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Backing up Harddrives
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alistener
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Joined: 16 Jun 2007
Posts: 858
Location: Second star to the right, and straight on till morning

Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:32 pm Post subject:

Scottishps wrote:

Alistener
How do you back up yours?

Paula

I've got 4 external harddives
HD 1. mostly BBC
HD 2. a widows backup of HD 1 and my computer

HD 3. US otr, movies/TV shows, videos and music
HD 4. a windows backup of HD 3 and my computer

I just let the windows backup program automatically back them up once a week.

I used to copy everthing onto 2 hardrives, but if I forgot what I've added I forget to copy it. With the windows program it just backs up what's been changed.

I learned the hard way, I have a 500gig harddrive that's almost full of OTR that's dead. I lost most of it, some I can still find and download but most of it's gone forever

Scottishps
Crew Member

Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Posts: 290
Location: Scotland

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 11:45 am Post subject:

Hello Alistener You certainly have a lot of external drives, you must have a lot of data and videos/tvshoes on your computer. With all the info you have you certainly dont want to lose it. This is what I hope to achieve however I thought the only way was to copy the folders over from my hard drive to my external drive. I have only every backed up my data from one hard drive to another in my computer that is another reason for the external drive. I have two questions, one is how do you go about backing up your data using the windows system and would I have to copy this over myself initially then backup weekly. I dont know just how thorough windows backup is..? It would save me a lot of work that is for sure. I use Win XP You may wish to take this offlist, in saying that perhaps someone else may find the information useful. Thank you Paula

alistener
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Joined: 16 Jun 2007
Posts: 858
Location: Second star to the right, and straight on till morning

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:33 pm Post subject:

I'm also using XP Home Start> Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Backup Then select the drive or folders you want to back-up, and the drive where you want to back-up to. Then set the time and day you want the backup to do it's thing. Your Computer needs to be on for the backup to run. Mine is set to do it's thing at night while I'm sleeping, I just leave my computer turned on that night. Backup - Windows XP In XP Pro you can find it here: Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Backup In XP Home - Needs installed The Backup utility is not included in the default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. The Backup icon is not present on the Start menu in Windows XP Home Edition, nor is Backup listed in Add Remove Programs for Windows XP Home edition. To manually install Backup: Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file in the following location on the Windows XP Home Edition CD-ROM to start a wizard that installs Backup: CD-ROM Drive :\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP. When the wizard is complete, click Finish. Note: Usually, OEMs such as Compaq, DELL won't ship the Windows XP CD nor they include the NTBACKUP utility by default. You can download a copy of NTBackup here. This doesn't make copies of the files on the backup drive, but makes a file so that I can restore the files to another drive. The first time you backup will take a while to do the backup, then the next time(s) will go faster because it just backs up the files that have been added or changed. There are probably better ways to do this, but this one works for me and doesn't require any thought or work once it's setup, except to leave my computer on that night. Last edited by alistener on Fri May 16, 2008 7:39 pm; edited 1 time in total

Axeman
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Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 253
Location: Sunny and friendly Kansas City

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject:

Couple months ago I bought a Buffalo Linkstation with 1TB of storage for $300. It came with a software package that automatically synchronizes with whatever folder on whatever hard drive (external or internal) that I tell it to watch. It is Network ready - I have it attached to my router and it's watching files on both my laptop and desktop computer. After a power outage here the system didn't come up quite right. I called help desk on a Sunday evening and got a real live person who walked me step by step through a restore procedure. I'm a believer! The ONLY regret I have at this point is that I didn't shell out the extra $200 to upgrade to the 2TB model. _________________ "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." --- Albert Einstein

alistener
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Joined: 16 Jun 2007
Posts: 858
Location: Second star to the right, and straight on till morning

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject:

Axeman wrote:

Couple months ago I bought a Buffalo Linkstation with 1TB of storage for $300.
It came with a software package that automatically synchronizes with whatever folder on whatever hard drive (external or internal) that I tell it to watch.

It is Network ready - I have it attached to my router and it's watching files on both my laptop and desktop computer.

The last drive I bought also came with similar software but I already had mine set up using windows.

Axeman wrote:

I called help desk on a Sunday evening and got a real live person who walked me step by step through a restore procedure.

Fluent in english? Razz

tflynn
Moderator

Joined: 08 Jul 2007
Posts: 300
Location: Hong Kong

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 9:12 pm Post subject:

alistener wrote:

...
This doesn't make copies of the files on the backup drive, but makes a file so that I can restore the files to another drive.

alistener,

I gave up using Microsoft backup utilities a decade or 2 ago. The main problem I had was backups where NOT compatible between different releases. So if you upgraded your operating system you could not read any old backups. I still profess Micorsoft are a great marketing company and not much else Sad

Terry
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If a man is alone in the woods, and he speaks, and no woman hears him - is he still wrong?

grimaud
Crew Member

Joined: 02 Jul 2007
Posts: 291
Location: Alaska

Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 10:46 pm Post subject:

