm

Fred has a pretty good backup strategy.

--
D

I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
I was just trying to help.
Please use your own best judgment before implementing any suggestions or
advice herein.
No warranty is expressed or implied.
Your mileage may vary.
See store for details. :)

Remove shoes to E-mail.
 
AliceW said:
This may sound like a basic question, but what is the best way to backup my
computer? I have Win XP-Pro running on a PC with an 80GB hard drive. When
I was moving to this PC from an older IBM Aptiva, I used a program called
"Backup Now!" to back up my hard drive in the hopes of restoring it to the
new PC. I purchased it specifically for that purpose, thinking I was doing
a good thing. The back-up used 18 CDs. When I attempted to do the restore
on the new machine, I kept freezing mid-way through the restore. Apparently
the 18 CDs overwhelmed the ram on the new machine. Never did figure it out
and never did complete the restore.

But, I still want to get my new machine backed up. I want to make sure I do
it correctly and with the ability of being able to restore if necessary.
Hoping I won't ever need to, but one never knows. TIA


--
Alice in NJ
"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at
once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
Anonymous
Click to expand...



I will describe the method I use for backup. It is a complete no-brainer. I
have scheduled it to run every day and it does this in the background with
no user intervention. There is a small loss of performance while the backup
is running so I have this run at lunchtime.

I use PowerQuest Drive image 7. Images are written to a second hard drive
that is installed as a slave drive in my computer. When this drive is full
the oldest images are automatically overwritten with the current ones. The
images are of everything on the master drive,the windows installation,
programs, setting and data. So in the worst case of total failure of the
Main Drive this can be replaced with a new one and be up and running with no
problems within an hour. This does not include the time for the trip to the
computer store!

There are other advantages in having two hard drives in your computer. If
the page file is set up in a separate partition on the second drive
everything runs just that bit faster and defragging becomes a very much less
frequent requirement.

To be even more fireproof I have an external USB hard drive which also
stores complete images of the total system. This however I only update once
a week or to be honest when I remember to do it !

So there is the cost of the second hard drive and the third party software.
The benefit is the peace of mind that ensues.
 
Thanks for the advice. As for the expense - well worth it! Anyone who
thinks differently will quickly change their mind after their first crash
and burn without a backup.

I was toying with the idea of installing a second hard drive, so this may be
a good time to do that.

Thanks!
--
Alice in NJ
"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at
once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
Anonymous




:
: : > This may sound like a basic question, but what is the best way to backup
: my
: > computer? I have Win XP-Pro running on a PC with an 80GB hard drive.
: When
: > I was moving to this PC from an older IBM Aptiva, I used a program
called
: > "Backup Now!" to back up my hard drive in the hopes of restoring it to
the
: > new PC. I purchased it specifically for that purpose, thinking I was
: doing
: > a good thing. The back-up used 18 CDs. When I attempted to do the
restore
: > on the new machine, I kept freezing mid-way through the restore.
: Apparently
: > the 18 CDs overwhelmed the ram on the new machine. Never did figure it
: out
: > and never did complete the restore.
: >
: > But, I still want to get my new machine backed up. I want to make sure
I
: do
: > it correctly and with the ability of being able to restore if necessary.
: > Hoping I won't ever need to, but one never knows. TIA
: >
: >
: > --
: > Alice in NJ
: > "Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at
: > once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
: > Anonymous
: >
:
:
:
: I will describe the method I use for backup. It is a complete no-brainer.
I
: have scheduled it to run every day and it does this in the background with
: no user intervention. There is a small loss of performance while the
backup
: is running so I have this run at lunchtime.
:
: I use PowerQuest Drive image 7. Images are written to a second hard drive
: that is installed as a slave drive in my computer. When this drive is full
: the oldest images are automatically overwritten with the current ones. The
: images are of everything on the master drive,the windows installation,
: programs, setting and data. So in the worst case of total failure of the
: Main Drive this can be replaced with a new one and be up and running with
no
: problems within an hour. This does not include the time for the trip to
the
: computer store!
:
: There are other advantages in having two hard drives in your computer. If
: the page file is set up in a separate partition on the second drive
: everything runs just that bit faster and defragging becomes a very much
less
: frequent requirement.
:
: To be even more fireproof I have an external USB hard drive which also
: stores complete images of the total system. This however I only update
once
: a week or to be honest when I remember to do it !
:
: So there is the cost of the second hard drive and the third party
software.
: The benefit is the peace of mind that ensues.
:
:
 
I use PowerQuest Drive image 7. Images are written to a second hard drive
that is installed as a slave drive in my computer.
Click to expand...

