Backup Methods

[Shaun]

Or winrar http://www.rarlab.com/rar/wrar330.exe

Trialware but like winzip still works after the 30/40 days

edit -

Originally Posted by altis

Create several partitions on your hard drive(s). Nominate one to store all your work - and nothing else.

Change the location of your 'My Documents' folder to it. Right click on 'My Documents' and select properties and then move it where you like.

Unfortunately, this doesn't move the location of your address book and email. To do this you need to edit the registry. I can't remember the key off the top of my head but, if you know where your data is held currently, then it's easy to search for it.

Now back up the whole partition every time. I use DVD-RAM which works fine (if a little slow). Also, if Windows gets in a pickle and you have to reformat your drive, simple leave your work alone and it will still be there afterwards

This is how I have both my machines set up, I have one partition on my machine that stays on all the time and I back it up several times a day to the other network machine. I even have a DVD+RW in the drive all the time so I can be sure that the once daily external backup works too. Not that I'm paranoid about my files you see

Oh and Tweak-XP can make the changes to the registry for you, there's normally a trial version floating around that last for 50 runs or something.

Originally Posted by altis

Create several partitions on your hard drive(s). Nominate one to store all your work - and nothing else.

Change the location of your 'My Documents' folder to it. Right click on 'My Documents' and select properties and then move it where you like.

Unfortunately, this doesn't move the location of your address book and email. To do this you need to edit the registry. I can't remember the key off the top of my head but, if you know where your data is held currently, then it's easy to search for it.

Now back up the whole partition every time. I use DVD-RAM which works fine (if a little slow). Also, if Windows gets in a pickle and you have to reformat your drive, simple leave your work alone and it will still be there afterwards

thanks altis - my disk is only 40GB, though, maybe the 160GB one in Aldi, is starting to look more attractive - still a couple left at £70.... ........

[kronas]

well i still have not seen a decent solution to backing up a 200gb drive.

yes i am aware of cloning the drive to another 200gb one, dont fancy spending the money right now.

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by kronas

well i still have not seen a decent solution to backing up a 200gb drive.

yes i am aware of cloning the drive to another 200gb one, dont fancy spending the money right now.

I think the only way you are going to back up that amount of data is with a tape drive!

[meld51]

Wow...plenty of food for thought.....thanks people

6:00 am and must fly but
I'll think lots about this....and say what I will choose later

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by kronas

well i still have not seen a decent solution to backing up a 200gb drive.

yes i am aware of cloning the drive to another 200gb one, dont fancy spending the money right now.

You have 200GB of important data you can't do without???

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Xaccers

You have 200GB of important data you can't do without???

Interesting point is what do people actually backup each time..............

[Stu038]

I certainly won't be using the XP backup software again. Having reformatted last Friday, I only managed to get access to the restored data late Wednesday night I still can't find the outlook stuff for my user account

[SOSAGES]

Originally Posted by kronas

well i still have not seen a decent solution to backing up a 200gb drive.

yes i am aware of cloning the drive to another 200gb one, dont fancy spending the money right now.

REV drive probably cheapest and easiest -
that or get busy burning dvds all depends what the data is if its 1 file thats 200gig then ur screwed - but more than likely its a mix of emails / personal files mp3s etc ..

have alook at the rev drive 90gig (depends on compression) a disk that costs about 30 quid and its very fast

[altis]

Originally Posted by homealone

thanks altis - my disk is only 40GB, though, maybe the 160GB one in Aldi, is starting to look more attractive - still a couple left at £70.... ........

My disk is only 18GB and has 4 partitions on it! (Actually, I have three disks now but I used to have just the one).

I look after a small office network for a company nearby. They have 5 workstations and one fileserver. All their working files are held in one shared partition on the fileserver. They generate lots of documents and also run Sage Line50 accounts, Sage Payroll and Sage P11D off it. And the total size of this partition is....................a mere 2GB! The whole disk is only 18GB. Think carefully about what you actually need to back up and I bet it won't be very much. In this case it's all copied every night to DVD-RAM.

Incidentally, I renamed all the 'My Documents' folders on the workstations to 'Our Documents' and pointed them all to the same location using right-click / properties as described above. On my machine, the registry key to locate the windows address book is:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wa b File Name
And the folder with the location of the favorites, cookies and history is:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Cur rentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
To move the location where Outlook Express stores your emails select:
Tools / Options / Maintenance / Store Folder

[meld51]

Well I took a look at the Compaq DLT tape drives. I'm afraid they are out purely on cost.
Next I looked at the backup Genie web page recommended above. Sounds good in that it will automate the process. (would I need a licenced copy for each PC....not sure yet)
However I still need a backup medium so let's look at online storage first:

my worries with this are:
1. Is it really secure and private enough to backup financial data? I mean secure in transit as well as in storage!
2. What country would it be in; therefore what protection would I have in law?
3. What if the company goes down the pan?

I'll do a bit of surfing and see..................

[meld51]

This place looks really good but is still too expensive for a home network. It looks like I would need to spend £50 per month to backup all my stuff.

Originally Posted by altis

My disk is only 18GB and has 4 partitions on it! (Actually, I have three disks now but I used to have just the one).

I look after a small office network for a company nearby. They have 5 workstations and one fileserver. All their working files are held in one shared partition on the fileserver. They generate lots of documents and also run Sage Line50 accounts, Sage Payroll and Sage P11D off it. And the total size of this partition is....................a mere 2GB! The whole disk is only 18GB. Think carefully about what you actually need to back up and I bet it won't be very much. In this case it's all copied every night to DVD-RAM.

Incidentally, I renamed all the 'My Documents' folders on the workstations to 'Our Documents' and pointed them all to the same location using right-click / properties as described above. On my machine, the registry key to locate the windows address book is:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\WAB\WAB4\Wa b File Name
And the folder with the location of the favorites, cookies and history is:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Cur rentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
To move the location where Outlook Express stores your emails select:
Tools / Options / Maintenance / Store Folder

Thanks altis

- bookmarked, for now, I'll have a play later

Originally Posted by meld51

Well I took a look at the Compaq DLT tape drives. I'm afraid they are out purely on cost.

I got mine off ebay for £250.

[meld51]

That's an OK price Pem