got advice for backing up data?

[Jude Iam]

i'm wanting to back up everything that's on my computer and wondered if anyone had recommendations.
so far, i got that one buys an exernal drive (circuit city? or?) and with software, either bundled or separate, follow the directions and oila - done!
comments? please!
thanks,
judith

[Barry]

I have to say I also need some backup advice! (Don't fear, WaccoBB.net is backed up at the server)

So what software are you using to backup and how do you like it? Do you know if it handles "open files" and any other special cases?

Thanks!

[Tars]

I have to say I also need some backup advice! (Don't fear, WaccoBB.net is backed up at the server)

So what software are you using to backup and how do you like it? Do you know if it handles "open files" and any other special cases?

I use Nero Burning ROM to back up my data directories. I'm old-fashioned I know (consarned new-fangled gadgets!) so I still backup to CD's. Nero will burn to DVD's if you have HUGE amounts of data. I also use a mirror hard drive, which I periodically re-copy from the main hard drive. Even at hard drive speeds it's a time consuming project, so you may want to start that one before going to bed. Don't forget to make the mirror hard drive a "system" disk. I've never seen that this process has any problem copying open files. format the mirror disk as a system disk, then (In WinXP) use Explorer to drag everything on the main to the mirror. I use an internal drive for the mirror, as "external drives" through a USB port are really sllloooowww....

For day-to-day data, I set the data directories for various programs (Word, Excel, QuickBooks, Dreamweaver, etc.) under my "Data" business directory. Then I just drag that directory into Nero's burn window when I remember to...

I'm having to set up a new directory tree for images though - with the easy access to digital cameras anymore, our clients are bombarding me with images! Very typical for them to give me 6 or 700mbs of images!

I have seen "hard drive mirroring" software available on the web. Burns hard drive data to multiple CD's or DVD's. Don't use it myself, but if there's interest in it here, I'll post the URL next time I come across it.

If someone has an easier way of doing it than that, I'd be glad to find out about it.

[fogdart]

depending on how much 'stuff' you find irreplace-able it is reasonably inexpensive to pick up an 'external usb 2' case, often under $20 on auction sites, then off to the Computer Recycling Center on Saturday from 10-2p, I believe, where 20 and 40 Gig drives are also under $20 and Viola! you have a place to put your stuff for under $40..(do atm's still vend 20s?).

i'm wanting to back up everything that's on my computer and wondered if anyone had recommendations.
so far, i got that one buys an exernal drive (circuit city? or?) and with software, either bundled or separate, follow the directions and oila - done!
comments? please!
thanks,
judith

[neil dunaetz]

Hey Judith, Two years ago I bought a Maxtor external hard drive through New Egg (online) which came bundled with Retrospect Express software. I've set it up to backup my whole system once a day, which it does. I've never had to use it to recover anything, but when I check, it shows that I have all these back-up points to use if I need them--so I trust it. It is totally effortless.

One disadvantage I've read about (in addition to high up-front cost) is that external hard drives are susceptible to virus attack. If you have an infected file on your internal hard drive, backing it up can screw-up the external drive as well. On the other hand, if your internal drive goes down for some other reason, it should not damage the data on your external drive. Or so I understand.

I use a well-rated, full-spectrum security suite, set for automatic updates, in hopes of not becoming infected in the first place. And I'm careful about what I click on, because patches and updates often lag behind the threats they are meant to defend against. --Neil

i'm wanting to back up everything that's on my computer and wondered if anyone had recommendations.
so far, i got that one buys an exernal drive (circuit city? or?) and with software, either bundled or separate, follow the directions and oila - done!
comments? please!
thanks,
judith

[Carl]

i'm wanting to back up everything that's on my computer and wondered if anyone had recommendations.
so far, i got that one buys an exernal drive (circuit city? or?) and with software, either bundled or separate, follow the directions and oila - done!
comments? please!
thanks,
judith

If you are a Mac user, which I am, a firewire external drive makes sense. It is by many accounts faster than USB and it is possible to boot from the external drive if need be. And so, I also use my "SuperDuper" free (or purchased upgrade) software for creating a bootable mirror copy of my hard-drive. This can take about two hours for my 80 GB powerbook to complete a copy to my Newer Technology Firewire Ext. Hard-Drive (HD). I have made three partitions on this 240 MB Drive. So I can use two of the partitions for alternating backups and the third for other storage. I backup once a week. There are many back-up software solutions being offered now. And most hard-drive packages come with their own "proprietary blend" which you may totally ignore, if you choose.

I also use a different second HD for a similar purpose. All Hard Drives do fail and they can fail without warning more often than you think. When you shop for it, remember to ask for a three year warranty if you are concerned about longevity, as I am. Warranties are something most of the HD companies do not advertise. None of the companies want you to know that the life span of our storage media including HardDrives and CD's and DVD's is not very long! I think the SeaGate drives have a good reputation, but all HD's fail at some point. Try calling a reputable online computer company like Other World Computer or NewEgg after checking out their websites. Be sure to ask about warranty and explain exactly what you need. Or you can go to CompUsa or Circuit City. CompUsa may be more nerdy but they also are more tech oriented and actually stock the parts people use to build their own drives.

