Do you backup, and what do you backup to?

My data partition I manually backup to another internal hard drive and intermittently to a networked machine. The operating system I clone to another drive and maybe twice a year I’ll make an image and send it to the other machine. Gave up on using CD/DVD for backup years ago. I have recently been planning to set up some kind of automated backup for my data.

 

I have an internal hard drive that I plug into my desktop once a month, and copy the contents of My Documents onto it, using Karen's Replicator. Fairly quick the 2nd and subsequent backups, b/c it only backs up what has changed. For my laptop, I can barely squeeze the contents of my hdd onto a single DVD, which I do also on a supposedly monthly basis. Its a pain to use (the internal drive), but its a heck of a lot cheaper than the external usbs, or even an internal in a case.

Just heard recently that MS has just taken its online file storage out of beta (or is it, just made it available to anyone wants it?)...5 gigs for free, but the showstopper was that you had to upload files individually. There is no way I'm going to upload thousands of files manually. Ultimately, I would like to use the forthcoming Google backup as my backup and just forget using a second hard drive, because it woudl be quicker and I wouldn't have to worry about a fire destroying my computer and my backup files!

 

Daily Automated Data backups (SyncBackSE) - Two XP's write to internal partitions, w98 sends over network to my XP internal partition.

Bimonthly Images (Acronis) - Manual - XP's/internals - w98 over network.

Monthly - Manual - (SyncBackSE profiles) - Immediately after month end Images, all internal data drives (includes images) are copied to external drive.

Frequently / whenever - Manual - Web Storage - (3rd redundant copy)
Their was no listing available for this so I used "Other device ". Primary used for the real important stuff. Have 2x Google email accounts I manage via Gspace, a Firefox extensions. I store program Keys/Serial numbers, similar program info (text files), and important documents (scan pics) information (uploaded in password locked zips).
Digital Family Photo's - Have been using AOL xDrive, which provides 5GB of free storage (do not reccommend - clungee - requires program install). I'm running out of space, so I started using Adrive this week. Provides 50GB of Free online storage with NO program install (Java interface). The only restrictions, can not exceed 1000 files PER batch send, ONE file can not exceed 2GB, so this is a nice resource. The last two evenings while I'm online browsing / posting have approx. 1GB batches (about 750, less than 1000 files) uploading to Adrive. Upload speed is about 3.5MB / 4MB per minute. Site also provides "Share file" which allows access via email link restricted permission to family / friends. Once I have all my family digital pics uploaded, will upload (1) image file for each computer, update maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

 

I finally got on the back up train after many years of not doing it at all.

Now I have automated everything backed up to an external hdd each nite.

 

I use Norton Ghost 12 to make automatic daily incremental images and send them to a second hard drive. It takes less than one minute at boot, works in the background, so I pay no attention to it. The incremental images are normally only 60 megs or thereabouts (depends on drive activity of course). I keep 90 days of those but could easily accommodate a years worth with plenty of room to spare on a 60 gig drive.

Ghost is the fastest imaging tool that I have found.

 

I burn an image to CD's on rare occasions.

 

At home I use Syncback and then use a maxtor one touch drive. I have the button the drive programmed to run an instant backup of my important files to the Maxtor drive.

At work I use Syncback as well, but have it set to run 7pm nightly and back everything up to an offsite Network drive.

Works well and very rarely need to look at it.

 

I backup the desk machine to a laptop. I just backup data files and the email main email file. If I go on a trip then I will sync the desk to the lap and when I get back I go the other way.

I used to use tape on an automatic basis but that turned out to be a PIA, tapes are too slow. syncing two machines over the network goes quite fast at blinding Ethernet speeds.

 

I have 2 internal SATA drives, one is used for backups only and is only connected during the backup process. I create an image of the operating system and 3 other data partitions onto the backup drive once a month, usually the first day of the month. Going from one SATA disk drive to another SATA disk drive takes less than 30 minutes for 4 partitions.

Individual files are copied to backup media manually as required. Quicken files are backed up after any transaction is added. Photos are copied to CD-R right after they get downloaded from the camera. I have to get those photos backed up real fast before my wife goes in and crops one and saves it, overlaying the original.

Gordon

 

I backup to an external 500GB hard drive, but don't like the RetroExpress backup software. Thanks for the info on Karen's Replicator

Also make an occasional DL DVD of the have-to-have data.

 

I use an external HD and/or a USB external drive for backups.
For software i'm using Acronis and only backing up the "C" drive, takes
about 18-20 minutes.

I use acronis because if the sys won't boot at all, i just power on the
external HD and pop-in the acronis boot cd. It then runs and will restore
the full "C" drive to whatever the date the back was created.
Works pretty good.

I'll look at Karen's

 

I have two networked desktop PCs.
I use NovaBack from NovaStore for my backups.
Having initially performed a full backup of each machine to DVDs, I now do nightly scheduled differential backups of each machine to the hard disk of the other, alternating to two target folders.
One night a week I have scheduled backups to DVD+RW disks which I can store off-sight in case of a major disaster. For these I have two sets of DVDs which are used alternately.

 

My primary hard drive is partitioned into a C: drive and a D: drive. The C: drive only contains the system and Program Files while the D: drive contains everything else.

I have a secondary hard drive that also has two partitions. I manually back up the C: drive to one secondary partition and the D: drive to the other secondary partition.

I have been using the Win XP backup utility. However, it seems no one else is using it so that gives me a "bad" feeling. I will have to research some of the other back up software mentioned above.

 

normally i will backup everything that doesnt contain virus will b joining my D:

and handy drive and DVD too. great choices to backup files in there.

nowadays is good to backup using handy drive(flash drive), its easy and really convenient

 

My boot HD has four partitions, each of which I back up manually to an external HD once a week, using Acronis TrueImage. The external HD is also partitioned so, for not-quite-complete redundancy, the once-a-week backups are done on alternating partitions.

I backup my email nightly, by copying the mail folder to a separate partition on the external HD, then renaming it with the date and time so that I can have more than one mail folder on the partition.

 

Well i have some as some people say big machines mainly because they act sometimes as servers for a +1500 people company

So internally i have 4 x 500 Gb drives on which i have 1 as backup for important data.

From this drive i have a copy in the other machine.
I use for documents as backup a scsi dat tape drive.

For my photo collection i store once a quarter all pictures on DVD's and monthly back them up to my Nas on my local lan.

The music collection is done to the Nas as well as being stored on a seperate 500 Gb usb drive.

On the other machine i keep my movie files which are in backup on my Nas as well

But to be honest it gets more difficult every day to store all this data especially becuase all data grows with every new version of the programs.
Even the newer HD-DVD disks and the newer tape storage devices are way to small for storing this amounts of data.

So it would be nice if their would come a good solution for the ever growing data.

 

Backups? We don't need no stinking ..

Geez Louis, it's been ages since I really backed up anything.
My C: and D: reside on my first internal Sata drive..
I used to use Norton Ghost to make an image and store it on the 2nd partition.
Then we formatted using NTFS and I lost that ability.. Didn't upgrade ..

I have an external IDE through USB that I use for backing up my Music, Movies, Photos, recent driver downloads, etc.

Everyone has USB ports and hard drives are getting cheaper so,.. Go external with USB.