How often do you back up?

Sofa_Sogood

Toxteth_OGrady wrote:

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

It is however available on the XP Home installation CD.

Toxteth? Was there ever a CD on XP Home Edition? TIA

Sofa_Sogood

hotrod wrote:

I think I'm going to try using the rewritable discs idea. Still havent quite worked out how to do a proper back up yet?

Same here.

I've seen topics about USB's?? and memory sticks ??? Still can't read the manuals, (or some of the helpful posts )

Do rewritable disks back up everything?

drlight_2

I have my documents folder, emails, music, downloads configured to use a 30 gig partition, crashes don't bother me as far as loosing important stuff. winxp itself dosn't warrent backing up for me, but I have a cutom xp instalation with all the updates streamlined into the instalation just in case. An I always keep a copy of anti V & adware internet settings on the second partition to get me on the web.

Too be honest I've learnt from the same mistakes, one of them to be honest is installing loads of windows utilities, reg cleaners, system moniters and security monitors, you have to realise that these companise don't work for microsoft so write software blind, the problem is sytem maintanace is advance and any wrong alterations crash the OS.

I don't mean web monitoring applications as the WWW is a much bigger system yet i think simpler in structure than a pc.

Sofa_Sogood

LongJohnBaldy wrote:

Although I voted "once in a blue moon" the answer could be "never".
I use a "back up" facility in SpywareStopper and exactly what it backs up I am not sure.

I daren't vote

But if you're backing it up as you are and don't know what it backs up, isn't that a bit of a hit and miss thing LJB?

drlight_2

Use rewritable disk with backup software to do a full backup, you'll have a image/ghost (1 to 1 copy) of your computer from exactly when you made the copy.
Restoring is a sinch, somthing like put the disk in, switch on the pc press start & it's working again in 15 minutes.

Sofa_Sogood

drlight wrote:

Use rewritable disk with backup software to do a full backup, you'll have a image/ghost (1 to 1 copy) of your computer from exactly when you made the copy.
Restoring is a sinch, somthing like put the disk in, switch on the pc press start & it's working again in 15 minutes.

I'm not sure who you were repying to drlight so apologies if it wasn't me

I don't understand image/ghosts etc, but I don't download music or anything. All I'd lose is every programme I've downloaded I think?

Are these retrieveable from mail?

(I understand backing up to disk and that's about all ... like photos etc.)

drlight_2

Sofa_Sogood wrote:

I'm not sure who you were repying to drlight so apologies if it wasn't me

I don't understand image/ghosts etc, but I don't download music or anything. All I'd lose is every programme I've downloaded I think?

Are these retrieveable from mail?

(I understand backing up to disk and that's about all ... like photos etc.)

Just copy what you think you want to keep to something you can keep seperate, incase the origonal messes up

Sofa_Sogood

drlight wrote:

Just copy what you think you want to keep to something you can keep seperate, incase the origonal messes up

Thanks drlight

I'll check programmes I've downloaded, (see if they can be saved) then save photos etc.

But there's no original on XP Home Edition - as far as I know

tigermatt

Well, I backup once a month. I have one PC on this network that holds all of the documents, emails etc. so I don't really bother with the other machines because there is nothing of "great importance" on them.

But, this one PC storing everything is the one I take the most care about!!!

BTW, I use Norton Ghost 2002 which I got quite cheaply from eBay about 2-3 years ago. Cheaper than PC World I must say! :money: I find Norton Ghost is easy to use, especially with the ability to backup certain partitions, whole partitions, whole disk etc. to an image file. :j You can also install the "Ghost Explorer" in Windows which allows you to open an image file and restore any file you need to, without the need of reverting the whole machine. :rotfl:

I would rather not use the Windows XP "System Restore" due to the requirement of having the Operating System running to restore. I prefer to backup to a seperate Hard Drive which can be removed and safely stored after use. I have also considered backing up to CD every 6 months or so and asking a good friend to keep hold of the CDs, just in case! :rolleyes:

Sorry about the length of this post :eek: but I hope it will help someone!

Nikiya

I need to back up my personal files and so far have NEVER managed to do it... I have a PC with XP that supposedly reads and writes CDs DVDs. However, if I insert an empty CD the only two options it gives me are to burn music. What program should I download to copy documents, mostly text?