I do exactly the same except to an external USB 2.0 drive. I highly
recommend this approach because:

a) DI can be scheduled to run unattended. I set it up to backup every night
and twice on Sunday (eg 7 Nightly and one weekly backup)

b) It can be configured to keep only a certain number of backups (eg the
last 7 nightly and the last 4 weekly) so your HD never fills up.

c) It can be configured to split each backup image into 600MByte chunks so
that if you really have to you can move them around on CD or DVD.

d) It can be configured to send you an email when it's done. You never have
to check a log file or browse the HD to see if the backup failed.


Once it's set up all you have to do is copy the occasional backup to CD/DVD.

I recommend an external drive with it's own power supply rather than a slave
drive because it's not unknown for a power supply failure to total an entire
PC (Mobo, CPU, memory, all internal drives etc)

Colin
 
In
AliceW said:
Thanks for the advice. As for the expense - well worth it! Anyone
who thinks differently will quickly change their mind after their
first crash and burn without a backup.

I was toying with the idea of installing a second hard drive, so this
may be a good time to do that.
Click to expand...


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, 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.
 
....
I recommend an external drive with it's own power supply rather than a slave
drive because it's not unknown for a power supply failure to total an entire
PC (Mobo, CPU, memory, all internal drives etc)

Colin
Click to expand...

Really? I"ve been in the business since the 70's with our first machine
being an IMSI 8080 with 9 inch floppies that stored a whopping 90k of data
on a single-sided hard-sectored floppy. . I have never, to date, seen such
damage to a computer, although I do agree it's entirely possible should you
receive a direct lighting hit, in which case having resorable data could be
the one fuss you don't have to contend with in such a situation that it
keeps you from going over the edge! ;-) Lots of other things are goingto
be blown up too in that case!

I fail to see however, how a computer power supply failure, assuming it's a
legit and safety-marked product as required by local regulations,
(UL/CSA/CE, etc) could take out "(Mobo, CPU, memory, all internal drives
etc)".
How many times have you seen this happen, and under what conditions?
Even Repair Departments don't see that sort of failure in all the
catastrophic failure possibilities that exist, unless it was a direct
lightning strike, in which case the pc's a one of many dead products. .

Just curious

Pop
 
Pop Rivet said:
...


Really? I"ve been in the business since the 70's with our first machine
being an IMSI 8080 with 9 inch floppies that stored a whopping 90k of data
on a single-sided hard-sectored floppy. . I have never, to date, seen such
damage to a computer, although I do agree it's entirely possible should you
receive a direct lighting hit, in which case having resorable data could be
the one fuss you don't have to contend with in such a situation that it
keeps you from going over the edge! ;-) Lots of other things are goingto
be blown up too in that case!

I fail to see however, how a computer power supply failure, assuming it's a
legit and safety-marked product as required by local regulations,
(UL/CSA/CE, etc) could take out "(Mobo, CPU, memory, all internal drives
etc)".
How many times have you seen this happen, and under what conditions?
Even Repair Departments don't see that sort of failure in all the
catastrophic failure possibilities that exist, unless it was a direct
lightning strike, in which case the pc's a one of many dead products. .

Just curious

Pop
Click to expand...
Now don't knock it . Backups are a very personal thing . I just go for an
easy option that is secure enough for me.
One method that has not been mentioned so far is backup over a network which
I understand is handled well with Drive image 7. I must look into it as it
would seem a simple task to back up computer A to Computer B and vice versa.

Richard.
 
Pop Rivet said:
...


