Best way to back up?

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V_R

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Hello,
Sorry if i posted this in the wrong place but i wasn't sure.
Just wondered really, how do you guys do your back ups? I've been doing the cd thing but want to make it easier for myself. Have been doing some reading up on it but cant seem to get the info i would like. The options i have seen are cd/dvds, external hard drives, and intermal hard drives.
It would be cool if it would just do it for me then i dont have to worry about it!
Correct me if i am wrong, but so far the best way i can see is to get another hard drive and either mirror it or put the back up file onto that.
What do you all think?
Cheers!
 
I personally dont keep full system backups. However I do make regular (weekly/fortnightly) backups of my important docs to a spare hard drive - my important docs are My Documents, e-mails and Firefox Bookmarks.

Like Mucks says we all have our own methods that work for us.

The mirroring option you mentioned works well from what i have heard, and is easily achieved through a RAID 1 (i think) cofiguration.
 
I personally use a mobile Hard Drive which comse in really handy and ready to be used on any system I want. You may check out this link to my article Backup Solutions for the way I do it:)
 
Acronis True Image V8.0, complete system backup to a seperate internal hard drive.

Data to DVD.

Thinking of getting an external Hard Drive, Icy Box Firewire enclosure and 250Gb hard disk, for backup.
 
1. got myself another harddrive and every so often will put my data onto that drive and put it away in a safe place.

2. also use DVDR's burn my data on there and label them

what really annoys me abt these two is that i can never fully get right which files i have backed up and which i have not, that is frustrating sometimes!
 
Hey,

I just have a folder on my hard drive which has all my important files in it. Every so often, but not as often as i should, i just write the contents of that folder onto CD and then stick it in a drawer with the date on it.

Dont see the point in doing a full image, programmes are easily replaced, personal files are not.

Bodhi.
 
bodhi said:
Dont see the point in doing a full image
Click to expand...

Ever figured how long it takes to do a full install?

Let's see, off the top of my head...

Boot from Windows XP slipstreamed with SP2
Hit F6 during install to load RAID drivers from floppy
Format disk within install
Finish install
Load all Motherboard drivers - chipset, LAN, audio & Hardware Monitor
Load Antivir & update
Load AdAware 1.05 and update
Update with all Microsoft critical updates
Load latest video drivers
Configure video settings
Tailor windows XP to personal preferences
Load WinDVD5.0
Load Nero and update with latest patches
Load Microsoft Office 2003, five disks
Apply Office 2003 SP1 and check for any updates
Load Adobe Photoshop Seven
Load Dreamweaver/Fireworks 4.0
Load Grabbit (screen capture)
Load Adobe Reader
Load Camera drivers/software
Load Scanner drivers/software
Load Printer drivers/software
Set up Network
Update Windows Media player to V10.0
Load WS_FTP V9.0 and configure
Configure e-mail settings in Outlook, including gmail
Load Acronis True Image V8.0
Load Diskeeper
Load dbPower Amp & Aux module
Load Mouse Drivers
Load Keyboard drivers
Load and Configure Mailwasher
Load MRU Blaster
Load XP Anti Spy & Configure
Load Win MX
Load Partition Magic V8.0
Download and Install Quick Time
Load Sandra Sisoft 2004
Load Ultimate Zip
Load Joypad drivers
Load Joystick Drivers
Load DFI Radar Sync
Load UD Cancer Research Program
Load RS Electronic Catalogue

Right, now let's start on the games, including patches and saved games...

And you still don't think it's worth doing a complete system backup?
 
Quadophile said:
Looks like Flops is in real good mood today :D
Click to expand...

Hehe, no, it's OK, I is cool :cool:

It's just that it really does take the equivalent of a full day - or more - to get everything back as it was.

Another thing, since I've been using XP I've never done a reinstall unless I've had a major hardware change, like hard disks or a motherboard.

XP, to me, has been stable, I've honestly had no real problems with it.
 
floppybootstomp said:
Hehe, no, it's OK, I is cool :cool:

It's just that it really does take the equivalent of a full day - or more - to get everything back as it was.

Another thing, since I've been using XP I've never done a reinstall unless I've had a major hardware change, like hard disks or a motherboard.

XP, to me, has been stable, I've honestly had no real problems with it.
Click to expand...


Neither have i. So there is not much chance that you will have to reinstall everything is there. Hence, backing up your personal data is the most important thing. And personal files are really the only valuable thing on a computer, unless you count time as valualbe, which you obviously do!! Better rush out and buy yourself a 400Gb hard drive to do an image of all that stuff you have there.

Good points to having to reinstall anyway, get rid of all the crap that is lying about. The sledgehammer approach to maintenance.

Bodhi.
 
bodhi said:
So there is not much chance that you will have to reinstall everything is there.
Click to expand...

Well, if we talking about backup, surely we considering something like a hard disk going down, where you'd have to reinstall everything. So yes, although personal files are the most important, it's still a helluva lot quicker to reinstall a recent backup than to reinstall everything.

Hence, backing up your personal data is the most important thing. And personal files are really the only valuable thing on a computer, unless you count time as valualbe, which you obviously do!!
Click to expand...

I do, oh yes I do.

And I back up all my work stuff almost daily. A CD costs around 40p at most. Work stuff is priceless. I even have entire mp3 collection backed up to about 5 DVD's. I don't like losing stuff ;)

Better rush out and buy yourself a 400Gb hard drive to do an image of all that stuff you have there.
Click to expand...

Why? All that stuff, plus about ten or twelve games, is installed on 2 x 35Gb Raptors = 70Gb. And as of now, I still have 28Gb free. All mp3's. photos and work stuff are stored on 2 x 80Gb IDE drives.

And Acronis True Image compresses Data, my current backup file for whole system is 42Gb, uncompressed. This would come down to around 30Gb using standard compression. I have a 45Gb partition on one of my 80Gb drives put aside for it.

Good points to having to reinstall anyway, get rid of all the crap that is lying about. The sledgehammer approach to maintenance.

Bodhi.
Click to expand...

I don't need a sledgehammer. I just practice good housekeeping. Current OS was installed around October, I think, or whenever I last changed motherboard from Gigabyte to DFI.

I really don't subscribe to wiping the disk to clean it, if you take care, make some informed decisions and installations of software, there's no need.

It really doesn't take much - all I use is hardware firewall (router) Antivir and AdAwareSE. That's it. And constantly searching around and cleaning out crap I don't need. Part of that includes using RegCleaner. And installing all latest Microsoft Critical updates, that helps.

Sitting in front of computer, reinstalling, searching for and constantly installing/updating/patching stuff is not my idea of fun.

Having said all that, I must admit a fresh install of any OS is a good feeling - everything all sparkling bright, untainted and clean. But if you have just a little basic knowledge, it can feel like that all the time.
 
Perfection to the last detail ... Nice one FBS

:thumb:
 
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