Computer Back Up

Submitted: Friday, Jan 12, 2007 at 19:26
ThreadID: 123194 Views:4412 Replies:2 FollowUps:3
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At Christmas Rob & Liz lost a lot of data when their computer hard drive failed, and this week the hard drive of my main PC has failed in one section containing the System 32 window files.

I will be a bit luckier than Rob in that almost all my files were backed up on a portable 200 gig external hard drive.

I just thought I would remind members who haven't made a back up for a while or do not have one at all, that it could be an idea to do so.

Brian
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Reply By: Fosssil - Friday, Jan 12, 2007 at 22:49

Friday, Jan 12, 2007 at 22:49
Hi Brian and BOG's

Further to that great reminder idea of backing up files...

A few years ago I suffered a CATASTROPHIC for me at the time, Hard Disk Drive failure....By catastrophic I mean I lost all of my files, all of my security programs, all of my working programs that were downloaded as well as having the PC working just as I wanted it.. ...the lot...it was an expensive hard learned lesson...,

This lead me to looking for a drive cloner, so I searched the net and bought a program called CasperXP Site Link which clones the hard drive exactly via USB, IDE or serial, and no boot disk is needed to start the HDD as with some other programs...All you do is swap over the drives and boot the PC as normal...if the drive is a smaller backup drive, you can copy it back again to the new working drive...VIA USB again if you wish...

Its not possible to start Win XP via USB but it is possible to test the disk for startup..if the PC finds the drive and gets to the windows screen ..(that's as far as it goes via USB)...it is working...I always test the clone...Had one fail once on testing and every now and then just for reassurance I will connect the drive via IDE and do a full boot test....To do that you will have to assign the drive in setup as the boot drive

There is nothing quite as bad as having to set up your PC again with all of its attendant programs and lost files, and it will always happen at the worst possible time...lol

To do the cloning each week or so I just start the program at a time I don't need the PC for about 90 mins and hook up the USB and power leads, clone the drive, test it and disconnect so no Zapping can happen....Important folders or files in between full cloning I copy to a USB memory stick.....the newer versions as I upgraded to allows you work on the PC while cloning, but I dont risk it...

Approx. 90 mins via USB is the time it takes to clone about 150 gig, and its also possible to clone your laptop to an external USB laptop drive.

There may be other ways to do what I do, but this way is simple and it works for me.

Hope those ideas help someone...

fosss

AnswerID: 570204

Follow Up By: Fosssil - Friday, Jan 12, 2007 at 22:52

Friday, Jan 12, 2007 at 22:52
There is a free trial at the CasperXP website. Site Link

fosss
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FollowupID: 846928

Follow Up By: Fosssil - Saturday, Jan 13, 2007 at 00:22

Saturday, Jan 13, 2007 at 00:22
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF REVIEWS

For most users, having a hard disk failure or a corrupted operating system that renders a system unbootable is among the most dreaded possible occurrences. In such a situation, a disk utility can make the difference between enduring a disaster and managing to maintain the integrity of the operating system environment and data.

Future Systems Solutions' Casper XP disk utility is geared to Windows 2000 and XP home users. Available now, Casper XP is designed for upgrading a system's hard disk or making a bootable copy of the main hard drive. Casper works with any attached hard disk recognized by Windows, including ATA/IDE, SCSI, USB, FireWire, and Serial ATA and hardware RAID arrays.

My tests showed that Casper XP is an excellent disk utility for home users. Casper can perform any of its disk utility operations in the background, allowing users to work without interruption. Casper XP also is excellent for use when upgrading to a larger and bootable hard drive, or for keeping a backup copy of a primary hard drive.

Casper XP copied a 40GB Maxtor drive to an 80GB Western Digital drive in less than 45 minutes on my test system, which comprised an AMD Athlon processor and 256MB of DDR PC 2100 RAM. Casper XP can schedule automated backups, so users can keep full bootable backups of their system.

At $44.95 per license, Casper XP is reasonably priced compared with other disk utilities that have similar capabilities. Casper's simplicity and reliability make it a good pick for home use. However, I would like to see Casper XP gain the ability to save backups to networked shared drives. This would allow it to accommodate the growing trend of home networks.

More information, pricing and a free trial download version can be found at www.fssdev.com.

Backing up your hard
drive is a crucial part
of day-to-day PC
maintenance. The trouble is,
it’s also extremely easy to
put off – by which point it
may already be too late.
The main discouraging
factor in creating backups is
that it can be a surprisingly
complex process. It’s easy
enough to copy the contents
of your My Documents folder
onto CD or DVD, but keeping
the backup up to date is an
entirely different matter. Add
other scattered files on your
hard drive, programsettings
and everything else you
might want to safeguard to
the equation, and it’s no
wonder that many computer
users simply don’t bother.
Casper XP 3 takes the
hard work out of backing up
by enabling you to clone your
entire hard drive in a few
easy steps. In order to use
the program you need to
REVIEW BACKUP UTILITY
Casper XP 3
Take the hard work out of backups with this easy-to-use disk-cloning tool
have two or more hard drives
installed, or a single hard
drive partitioned into a
number of drives. Simply
select the drive or partition
you want to back up, choose
where the backup should be
stored and you’re done.
You can opt to perform the
backup immediately or
schedule it for a later time; if
you decide to schedule for
the end of the day, Casper
XP can automatically turn off
your computer when the
process is complete.
But just creating a backup
isn’t enough – as you
continue to create and edit
files on your computer, it’s
important to keep your
backups up to date. This is
made even faster thanks to
the use of SmartClone
technology, which ensures
that Casper XP only copies
data that’s changed or been
created since the last
backup, dramatically
reducing processing time.
These backup updates can
be automated using the
scheduling option, or you
can create a desktop
shortcut to perform the
update whenever you want.
This is not only a great
backup tool, it’s ideal if you
buy a new hard drive and
don’t fancy the ideal of
having to reinstall all of your
favourite programs. And best
of all, there’s no chance of
forgetting any important
files, as everything is backed
up for you automatically.
Possibly the most easy-touse
automated backup
program ever released.

NOWYOU CAN…
Back up everything on your
hard drive with ease
Restore a corrupt hard drive
Transfer your files and settings
to a new drive
Windows XP:
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FollowupID: 846929

Reply By: Turist - Saturday, Jan 13, 2007 at 03:27

Saturday, Jan 13, 2007 at 03:27
Total protection from data loss and virus damage is available right here

Regards
Bob

"Do It While You Can"
Nobody is getting any younger.

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AnswerID: 570205

Follow Up By: Noosa Fox - Saturday, Jan 13, 2007 at 04:49

Saturday, Jan 13, 2007 at 04:49
How did I know that it would lead to that site. Have you shares with them?

Brian
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