Backup Software?

Toogy wrote in post #3925437
Some suggested I try SyncToy by microsoft. It's free and so far it has worked great. I just use windows scheduler to run it every night.

http://www.microsoft.c​om …phy/prophoto/sy​nctoy.mspx

Good call Toogy!!,, I was hoping to throw the SYNCTOY name into the ring,, but was afraid to put my head up long enough to take aim

PS I love SYNCTOY,, although I AM a simpleton

I've never used synctoy before but I've just downloaded it and it's damn handy!

Good thread guys........well except for the small fight going on in the corner .........I have been searching for a good backup system and you guys have been a great resource. Thanks.

stathunter wrote in post #3929062
Good thread guys........well except for the small fight going on in the corner .........I have been searching for a good backup system and you guys have been a great resource. Thanks.

Which ended on a good note, a days back, I may add...:p

Setup RAID 1

Nice redundancy, but Sloooowwwwwwwww...LOL

I will try out AlwaysSync but I have been using the free version of syncback SE

nicolerork wrote in post #3930030
Setup RAID 1

Do I need 2 IDENTICAL drives to do that?

Yes, they have to be identical in speed as well. You don't "have to", but it is more advisable to do that. Otherwise you may corrupt your array easier than with two like drives. Remember anything can be arranged in computers, if you are witty enough to figure out the workaround. If the logical size of the drives are equal it doesn't matter if the physical size is not, but you can cause some problems if the logical partition ever gets even a little bit corrupt.

EOSAddict wrote in post #3930498
Do I need 2 IDENTICAL drives to do that?

Yes, you do.

JaertX wrote in post #3884272
I'm using Norton Ghost...although I really need to reconfigure it. But I like the way it works.

http://www.symantec.co​m ….jsp?pcid=br&pv​id=ghost12

all good and well makes create images and indeed does complete snapshots of your PC as and when required.

Having had to fix PC's with that installed on it - i would have to say it is the biggest pain in the ar$e going. Try running any repair tools over your windows install.

Jamey S. wrote in post #3884374
Acronis TrueImage is the best Backup out there for drive imaging.

i use this on my home PC. the initial set up is a little cumbersome but once it is going its great. it does everything ghost does (see below) but it does not bog down your system. The GUI is also very (windows like) friendly.

I use mine to create real time snap shots so i am never more than 15 mins away from a recovery point - i also have rolling snapshots that run every 15 mins - they are then rolled into the 1 hour snap shot which in turn are rolled into the daily backup.

I also have the rolling weekly/monthly backup to allow me to recover from any unnoticed changes.

(not to mention the mirrored drives on the PC.

JaertX wrote in post #3884584
Holy Cow...no one can click a link. Here you go:

Ghost does (pasted from their site):

Schedules automatic backups
Full system backup of everything on a hard drive or partition
File and folder backup of only the files you choose
Backs up files by the type you choose (such as photos or financial documents
Makes incremental backups to save storage space and save time
Backs up on key events, such as new application installation or sudden increases in data storage (this is very handy to me)
At-a-glance display of all scheduled backups and status of backup protection on each drive

and much more. sheesh.

funny they don't say

runs heavy on your OS.
holds a huge amount of memory (ram) whilst running and when in idle.
slows the boot of PC's
hates vista.
disables a lot of Microsoft windows services including restore point and repair tools.
can block or cause issues with check disk.
Does not allow you to run the detect and repair tool within windows setup.
If you do finally uninstall the program - does not uninstall correctly and has in my experience with it lead to at least 25 % of all PC need a reload after removal.

that all said it does back up your hdd. ahh but in a file format that can only be browsed by installing another piece of symatic junk that cases the above issues.

next you will be telling us that AVG 7.5 free is a great anti virus that protects your PC.

another program that i am trailing at the moment on my servers and as a back tool for work PC's is Shadow Protect. So far i love it, and it also includes a function of a bare metal restore to different hardware if your PC / server dies.

Back up of data is good - but also remember your distater recovery as well.

I try to keep OS and programs on a separate drive to data.
regular back ups essential.
OFF SITE storage is the key to most back up solutions.
Fire, theft or flood will leave you with out your data if you only have back up to a drive you keep with your PC (or in your PC).
I would also recommend that you keep a copy of all product keys and "back up" media off site too.

The idea of off site storage (on a usb device) will be piece of mind to you - because even if you lose everything in your house - you still have a return point one your PC is replaced.

EOSAddict wrote in post #3930498
Do I need 2 IDENTICAL drives to do that?

Most of the time yes. There are a few solutions out there now where you don't have to match the drives but generally you'll only byte value then.

And when you say identical it doesn't mean you have to have 2 western digital 500gb hard drives for example. You could be running one western digital and one seagate. It's the size that matter.

mellowd wrote in post #3947300
And when you say identical it doesn't mean you have to have 2 western digital 500gb hard drives for example. You could be running one western digital and one seagate. It's the size that matter.

Great! That's the info I was after.

tim wrote in post #3884524
I use robocopy from Microsoft, it just mirrors files and folders on one drive to another drive. It's command line based. Takes a few minutes to set up if you know anything about computers. I have 3 external backup drives, I have a seperate script for each one (I have enough data that I put photos onto one drive, old photos onto another, and other data onto a third).

Another for Robocopy. I have two 1Tb disks, I mirror one to the other and take the other offsite. Works a treat.