You have to stay current and aware, just like in life. And continual renewal is the name of the game.

Carl.

[paulhenrys]

i'm wanting to back up everything that's on my computer and wondered if anyone had recommendations.
so far, i got that one buys an exernal drive (circuit city? or?) and with software, either bundled or separate, follow the directions and oila - done!
comments? please!
thanks,
judith

Good backup:
1. Copy only what you can't lose or can't reinstall. Backing up your entire hard drive is a waste, unless your Window or Mac system is illegal and has no disks to restore the system software your computer came with.
2. Make 2 copies and store one offsite. Make one copy to an external drive you keep at home, then burn 2nd copy to DVD or CD.
3. Backup as often as you add anything you can't lose. If this is daily, backup daily. (Yes, it's a pain).
4. Periodically do a test restore of one of your backups. Nothing will ruin your day after a data loss than to find out the backup you need isn't actually there.

Any decent software will do, Roxio or Nero are fine.

Real world. I have so much data to back up that I don't use CD or DVD's. I back up to a couple of large hard drives. I don't keep a backup offsite myself, and I don't do test restores. These are both mistakes and I know it. I'm waiting for Blu-Ray or HD DVD burners and media to come down in price. Then, I swear, I will make offsite backups. I do periodically check the backup hard drives to make sure the backup is there. This is not quite the same as a test restore, but I'm lazy.

Actually, the most important stuff on my computer are my family photos, and those I have archived to CD a few times, so I won't lose much.

Lastly, consider using an online backup service such as https://www.jungledisk.com/ for any really critical stuff. It's offsite by definition, and they will backup the backup. It ain't free, but it's a pretty good deal.

-Paul
Former PC/Mac tech and system administrator

[paulhenrys]

I have to say I also need some backup advice! (Don't fear, WaccoBB.net is backed up at the server)

So what software are you using to backup and how do you like it? Do you know if it handles "open files" and any other special cases?

Thanks!

Mac or PC?

[Juggledude]

So what software are you using to backup and how do you like it? Do you know if it handles "open files" and any other special cases?

Thanks!

I use a cute little program called "Second Copy" it runs in the system tray on my XP machine, and has several profiles set up for different things. For example, I tell it to copy my financial files "every few minutes" which it only does if it notices a change. My phone book "once a day", my family photos "once a week"

I have the profiles set to copy all the files to a "backup" folder on a separate internal drive, and then nightly copy that entire backup folder, as a compressed zip file (of some 10gigs) to another computer on my home network. This gives me triple on site redundancy, which I have had to use recently, thank goodness it worked! Still working on an off site solution, thanks for the jungledisk link, might try that, but the data pirate in me is wary of stashing my booty where those scurvy land lubbers might dig it up.

Another neat-o feature of the second copy software is it's ability to synchronize files between two computers, i.e. if I make an addition to the shared phone book on either machine, it will replace whichever is oldest with the newest. Good program, though it does not handle "open" files, I frequently come back to error messages if I leave my email reader open at night.

Royce

[donallan]

i'm wanting to back up everything that's on my computer and wondered if anyone had recommendations.

I am using a LaCie external hard drive, 160 gig.. It has its own software. Plug it into the computer with a firewire, tell it to do its thing, and it checks for what is new and copies. Takes 5 minutes. Three computers, 15 minutes, hide it in the closet. Weekly. I have narrowly escaped crash catastrophes in the past, no more!

[Barry]

Mac or PC?

I use a PC, but I'm sure there are plenty of Mac users out there that would be interested too!

[paulhenrys]

I use a PC, but I'm sure there are plenty of Mac users out there that would be interested too!

When I worked as a sysadmin for a school district, we used some major package by Veritas software whose name escapes me. Backup Exec? It handled open files, was NOT user friendly, and was, in general, a pain.

At home, I have a Mac network. I took an old Mac that I didn't use and installed two large drived in it, and a free program from LaCie called Silverkeeper. Every week or so I turn it on and it backs up all the Macs in the house. Now, I should burn critical data off to DVD, but I'm too lazy. As I wrote before, I'm waiting for Blu-Ray burners and media to drop in price.

[smithers]

I disagree about backing up the entire drive being a waste, even if you have all the install disks. It is very time-consuming, if you have a lot of apps installed, to reinstall them, set your preferences for each of them, and download and execute all the updates. It is worth backing up your system at least once. You can decided how often after that, but every 6 months (depending on how many other apps you've installed) would be a good idea.

Regarding media, from everything I've read, nothing is reliable. External hard drives at least have some record of reliability. Unfortunately, recordable CDs and DVDs are a bit controversial. Nobody really knows how long they'll retain their data. The pre-recorded CD/DVDs you buy in the store are pressed. Recordable CD/DVDs use dye or some other chemical process which is altered by your burner. They just don't know how long the chemicals/dyes will hold up. Storing your CD/DVDs in a dark place is best.

