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Backing Up

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  • superscaper
    superscaper Posts: 13,369 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    misgrace wrote: »
    All help is much appreciated.:D

    A lot of it comes down to the unhelpful phrase "it depends". So for each individual it depends on what they've currently got in terms of hardware and software (that's why I couldn't find a way of writing a definitive step by step guide). So in your case I'll try my best and say that you need to concentrate on the absolute essential basics.

    What to backup?
    Realistically the unique stuff that you can't recreate is going to come down to files, photos and email in my opinion. Things like email account settings etc you can always re enter. Music you can re rip from CD or redownload (usually). So it's files, photos and email. Email I'll start first as it's the trickiest and very variable. It really comes down to what do you use for email and see the appropriate link in the post above. (some people have a very minimalist view of their email inbox, and I certainly commend them, so keeping a copy of emails isn't too important for them). If you use a client on your pc rather than using a browser/webmail to look at your email then you may want to go through the steps (mentioned in the appropriate link) to make a copy of your email file/folder and save it in "My Documents". That way you can have a simple "all in one place" folder to copy from. Files and photos will almost certainly be under "My Documents" as well.

    How?
    Now this depends on whether you've got a CD or DVD writer (I'm assuming CD or DVD is what you mean by disc, it usually is for most people), the appropriate CD/DVD disc either R(ecordable) or R(e)W(riteable). Also it may depend on whether you've already got CD/DVD "burning" software. But for the most basic "I want to make a copy right now in the simplest way without faffing about" then simply put a blank disc in the drive, select everything in "My Documents", menu>copy or ctrl+c, open up the CD/DVD drive in "My Computer" (it may ask if you want to format first or at some stage, say yes). And menu>paste or ctrl+v in the CD/DVD folder. That's pretty much as simple (down and dirty) as you can do it I think. It'll at least make a basic backup copy of what you really really need to make a backup of. You may find there isn't enough space on one disc to copy everything so, only copy what will fit and the rest on another disc etc. There are more sophisticated ways which you can look into, but this is at least a good starting point to get into the habit of making a backup and starting to understand what's required and what is best for you.
    "She is quite the oddball. Did you notice how she didn't even get excited when she saw this original ZX-81?"
    Moss
  • misgrace
    misgrace Posts: 1,486 Forumite
    Sorry, I meant to get back to you earlier to thank you for your helpful post.:D

    Its helped me a lot, and I appreciate the time you have taken to write it all down.:T
  • Superscaper, please edit your post to add one very important backup method:
    NAS (Network-Attached Storage)

    This is an invaluable method with the right product. At home we have 3 machines. We have one of the new Netgear NAS boxes (£100ish) which have 2 SATA Hard Drive slots. These can be used for max storage or standard raid possibilities....

    Plugged into the home network, they can be used by multiple machines, and accessed remotely and securely with intelligent power options and automatic weekly backup schedules etc...

    The massive advantage is the different techniques that can be used. For max security, monthly one drive is used for backup and transferred to a remote location (family member) and the other used for regular weekly backups, or you can have disk mirroring or striping for added security...

    The fact that it can be easily accessed remotely and secure with intelligent power options means its easily transportable (logically) and no extra luggage required.

    Plus its very safe and good way to back up in my opinion!

    So I recommend this above any method but it needs a bit of startup cash.
    [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The internet is a great way to get on the net."
    - Bob Dole, Republican presidential candidate
    [/FONT]
  • superscaper
    superscaper Posts: 13,369 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    MK, will do. The forum being slow etc is affecting some of my editing capability atm. Thanks though, NAS completely slipped my mind.
    "She is quite the oddball. Did you notice how she didn't even get excited when she saw this original ZX-81?"
    Moss
  • this is just the info i have been looking for thanks
    "what lies behind us & what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • I have a question:

    I just bought Acronis and used it to copy my entire Laptop to an external HD. If my Laptop suffers a total failure, i.e. dies and I have to buy a new one, can I use the backup to reload the entire "old" laptop to a new laptop?

    Is there an easy way to transfer all the data/settings/programs from one PC to another using imaging software?
  • Hi all - I'm new to all of this but in the same way that I never turn up to a party without a bottle, I thought I should bring something useful to this forum.If you are like me and nod wisely whenever people talk about backing up files, pictures, music etc.... but never actually do it, then I've just found a web site that will do it automatically for you. I recently had my laptop crash and I lost my entire ipod music collection that I had built up over the last 2 years - it's not so much the cost of replacing it all, but more the hassle.Check out https://www.youhavebackup.com - for as little as £5 per month you download a bit of software that encrypts and sends everything to a remote storage facility every time you use your computer. Whats more, if you refer friends to the site they give you high street gift vouchers so you can earn a bit too!
  • Acronis is a pretty good tool. I did a complete backup AND restore onto a seperate HDD all from within acronis :) Within two hours I was back up and forum posting! With HDD's getting bigger and cheaper...how hard could it be?
  • superscaper
    superscaper Posts: 13,369 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I have a question:

    I just bought Acronis and used it to copy my entire Laptop to an external HD. If my Laptop suffers a total failure, i.e. dies and I have to buy a new one, can I use the backup to reload the entire "old" laptop to a new laptop?

    Is there an easy way to transfer all the data/settings/programs from one PC to another using imaging software?

    You'd need to repair windows (at a minimum) as all the "wrong" drivers would be installed. Imaging software isn't quite right for transferring across machines. You're better off simply using the files and settings transfer wizard built into windows. Under start>all programs>accessories>system tools (in XP).
    "She is quite the oddball. Did you notice how she didn't even get excited when she saw this original ZX-81?"
    Moss
  • You'd need to repair windows (at a minimum) as all the "wrong" drivers would be installed. Imaging software isn't quite right for transferring across machines. You're better off simply using the files and settings transfer wizard built into windows. Under start>all programs>accessories>system tools (in XP).

    Thanks.
    So if my laptop dies, does it mean that also my backup will be pretty much useless?
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