Considering New Backup Options

[MBAustin]

I use Time Machine on my Mac laptop to backup to an external HD for Trombone Al's #1 & #3 scenarios (used about 4 times in the last 5 years). Now that HDs are so large and cheap, I also backup to DH's external HD (on his Windows machine) using CrashPlan (free backups to other computers, paid backups to their cloud service). DH rotates his two HD's to our bank safe deposit box so this covers scenario #2.

 

[Walt34]

Mine's pretty bad too. I use two external hard drives, one WD "Smartdrive" that continuously backs up new and changed files, and another, usually disconnected, that I back up to ~weekly. Additionally, Quicken files are backed up to a USB flash drive kept in a drawer.

 

[misanman]

I use SmartSync Pro to sync files between systems and to maintain backup copies on NAS. We use Acronis for daily system backups to a second disk (weekly full, then incrementals). Critical files are SmartSync'd frequently to thumbdrive that I could grab and go in an emergency. I make complete system copies every six months and rotate them to a safe deposit box. The Synergy NAS has two mirrored drives.

We've begun to use Dropbox some to share docs with tablet and smart phones.

 

[photoguy]

Lately, after looking at the files I have accumulated electronically over the years, I am wondering why I am keeping several Gigabytes of fairly ussless historical records. I am pondering lighting up a new Win 7 box to replace the XP one I am currently using and looking at what I should load on the new box vs. what's on this 7 year old custom build.

Maybe it's time to evaluate storage of files vs. dumping many?

I definitely have several GB of files that could be deleted. But given how cheap memory storage is, I've decided it wasn't worth the time to figure out what needs to be deleted and instead keep everything.


On a different note, does anybody use the built in "time machine" function in windows? I remember setting this up on my father-in-law's computer through the control panel but since I'm personally on mac I don't know how this compares to other offerings.

 

[rbmrtn]

On a different note, does anybody use the built in "time machine" function in windows? I remember setting this up on my father-in-law's computer through the control panel but since I'm personally on mac I don't know how this compares to other offerings.

It has been there in windows for a while, with different names. XP has shadow copy services, in 7 there is "previous versions" and now 8 calls it "File History". Access is from control panel.
How to Use Windows 8's New File History Backup (aka Time Machine for Windows)

 

[modhatter]

I think you would be looking for a sync tool versus a backup. A file sync will initially copy all of the selected files, then next time will update ones that have changed.

There is a free opensource one here, FreeFileSync | Free Security & Utilities software downloads at SourceForge.net

Microsoft has one called synctoy ( not as robust ) Download SyncToy 2.1 from Official Microsoft Download Center

Thank you rbmrtn for the recommendation. Yes, the sync program was the type of program I was looking for. I downloaded it last night. Tried to find some tutorials on YouTube, but they were pretty sucky. Not sure about making that "batch file". Need to learn what that is.

Sure wish someone would make a more sensible video that you could actually follow. They zip through them like lightning and you can't see where they are clicking or what they just did.

Also RetireAge50. Thanks for the notepad infor. Can you further explain the \" /d/y/s

 

[rbmrtn]

Can you further explain the \" /d/y/s

Those are command line switches for the xcopy command. The switches tell xcopy how it should handle things.


XCOPY help

Command Line Switches for the XCOPY Command

 

[TromboneAl]

I put this batch file on several USB drives. It's called

BackupToHere.bat

cd \
if exist \photosbackup rd \photosbackup /s /q
md \PhotosBackup
cd \photosBackup
xcopy /e c:\photos\*.* .
rem
if exist \DocumentsBackup rd \DocumentsBackup /s /q
md \DocumentsBackup
cd \DocumentsBackup
xcopy /e "C:\Documents and Settings\Al\My Documents" .  
rem
if exist \itunesappsbackup rd \itunesappsbackup /s /q
md \itunesappsBackup
cd \itunesappsBackup
xcopy /e "c:\itunes\Mobile Applications\*.*" .

pause

and I have an autorun.inf like this:

[autorun]
open=BackupToHere.bat
action=Run Backup Program
icon=BackupToHere.bat
label=My Portable PC

For a while, I could just plug that USB drive into the computer and walk away, and it would handle everything.

Then Microsoft decided it was too dangerous to allow things to run automatically, so now I have to actually execute the batch file manually.

