What's the best backup solution for a home computer?

Question

We have two Windows XP SP2 computers. One has a 145 GB hard drive with about 52 GB used, and the other has a 111 GB hard drive with about 57 GB used. We need a complete backup solution that will allow us to recover 100% of a hard drive if there was a total failure, and also give us the ability to restore individual data files if necessary. What does everybody recommend?

Answer 1

Begin with an external USB drive that can be shared between the two computers. Purchase an "image" software such as Norton Ghost or Drive Image. It will allow you to make a compressed image of each of the computers on the USB drive for full recovery. These images should be updated about once a month, or anytime you make a major change to the system, such as adding new software.

Then do regular backups of the "documents and settings" directories from the two computers. These will hold your "My Documents" for all the users and other important settings. For most people, that will back up your data files (pictures, music, etc.) If you store data outside of the D&S directory, you will want to include that in the file backups. You should do this about once a week, or anytime you make major changes to your data. (You can always backup individuals files daily if needed).

In the event of a crash, you can return Windows and your programs from the monthly image, and then update with the last data backup.

The same can be done using a tape backup. They have the advance that they never run out of sapce - you just put in another tape and it continues to back things up. However they are slower then an external drive.

Answer 2

The best solution would be to have a second hard drive on each pc and then clone your respective C: drives to the new slave drives; use clone software like Acronis True Image, Norton Ghost, Paragon Drive Copy, R-Drive Image etc; a good free alternative is XXclone
http://www.xxclone.com/

alternatively you can do an image backup using compression to save space - if you partition your master drive and keep system files separate from all your media files you could feasibly backup your operating system and current configuration to DVD; you can certainly backup to an usb external hard drive - you can pick up 500gb monsters quite cheaply at Amazon for example

Answer 3

Have at least two hard drives in each computer!
A small one for the Operating system and any software that has to be installed0. The second one is for your data!

NEVER save your data on to the same drive with Your operating system!

The only hard drive failure that you need to be concerned with is your data drive!

You copy all data from this data drive to an external, 500 GB drive that has two folders, one for computer A, and the other for computer B. This becomes your data back up! Weekly, you copy this data to two different DVDs. That becomes your off-line data back up.

Purchase the software Norton Image and Executive Diskeeper, latest version.

Purchase: 2 X for each computer;

VANTEC MRK-200ST-BK EZ Swap 3.5" SATA Removable Hard drive rack Kit, with LCD display. Check both www.directron.com and
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.as...

Install the operating system hard drive into one of the mobile bays.

Disconnect your system from the internet.
NEW Install the Operating system. Delete all partitions. Create 2 partitions, one = 20GB
Format 20GB into NTFS, complete installation. Install motherboard drivers and utilities from motherboard CD. Install all software/hardware and drivers. Install anti virus and fire wall last.

Reboot and connect to Internet. Go to www.microsoft.com - UPDATE and let this site update your system.

Using diskeeper, defrag the hard drive.

Put a hard drive into the other mobile drive unit and make a disk image of the C: drive onto the second drive.

Should your System hard drive fail, remove it from the mobile unit, replace it with the drive image and you are up and running in less than 30 seconds.

Answer 4

if it was me I would use a external SCSI drive or USB drive and power it down after it is loaded with your information. You can get adequate size to backup both your computers just partition the hard drive into two drives.
110 gigs of information is a lot to store.
Use of a remote drive will protect you from a power surge or anything that could ruin your computer drives. Backing up information on the same drive or additional internal drive is not the best solution. Expecially if both computers are powered up most of the time.
Stand alone drive once it is loaded you unhook and power down not even a power surge wil harm it if it is unplugged.

Answer 5

Use Acronis True Image. I think Acronis offers the best backup solutions on market for now. Just follow the link and install trial version. I'm sure it won't grieve you.

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

Answer 6

If you have an internet with high speed, you can do a off site backup in a service as Mozy:
https://mozy.com/?code=94HW8M

A DAT tape, second HD, etc are good for speed, but don´t protect you in case of fire, stolen, etc. so a off site solution need be considered.

HTH

Answer 7

You can use backup software to backup each computer to the other one. I have used Backup For Workgroups before and it is a decent program.

Answer 8

You cant beat a DAT Zip drive for dependability!!!

All the industrial computer/network and telecom equipment, like that runs the phone, cable and internet, use DAT tape back up systems...

Answer 9

I have used carbonite to keep a backup of my PC online
You can try it for free
at
http://timecapsuleyahoo.com/

Answer 10

i would reccommend sending all your data to a CD-R disk so that if soemthing does happen then your work is saved on a disk, or maybe getting a backup computer lol