A quick question confirming a good backup

I made a full image backup of my drive C: on USB external drive (using TI 9.0.3666 linux rescue boot CD) and it verified as good. I agree that the best way to make sure the backup is good is to restore the image to another HDD and see if it works. In my case I can't do that, so I was wondering if being able to mount the image and successfully restore a few files though explorer offers any further confidence beyond verifying (which is just a checksum test)? Does anyone know of cases where the image mounts and restores files OK but won't restore the full image using the restore wizard?

 

You also could use the two programs at http://www.standards.com/index.html?CompareDrives
to compare the actual logical drives to the volumes backed up.

Note that the Attributes program compares based on file attributes, and the Content program compares by attempting to actually read the files. Reading the files will take a long time, as in a file based backup.

More info is provided at the link supra.

 

If you read this forum for a while you realize that every screwing combination of things is a possibility.

Mounting the image and extracting some files does give an additional level of confidence IMO but the only real test is a full restore.

I don't know how much good stuff you have on your external HD, but if it is not that important, you could make an image of you C drive (can actually make it on C if you have room) on your internal drive, remove your external HD from the case and mount it in your PC and do a restore to it.

 

The ONLY SURE test is to actually restore things, including the system drive.

The next best thing is to use programs such as those at http://www.standards.com/index.html?CompareDrives.
The programs may be run using any logical volumes, be they those mounted via TI, or those restored dfrom TI.

 

Thanks seekforever. I don't exactly know if I can put the external in . My computer is 250 GB SATA and the external is 100GB IDE, I believe. New Dell E-510 and only has SATA connectors. I do have a DVD ROM and A DVD burner in the computer and perhaps I could use one of those connections.

Howard, thanks too. I will check out the links.

 

Added to response...What I first want confidence in is ...the 'corrupted' message many report here when they try to restore, even though image verified OK. I would like to assume that if I can mount and restore data that TI9 sees the image OK and not as corrupted. I also assume if the image is OK the files in it will be OK as well. I totally agree actual restoring is the only way to REALLY know for sure.

 

Part of the problem as I see it is that doing a restore really flogs the memory, the HD and the buss system. Casusally browsing a mounted image and restoring a few megabytes is hardly the same thing.

 

Is your external drive actually IDE, or are you going thru a USB to IDE bridge?

If you have a free USB port, you can hook up an external USB drive.
After rebate, good prices, are almost always available for Seagate external drives at places such as buy.com, CompUSA, CircuitCity, etc.

 

What I have is a 'Seagate ST910082 3A' USB external Hard drive. It plugs into any of my 7 USB 2.0 ports on the E-510. I guess it comes out of the inclosure (don't know for sure) but I don't know what type/cables it would need to install in the Dell.

 

The Dell very likely has USB ports.

 

so, I can't install it as an internal drive and restore the image to it and boot from it?

 

The IDE HD inside your USB enclosure should come out, and then you could connect it to one of the IDE cables that now connect to your optical drives, for the test. If you want to boot from it, use the 1st connector on the cable, so it becomes the Master drive. Leave one optical drive connected, so you can use your boot disk if need be.

Or, you may have a second IDE channel available on the mobo, and with an IDE ribbon cable, be able to run it that way. To boot from that drive, you may need to set your BIOS to boot from that drive. Or, disconnect the SATA drive, so that this is the only HD, and it should be recognized. That way, you also won't take any chances rewriting anything on your main drive, during the test.

Take precautions with static when handling the drives, and good luck!

 

I bought this external harddisk : Seagate 160GB USB 2.0 7200RPM 8MB and I simply used the USB-cable delivered with the package.
I have 4 USB's on the backside of my computer case and 2 USB in the front.
It doesn't matter which one I use, it's all the same.
I used at random one USB for my printer and another USB for my external harddisk and both work normal.

I use ATI Home latest version/build and I never had a problem with backup or restore of two internal harddisks.
The first week I did more restores than backups with ATI and the Rescue CD over and over again.
I even wiped out my harddisks with zeroes several times and restored them back with the Rescue CD.
I really tortured ATI in every possible way I could think of. but ATI kept on doing its job properly.