Backup solutions...

___ · Post by **___** » Jan 17th, 2008, 8:08 pm

Hey...am trying to standardize my backup routines across primarily Windows machines, though linux is there but is still just a development machine.

Any experiences with software, online storage, etc? I still use PQ Drive Image but max image size is just under 2GB which is a minor annoyance. I also sync with USB thumb and external drives and am considering using my included Norton online storage.

I don't really want to get tied to Norton Ghost....can't seem to forgive them for taking over PowerQuest. :127:

One option I am looking at is DriveImage XML on http://LifeHacker.com ....it is free!

Looking for some new ideas...LOL, I was reminded the hard way how critical it is to take the time to back up.

:124:

SpaceAddict · Post by **SpaceAddict** » Jan 17th, 2008, 8:28 pm

My Personal solution for me I don't know if you would do it this way or not but I'm running a terabyte Raid 0 array so that is a huge problem to back up. My quick and dirty solution is plug in a different NTFS drive and just back it up then unplug it. Drives are cheap. I could have run raid 1 or something but I wanted max speed. There is always a chance I will loose data but critical stuff I save to a few 8 gig USB drives I have. Most of my stuff is on DVD's disk somewhere. I'm pretty careful where i put stuff. No use backing up programs, just the data. I have the disks i can reinstall applications. The best program i ever used was GoBack but Norton bought it. I'm not a Norton fan so I never used it since. I think it's better than Ghost cause it is backs up all the time. I forget what it was but I think if you had a file longer then 30 seconds it backed it up. I think it was you had to have saved it 30 seconds before you deleted it to be sure it was on the backup. It only saved changes so the backup was rather small so it did not waste to much space. Excellent idea. Any change and save you could find by time and date. You could delete the entire windows folder and recover from it.

AlanH · Post by **AlanH** » Jan 17th, 2008, 8:36 pm

There was a new product coming out called Windows Home Server. It's a hardware backup fore your home network... I remember the specs were massive. But I have not tried one, and haven't seen them for sale (Not that I'm looking) That would be the full turnkey backup system.

I just back up to DVD for documents, and important files.

If I was building a backup server, it would have to be a Linux based one. There are quite a few tutorials on how it's done.

As for software. I used to use Ghost... but I really don't need to go backing up too often at home to bother..

___ · Post by **___** » Jan 18th, 2008, 11:33 am

I do have a seperate USB HD for some things...and a home server would be nice but kind of expensive. Ghost seems to be the most flexible....but it's Norton. :-X

I do backup to DVD and USB but still looking to simplify, which is how to make sure it gets done regular like.....choices, choices...

:124:

SpaceAddict · Post by **SpaceAddict** » Jan 18th, 2008, 11:40 am

Well if that is what you are looking for then you want to try GoBack. It's the best. I like that look back into the past and drag and drop files into the present. It's the best backup idea I have ever seen. I'd give it a try. You can tell it what drives to do and it just runs. If your computer totally dies you can recover it on reboot. The idea that MS stole sort of for System restore. But it is a million times better. You can turn System restore off if you have GoBack.

This link seems to have a free version of it. Which is odd.

http://tinyurl.com/yvcy42

Cheaper then a separate server. One thing I like though about it it is virtually instant.

AlanH · Post by **AlanH** » Jan 18th, 2008, 11:53 am

SpaceAddict wrote:Well if that is what you are looking for then you want to try GoBack. It's the best. I like that look aback into the past and drag and drop files into the present. It's the best backup idea I have ever seen. I'd give it a try. You can tell it what drives to do and it just runs. If your computer totally dies you can recover it on reboot. The idea that MS stole sort of for System restore. But it is a million times better. You can turn System restore off if you have GoBack.

This link seems to have a free version of it. Which is odd.

http://tinyurl.com/yvcy42

Cheaper then a separate server. One thing I like though about it it is virtually instant.

Sounds tempting enough to try. I will grab it when I get home from work. Thanks much S.A.

SpaceAddict · Post by **SpaceAddict** » Jan 18th, 2008, 12:28 pm

I pretty sure the Mac has got this running inside it now too. I seen the ad and it looks exactly like this program. But it is one of the PC vs Mac ads though.

