Backup success story

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

Seems alot of you use third party backup utilities. Any reason not to use the built-in backup scheduler of XP?

If something is definitely better out there i'll switch.

The only real problem I see with the backup utility of XP is that you have to have XP installed with the backup utility to get something back. With Acronis True Image you can make a boot CD and restore your boot partition(or specific files) from that. Something the backup utility in XP wouldn't be able to do as far as I know. Personally I'm paranoid I use both to backup my Sage files. I do just a file backup once a DAY and a full partition backup (Acronis only) once a week or once a month (don't remember for sure which it is set for).

[stevech]

second copy is infinitely better - backs up any file/folder on any pc to any other file/folder, and with the conditions I summarized.

TruImage does a drive image with daily incrementals - saved my behind.

Any suggestions on low cost RAID-5 card?

[stevech]

Originally Posted by willgill

Stevech, checkout the version 10 of Acronis True Image. It does traditional backups as you've described. See my attachment of my necessary SageTV file backups.

Hmm, I paid for TruImage 8 then upgrade to 9, and I looked at going to 10 but didn't see that.

[Crazedz]

Ya know Vista does this as well (not that im trying to push vista or anything).
But it does do backups to other drives dvd and network and will do restore of backups from the vista boot DVD by selecting the repair feature without installing vista again to do it.

[mayamaniac]

I said this before in other threads about backups:

For C Drive or OS backup, nothing beats TrueImage in terms of reliability and easy to use. Whats great about TrueImage is the boot CD, it makes backing up and restoring so easy, whatever the scenario you're dealing with.

For data backup, I think Retrospect is the best for the same reasons, reliability and easy to use. And it has all sorts of backup features.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

Seems alot of you use third party backup utilities. Any reason not to use the built-in backup scheduler of XP?

If something is definitely better out there i'll switch.

There is another reason to use a third party backup program instead of Microsoft's backup program. This is because the restoration success rate is poor with Microsoft backup program! I tested backups/restores using Microsoft's backup program on many of there workstation and server platforms. Although I have not tested Windows XP.

The restoration success rate is very poor with Microsoft's backup system. Frequently, the restoration fails. If you don't have a third party image, then you have to rebuild from scratch. Earlier versions of Ghost, before version 6.5 would sometimes fail to restore. Later versions of Ghost are reliable. If I did not already own Ghost, I probably would evaluate Acronis.

I started testing using Ghost at about version 3.0. I purchased version 6.0 (which was not reliable a version) at a swapfest for about $15. Later, I upgraded it to version 9.0 for almost free after rebates, then upgraded to version 10 for about $10 after rebates.

The best way to ensure that the restorations will be successful is to test them on a dedicated nearly identical testing computer - then you know that the restoration process will be successful if your computer needs to be restored. We have identical image restoration testing servers at work, but in a home situation, it is usually too expensive, unless you happen own several nearly identical computers.

[jbarr]

I agree with using third-party backup apps. Acronis True Image has been an amazing solution for me.

Some quick tips:

1. Schedule Regular Backups
Regardless of what you use, schedule regular backups. I have Acronis True Image configured to do a full backup every Sunday morning, and incremental backups nightly. Once it's set up, it's really a true set-it-and-forget-it operation. And that's what makes it effecetive. You don't have to worry about it!

2. Make Proper Restore Media
Be sure to actually take the time to create restore application disks! If for some reason you can't boot, you will need to boot from a restore disk. And it's much easier if you already have one made! (Yes, this was learned from experience.)

3. Consider Separating Your Drives
I have a small 40GB "OS" drive and a larger 320GB "Recording" drive. The OS drive gets backed up nightly to the recording drive, so I always have a separate backup. No, my recording drive is not currently being backed up, but eventually, I'm going to add 4 additional 320GB drives to create a 1.2TB RAID 5 array.

4. Don't Wait--Do It!
The reality is that eventually, a drive WILL fail, so having a backup plan in place now can save countless headaches later.

Just remember that for most people, the SageTV setup will become their main viewing device. As such, it should be perceived as an "appliance", so care needs to be taken to ensure that it is always up and running.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by jbarr

I agree with using third-party backup apps. Acronis True Image has been an amazing solution for me.

Some quick tips:

1. Schedule Regular Backups
Regardless of what you use, schedule regular backups. I have Acronis True Image configured to do a full backup every Sunday morning, and incremental backups nightly. Once it's set up, it's really a true set-it-and-forget-it operation. And that's what makes it effecetive. You don't have to worry about it!

2. Make Proper Restore Media
Be sure to actually take the time to create restore application disks! If for some reason you can't boot, you will need to boot from a restore disk. And it's much easier if you already have one made! (Yes, this was learned from experience.)

3. Consider Separating Your Drives
I have a small 40GB "OS" drive and a larger 320GB "Recording" drive. The OS drive gets backed up nightly to the recording drive, so I always have a separate backup. No, my recording drive is not currently being backed up, but eventually, I'm going to add 4 additional 320GB drives to create a 1.2TB RAID 5 array.

4. Don't Wait--Do It!
The reality is that eventually, a drive WILL fail, so having a backup plan in place now can save countless headaches later.

Just remember that for most people, the SageTV setup will become their main viewing device. As such, it should be perceived as an "appliance", so care needs to be taken to ensure that it is always up and running.

Another part of backup/recovery is offsite storage. Make copies of the backups on removable media, such as DVDs or a USB hard drive. Keep the copies off-site, away of your home. In case of a disaster, such as a fire or burglary, you will increase your odds of a successful recovery. Many of the newer third party imaging software packages also allow you to recover individual files. If the image could not be applied to replacement hardware that is different, then at least many files could be recovered to the new replacement hardware.

Dave

[Crashless]

I'm personally really excited about getting Windows Home Server. I'll probably set it up in a Virtual PC environment on my main Sage Server at first because it allows true image based backup, and can automate remotely.