Thread: Ghosting or backup hdd anyone?

At home, I do the follwoing.

Install Windows onto C:, and during install use a setup file to push the \Documents and Settings tree onto a second partition I call D.

(If you have already installed, just move the \My Documents folder to another partition, as this holds the bulk of your data)

Then, after everything is installed and as I want it, I use an imaging program (Ghost, Drive Image, whatever) to make a copy of C:

Everytime I do a major change (Like a service pack) I update the image first, and then take a new image afterwards. With compression, these nearly always fit a DVD, but most imaging programs can span DVD's too.

(Also, most imaging programs allow you to make a boot CD/DVD, so I do this and use the rest of the space to put the recovery image on.)

For the data, I just backup completely every few weeks to a new DVD set, and run differential* daily backups to an external HDD.

(* Differential - everything that has changed since the last full backup)

This way, even from a complete disk failure, I'm no more than 2 DVD sets and my last differential backup away from a complete restore to the previous night's state. If you have hundreds of Gigs of data, but it's mainly non-changing, take a couple of complete copies and reduce the frequency between fulls until the size of the daily differential gets unmanageable.

Experience taught me long ago this is something you just have to force yourself to do - the only time you'll lose a disk is when you haven't backed up for weeks or months!

Originally Posted by landrovermick

hello there everyone, i have just recovered from a major meltdown and am now back online after three or four days of windows updates and re loading programs, what i would like to do is make a copy or image of my hdd now that i have all 6 million windows updated and latest virus profiles on board, i have a sata external hdd (250Gb) which im happy to use some of as a backup - all i need to know is how to do it.

then ill need to figure out how to transfer it back onto a formatter hdd next time she fails - about every 12 months.

any hints anyone?

Mick

Hi Mick,

there are a couple of programs which you can use to backup your system and data. Symantec Ghost is one of the better one's an Acronis True-image one of my favourites.
With Acronis you'll be able to backup your system whilst you're working.

Google Acronis and read on how to set it up; very easy. You'll create a boot disk which will allow you to backup your system from the SATA drive.

Any more questions, let me know.


Hombre

the way I do it isnt the best way but for one respect it uses the software that comes with windows and will restore even if the only OS you can get to run is win98.

on the install disc of windows is the windows backup software, its a bit hidden but I use it cause its always there and can (if you know how) be made to run off of nothing more than a 32mb ramdrive and a cdrom..