How often do you back up?

Thrifty-saver

As a silver surfer, & not very technical. The simply answer is I don't cos I don't know how.
Any assistance you care to give me in simple, plain English I'd be glad of.
Thanks

superscaper

Thrifty-saver wrote: »

As a silver surfer, & not very technical. The simply answer is I don't cos I don't know how.
Any assistance you care to give me in simple, plain English I'd be glad of.
Thanks

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=597170

charlieheard

I've just started using Microsoft's Mesh software, which allows me to maintain synchronised copies of documents, etc on different PCs, as well as up to 5Gb of data synchronised with their servers.

I started using it to maintain and synchronise work documents on my desktop and laptop, but realised you could use it to backup between PCs and onto their servers as well. As mentioned above, you can only sync 5Gb onto their servers, but any amount between PCs.

It is obviously also useful if you want to be able to access work documents from anywhere with an internet connection.

fayraz

charlieheard wrote: »

I've just started using Microsoft's Mesh software, which allows me to maintain synchronised copies of documents, etc on different PCs, as well as up to 5Gb of data synchronised with their servers.

I started using it to maintain and synchronise work documents on my desktop and laptop, but realised you could use it to backup between PCs and onto their servers as well. As mentioned above, you can only sync 5Gb onto their servers, but any amount between PCs.

It is obviously also useful if you want to be able to access work documents from anywhere with an internet connection.

Looks interesting, I will give this a go in a bit. I like the bit it syncs automatically to the web.

fayraz

charlieheard wrote: »

I've just started using Microsoft's Mesh software, which allows me to maintain synchronised copies of documents, etc on different PCs, as well as up to 5Gb of data synchronised with their servers.

I started using it to maintain and synchronise work documents on my desktop and laptop, but realised you could use it to backup between PCs and onto their servers as well. As mentioned above, you can only sync 5Gb onto their servers, but any amount between PCs.

It is obviously also useful if you want to be able to access work documents from anywhere with an internet connection.

What an excellent application I love the way you don't have to sign in to backup data to multiple machines and also backs up online are done without signing in.

Is there any way to turn off the sign in box which pops up when you start the machine?

markanders7353

Toxteth_OGrady wrote: »

@allexie
Unfortunately this useful little utility isn't installed by default in XP Home.

It is however available on the XP Home installation CD. Browse to the CD folder (where E: is for example the CD drive) E:\ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBackup and run the installer NTBACKUP.MSI.

Great tip - thanks.

charlieheard

fayraz wrote: »

What an excellent application I love the way you don't have to sign in to backup data to multiple machines and also backs up online are done without signing in.

Is there any way to turn off the sign in box which pops up when you start the machine?

If you select the option to remember name and password, it will log you in automatically. Obviously you should only do this on a secure PC...;)

Aiadi

charlieheard wrote: »

I've just started using Microsoft's Mesh software, which allows me to maintain synchronised copies of documents, etc on different PCs, as well as up to 5Gb of data synchronised with their servers.

I started using it to maintain and synchronise work documents on my desktop and laptop, but realised you could use it to backup between PCs and onto their servers as well. As mentioned above, you can only sync 5Gb onto their servers, but any amount between PCs.

It is obviously also useful if you want to be able to access work documents from anywhere with an internet connection.

Excellent idea but very poorly implemented and highly unreliable. Uploads few files then grinds to a halt for no obvious reason. Just look at the endless amount of bugs reported on Microsoft forums. Not to be recommended at this stage for synchronising or backing up important files.

charlieheard

Aiadi wrote: »

Excellent idea but very poorly implemented and highly unreliable. Uploads few files then grinds to a halt for no obvious reason. Just look at the endless amount of bugs reported on Microsoft forums. Not to be recommended at this stage for synchronising or backing up important files.

Hmmm. I now know quite a few people online who recommend it, and power users on sites such as Windows Weekly and WinSuperSite. I can confirm that I've used it to back-up 7.5Gb of family photos from my desktop to the laptop without problem (apart from the bandwidth :eek:) as well as several work folders to the online desktop as well as the laptop.

I'd agree that, apart from the initial loading, I'm not a heavy user: but it works fine for me

Feanixxx

I use the following regime which covers most bases:

A nightly backup while I sleep of the data partition to a secondary hard disk.

A nightly system clone via Acronis True Image to the secondary hard disk.

A weeky clone via Aconis True Image to a a spare iPod.

Constant online backups to two storage services, Mozy and Carbonite. I have about 60 gigs on each of them for about £25 a year or so each. Very user friendly and easy to set up as well.

So the nightly backups and clones let me recover to the previous day very quickly, the weekly system backup is a 'just in case the nightly one fails' and the two online backups guarantee I can restore my most vital 60 gigs of data from anywhere in the world onto any PC (or if I trash my current PC).

I'm a computer consultant with lots of client data on my machines so a good backup regime is essential - down-time means no income!!