Reply to: Backup solution

[Sysman]

Acronis does seem to have more problems doing simple file backups than images.

I'm just doing a disk clone using Acronis and the PC went into sleep mode. I woke it up and the screen is totally blank. The disk LED is on, so I think it's still churning, but I'm not exactly happy with the situation.

[VectraMan]

After Acronis died on me in copy mode, i use Karen's Replicator every day and use acronis to create an image every week.

Acronis does seem to have more problems doing simple file backups than images.

[wobbegong]

After every major install/patch/update I use this feeby to copy an image of the drive to an external HDD (don't forget to create a boot disk), then run a batch file to copy docs/spreadsheets/music/piccys/emails etc to a USB stick.

Restore is a doddle and works a treat.

[cojak]

After Acronis died on me in copy mode, i use Karen's Replicator every day and use acronis to create an image every week.

[SaveMode]

What kind of backup solution do you employ at home?

I have a very simple IT setup and currently save all my data to an external USB HDD.

I really, at the very least, need to buy another external drive as a secondary backup location with a view to automating backups between the two drives.

Curious to see what others do and how they process their backups.

I use Handy Backup, it's easy to use software. Has been using this application for years now.

[lilelvis2000]

I use BackupPC to backups all machines to a RAID 1. That's the data sorted. I'm figuring out how I can use CloneZilla to image each server and machine - and to where!

[xoggoth]

Got a USB Freecom I back major directories up to now and then. I do more regular backups of what's changed to memory sticks, alternating each time.

PS I use an Excel VBA written thing for the regular backups. Put in backup path, top level directories to backup and any subdirectories to exclude and any strings in file/subdirectory names to exclude (like copy or .tmp). It copies what's changed since last backup, including all subdirectories, to a folder named by date and time. To avoid recreating lots of empty intermediate directory levels it saves a flat version with each file name preceeded by a subdirectory number but it also saves a text cross reference. Here if anyone wants it, at own risk.

http://www.xoggoth.org/temp/backupx.xls

[MarillionFan]

What kind of backup solution do you employ at home?

I have a very simple IT setup and currently save all my data to an external USB HDD.

I really, at the very least, need to buy another external drive as a secondary backup location with a view to automating backups between the two drives.

Curious to see what others do and how they process their backups.

Had a bad experience with that a while back. The back up drive corrupted just as I wiped my main server! Nightmare. It still makes me wake up in a sweat.

[thunderlizard]

I'm using idrive.com for stuff I'm currently working on and stuff I really don't want to lose, and a weekly copy to an external hard drive for everything else.

[d000hg]

I don't back everything up; I've a hosted SVN account for important stuff.

[Durbs]

Combination of Mozy and Dropbox to mitigate against house burning down/having all my kit nicked which makes a SAN/USB drive risky as a sole solution.

[PRC1964]

In the office I backup daily to one of five removeable drives which go home with me every day and then a weekly backup to one of two bigger external drives that go off to another building once a week.

At home My PC backs up to Mrs PRC's one and vice-versa. Then mine also backs up to an external drive.

[doodab]

I use EMC Retrospect to back up my data to a dedicated internal disk on my desktop and keep another copy on an external disk.

For system partition backups I use Paragon Partition Manager.

For my remaining hosted linux box I use a periodic tar & ftp of everything that cannot be reinstalled easily.

[chef]

Synology NAS server, very happy with it, remote backups, local network backs, RAID

[VectraMan]

I have Acronis TruImage backing up to a NAS. It sometimes even works (must go and check because I haven't for a couple of weeks). I also have a Carbonite online backup account, and my main PC has mirrored disks too, so in theory I have 4 copies of everything, plus the occasional CD backup of most important data.

I was thinking I'd replace the NAS with a bigger external USB drive, because there's no point it being on when the PC isn't.