Help needed with options for system backup/recovery

terra_ferma

closed wrote: »

there's one way to find out, create one and see

I thought you'd only use the boot disk if your PC crashes, won't it be too late to find out then?
Or are you saying it can be tested?
I know I'm asking a lot of dumb questions...

fwor

Sort of talking at cross purposes there.

You (typically) need to create a hard disk image from a bootable CD, because you can't (generally) take an image of the Windows system partition while Windows is running. This is because for a consistent image, you have to lock all of the files so they can't be changed while the backup is being made - but Windows can't run if its own system files are locked by a backup process!

Backing up user data should be fine while Windows is running, but if you try a whole disk image, the result would almost certainly have internal inconsistencies.

closed

Bit out of date fwor, xp onwards shadow copy and acronis's own drivers have worked around that issue for some time.

OP yes it can be tested, and any backup strategy should always be tested before you need to use it.

if you don't create a boot cd until you have a dead pc, you will need to create one on another pc to do any recovery.

fwor

closed wrote: »

Bit out of date fwor, xp onwards shadow copy and acronis's own drivers have worked around that issue for some time.

Agreed - I was aware that it's claimed, but I've never seen it done for a whole volume for real. I can see that "versioning" could work for stuff that changes moderately frequently, but does it really work for system files that change many times a second?

I don't think shadow copy ever featured as part of the backup service in XP, and that it only came in with Vista onward. I'm definitely out of date there, having only ever used Vista once for about 10 minutes!

closed

it locks a point in time copy of everything when you start the backup, and works on xp.

http://www.runtime.org/shadow-copy.htm

fwor

Ah - Ok, I thought you were referring to the native Windows shadow copy service, rather than something by a third party that uses the underlying OS features.

Any idea if there's anything equivalent for Linux?

(With apologies to the OP for the thread hijack!)

closed

XP's backup uses the same service, this is just a different front end

JudyPoodyBoody

I use lazysave - it's a screensaver which backs up the files when the screensaver kicks in.

googler

terra_ferma wrote: »

I need help with backup.
All folders and files are backed up daily, but I need to be up and running quickly in case of a system or hardware failure. I have a lot of bits of software that I would need to be able to use again.

Assuming you have all the install disks for the programs you use, or you know where you downloaded them from, then -

Buy an HDD exactly the same as the one currently in your PC (whether it's a desktop or a laptop)

Take the current drive out, put this one in its place and install the OS and all the programs that are currently on your PC

Take the new drive out once you're done and keep it to one side, replacing the original drive.

You say you're backing up your data files daily to another external drive, so in the event of a failure on your current PC drive, you can grab the one kept to the side as described above, swap it into the PC (10-15 mins work?), copy the latest backup from the external drive and you'll be operational again.

You could even leave the new drive in an empty drive bay in the PC (not connected) so that the swapping of drives is merely a case of moving the cables.

terra_ferma

googler wrote: »

Assuming you have all the install disks for the programs you use, or you know where you downloaded them from, then -

Buy an HDD exactly the same as the one currently in your PC (whether it's a desktop or a laptop)

Take the current drive out, put this one in its place and install the OS and all the programs that are currently on your PC

Take the new drive out once you're done and keep it to one side, replacing the original drive.

You say you're backing up your data files daily to another external drive, so in the event of a failure on your current PC drive, you can grab the one kept to the side as described above, swap it into the PC (10-15 mins work?), copy the latest backup from the external drive and you'll be operational again.

You could even leave the new drive in an empty drive bay in the PC (not connected) so that the swapping of drives is merely a case of moving the cables.

definitely too hands on for me...

I used Easus Todo and I now have a disk image on the external drive, and a recovery disk in a USB key.
+ the usual files backup routine