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Thread ID: 37569	2003-09-11 09:25:00	backups	42southern (4549)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
174571	2003-09-11 09:25:00	Hello all I have a machine with 2 hard drives running windows 98SE. I have been using windows backup to make full backups to my second drive. Should my primary drive fail how would I make a restore to the replacement drive? I assume that I would have to reinstall windows on the Primary drive and then use backup to pick up the backup from the secondary drive. Any comments would be appreciated.	42southern (4549)
174572	2003-09-11 11:17:00	Yes, your assumption is correct I would say.	Rod J (451)
174573	2003-09-11 12:33:00	Hi, You'd basically have to reinstall windows on the primary drive and run backup to restore the files. A small point though - backups to a 2nd drive is good for hard drive failure (unless of course it's one partitioned disk) but... what happens in case of fire or burglary?	Heather P (163)
174574	2003-09-11 14:06:00	Its easier to use Drive Image 2002 or ghost to save a compressed image of your c: DRIVE content.techweb.com	kiwibeat (304)
174575	2003-09-11 21:36:00	I am a little wary about using the Windows backup utility as I have heard of people not being able to restore their files after a disaster . Cannot remember the details exactly but I think that if one tried to restore the files on another version of Windows or on another drive or something, you were out of luck . I think I remember someone on this forum a while ago having problems of this nature . Personally I just copy and paste from one hard drive to the other since I am not restricted for space at the moment but if I was or needed some kind of syncronisation I would use a third-party backup program that could be installed on any computer to restore files . Heather's point about theft, fire, etc is very valid and should be considered if one's data is very important . Removable hard drive caddies have been discussed here recently and are ideal for this purpose .	Susan B (19)
174576	2003-09-11 22:03:00	Thanks for the replies. Points noted about fire etc. I had been considering using Drive image 2002. However I visited the CNET.com site and read all sorts of negative reviews, so now I am wondering whats the best option. I considered a RAID setup, but was concerned that any virus or file corruption would be instantly transferred to the second drive.	42southern (4549)
174577	2003-09-11 22:08:00	Hi 42southern There are more imaging programs apart from Drive Image. You may find this thread (pressf1.pcworld.co.nz) helpful. Also, with comments/opinions on CNET.com, they are not alway accurate. Try doing a search for reviews on the software done by proper reviewers.	Jen C (20)
174578	2003-09-11 22:35:00	Ghost is very good. Below is some excellent advice I have saved in my notes, copied from one of Billy T's posts -- I have no idea where the original thread is now -- and another thread of Billy's can be found here ( & thread=38187 & message=188449" target="_blank">pressf1.pcworld.co.nz) (scroll down to Billy's post). Note that Billy's backup routine with Ghost concerns backing up his Windows installation just as much as his data so do take that into consideration when reading his advice. * * * * * * * Of course, you could just transfer your backup data instead, that is, if you made backups. If you didn't, now is the time to put a backup regime in place before you lose the next few years work. Put two drives in your machine and keep backups on different drives to the source data. The following information is copied from previous posts I made on a similar subject. This will set you up with a system that will protect your data from anything except theft, fire, flood, lightning or maybe earthquake! I deal with those by having one drive removable so that I can take it off site. >It was suggested that you partition your single hard drive into three "virtual" hard drives i.e C:\, D:\ and E:\ and keep an "image" copy of your C:\ partition on the E:\ partition so that if your original OS/program data gets corrupted for whatever reason (and it does happen) you can copy the image from E:\ back to C:\ and be working again in just a few minutes. Now, this is a "very good idea" and I recommend it highly, but if you go this path you need to do a little more than that. The second partition (D:\ ) would have to hold all your data (that is, any files you create or documents you store) because if it is all lumped in with your C:\ drive OS and programs, when you restored the image all your data created since your last image would be gone forever. Also, if your hard drive failed completely you would not be able to access any of the data or the image of your OS and programs so all would be lost. Here is the best way to set up this system: 1) Have your existing hard drive partitioned as C: and E: 2) Have a second hard drive installed and partitioned as D: and F: 3) Transfer all your data to D:, including the files for your email (outlook.pst for Outlook 2000). Don't forget to reset the target drive for your email & other program data files so that it knows where to store the data. 4) Once your computer is set up as you want it and working well, create an image of your OS and programs on C: using Norton Ghost or Drive Image and store it on the second hard drive in the F: partition. Name this file as the "original" and keep it unchanged. This is then your ultimate "return to go" option. You can keep an even earlier image of just the bare OS on its own if you like and that will save future reinstallations. 