Use file compress for NTFS or not?

I use ATI for my main backup strategy - one backup for system and program files and another for my data. I do a full backup biweekly with a daily incremental backup. All these are to an external HDD.

A couple of considerations are: 1. I have some concern about a backup on one large file. A single bit error (even if low probability) could destroy the backup. 2. In my experience 95% of the benefit of backup files is to retrieve a previous version of a file that I have messed up.

So, I also do regular straight copies of my data files (using SynBack) three times a week to the external HDD.

Finally I copy my data files to a set of DVDs for off site storage on a monthly basis.

I am considering using WinXP compress attribute for my copied data files. This would save space but is there any down side to this.

I would appreciate any comments on my backup strategy and/or the use of windows automatic compress attribute (my files on an NTFS partition).

Thanks

 

It sure looks like you have your backup situation well covered. You have diversity of programs, TI and SyncBack and you also copy to ext HD and DVDs plus take the DVDs off-site. The one weakness I see based on your description is if the TI and SyncBack archives are on the same ext HD which gives a single-point of failure for your most current archives.

I have just started using the free version of SyncBack to do plain copies of my data files to a second internal HD. These will then be copied to external HD and subsequently DVDs on some schedule. I am seriously thinking of using SyncBack exclusively for data (certainly TI for images) because I don't like container files when they aren't needed but this is not as good as using both programs.

For the XP compression. I don't use it but since it has millions of users I imagine it is pretty good in terms of reliability. Do you know what Syncback does if the source is uncompressed and the destination folder is compressed?

The other thing is what are the types of data files you are dealing with. If they are jpgs, mpegs, zips, etc then they are already compressed and compressing again can make them larger or have no benefit whatsoever.

 

Thanks Seekforever,

Your comment regarding the reliance of a single external HDD is well taken. In fact, I also have a second external HDD that I have been using exclusively for Video editing and DVD creation. I don't need to backup this content since I usually usually complete projects on a single session and then burn them to a DVD. There is sufficient space to also use this drive for backups so I will use Syncback to backup data files there thus overcoming the problem of all my eggs in one HDD.

BTW, I also use a program, FileBack, to backup files more-or-less in real time as I save them. This is an excellent program that is highly configurable. I use a folder on my internal HD as a backup location for this program. The program runs as a process and as it detects a file change being saved to the HDD it operates in the background to backup a copy of it. Previous backup copies of the same file are also retained (their name gets an appended version number) for as long and as many copies as I have configured the program for. The file is simply a copy and there is no proprietary format used. So, I always have immediate access to a number of previous file versions that I can grab if needed. In the event of failure of my internal HDD is have the Acronis and Syncback backups to rely on. If you are interested in FileBack visit their site at:
http://www.maxoutput.com/

I tested SyncBack by backing up a folder that was not compressed to a backup folder whose attribute was set to compressed. The backup works fine and all the backed up files are compressed. If you manually copy these compressed backup files to any other directory without a compressed attribute the files are uncompressed as they are copied. So, no problem.

 

You obiously value your data greatly since you make many backups.

My opinion is that using compression of the copied data files reduces the chance that they can be read in the event the original hard drive fails.

Buy a larger or another external drive and keep the copies uncompressed.