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valerie 4795
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 2:48 pm
Post subject: hard drive backup (off topic)
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Hi
Can I get others ideas on the best way to back up my hard-drive. By best I mean a good balance of ease of use, reliability and of course expence. Is it safe to use online backup services?
I have been using computers heavily for years and have never backed up my files. I know I have been really lucky and I don't want my luck to run out.
Thank You
Valerie
www.thee-creative-home.com |
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NoCostGifts
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:22 pm
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| I use an external hard drive to backup my files. Very easy to use. |
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valerie 4795
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 8:20 pm
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What kind do you use?
Val |
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edburdo
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 8:42 pm
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Burn to CD, or copy to a second (physical) HD.
You could just clone the HD periodically, which will allow you to dump the drive back in about 10 minutes, but the cloning can take a bit of time. Especially on a slower machine with a big HD.
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Eric D. Burdo
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mdr02125
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Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 2:39 am
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Valeria,
dumping all your data periodically to a CD ROM or another hard drive as mentioned is useful, but what about the time in between? If you only do this once a month (or week) you can lose a month (or week's) worth of work ... and if you forget or delay a week (or few days) you could lose more.
There are various ways of dealing with this. You can write a batch file (using DOS commands in windows) to copy everything you want (say most frequently updated directory) to another part of your hard drive or other media (usb flash drive for example) whenever you click. If you don't want to write a batch file there is software out there to automate such backups. (I actually do this at my day job now because the IT department has had an unreliable backup track record, and I have saved myself and a co-worker many hours from taking 30 seconds every day or two do this.)
I recently started using connected.com the Quicken software company is one of their re-sellers/affiliates). The backups are all done automatically on a schedule you set (harder if you have dialup but can be done). I have found it worth the money I spend, however, due to their occasionally having some technical issues with the software (even though I think they are the best even only player in the industry). so I also use the first two methods I mentioned above but I do it more casually, don't worry like I used to if I miss a day/week because it's a backup to the automated method, not the "only" backup. ( If you use connected.com with Windows XP at least you need to check monthly that it has not deleted your custom rules settings)
Key point to consider is that data is lost not merely due to hard drive failure but also house fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. This is why having some form of backup off premises is vital, especially if you financial well being depends on what's on your computer. Also worth considering how long can you be "down"? This is a good time to consider replacing any old programs you could no longer replace (maker out of business) and to makign sure you have a record off premises of serial registration #'s, contact info, etc. somewhere so you could get fresh copies of Mcrosoft Word or whatever software you use to re-install on a replacement PC.
It all comes down to how much you stand to lose if the worst happens and how much risk/exposure you are willing to take. Often a little less convenience will mean less risk, you have to decide what is right for you. Kind of like spending money to buy a dishwasher or saving money and washing dishes every day. A little extra time up front researching a good dishwasher and spend a little extra money and you're more likely to end up with a machine that will last and actually do something useful to those dirty pots and pans! 
Mark
P.S. I think you have a typo in your sig line.
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Last edited by mdr02125 on Thu Mar 25, 2004 2:49 am; edited 1 time in total |
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NoCostGifts
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Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 2:48 am
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I use a Maxtor external hard drive. Connects through firewire.
You can set it up to copy certain files, or you can just drag and drop the files. |
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Debs
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NY
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Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 11:12 am
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I learned the hard way about backups and I am still not as diligent as I should be  but I am better 
There are a lot of options on ways to backup your files, you can backup the entire harddrive as suggested, or only those portions that have been updated.
I've opted to backup my work files only since I have disks for all the programs I use anyway. All my work files are kept in one directory "My Documents." Which makes it very easy to copy all at once.
I keep CD backups (I have a rewriteable CD unit in my computer) and I also upload my workfiles weekly to Yahoo briefcase. I first zip the files, then upload the zip file itself. Makes it loads easier and it's free.
Years ago I had an Iomega Zip Drive which is another good alternative to backup files.
Debs
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Johnny G
Joined:
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187
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Uk
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Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 5:08 pm
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You can get a second hard drive for very cheap these days.
External will cost you more, however if you know how to fit an internal hard drive, you can get one real cheap.
I have 3 internal hard drives, and 2 of them were only 15 Uk pounds each.
What I do is create a directory for each site, then I copy the directories over to the second drive at the end of each day. This way you have not got a load of files, but what you will have, is updated files backed up on a second hard drive. I just overwrite the old data at the end of each working day. This takes me no more than 30 seconds at the end of the day.
Works well for me and is easy to do. Of course there are lots of other ways, like updating the batch files etc as previously suggested, but I would just do what ever you think will be more convenient for you.
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