Permanently connected external drive

David_Aston

Hi There
Recently purchased a small HP external drive. 500 megabyte memory connected by USB. It seems to have a decent back up programme, and allegedly backs up if the computer is idle for five minutes or more.
On this moderately ancient Dell computer I have noticed that one or more usb sockets seem to be giving up the ghost. To save on wear and tear I thought I might as well leave the device permanently connected. Just turn off the computer via the Vista closedown options. Any obvious snags to this procedure does anyone think?

danthemoneysavingman

No, just reduces portability (if it is a laptop).

closed

certain type of virus could rip your backups to shreds in seconds, if they are on an attached drive.

disk imaging software eg macrium reflect free is probably a better type of backup software than what you are using - not many home machines need to be backed up every 5 minutes

David_Aston

Thanks for your comments closed. The included backup is called HP SimpleSave.
In truth, it doesnt actually appear to backup every five minutes of inaction, (unless my computer is up to no good of its own volition, when I get bored, and leave it to its own devices for a while).
AVG free on the computer, which naturally appears to show virus free.
Would I be able to replace the HP installed software with your Macrium suggestion, do you imagine?

closed

you can use macrium as well or instead, but it's a manual process in the free version, not automatic. video on use, and links in speedup sticky thread above. Make sure you choose the disk image backup option, not the clone option, and create the macrium rescue disc the first time you run it.

additionally burn anything really important to dvd.

avast free + malwarebytes free is better,

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/64201309#Comment_64201309


but don't assume any antivirus protects against everything

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4785266

David_Aston

Thanks for your further comments closed, and for the links you inserted. I will have a look at the video. Manually backing up shouldn't be a problem. Currently, it appears to take SimpleSave about a minute or so, if I choose the manual option, as I am not adding much in the way of pictures or text at the Mo'.

closed

it's probably not backing up much at all, macrium backs up everything, windows, programs, data, the lot, which makes disaster recovery much easier, the freebie software is often very limited in what is backs up.

securityguy

Most disk drives have a full-size USB plug at one end and a micro-USB at the other. If you're worried about physical wear on the computer (although usually USB ports die because someone manages to blow the fuse in them) then just unplug the disk drive at the other end.

David_Aston

"Why post a techie question-Logoff immediately or head to Grabbit/Relationship board then logoff-Ignore all advice given and don't answer any questions-Go to a shop (you were going to do that anyway)-Get ripped off. Update original thread weeks later to let everyone know they've wasted their time,optionally insult the people who tried to help."
This is a superb summary, closed.
Really, when anyone accesses the Techie boards, it should pop up, full screen size, and remain there until posters tick a box to say they have read it, and will thoroughly take in it's message!

David_Aston

Just to make sure I am understanding this, closed.
Isn't the initial back up the big one, with all subsequent, daily or whatever, just relating to additional changes since big back up?

This SimpleSave software built into the HP external shows a size of 78 gigs for the backup. The C drive currently shows 94 gigs as being used out of a nominal 250. (I did gain much space by moving 50 gigs of pictures to three externals.) On that basis, I am assuming pretty much everything, back upable, did get put onto the HP?

I take it that Macrium doesn't back everything up each time it is run, after it's initial back up?

Sorry if I am confusing you!

closed

The free version of macrium just backs up the lot, either a partition, or the whole disk.

To get incremental backup, or differential, or scheduled/automatic which is what you are talking about, you have to pay for it.

So, the idea is every so often, you backup the lot with the macrium software to an external drive (do not use clone, use disk image).. and then if there is space on the external drive, do it again manually every so often, when the drive is full drop the oldest backup, and create a new one.

Or you could continue to use your existing software.

The advantage of macrium is .. supposed your internal hard disk fails, or gets infected, or wont start, consider how you are going to get back to a working machine with all your data on. with disk image backups, it's 5 minutes effort (but may take a while to complete if you have a lot of data)

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I don't recommed keeping your only copy of important data on any single external drive, unless you have it elsewhere. As many people have found, if the drive fails, they lose the lot. better to keep masters on c, and external for backup

I don't know what simplesave is backing up, but a lot of the 'free with drives' software, don't backup everything.