I must admit that I have been backing up my files the slow way... dragging the new stuff to the drives. But it is annoying because I sometimes forget what I have already backed up, the result being multiple copies of some files. Not the best method. Currently, I have two 500GB drives and I think I need to get at least one more to create a duplicate backup of the most important things (family photos/home videos). Quick question: I have just purchased an Apple computer (my first Mac in about 15 years). Since we are on the subject of external drives, does anyone know if my external drives will be compatible with my new Apple? In other words, will my data just pop up when I plug the drive in, just like it did with my PC? _________________ MM ID: findeddie2

brt55
Crew Member

Joined: 20 Jul 2007
Posts: 183
Location: My Chair

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 1:51 am Post subject:

Grimaud- I keep my external drives formatted for windows so I can use them with my Ibook(OSX 10.4) and the WinXp desktop . The only annoyance is the .ds store files seen in windows after using the drive on the Mac. OSX uses those files to index the system and they are hidden normally in OSX. Several interesting ways the Mac will communicate/read other filesystems out of the box where windows pretends its an island(or is that ostrich). That comes from OSX BSD(unix) background.

thebakerliteline
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Joined: 15 Jun 2007
Posts: 923
Location: Cowes U.K.

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 3:55 am Post subject:

Being poor I'm still saving to DVDs for when all your hard drives crash..... Ian _________________ . http://probiang.multiply.com

Axeman
Crew Member

Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 253
Location: Sunny and friendly Kansas City

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 7:43 am Post subject:

thebakerliteline wrote:

Being poor I'm still saving to DVDs for when all your hard drives crash.....

Ian

I still have a couple boxes of DVDs and CDs sitting in the corner of my office. They were not fool-proof, though (At least, they weren't Axeman-proof!) From time to time, one of the platters would just lose it's integrity and I'd be unable to read 20% or more of the disk. More commonly, though, a DVD I'd written on one computer couldn't be read on the other.

What would make my OTR life complete would be to have a MediaMess-like on-line service that would synch (in turn) with my NAS storage. That way, it'd be "trivial" to share episodes and folders. Ahhhh...such sweet dreams.
_________________
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
--- Albert Einstein

brt55
Crew Member

Joined: 20 Jul 2007
Posts: 183
Location: My Chair

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 2:27 pm Post subject:

thebakerliteline wrote:

Being poor I'm still saving to DVDs for when all your hard drives crash.....

Ian

I guess I'm just an oddball but the only losses I've had so far have been with cd's going bad.
(He said quickly while anxiously looking around for...Fate.)

springbok
Moderator

Joined: 16 Jul 2007
Posts: 196
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 4:11 pm Post subject:

I agree with Ian's method, although I still back up to cd not dvd wrt Radio material, on audio format not mp3. If the cd fails, back to the tape I go, although I have had very few cd's that have failed, some of these discs are 10 years and older & still play without hassles. I think I am still stuck in the previous century, the other day I was listening to an early SA Lux Radio Theatre still using the reel to reel tape & not using the restored version on audio cd.[/quote] _________________ Official website: www.springbokradio.com

Scottishps
Crew Member

Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Posts: 290
Location: Scotland

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 4:33 pm Post subject:

Alistener, Thank you so much for all the information. I am using XP Pro so it is not so involved as the Home edition by the sound of things. It sounds complicated although I am sure once you get started it is ok. I often leave my compuiter on at night to run programs like spyware etc. so that is not a problem for me. I have often wanted to use backup but have chickened out. One question I did click on backup just now out of curiousity . It did read something about system backing up or restoring files to the computer. I have tried system restore previously and it didnt work for me...does it work for you? My hard drive in my computer is 500Gb and myexternal is 300Gb. What I had intended doing before you gave me this information was to copy files across (drag and drop) and make a folder but date it. Then each month or so I could replace the older folder with a new folder. However as you have said you tend to forget what you have already backed up. Thank you again for taking the time to write all the directions down for me...I do appreciate it. Paula

Scottishps
Crew Member

Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Posts: 290
Location: Scotland

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 4:40 pm Post subject:

tflynn wrote:

I gave up using Microsoft backup utilities a decade or 2 ago. The main problem I had was backups where NOT compatible between different releases. So if you upgraded your operating system you could not read any old backups. I still profess Micorsoft are a great marketing company and not much else Sad

Terry

Hello Terry
Now that is a surprise I didnt realise that this would happen. I thought that all the backups would have been compatible...thank you for the warning..
I have a great many problems with Microsoft, therefore hearing this makes me very wary.

Do you drag and drop from one hard drive to the other for backups.?

Paula

Scottishps
Crew Member

Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Posts: 290
Location: Scotland

Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 4:47 pm Post subject:

thebakerliteline wrote:

Being poor I'm still saving to DVDs for when all your hard drives crash.....

Ian

Ian I do save some to DVD however I have a lot of other things like videos music and OTR on my hard drive. I didnt want to put all of mine on DVD.

One question, you must have hundreds of DVDs where you you keep them for easy reference? I guess because it is easier to find things on my hard drive, this is why I dont burn everything to DVD. I have little space here in my office.

What size is your hard drive?

Paula

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