5) Make regular images (back ups) of your data on D: and store these on the E: partion of your original drive. Before creating an image, delete all temporary & redundant files, run scandisk then defrag to ensure that you have the smallest & cleanest file structure. Verify that the disk is ok by booting for OS or data checks for a data disk before creating the image, and use Ghost Explorer to check that the files are similarly accessible after the image is created. 6) If you want a belt n' braces backup system, keep a copy of your current C: image on the main drive in the E: partition, and a copy of your current D: data on F: on your data drive. That way you have multiple redundancy options. I actually store spare backups on another computer on the network as well, that way if I suffer fire, theft or other (unspecified) disaster in my office, I can commandeer another computer and image it as per my defunct box inside of an hour and be back at work. Note that this will only work if the second computer has the identical hardware profile to the first. The C: drive image is otherwise only usable to restore on the original drive, or a new drive in the same system. 7) Every time you make a significant change to your OS or programs, such as installing a service pack or video driver update, create an new image and store this in F: along with the most recent backup. Once you have verified that the update is OK you can delete the previous image (but not the original "return to go" image). Using this system, if your OS or program files get corrupted or one or the other drives fails completely, you can be back to normal in no time at all. For example, if your C: & E: drive dies, you can have a new drive installed and partitioned, then dump across your C: image from the still working F: partition and away you go. Similarly, if your D: & F: drive fails, you can install and partition a replacement, then dump your data back from the image on E:, and transfer your current C: image I have been using this system for some years now on all my computers and I have never had to reinstall an OS or programs. However, I have used images several times, mostly on my children's computers as a quicker option than finding what was wrong, especially for failed installations. I actually got into this after my original computer needed reformatting and reinstallation of programs about once every six weeks for about a year. The cause was finally diagnosed, but I bought the original Ghost Personal Edition the minute that it was first released and I have never looked back since. It offers great peace of mind! Cheers Billy 8-{) * * * * * * * * * *	Susan B (19)
174579	2003-09-11 22:43:00	Re MSBackup. Different versions of Windows come with different versions of Backup. Not sure if it's still a problem but way back I backed up for an upgrade to a new OS then had to reinstall the backup program from the old OS to reinstate the files! On another occassion I backed up on 2 zip disks before a reformat and then found the 2nd zip disk couldn't be accessed. (Fortunately I suffer paranoia and had done a 2nd backup of straight copies). Haven't used MSBackup since.	Heather P (163)
174580	2003-09-11 23:04:00	>It was suggested that you partition your single hard drive into three "virtual" hard drives i . e C:\, D:\ and E:\ and keep an "image" copy of your C:\ partition on the E:\ partition so that if your original OS/program data gets corrupted for whatever reason (and it does happen) you can copy the image from E:\ back to C:\ and be working again in just a few minutes . And I take my own advice too!! I have just finished partitioning my laptop HDD into C:, D: & E:, stored an original image of C: on E: (soon to be transfered over my network to a removable disk that I use for storage of backup data, and take with me if going away from home for any length of time) . After downloading and installing all OS & security updates I will create another image of the C: drive with all programs, utilities, updates and tweaks in place so that HDD failure or theft will not leave me stranded, or having to set up a new HDD in its entirety . When I go on holiday or overseas on business, I can take a compressed image of my main data drive on the laptop as well, and using Ghost Explorer I can acess any data from my business that I might need, just as if I was sitting at my desk . As I always say, there is no substitute for peace of mind, and it takes so much less time than doing nothing . Cheers Billy 8-{) [b][pre]Missed my vocation Sis, I should have been an on-line evangelist, saving souls instead of files . :D	Billy T (70)
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