Shenan said:
A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup their
system so that they would not have to go through the trouble of a
reinstall.. I'm going to voice my opinion here and say that it
would be worthless to do for MOST people. Unless you plan on
periodically updating the image backup of your system (remaking
it) - then by the time you use it (something goes wrong) - it will
be so outdated as to be more trouble than performing a full
install of the operating system and all applications.
I agree with what you say, except that I don't understand why you
seemingly suggest that someone would *not* periodically recreate
the image. Just as with any other backup regimen, if you don't do
it regularly, it becomes less and less valuable as time goes on,
and eventually becomes worthless.
There are many possible backup schemes, but I think one of the
*best* for most people is doing exactly what you recommend
against--but ensuring that you do it regularly. My personal backup
scheme uses two identical removable hard drives. I alternate
between the two, and use Acronis True Image to make a complete copy
of the primary drive.
I say it the way I do from experience with people.
In order to do an exact image of your system - well - that takes time.
That is not something easily scheduled to be done automatically for you.
People can get into backups now because it does not take attention, it
probably doesn't even take time away from their computer.
I agree - 100% - the most effective backup would be a image backup
periodically done and supplemented with data backups done more frequently.
In this way - a restore is simply restoring the last image and then
restoring the last good backup of data. Wonderful.
The problem is not the method - the problem is the nature of people and the
commonness of treating your computer like a toaster. The only reason I
recommend against it is that - in my experience - people will not take the
time to do it properly.
They'll image it - sure. A select few might do it for a week or two - maybe
a month. But then the majority of people doing it will fall off - thinking
this takes too much time. Some will fall off and not even know it and then
when something does happen and they think to themselves... "That's okay - I
made an image of it!" and they apply the image they made 8 months before or
last February... Where's all their stuff? Where's that $400 copy of Adobe
Photoshop they installed?
My dislike for the method has NOTHING to do with the method and everything
to do with experienced human nature. I agree - it is the best method
available when done periodically and combined with a proper scheduled data
backup to (more frequent...) I do this myself - not so much as I used to
with servers - as backup software has improved to bare-metal restores and
the likes - but I still do it with my own workstations and for those I
directly support.
If I could find a happy medium - where one could do a image backup and
combine that with a files backup and the human factor would - IMHO - not
throw a wrench in the works - I would begin recommending it - but that last
part is the one that has me still scratching my head. I'll listen to advice
about new products that can take full images of a system on a schedule -
reliably - if anyone can give it... But so far - my testing hasn't proven
any of them capable of such a feat... I can (and expect to) be proven wrong
at some point. If it is now - so be it. =) That's better for everyone.