 

[RunningBum]

I agree with that philosophy, but I figure that there are three uses for backups:

1. Backups in case your hard drive or equipment fails
2. Backups in case your house burns down
3. Backups in case you delete a file or folder by mistake, or because you mistakenly thought you'd never need it again.

Types 1 and 2 are most important, but type 3 is the most common, and works fine with same-hard-drive backups.

I prepare for type 1, which I don't think has ever happened to me.

I prepare for type 2, which happened to me once.

I prepare for type 3, which has happened perhaps 50 times.

The advantage of the same-drive backup is that it is very fast and convenient.

Now to do some fake Bing searches so that I can earn enough points to get 100 GB of OneDrive storage.

Do you check your recycle bin for the accidentally deleted file? If you don't flush your recycle bin files can stay there for a long time.

#1 is something that will probably happen to more people than not in their lifetime, unless you tend to replace laptops fairly regularly. And #1 and #2 are devastating if you haven't backed data up elsewhere, while #3 seems to me that it would be more of a "I wish I still had that picture" kind of thing, unless you are really careless with your deleting.

I would also add case #4, or case #1.5, where your laptop is stolen or lost.

 

[TromboneAl]

An example of type 3: When writing my book, I needed access to the high-res original photos from our trip of five years ago. All the DVD backups are stored on spindles, so it's easy to got back to the relevant date.

Actually, I have a separate backup system for photos. When a camera's card is full, I copy the raw, unedited photos to DVD and store it. That way I can go back to any photo I've taken in the last 14 years.

 

[TromboneAl]

Can anyone recommend a VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND backup program for doing a non-encrypted backup and then incremental backups added to your already saved documents. I want to be able to have Password Protection though. I don't want it encrypted because I want to be able to see the files and locate what I'm looking for. This would be to a new USB 2 TB external drive I just bought.

I recommend Backup Maker. It's free and does all the things you want.

Software für Backup, Synchronisation, Datenlöschung & Tuning

I've been using it for years, and I've set it up to backup my documents to the cloud drive every Saturday.

 

[walkinwood]

I currently use crashplan which is a paid cloud based service. It automatically backs up files as they change (incremental). You can also use crashplan free to do the same thing on another computer that you (or a friend owns). The program runs in the background and is very light on resources. After the initial backup that can run for a day or so ( you continue to use your computer), I haven't noticed it running.

Mozy is another good service. It used to have 2GB for free and that may work for some. My photographs started taking up more and more space, and mozy became too expensive for me. Crashplan does not have a size limit.

So far, I haven't had a catastrophic drive failure, but have needed to go to previous versions of files - and it worked flawlessly.

 

[gauss]

My new laptop has a huge drive with lots of space I don't need. I also have access to cloud storage (OneDrive) totaling 100 GBytes.

....

Before I decide on a new backup scheme, anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,

Al,

Don't fix what isn't broken. If you don't need the new space, repartition your new hard drive so that your new C: drive is the same size as your old one. Leave the rest of the drive unpartitioned for now.

That way, you can use your old backup scheme without modification. You will also tend to live within the constraints of whatever partition size that you setup -- bottom line is less data to manage going forward.

-gauss

 

[TromboneAl]

Here is a link to a photo on my SkyDrive (now OneDrive):

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...uthkey=!AHyVKjVLH7_zap8&v=3&ithint=photo,.jpg

Concerning security: Can you access it, and are you able to access any other things on my drive?

 

[MBAustin]

Here is a link to a photo on my SkyDrive (now OneDrive):

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...uthkey=!AHyVKjVLH7_zap8&v=3&ithint=photo,.jpg

Concerning security: Can you access it, and are you able to access any other things on my drive?

I was able to access it and download it. I tried to tag it and it wouldn't let me. It said "1 of 1" and I poked around to see if I could find something else with no luck (it just kept asking me to sign in with my own id, which I don't have).

 

[Greg V]

My backup process is to use Mac OSX Time Machine daily (hourly when I happen to be using the computer) to backup my iMac hard drive to a networked hard drive. Weekly I clone my iMac hard drive to a different portable hard drive using Carbon Copy Cloner for a bootable backup. Also on a weekly schedule is a backup of my important personal and financial records to a flash drive.

I don't use Dropbox in the backup scheme, but find it very useful for data exchange among my desktop and mobile devices in support of specific apps.

There are many good ways to handle backups...it's just important to have a system and use it consistently.