The best approach is to not rely on one form of media. Of course, the most important thing to back up is your data. Ultimately, you can use your installer discs as mentioned before, but your data is unique and irreplaceable.

John S

Good backup:
1. Copy only what you can't lose or can't reinstall. Backing up your entire hard drive is a waste, unless your Window or Mac system is illegal and has no disks to restore the system software your computer came with.
2. Make 2 copies and store one offsite. Make one copy to an external drive you keep at home, then burn 2nd copy to DVD or CD.
3. Backup as often as you add anything you can't lose. If this is daily, backup daily. (Yes, it's a pain).
4. Periodically do a test restore of one of your backups. Nothing will ruin your day after a data loss than to find out the backup you need isn't actually there.

Any decent software will do, Roxio or Nero are fine.

Real world. I have so much data to back up that I don't use CD or DVD's. I back up to a couple of large hard drives. I don't keep a backup offsite myself, and I don't do test restores. These are both mistakes and I know it. I'm waiting for Blu-Ray or HD DVD burners and media to come down in price. Then, I swear, I will make offsite backups. I do periodically check the backup hard drives to make sure the backup is there. This is not quite the same as a test restore, but I'm lazy.

Actually, the most important stuff on my computer are my family photos, and those I have archived to CD a few times, so I won't lose much.

Lastly, consider using an online backup service such as https://www.jungledisk.com/ for any really critical stuff. It's offsite by definition, and they will backup the backup. It ain't free, but it's a pretty good deal.

-Paul
Former PC/Mac tech and system administrator

[Graton Fire]

Online backups are the safest and most convenient for those with a high-speed connection and $10/month (or more) to spend. They have good security policies and I am not really worried about someone looking at my kids' birthday pictures and they would find my financial info (i.e. lack of money) less than interesting.

Personally, I use a Ximeta drive (www.ximeta.com). It is the only external hard drive on the market that will work with USB AND Ethernet. I strung a piece of ethernet underneath my house to the farthest closest and placed the drive in here. If I ever need to restore files, I can pull them over my network OR plug it in as a USB drive. It uses a proprietory network protocol that is not recognized by the internet (a la hackers). I also have a older external hard drive that I set up weekly and take to work.

The two drives are easily less than $200 total depending on the sizes and can offer excellent redundancy without the on-going online commitment. Watch the Sunday flyers for deals on external hard drives. Seagate is driving prices down from what I've seen. Online, I use www.froogle.com and www.pricewatch.com

The smartest thing about most of the backup software available is that is only backs up files that have changed each night, allowing for months of backups on one drive.

P.S. I saw 3 hard drive failures in one month last year, including my home PC. As someone else said, it is not a matter of IF a drive will fail but WHEN...

Good Luck.

[volksman]

I use Norton Ghost software to make an occasional system backup. What I like about it is that it's an exact "image" of my hard drive, so everything in the backup is just like it is on my hard drive at the moment I make the backup. The image goes on another hard drive. When disaster strikes, I switch to the drive with the image, "open" the image (not sure how this is done because it's been a year since I did it), and voila, it's as though I had my old hard drive. No downloads of updates and all that tiresome stuff.

Like some other folks in this thread, I'm careless, and have neglected to make a new image for a long time. It really was easy once I got the sequence of operations figured out. And it did work the one time I tested it.

Is anyone else using Ghost? I understand I can also do incremental backups with it, which would be a good idea.

[don]

Hi Volksman
I have used Ghost with good success for backup and when I am changing my primary hardrive, and it works just as you say. I do use other software for general backup (BackUp My PC is simple and works well) and will do incremental as well as full backups manually or scheduled. I use a set of external drives (5 of them) that duplicate my 5 internal drives.
Cheers,
don

of

I use Norton Ghost software to make an occasional system backup. What I like about it is that it's an exact "image" of my hard drive, so everything in the backup is just like it is on my hard drive at the moment I make the backup. The image goes on another hard drive. When disaster strikes, I switch to the drive with the image, "open" the image (not sure how this is done because it's been a year since I did it), and voila, it's as though I had my old hard drive. No downloads of updates and all that tiresome stuff.

Like some other folks in this thread, I'm careless, and have neglected to make a new image for a long time. It really was easy once I got the sequence of operations figured out. And it did work the one time I tested it.

Is anyone else using Ghost? I understand I can also do incremental backups with it, which would be a good idea.

[wellnesshelp]

Hi Jude,

I backedup my bank files with a little squared stick memory 6 Gigs. Plenty of room and portable...

Sergio

i'm wanting to back up everything that's on my computer and wondered if anyone had recommendations.
so far, i got that one buys an exernal drive (circuit city? or?) and with software, either bundled or separate, follow the directions and oila - done!
comments? please!
thanks,
judith

[Shar]

I would suggest a memory swtick. They are very inexpensive and easy to use. I just backed up my data, but I think you can use them to back up anything. You can check out eBay or Amazon.
Hope this helps!