Backups - approach to...

1) Am trying out a few apps that burn CDs. This does not seem the future of backups, IMO. May be nice for smaller things, music - again, that is just my opinion. But, for those doing CD burns, in what manner are you using this process, exactly? How do you find it useful, in what ways/for what?

2) And, RE backups in general, what's your approach? To what media? I'm thinking about adding an external drive, via S-ATA connection, tho' I don't think this PC would support the full speed of that route but I hear that this is still better than any USB 2.0 route/speed - is that correct?

 

Any important data i backup to an external USB drive, speed is of no importance to me, the fact that the data is safe is more important.
I never use CD's to backup anything, it's to inflexible and you end up with a pile of CD's you can build a house from.
I only use them if there is no other way, like a install for a linux distro or something like that.

Lamehand

 

SG1,
If you are planning to backup on CD's, don't use Acronis True Image.
Do you really want to entrust your valuable data on your harddisk to CD's or DVD's ?
That is asking for trouble. I would never use CD/DVD's as a main backup media.

The very best solutions are :
1. an external USB 2.0 harddisk or
2. an insertable/removable harddisk.
I don't know which one is the cheapest.

Other solutions are :
1. A second physical internal harddisk, but those are constantly on-line.
2. Another partition on the same physical harddisk, but when your harddisk crashes, you won't be able to
recover your backup files.
I wouldn't recommend any of both solutions.

Disk-to-disk is the only reliable and safest backup solution.
Speed doesn't matter to me, I can never re-install (manually) my harddisk faster.

I have :
1. Harddisk-1 (internal) [C:] = System Partition, containing Windows and all applications
2. Harddisk-2 (internal) [D:] = Data Partition, containing personal files, emails and email-address-books
3. Harddisk-3 (external) [E:] = backup of system partition + data partition + archived FDISR-snapshots.

And I use Acronis True Image, in spite of all the troubles, mentioned in the Acronis Forums.
I never had any troubles with ATI and I use archived FDISR-snapshots as second backup, if ATI ever fails and it will fail one day, because EVERY software fails one day.
I choosed FDISR, because refreshing archived snapshots is a matter of seconds or a few minutes, much faster than Acronis or Terabyte. So I don't have to spend much time on my second backup.

I have 7 backup files of my system partition, one for each day of the week
I have 7 backup files of my data partition, one for each day of the week.
If one backup file fails to restore, I still have 6 others for each harddisk.

 

I couldn't agree more, backing up to CD is still a problem not only with ATI but also with Ghost, a USB drive is very convenient and fast compared to CDs and DVDs. The odds of your main drive and your backup drive to fail simultaneously are practically zero. I think CDs and DVDs are good to save important folders, images or very private stuff.

 

Why so? Ive created tib files and then burned them on cds using nero. Havent tried to restore though.

Would have to agree with the rest of the guys. External drive, thats the best way.

 

Backup is the easy part of any backup software.
If you really want to test the reliability of a backup software do the restoration, even when there is no reason to do it.
I learned to trust ATI by doing restorations over and over again, you don't learn anything from backup.
I restore my system partition for fun, while many others are afraid of doing a restoration, they wait until it's absolutely necessary.

 

I too use the external as one of my tools but it cannot be your only tool. Your data is not safe if do you not have copies elswewhere. Too many horror postings about lost data via an external.

I do backups and store them 4 places. To several external USB drives (disconnected when not in use); to 2 different internal drives; plus i do a simple data copy for my backup from an internal drive to a DVD. You will need to adjust your backups file size (within the backup program) so the files can fit on a DVD. I use 1492mb as my backup file size and you can burn 3 files to DVD. I not do backups directly to DVD--takes too much time and too un-predicatable. I have used Acronis TrueImage for several years and I also use PowerQuest DriveImage 7. I also use Karen Kenworthy's Replicator nightly to copy my email and other personal stuff from my Documents folder to another internal drive. I figure if a virus or an electrical jolt hits me, I have backups devices which are not attached and I have the DVD's. Yes, I have a couple spindles of archived discs but it's a small price to pay for having one more option availble if a disaster strikes. If your data is real important, you might even consider have a copy off-site. Mine is just for normal personal use but having image backups, I know I can restore my system within minutes.

 

Why on 4 places, which means in fact 5 places, if you include the working place.

Harddisks hardly fail. We never had a harddisk crash, neither at work, nor at home. But we had several CD failures.

If my internal harddisk crashes, I still have my backup files on my external harddisk.
I only need to buy a new internal harddisk and restore my backup files.

If my external harddisk crashes, I still have my internal harddisk.
I only need to buy a new external harddisk and redo my backups.

If my internal harddisk and external harddisk crash at the SAME TIME, which is in theory possible, but in practice VERY RARE and as good as impossible.

I can understand a backup on a second place, but that's where my suspicion stops.
In your case I recommend a 6th place and maybe a 7th place as a lucky number.

 

I use an extra internal harddrive and an external USB drive, i think that's enough. It's like ErikAlbert said; what are the chances of them failing both at the same time?
That chance must be very small.
You would have to add external drives into infinity to come close to that chance being zero and it still wouldn't be.

Lamehand

 

1) not usually for data here but the odd one. Music, slideshows, movies etc, media player, audio for home, car. Making exact copies of a disk.

2) adding a drive for backup, image, is a good idea. Transfer rates are as fast as your slowest connection.

 

My only point is to store backups in multiple locations. I know people that had their house hit by lighting and everything electrical iinside was rendered useless--including their computers. A complete rewiring of the house was needed and the house was brand new. You can not plan for everything but having backups on non-connected drives and on DVD's is just prudent protection. It's a matter of personal preferance.

 

I've been religiously backing up data for years (to a backup puter).
Started to think about YEARS worth of data, info, personal records, CAD drawings / projects, archived emails, etc, etc.....
What if my machines were stolen (unlikely, but it COULD happen), or worse, fire guts everything. A couple decades of personal and professional data gone forever.

This is often overlooked, but VERY important if you've anything of value on your drives. Some time back I purchased a simple, small portable USB drive (not much money).
Once a week at least, I refresh it, toss it back in truck's glovebox.

 

Probably better than 50% if your house burns to a pile of ashes.

 

Bob D, what's gonna happen when your truck gets stolen or catches fire?, with all that valuable data in the glovecompartment.
It would be worse if it got stolen because then "they" would have all your data.

Lamehand

 

Then I'll have to go out and buy another USB hard drive (and another truck), go home and make another backup.
(My luck is bad, but I'm counting on destruction of both home AND vehicle not happening simultaneously.)

Valid point that I've considered.
Hoping that typical deadbeat thief isn't going to know what this thing is, and spend effort, research to buy cabling, hook it up, read contents. If they do, they'll find valuable / personal files are encrypted.
I suppose I should encrypt/password protect entire thing.

 

That's why encryption will be a part of my security setup.
I don't care that my personal data is stolen as long they can NOT read it.
A good encryption takes care about that.