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Data / OS backup and restore question...
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 2:48 pm
by Wolf_22
What's the best way to back everything up on an XP:Pro laptop and prepare myself for possible disasters? I found out this weekend that restore points aren't good enough. Ha.
I would like to have a way to pop in a disk and have the disk basically restore everything down to an exact 'T'; everything from driver and system files to mere images and text files...
How can I do this? Would that Norton Ghost basically do this? I would like a free way if possible because I don't have enough money to buy something like Ghost.
Re: Data / OS backup and restore question...
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 2:51 pm
by Darhazer
There are programs like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image than makes images of the hard-disk (even while you are working) and you can restore from this image the computer (it's software) in exactly the same state as when the image was created.
Re: Data / OS backup and restore question...
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 6:15 pm
by califdon
You'll almost surely have to spend some money. Just the storage device is going to cost something, not to mention the software. In any case, remember that backups are only useful to the extent that you actually perform frequent backups. I have known several people who spent the money for a great backup system, but only backed up every few weeks or something, then when their disk crashed, they moaned about all the new files that they had lost!
Re: Data / OS backup and restore question...
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 6:41 pm
by Wolf_22
califdon wrote:You'll almost surely have to spend some money. Just the storage device is going to cost something, not to mention the software. In any case, remember that backups are only useful to the extent that you actually perform frequent backups. I have known several people who spent the money for a great backup system, but only backed up every few weeks or something, then when their disk crashed, they moaned about all the new files that they had lost!
Hehe... I didn't think I was that loud...
Yep, you're definitely right. Luckily for me, the damage was minimal--I have to go back and do all the hex crap to remove the xerox et al folders, but with the exception of some annoying shortcuts, I still have the original data.
Just today, though, I did download that Acronis program that Darhazer suggested and it seems pretty cool so far. Lots of options and lots of protection. The only thing I'm a bit reserved about it being required to house my backups on my external instead of that of a CD, but it only makes sense because you can't hold gigs upon gigs of information on a single disk. I just wonder how I would utilize the backups on the external if I wouldn't even have the ability to read from my USB ports upon disaster...
Re: Data / OS backup and restore question...
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:30 am
by matthijs
Just ask yourself how much a good backup is worth to you in case you really need it. Say you're working on a deadline for a client project and your HD crashes in the middle of the weekend. How much would a bootable, exact clone of your system from the previous day be worth to you? And a backup archive from the same day?
Probably ten times the price you have to pay for a decent backup program.
Re: Data / OS backup and restore question...
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:53 pm
by Darhazer
Oh, I missed the sentence about 'freeware'.
You can check
this list with free backup software, I never used anyone of those, but there are some positive feedback about PING and DriveImage.
If you find some good free soft, do not forget to share with us

Re: Data / OS backup and restore question...
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 2:08 pm
by Wolf_22
Acronis TrueImage is a nice program, but it seemed like the CD I created from it only made a copy of the Acronis program on the disk and not any sort of "ghosted" image of my hard drive. When I went to test it, it kept trying to use the backups I made which were on my external hard drive and when I tried to use those, it seemed to do nothing but sit in idle. I think I just lack the knowledge and experience needed to use this program, but in the end, I'm not too sold on it... I guess I'll keep piddling around with it until I know what I'm doing...
Re: Data / OS backup and restore question...
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:16 pm
by Doug G
To back up my vista machine, I got an external 640gb disk for about 60 bucks US from newegg and used the free MS program SyncToy to set up a nightly scheduled replication of folders I wanted backed up.