Best way to take a full backup

[sasguru]

Best way to take a full-back up ...? what? the back side? I would bend over and hope for the best ...

[darmstadt]

For what its worth for this new fangled PC stuff I also use Norton Ghost, mind you I remember Macro 4s DITTO for mainframe tape backups, ah nostalgia ...

Eh? DITTO was never a Macro 4 product. Originally called DEBE. Still runs on mainframes and in fact I have it here on my zVM and zOS systems. You wouldn't use it for backups anyway.

DITTO

Milan, get an IOMEGA 250GB USB external disk which comes with Norton Ghost and use that.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Eh? DITTO was never a Macro 4 product. Originally called DEBE. Still runs on mainframes and in fact I have it here on my zVM and zOS systems. You wouldn't use it for backups anyway.

DITTO

Milan, get an IOMEGA 250GB USB external disk which comes with Norton Ghost and use that.

Oh Im thinking of the old VSE DITTO tape utility , back in the days when Virutal Storage Extended was King ,before your time DAr.

[s2budd]

Maxtor external 130GB backup disk using Retrospect software for a full systems backup to external hard disk.

data files backed up using a DOS script and xcopy command to a small external disk of 80GB.

Keep both in a firesafe (about £100) and update both when required.
Keep windows OS & retrospect backup CD's in firesafe also.

Job done. Total cost about £400

That's how I do it and it has saved my bacon in the past.

[AtW]

Milan - what's so valuable on your laptop that you need to backup? A set of bookmarks?!?!

[bogeyman]

Morning all,

having invested in a new IBM T43 2.0 ghz centrino, 2gb ram, 120gb disk, and having further spent bits of spare time in the last ten days fully installing a potentially lucrative new component of .Net ready to start learning it, I'd like to take a full system backup before going any further.

What's the best backup technique,

first guess is simply to use the Microsoft backup tool and back everything up ?
How long will that take on 35gb's ?

Anyone any better, quicker, more reliable solutions ?

Thanks,

Milan.

1) Open up your whizzy new laptop and lie it face down on the photocopier.

2) Punch in as many backups as you need

3) Press the START button on the copier

(you clueless ****)

[hyperD]

Keep both in a firesafe (about £100)

s2budd - this one caught my attention. I've been looking into fireproof safes and seen quite a few cheap ones but looking at the smallprint these are suitable for paper only. CDs and magnetic media are not covered as the internal temperatures are too high.

If your fireproof safes are covered for magnetic media, could you please tell me where I can purchase - many thanks!

[s2budd]

Fireproof Safes

My safe is about 1 foot by 1.5 foot and is NOT guaranteed for magnetic media, only documents upto a certain number of hours. I can't remenber how many but about 2 - 5 I think.

So it's not guaranteed for media but it's better than nothing.
I've never had a fire, only lost the hard disk & main computer a few times so it has not been fire - tested as it were, so it is probably the same that you have seen. It says Sentry 1710 on the front.

The business at the top of the road where the better half woks does have a fire safe at it is not practical for a house - well my house anyway. It's metal, very large and heavy and is about 4 foot square. I keep some data backups in there just in case my

Hope that helps
cheers, Stuart

[milanbenes]

S2Budd,

thanks for the reply.

So far gone with Hyper's solution and ordered Ghost.

Bogeyman, useful feedback, keep it up, you'll get on well here.

Alexey, when you have as much time to surf as I, you gather a lot of bookmarks.

Milan.

[hyperD]

My safe is about 1 foot by 1.5 foot and is NOT guaranteed for magnetic media, only documents upto a certain number of hours. I can't remenber how many but about 2 - 5 I think.

So it's not guaranteed for media but it's better than nothing.
I've never had a fire, only lost the hard disk & main computer a few times so it has not been fire - tested as it were, so it is probably the same that you have seen. It says Sentry 1710 on the front.

The business at the top of the road where the better half woks does have a fire safe at it is not practical for a house - well my house anyway. It's metal, very large and heavy and is about 4 foot square. I keep some data backups in there just in case my

Hope that helps
cheers, Stuart

Thanks for the reply!

Same conclusion I came to - those fireproof safes are enormous and although the cost isn't the issue as such (offset against insurance and value of software assets - I work direct for multi-clients) I may start looking at offsite/online backup.