Re: Data backup - what's most important !?


"Efirmitiv" <orbiter@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:f7seiq$ji6$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi after i had cleaned up my system i would like to back up the most
important files(?) on dvd. I will backup documents which were saved on
desktop, furthermore,i will save user profiles form documents&settings,
installation zips, personal files(directory) and program files where most
important programs are stored. In short(or in a little longer then short
:) ), what are the most important directories and files, i.e. data which
i would need to have on my dvd in some imaginary 'broken hard' scenario
and/or which data you are recommending to have backuped?

I just don't have confidence into win dows because these things are
automated, and i would need to read all of 'Help and Support Center' huge
15 articles


"Ron Badour" <Sorry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e10TnR5yHHA.1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Favorites if you use IE, your email, word processing files, pictures if
not located in My Pictures and take a look in My Documents. What you need
on a regular basis might differ from what you need if you are planning on
doing a clean system installation. For example, if you are redoing your
system, you might want all your email folders whereas if you are backing
up against a total HD failure, you might want to have only those very
important emails in Hold or other special folders you created. There is
no "one right answer" to your question.
--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP 1997 - 2007


Efirmitiv:
While, as Ron suggests, there might not be "one right answer" to your query
re "backing-up", perhaps you should consider a methodology that many PC
users might consider superior to the others in meeting what I think is your
basic objective.

Rather than merely considering "backing-up" this or that file, folder, or
any other elements that comprise your system, why not consider employing a
backup system that is more comprehensive in nature - in effect, one that
"backs-up" your *entire* system including the operating system, your
registry, all your programs & applications, all your user-created data - in
short, *everything* that's on your day-to-day working HDD?

So that when the day comes when that working HDD no longer "works" because
for one reason or another the system is unbootable because of OS corruption
or the drive itself becomes defective because of some electronic or other
physical problem, isn't it a comfort to know that you would have at hand a
bootable, functional copy of that "bad" drive and you could then easily &
relatively quickly restore your former system to its past glory? Does this
not have some appeal to you?

You can achieve this kind of comprehensive backup system by employing a disk
imaging/disk cloning type of program. No doubt you've heard about them -
programs such as Symantec's Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image, Casper, etc.
There are quite a few on the market. They're not terribly expensive and by &
large they carry out their functions effectively and in a reasonable time.

Should you go that route, I would think you would be best served by using
another HDD as your backup media rather than DVDs. For nearly every user
it's a more effective way to go when using a disk imaging/disk cloning type
of program. You could, for example, use a USB or Firewire or SATA external
HDD enclosure as the recipient of the disk image or disk clone. Or you might
want to install another internal HDD in your system as the "destination"
drive. These devices are not terribly expensive these days and are simply to
install & use.

Understand that using a disk imaging/disk cloning program such as the ones
discussed in no way prevents you from on-the-fly backing up of individual
files & folders which you would probably want to do from time-to-time. You
could still employ your flash drive or CD-R for that purpose when the need
arose.
Anna


.

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