___ · Post by **___** » Jan 18th, 2008, 1:00 pm

SpaceAddict wrote:This link seems to have a free version of it. Which is odd.

http://tinyurl.com/yvcy42

The page link for this goes to Symantec, and info link goes to a blank page. Also Roxio has no link for this product....might be getting sucked up like PowerQuest did. I seem to remember reading that Go Back was now part of Norton Save and Restore or even Ghost....those are the only two products on the Symantec site for these I can find.

SpaceAddict · Post by **SpaceAddict** » Jan 18th, 2008, 1:15 pm

It is part of Norton now and that is why I refuse to buy it but some people like Norton. I'm not that person but it still might be worth a try of it solves your backup problems. That might have been a old link. I had a old version I don't use it anymore though. It just showed up on Google I never tried to download it.

SpaceAddict · Post by **SpaceAddict** » Jan 18th, 2008, 1:30 pm

I think they broke it. Good question where it went. It may have got integrated to there vast slow down your computer to a crawl just like it will act if it got infected with a virus suite.

Searching for "GoBack" now all you get is millions of hits of" I want to GoBack to XP" Thanks Microsoft.

Ya that is what they have done they rolled it into there vast slow down your computer suite. I guess that's why I don't use it anymore.

It was a excellent program at one time, That's Too bad. They ripped me off once I don't buy there products anymore.

___ · Post by **___** » Jan 19th, 2008, 1:21 pm

Well....I got a great deal on a spindle of DVD+R DL discs on boxing day so will copy my movies over to them, as well as creating ISO's of critical software discs. I use DVD+RW's in 2 rotating sets now for system restore bu's(going to try incremental bu's) and date that does not change often...I keep telling myself it is simple to just fire it up when I go to bed once a week!!

A combination of a WD Passport and SanDisk USB drives for data on the run and oft changing data like Documents, Fav/bookmark's, email etc.....

Just have to decide on a common software app to make restore operations simpler.

I did look at a LinkSys NAS200 as a network storage solution, which I like...though by the time you buy two large SATA drives to stick in it the cost is prohibitive for the moment. It supports RAID 0/1. Ideally a couple TB drives in it would be sufficient for any forseeable future...but that is just a nice idea right now.

SpaceAddict · Post by **SpaceAddict** » Jan 19th, 2008, 1:46 pm

I did look later there is some free software around on shellcity.net to backup your box. But it's Vista. This is the thing. Will it still work. I like the idea of just using a hard disk for backup cause there very fast. It does not take long to make a copy of a monster drive. No extra software needed.

Remember on Vista you got that file copy limit that will bite you.

Alert ! Vista Explorer only supports 16,383 File Copy

I heard the hot fix did not work but I don't know the current state of this feature.

___ · Post by **___** » Jan 19th, 2008, 2:42 pm

SpaceAddict wrote:I did look later there is some free software around on shellcity.net to backup your box.

Yes, still looking at that XML version, but going to research them thoroughly....free always makes me think twice....

SpaceAddict wrote:I like the idea of just using a hard disk for backup cause there very fast.

True....but I liken it to having all your apples in one basket. Drives fail. On discs less likely to lose everything in case of...and I believe in the extra effort for redundancy(I run a UPS as well). Of course mirroring in the network server would solve that with enough cash.

SpaceAddict wrote: Alert ! Vista Explorer only supports 16,383 File Copy
I heard the hot fix did not work but I don't know the current state of this feature.

From what I can see it applies to the use of Kaspersky AV v5 & 6....apparently corrected in new versions. There is also a spike in memory use handling 1500+ files, which I noticed in Windows Mail until I cleaned up my old messages...5000+ individual mails...

Just looked quickly but will keep an eye on this...

SpaceAddict · Post by **SpaceAddict** » Jan 19th, 2008, 2:47 pm

Firefox is free. Linux is free.

Shellcity,net is pretty good though but they don't write it so but I found good stuff there or found ideas where to find what I'm looking for.

___ · Post by **___** » Jan 19th, 2008, 2:54 pm

SpaceAddict wrote:Firefox is free. Linux is free.

Shellcity,net is pretty good though but they don't write it so but I found good stuff there or found ideas where to find what I'm looking for.

Yes....and I would not hesitate as much with apps for linux...but dev for Windows does not have the same access to OS source and is often not as reliable, not to mention a much higher profile for malicious code....