What is your back-up methodology?

[Hulk]

I'm curious as to how the people in this forum back their system up?

I back-up my system once a week.

Using a LAN connection, I back-up my desktop system to my notebook. I figure (hope!) that it's unlikely that I'll lose both systems at the same time.

All my large video files I archive to DVD +R.

 

[magomago]

Wow! Each week? I do it about once every 6 months and I always work within the my documents folder so i just toss the my doc folder into Nero along with any games that i play, or outlook files i copy. Always fit on 2 cds easily.

As for my fansubs I usually just keep them on my other partition.

 

[Hulk]

My notebook is on my desk whenever it not on the road, so it's easy enough to drag everything over and let it go while I work. I lost everything once, about 6 years ago, and I still remember!

 

[yhelothar]

i back up my games, my documents, my new music, saved games, anything else i want...

 

[Peks]

back? up? huh? my virus protection program is named "format c:" and my backup software is called "setup"

 

[pelikan]

I just use XP to burn the essentials to CD's. I don't have much that I have to back up. It all fits on two or three CD's. And I only back up when I'm about to reformat (due to killing my operating system from pushing my overclock too far).

 

[Wingznut]

Originally posted by: pelikan
I just use XP to burn the essentials to CD's. I don't have much that I have to back up. It all fits on two or three CD's. And I only back up when I'm about to reformat (due to killing my operating system from pushing my overclock too far).

That pretty much sums it up for me. Although I do keep my pictures backed up consistantly. Those are about the only priceless files that I have.

 

[Idontcare]

Originally posted by: Wingznut

Originally posted by: pelikan
Although I do keep my pictures backed up consistantly. Those are about the only priceless files that I have.

Ironic that you are a photo tech isn't it

I keep an original copy on a dedicated desktop at home, and then share the drive to my laptop and use WinXP synchronize utility. Whenever I'm home I synchronize the GBs of data between computers (wireless, takes maybe 3 minutes), and am always working on the most recent version of my files but it's physically stored on two computers. When I'm away from home I work on the files offline, to be synchronized sometime during the week. Basically, my files are stored on two computers and never out of date by more than 12 hrs (typically).

The beauty is it's so completely painless. On computer X, setup your folders to be available offline. Then connect to computer X with computer Y and make the folders on computer X available offline. Then synchronize (initially takes long time since 100% of files get copied, 8GB took about 30 minutes 1st time for me), thereafter synchronize at your leisure whenever the two computers are connected to same network (just takes seconds to minutes as it only transfers files that changed since last synchronization).

 

[LethalWolfe]

I back up most of my data and music videos (etc.) onto another HDD every few days. I back them up to CD every month or two. And also every few weeks I ghost my HDD.

Lethal

 

[sharkeeper]

Automatically 14 times per week.

Those backups are verified twice then encrypted.

Thankfully, I'm not "in charge" of it if it breaks!

Cheers!

 

[Afro000Dude]

Originally posted by: Wingznut

Originally posted by: pelikan
I just use XP to burn the essentials to CD's. I don't have much that I have to back up. It all fits on two or three CD's. And I only back up when I'm about to reformat (due to killing my operating system from pushing my overclock too far).

That pretty much sums it up for me. Although I do keep my pictures backed up consistantly. Those are about the only priceless files that I have.

Same here. Just toss my documents and music onto second hard drive, then its format c: and setup.

 

[resinboy]

Norton Ghost: backup entire c:/ to secondary hard drive once a week, d:\ ( proggies) once a month. Only way I have used in 4 years that has been bullett proof for me.

 

[Mark R]

All data files in the 'profiles' directory are copied to CD-RW using winRAR. Mp3s and downloads are excluded as they are easily replaced.

CD-RWs are written with InCD in safe-mode, with 2nd verification by WinRAR. Additionally, I use a WinRAR recovery record to enhance resiliance.

As the process is entirely automated (just click the quick-launch icon) I run it after every session when I've done some work.

 

[TheMouse]

Originally posted by: Mark R
All data files in the 'profiles' directory are copied to CD-RW using winRAR. Mp3s and downloads are excluded as they are easily replaced.

CD-RWs are written with InCD in safe-mode, with 2nd verification by WinRAR. Additionally, I use a WinRAR recovery record to enhance resiliance.

As the process is entirely automated (just click the quick-launch icon) I run it after every session when I've done some work.

You should look into a freeware application called smartpar... it is MUCH better than winrar recovery record.. SmartPar can recover from more severe file corruptions.

 

[Mark R]

Smartpar looks interesting, but identical to the recovery volume feature in WinRAR.

Recovery volumes are of no use to me, as my entire data backup fits easily on one CD.

 

[RichieZ]

Send files to my 120GB Barricuda V in a firewire enclosure. And I burn off stuff to DVD-R

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: resinboy
Norton Ghost: backup entire c:/ to secondary hard drive once a week, d:\ ( proggies) once a month. Only way I have used in 4 years that has been bullett proof for me.

I do this also but I use Drive Image. A few clicks, the system reboots, images my C drive on D, the system automatically reboots. Takes about ten minutes and I can be doing other things while it's doing it. My Sunday morning ritual.

 

[Insidious]

second HD in my comp that is normally not plugged in.

Once a week or so, I ghost a copy of the operating HD to it.

 

[Nemesis77]

Real men don't have backups !

Seriously: CD's.

I once had a bad sector in my Windows-HD that prevented it from booting. I saved the data (about 20 gigs or so) by booting in to Linux, copying as much stuff as I could to the Linux-HD (I could only fit about 5 gigs, since it's a 10gig HD), rest I burned to CD's.

 

[Blain]

CDRs before I reformat & reload the OS... IF I'm lucky!

 

[Macro2]

I put all critical files in My documents and back up when I feel it's necessary. I also run a network and make critical stuff redundant on at least one other computer.

Should probably use ghost I guess

 

[glugglug]

Prayer.

No, every few months I rar up everything and put it on CDs.

 

[Sid59]

i backup the files i create and download, thats all. So far only on CDR, and i don't do it too often. Once i get a DVD burner, it'll be a bit better.

 

[Don66]

I have a fat32 partition, that I send some of my D/L's to.
But, most info goes straight to my dvd-ram drive since it's almost like having a removable harddrive.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I ghost every few months onto CDs and throw everything in a documents folder and back it up when I feel like it