Backing Up My Hard Drive

[Senusret I]

What are some of the best ways to back up your documents and apps? I am thinking of a combination of data CDs, my zip disks, and maybe buying a memory stick.

I don't really know what exactly to do to get a bunch of data onto a CD. I just heard on the news I could get like 200 music files onto a CD. How do I do that?

[Optimist Prime]

STore'n'go flash memory drives are what we use at our office. They were around $40-$50 for 512mb.

For the music files to be CD and fit 200 of them they must be MP3. So don't use windows media thing, that turns mp3s into .WAVS. You can't only fit like 16 .WAVs on your CD. To hear the all Mp3 disc, you need an MP3 disc player.

[teena]

There are many number of ways to back up your files. You dont necessarily have to go out and buy media. That will depend on the size of your files that need to be backed up. You can find out the size of a folder by simply right clicking on the folder and selecting properties. The information that you need will be on the General Tab. If the information is larger than 650mb, you can back up the info to CD. It may take several CD's to do so. I also recommend that you back up all of your personal preferrences.

[Senusret I]

Thanks for the help so far.... I will probably post more questions as I go along.

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by Senusret I
Thanks for the help so far.... I will probably post more questions as I go along.

Word - there are many ways: tape, remote server location, CD/DVD/optical media, etc ...

To burn to CD is relatively easy, but the most you'll get is 700mb per - so for a 'normal' 20gb drive, you're looking at ~28 disks. THAT would suck. There are many programs that will help this task, particularly with partitioning large files and performing the actual backup - look around for reviews.

Also, it's about $100 to have someone do it for you . . . depending on the cost of software, that might not be a bad decision.

[BobbyTheDon]

I randombly decided to back up my hard drive using blank CDs. I used about 46 CDs I think?


1 week later my computer crashed. I know, I also predicted that if Denver didn't win then Pittsburgh would make it to the SUperbowl. I know, I know.

[Rudey]

A no-name generic DVD burner is cheap these days and makes it a lot easier to back things up. Or you could just buyan external hard drive for cheap too and just copy it onto there.

-Rudey

[HBADPi]

Originally posted by BobbyTheDon
I randombly decided to back up my hard drive using blank CDs. I used about 46 CDs I think?

That still leaves you with about 1800 more right?

[teena]

UH.............When you back up your hard drive, you ONLY need to back up your 'profile'. Backing up everyfile on your computer is a waste of time and CD's. You dont need to copy every file (Windows system files). Two reasons:

1. You should have a copy of your Windows installation cd and the cd's for your other installed programs. If your computer crashes, you can reinstall everything with those CD's.
2. Most importantly, backing up everything including system files is a waste because if your computer crashes, you CANT reload your system with those files. You cant reinstall programs with those files.


I highly recommend copying your 'profile' only. You can find your profile by :
1.Right click on the Start button
2. Explore
3. locate Local C and select
4. Located Documents and Settings and select

You will see a few profiles there, Administratator, All Users, Default Users, etc. Locate yours. For the most part, this is what you need. (There are some things that you will need to do first but i wont list that here unless you them)

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by teena
UH.............When you back up your hard drive, you ONLY need to back up your 'profile'. Backing up everyfile on your computer is a waste of time and CD's. You dont need to copy every file (Windows system files). Two reasons:

1. You should have a copy of your Windows installation cd and the cd's for your other installed programs. If your computer crashes, you can reinstall everything with those CD's.
2. Most importantly, backing up everything including system files is a waste because if your computer crashes, you CANT reload your system with those files. You cant reinstall programs with those files.


I highly recommend copying your 'profile' only. You can find your profile by :
1.Right click on the Start button
2. Explore
3. locate Local C and select
4. Located Documents and Settings and select

You will see a few profiles there, Administratator, All Users, Default Users, etc. Locate yours. For the most part, this is what you need. (There are some things that you will need to do first but i wont list that here unless you them)

You're right about the Windows installation disks, as well as other programs - in fact, I'd assumed we weren't even discussing these things.

While the 'profile' may be important, I'd assumed we were talking about personal files on the computer (i.e. non-OS, non-program), which DO need to be backed up semi-regularly. This would include, say, all of a writer's documents, or a music collection, or spreadsheets for financial issues etc. Email correspondence also needs to be backed up, if you'd like to keep them - they're saved separately, depending on the program you're using.

I would imagine Sens has quite a bit in the way of written documents alone that he'd like to back up - it's easiest just to copy these directly and not dick around with a 'profile'. Or the OS.

[ZZ-kai-]

You could just purchase an external hard drive and backup your PC to that on a monthly basis. Easy way to do it, is select all the files, put them to the external, erase the previous version. PC fails, you have your last backed up version on the external.

[Senusret I]

Originally posted by KSig RC
Email correspondence also needs to be backed up, if you'd like to keep them - they're saved separately, depending on the program you're using.

Do you know how I would do this using Microsoft Outlook? I haven't been able to find the answer.

I lost every emailI had before January 2 of this year -- If there is a way to save my addressbook, calendar dates, and emails in such a way that I can recover them later, I'd like to learn how.

[teena]

Originally posted by KSig RC
You're right about the Windows installation disks, as well as other programs - in fact, I'd assumed we weren't even discussing these things.

While the 'profile' may be important, I'd assumed we were talking about personal files on the computer (i.e. non-OS, non-program), which DO need to be backed up semi-regularly. This would include, say, all of a writer's documents, or a music collection, or spreadsheets for financial issues etc. Email correspondence also needs to be backed up, if you'd like to keep them - they're saved separately, depending on the program you're using.

I would imagine Sens has quite a bit in the way of written documents alone that he'd like to back up - it's easiest just to copy these directly and not dick around with a 'profile'. Or the OS.

The profile has all the documents in it. Also it has his preferrences(sp) when someone said it took a million CDs to back up their system, I assumed that they were backing up system files or something non essential.

[AGDee]

I use my son's computer as my "backup". I copy my email mailboxes and My Documents folder (which has everything I really need in it) over to his computer over the network. If you have tons of pictures, videos and music downloaded, it could take numerous disks. My stuff doesn't take up that much space. With Outlook, you want to save the outlook.pst file. I backup my Turbo Tax files right after I finish up my taxes. Anything else can be re-installed or re-created. You might have to change your folder options to see the .pst file in Outlook because I think it's considered a hidden system file.

If you have Windows XP, it should be in C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

ETA: Your userprofile is basically everything in C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by teena
The profile has all the documents in it. Also it has his preferrences(sp)

You're definitely right, but I'm pretty sure XP only tranfers documents in the "[profile]'s Documents" folder - that's why I mentioned things like music and emails, which I keep on a separate partition . . . in essence, the profile backup is a 'quick'n'easy' way, but for me it wouldn't be complete (or really necessary, from a preferences standpoint).

Originally posted by Senusret I
Do you know how I would do this using Microsoft Outlook? I haven't been able to find the answer.

I lost every emailI had before January 2 of this year -- If there is a way to save my addressbook, calendar dates, and emails in such a way that I can recover them later, I'd like to learn how.

I'm sure there is, but I only use Outlook to sync with a company calendar - for a couple of other email programs, if you d/l the emails (such as through a POP3 server), your inbox will essentially be one large document.

Outlook address books should also be one document, in your Outlook folder - but again, someone else will know better than I.