How to back-up PC?

[ReadyAndWilling]

hey guys, was just wondering if there's a way i can back-up my PC. i have a couple external HDD's. was wondering if i can setup something and just leave it and just allow it to take care of backing up without me looking at again?

does microsoft have anything? i'm on vista.

thanks

 

[Sparky]

https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=c26efa36-98e0-4ee9-a7c5-98d0592d8c52

SyncToy from Microsoft.

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

thanks, i'll check it out.

anything else out there?

 

[Jadzia]

Backing up files is different from backing up a drive.

If you want to backup a drive, then look to tools like Norton Ghost. This is rather low level as it clones a drive sector by sector, rather than file by file.

Drive cloning is not something you'd want to do everyday. Perhaps once every few months, or once you have your computer set up exactly how you like it. If your operating system breaks, or is crippled with a rootkit, you can easily use Ghost to restore your installation to it's former glory with very little fuss.

I firmly believe that good resilience is better than good security.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I used Acronis True Image till I changed to Win7. The version i had wouldn't work properly.

If there is a newer version, I would go with it.

 

[Captain Ice]

I firmly believe that good resilience is better than good security.

I completely agree with you here.

The reason one backs up their files really has nothing to do with security. Your system security deals with what you do to make it harder for someone to get into your system. Properly backed up files give you resilience for when someone does hack your machine or (more likely) when you have a hardware failure or catastrophic event (fire, theft).

Another point I think I should make here....if you are backing up files to an external drive, you really should only have that drive connected to your system when you are backing up files. If (for instance) a virus gets into your system while the backup drive is attached, then you run a really high risk of having the files on that drive corrupted as well. Also, if your computer takes a power spike with that drive attached, you can lose it as well as the one in the PC. Truly the best way to deal with a external drive as a backup is to unplug it and place it on a shelf when it is not in use.

Secondly, I also recommend using a second form of backup (online for instance) in case of fire or a break in, then you still have access to your important files. Some internet security suites and antivirus programs come with a couple of gigs of online storage as part of the program. This is a set up and forget backup that just runs automatically from time to time.

What I run myself is a 1TB external drive as a primary backup with 2GB of online storage for second copies of the truly irreplaceable stuff. The external drive came with a program called Total Media Backup that handles the actual chore of backing up my files. Neat program. You should check it out as it may be available without needing to purchase the drive. My online backup came with my copy of Norton360.

 

[roliver]

Vista has some built-in backup features:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2007.09.backup.aspx

I personally use Windows Home Server, which backs up all of my machines daily without any intervention.

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

is there any way i can back up directories? like say i lose my folder of movies i can always grab them again without trying to remember the ones i lost?

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=c26efa36-98e0-4ee9-a7c5-98d0592d8c52

SyncToy from Microsoft.

this works great, but how can i automate it?

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

i'm checking out hotmail's skydrive now

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

anyone?

 

[aftermath]

On the PC: Paragon Hard Disk Manager
Mac: Time Machine

Both: Carbonite online backup.

Feel like I'm covered from everything bar the universe spontaneously exploding into millions of tiny fragments.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

A couple of things:

ReadyAndWilling, generally posting more than 2 times in a row is considered spam. As long as the "Edit" button is visible next to the "Quote" button, you can press it and edit your post, rather than making 3 separate posts over a 2 hour time frame.

Misc might not be the best place for this thread. While there are a lot of tech heads here, Science and Technology might lead you to better answers/ tips and tricks.

 

[ReadyAndWilling]

oh ok