 

[sengsational]

This might be considered a "plug", but I really think it would save a huge percent of 'type 1' problems: Spinrite. This program is not free, but if it doesn't live up to your satisfaction, you can get your money back. The program has been around since the days of the IBM PC, but has been updated along the way, of course.

Current drives have a system called SMART that moves data to new sectors if it takes 'too many' read attempts to get the data. The problem sector is marked so its out of commission. One function of this program is to read every sector on the drive, which lets the SMART system do its magic. Obviously you could have a drive that goes TU all of the sudden, but I have found that they often start going slowly (evidenced by longer and longer read times). Spinrite has a mode where it will, non-destructively re-write every sector too. Works on any file system (even TIVO drives), but you need to get the drive mounted on a box that can boot DOS.

 

[imoldernu]

Imoldernu's files are preserved on this computer, to be recovered at a later date in a landfill, and placed in my memorial library, where they will rest untouched and unread by anyone.

Hudreds of thousands of files, pictures, essays, music and once treasured memories will disappear when the computer gives up the ghost. R.I.P.

The few important documents are preserved on Google Drive and on an 8G thumb drive. The vanity of my avatar is no longer a goal. Memory is transient, physically, mechanically and electronically. Better forgotten, than to become a guilt object for those who follow.

 

[Tractor guy]

I use SecondCopy (available here: Automatic backup software - secure data with Second Copy ) to backup pictures and data files to a 1T NAS drive that is sitting on my home network. It runs in the background and does incremental backups once a week. I can also kick off the process on demand if needed. I do this for example if I'm going to take my laptop on vacation. I make sure that everything is backed up before I leave. I've got it set so that it keeps one old copy of a file whenever it updates the backup.

This takes care of cases 1 and 3 in the OP list of bad things that can happen. (disk failure or accidental deletion). It doesn't take care of the fire or tornado risk. I've been thinking about using Carbonite for that but haven't got off my duff yet.

I've been using Second copy for about 12 years now. It got great reviews when I paid for it but seems to have disappeared from people's radar since then.

 

[KingB]

I try to keep it simple. I use Windows 8.1's File History. I have a portable HD that is always connected to the desktop's USB3.0

 

[mpeirce]

I definitely have several GB of files that could be deleted. But given how cheap memory storage is, I've decided it wasn't worth the time to figure out what needs to be deleted and instead keep everything.

I too err on the side of keeping stuff around. But I use this too:

GrandPerspective

It looks over your disk and generates a nice graphical map of your files showing their sizes. It's very useful in finding giant files that I really don't need any more (movies, disk images, etc.). This is for Mac, but I'm sure there is something similar for the PC out there.



For backups I use TimeMachine. I have a local disk that I keep connected to my iMac and periodically connect to my MacBook. I also have another large disk that I keep in my safe deposit box that I fetch every month or two and let TimeMachine do its thing, then returning it to the safe deposit box.

This way I have a catastrophic backup that's fairly up to date and continuous backups for the dumb mistakes or hardware failures.

 

[gauss]

I too err on the side of keeping stuff around. But I use this too:

GrandPerspective

It looks over your disk and generates a nice graphical map of your files showing their sizes. It's very useful in finding giant files that I really don't need any more (movies, disk images, etc.). This is for Mac, but I'm sure there is something similar for the PC out there.

.

Indeed! I use WinDirStat for Windows machines.

-gauss

 

[TromboneAl]

I just found out that OneDrive doesn't allow any files over 2 GB. That ruins my backup scheme, unless I have my backup app split the files.

 

[target2019]

I just found out that OneDrive doesn't allow any files over 2 GB. That ruins my backup scheme, unless I have my backup app split the files.

Googledrive had a 10GB filesize limit, but it is now 1TB.
I have 15GB in a free gmail account I just checked. I think that may work for you...

Don't use it for that purpose currently, as I prefer local net drive.

 

[TromboneAl]

Googledrive had a 10GB filesize limit, but it is now 1TB.
I have 15GB in a free gmail account I just checked. I think that may work for you...

Don't use it for that purpose currently, as I prefer local net drive.

Yes, I just integrated my googledrive with File Explorer, but I haven't looked into whether it is duplicating the files on my hard drive or not.

I'd need more than the 15 free GBytes that I currently have to use that for backup.

I get around the 2GByte limit on file size on OneDrive by telling the backup app to split the files. Works OK so far.