Re: BACKUP DRIVES
From: Bob Harris (rharris270[SPAM)
Date: 02/05/05
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Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2005 15:37:45 -0500
There are many files that can not be simply "copied", becasue they are in
use while XP is running. The solution is to get a third-party
(non-Microsoft) backup program.
The classic is Norton GHOST. The latest version is 9 and is based on Drive
Image (formerly by Powerquest, now owned by Norton/Symantec). However, I
prefer Acronis True Image (verision 8). I find it simpler than GHOST, and
it works very well with external USB and firewire drives. It also supports
LINUX.
A web search on "disk backup" or "partition backup" will list several
alternatives, some of which are free. By the way, in general you want to do
a "partition" backup, not a "disk" backup. "partition" backups are easier
to restore to a new disk, in case the old one dies. GHOST and True Image
support both disk and partition backups. They are also both smart enough
not to backup files that XP will automatically recreate, like the pagefile
or the hiberation file.
The one trap of some backup software is how to do a restore, if XP is not
working. GHOST and True Image provide bootable media (floppies or CDs). If
a potential backup software can not restore from outside of XP, I do not
think it is worth having.
The program called Ntbackup.exe, which is free which XP (hidden on XP home
CD; installed with XP pro), can not restore unless you have a working PC,
although that can be a second PC on a network. But for the home user with
one PC, it is of limited value, except possibly to backup the documents and
settings folder. However, it can backup locked files, such as the XP
registry (several separate files), which is located within the documents and
settings folder.
In contrast, personal files can be easily backed-up by a simple copy&paste,
or by the command line utility called XCOPY (free with DOS, 98, ME, XP,
etc), or written to CD or DVD.
"Jill" <Jill@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1E10AD90-623C-4381-B194-535D56798D2B@microsoft.com...
> After the second hard drive crash and obliteration in18months iI bought
> a
> IOGEAR 200G external hard drive to use as total backup. It didn not come
> with software to preform any backups. So every Friday I manually backup
> my
> entire hard drive. XP will not allow me to backup everything because of
> the
> two "shared" files: NTusers and Default , or so it says.
> What software program can I use for one stop back up to the new external
> harddrive and how does it get around the "shared" files?
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