What is your data backup strategy?

What strategy do you use to backup your data files?

 

I just burn a cd back up of what ever files that I have that are important, most os files I can reinstall. Maybe not the most comprehensive back up program but it works for my needs. I also keep an install cd of all my installed security apps.

 

Complete backup once a week on a different HD. Security stuff and tools also on a usb stick. Linux startup CD with AV. Acronis (yes) startup CD.

 

I image my HD to a second drive every day. Takes about 20 minutes. I use Ghost 2003 and BootIt NG (my experience with Acronis taught me a lesson about depending on only one imaging app). I keep images for about 10 days. Once in a while, I'll burn an image to DVD.

Nick

 

I hope to try the RAID 1 rebuild array backup technique once I get another identical hard drive and mobile rack tray. I will let you all know if it works. Until then, it is Ghost 8 (2003) images from the regular HD to RAID 1 array. Then for data on the RAID 1 array image to cdrw or dvdrw. No regular schedule though. If the RAID approach works, then I'll back it up once a week.

 

I seldom back up my computer, I just maintain my computer very often.

 

I have a cleanly installed, slipstreamed XP Home SP2 onto a second removable hard disk that has two partitions. I also clone another image every month.

Regards,
Jade.

 

Wow. Nadirah. Sounds risky. Do you have any critical data that is at risk?

 

I use Ghost and Acronis, I also keep all important programs on cd with keys. I have had a few problems in the past...I have learned some hard lessons.

 

Right now, zip, nada, nothing.

Still looking, just haven't taken the plunge yet.

Recreational user here so no big deal if everything gets wiped.



snowbound

 

Use Replicator from www.karenware.com to backup to 2nd Hard Drive in removable rack which goes between sites and home. Use the same program to backup across the network to other machines. So I have multiple copies of my data at multiple sites, as well I use a burner once a week, and keep that copy off site... A very simple yet effective strategy...

Cheers

 

Blackspear! I guess great minds do think alike. That is currently my strategy - well almost. I have Replicator (VERY nice freeware) loaded on all my PC's, and I use it to back data files from each PC up to one of the others. So if any one goes down, I'm covered.

 

My strategy is in two parts, the one I really do use and the one I hope I never have to use. First, the one I hope I never have to use: I use both Acronis and DriveImage to image everything to a second hard drive. But, in FIVE YEARS I have never had to call upon any backup/imaging program because for five years I relied upon my favorite strategy, the one I use all the time: previously GoBack and now FirstDefense-ISR. I sincerely believe that FD-ISR will save me from EVERYTHING except a hard drive failure (if my HD ever breaks). FD-ISR takes backing up to a whole new level, even SP2 won't frighten me whenever I get around to installing it.

Acadia

 

One Machine I image C drive with Norton Ghost to external Iomega drive once a month.

Second machine contains less critical data, but Use Stomp Backup MyPC save only "critical files and settings and selected Programs" to CD R's. As mood strikes

Never had any failures of anything to test Restores. Hope things work as they should if restores are ever needed??

 

Does anyone know if i could use Replicator to backup my data to a cd for storage? What i want to save should fit on just one cd. I'm not going to bother to save my whole hard drive, i think it would be around 12 cd's to do it! Thanks.

 

No, Replicator is designed to compare files, copy/ and delete (if you want) files to additional locations, such as a second hard drive or a particular area on a hard drive, such as C:\Data BACKUP (or whatever you want to call it). You can then back all critical data files and more, such as address book, email storage files (C:\Documents and Settings\XXXXXX\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{38E9A637-9786-4294-9294-6677D29CDA6A}\Microsoft\Outlook Express) etc to this folder, it makes backing up very simple, all you have to do is burn the one file.

Hope this helps...

Cheers

 

I have just purchased this, from what I have read, if you back up to disk (CDR/DVD) then should a HDD fail you should be able to reinstall from said disk: http://www.raxco.com/support/windows/fdisr/fdisr_faqs.cfm#18

"If you created a backup copy of the MBR on diskette like FirstDefense-ISR suggested, then boot the system using a MSDOS boot disk and run the MBRtool program located on the FirstDefense-ISR MBR backup disk. When you run MBRtool, instructions will be provided on correct usage..."

Hopefully I am reading this correctly, we are further testing the product tomorrow...

Cheers

 

Hi, BlackSpear. That faq from Raxco just explains the different types of backup, ALL backups, not just theirs. In my opinion, the ONLY weakness of FD-ISR, which was the same weakness of GoBack, is that the entire backup is still stored on your c:drive; if that breaks you lose everything, not even GoBack or FirstDefense can save you from a hard drive failure.

Good luck, hope you enjoy FD, I love this program, I feel that there is nothing I can do to my system that I cannot recover from (unless I take a sledge hammer to my hard drive)

Acadia

EDIT: Yes, make a backup of the MBR. FirstDefense depends heavily on the MBR, it guards it jealously, much like GoBack does. The MBR backup on a floppy is just in case something, another program especially third-party defraggers, or virus messes up your MBR. With the MBR backup on floppy you can start the FD program and have your system up and running in no time.

 

I have Goback and I noticed when I do a defrag it erases all my Goback revert times. Is there a way to save your Goback revert times so you could reinstall them after a defrag?

 

No. You have to remember that GoBack keeps track of literally every single sector change on your hard drive, ALL OF THEM (yes, it's a powerful program). When you defrag your drive, millions of sectors are being touched, shifted around or whatever. GoBack tries to keep track of every single one of those little sectors and for some systems it simply is too much so it temporarily shuts down, that is when you lose the history file. When I used GoBack I would simply disable it for defraging, yes, I knew I would lose my history files so I only defraged when I was certain that my system was in prime condition, I would even skip upgrading my antivirus or antitrojan for a couple of weeks just to make sure. Disabling GoBack during defrag also saves your hard drive from a lot of thrashing around; it is already going to be doing that from the act of defraging anyway, so I just wanted to save it from some wear and tear. Also, disabling GoBack reduced my defraging times from 2 hours down to 40 minutes on my old system. I no longer have GoBack on my new system but I can still highly recommend it.

Good luck,
Acadia

 

Another ditto

 

Thanks Acadia.

 

you can read about my backup strategy here
just remember, if writing notes on a web-page really takes off, you heard it here first

 

Backups?!! We don't need no steenking backups!!!

Seriously, just a bunch of all my security applications on one CD, OS on another, and all other applications are on their own CDS anyway. If new versions of any of these applications come out, the respective CDs get updated religiously.

I'm still not quite convinced of the need for disk imaging yet, although I think that would be the next logical step, back-up wise.