Really? I"ve been in the business since the 70's with our first machine
being an IMSI 8080 with 9 inch floppies that stored a whopping 90k of data
on a single-sided hard-sectored floppy. . I have never, to date, seen such
damage to a computer, although I do agree it's entirely possible should you
receive a direct lighting hit, in which case having resorable data could be
the one fuss you don't have to contend with in such a situation that it
keeps you from going over the edge! ;-) Lots of other things are goingto
be blown up too in that case!

I fail to see however, how a computer power supply failure, assuming it's a
legit and safety-marked product as required by local regulations,
(UL/CSA/CE, etc) could take out "(Mobo, CPU, memory, all internal drives
etc)".
How many times have you seen this happen, and under what conditions?
Even Repair Departments don't see that sort of failure in all the
catastrophic failure possibilities that exist, unless it was a direct
lightning strike, in which case the pc's a one of many dead products. .

Just curious

Pop
Click to expand...


I completely agree with Colin.

Nothing wrong with an internal backup device but having the *only* backup of
mission critical data inside and electrically connected to the same computer
as the working copy is asking (begging?) for trouble. Any event capable of
destroying data on one drive is capable of destroying both. Nasa doesn't
spend all that money on triple redundancy for nothing. (and still Apollo 13
had it's troubles) Things that can't, shouldn't, and probably won't happen,
happen all the time. Been in the business since the seventies and haven't
met Murphy yet? <g> Not to mention fire, theft, flood, etc...

Confucius say IT guy that hook two drive to same wire, then tell big
corporation payroll, billing, customer base, and tax record okey dokey soon
look for new line of work.

Like Colin said. It shouldn't even be in the same building


--
D

I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
I was just trying to help.
Please use your own best judgment before implementing any suggestions or
advice herein.
No warranty is expressed or implied.
Your mileage may vary.
See store for details. :)

Remove shoes to E-mail.
 
In
HillBillyBuddhist said:
Nothing wrong with an internal backup device but having the *only*
backup of mission critical data inside and electrically connected to
the same computer as the working copy is asking (begging?) for
trouble. Any event capable of destroying data on one drive is capable
of destroying both.
Click to expand...


Not to mention that theft of the computer takes both the original
and backup away at once.

Here's my standard blurb on backup to a second hard drive: 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.
 
Well, I just invested in a 120GB external hard drive. I will start with
this. I do save copies of my family digital photos and such on CDs which
are stored off site. I manage several websites and use my PC for staging
them before I publish them to the hosting server. Even if I lost those, I
can download them again from the hosting server. The digital photos are
more precious since I don't have negatives and some are of family members no
longer with us. So, I think, in my case, the external back up drive should
be ok. But you have all given me plenty to think about and I thank you all
for your suggestions.
--
Alice in NJ
"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at
once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
Anonymous




: In : AliceW <[email protected]> typed:
:
: > Thanks for the advice. As for the expense - well worth it!
: Anyone
: > who thinks differently will quickly change their mind after
: their
: > first crash and burn without a backup.
: >
: > I was toying with the idea of installing a second hard drive,
: so this
: > may be a good time to do that.
:
:
: 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, 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.
:
: --
: Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
: Please reply to the newsgroup
:
:
 
How many times have you seen this happen, and under what conditions?
Click to expand...

OK I admit it I've only seen it once. The PSU appeared to be putting out
12V on the 5V rails. I would have expected over voltage protection to
prevent this so the fault must have been somewhat strange but we didn't
investigate.

Colin
 
Once would be enough for me!

--
Alice in NJ
"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at
once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working."
Anonymous




:
: :
: > How many times have you seen this happen, and under what conditions?
:
: OK I admit it I've only seen it once. The PSU appeared to be putting out
: 12V on the 5V rails. I would have expected over voltage protection to
: prevent this so the fault must have been somewhat strange but we didn't
: investigate.
:
: Colin
:
:
 
I've been in the business longer than that. And I had it happen to me on my PC
about 5 years ago. The power supply burned out, surged, and fried everything but
the external modem i.e. motherboard, CPU, CD-ROM, hard drives, memory, fans,
printer--everything. I had to completely replace and reassemble.
 
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