Cheap Home Backup Mirror Hard Drive

[Alias]

Depending on the program you use it might be more efficient to create an
image rather than a clone. Image files usually take up less space than
cloning a drive. But other than that the answer is yes, that is the
procedure.

Kerry

I was thinking of using Acronis. What's the difference between an image
and a clone?

Alias

 

[Kerry Brown]

I was thinking of using Acronis. What's the difference between an
image and a clone?

Alias

I use Acronis TI 8.0. I haven't upgraded to 9.0 as 8.0 does everything I
need. I've been very happy with TI. I've also used Norton Ghost 2003 and
10.0. It worked very well but I am more familiar with TI so I tend to use it
more.

An image is a file that contains all the data on a partition. The data can
be compressed in the file. For example if you have a 20 GB partition with 15
GB used an image file might take up 10 GB. When you clone a drive you make a
duplicate of it. For example if you have a 60 GB drive with three 20 GB
partitions you could clone it to a 100 GB drive adjusting partition sizes as
required. It will usually take a minimum of 60 GB to clone a 60 GB drive.
Normally you clone drives when you are replacing a drive and create images
when you are backing up a drive.

Kerry

 

[Uncle Grumpy]

I'd like to backup or mirror my current HD. I'd like an EXACT copy of
my current 80GB ATA standard issue that came on my Dell.

Can someone help me with the following..

The scenario is that my HD crashes one day so I just throw it away and
put in the back up mirror. My PC doesn't miss a beat.

Install a second INTERNAL hard drive.

Set your system BIOS to boot from "other drives" after the usual
settings.

Periodically CLONE (I highly recommend Acronis True Image) your "C"
drive to the second internal drive. You might even use a third-party
program like Second Copy 2000 to keep your data updated on the second
drive between clonings.

If the first drive fails, the system will automatically boot from the
second.

I know... it's happened here.

 

[Alias]

I use Acronis TI 8.0. I haven't upgraded to 9.0 as 8.0 does everything I
need. I've been very happy with TI. I've also used Norton Ghost 2003 and
10.0. It worked very well but I am more familiar with TI so I tend to use it
more.

An image is a file that contains all the data on a partition. The data can
be compressed in the file. For example if you have a 20 GB partition with 15
GB used an image file might take up 10 GB. When you clone a drive you make a
duplicate of it. For example if you have a 60 GB drive with three 20 GB
partitions you could clone it to a 100 GB drive adjusting partition sizes as
required. It will usually take a minimum of 60 GB to clone a 60 GB drive.
Normally you clone drives when you are replacing a drive and create images
when you are backing up a drive.

Kerry

Oh, so if I understand you correctly, an image is only the data and a
clone would also include the data and the unused portion of the
partition/drive?

Alias

 

[Anna]

(SNIP)

DizzyBoy:
If you're still around...

Since you were the OP raising this issue, I'm just curious...

Was any of the information that transpired in this thread of any practical
use to you? Would really appreciate your response.
Anna

 

[Kerry Brown]

Oh, so if I understand you correctly, an image is only the data and a
clone would also include the data and the unused portion of the
partition/drive?

Alias

Yes, another analogy would be a clone is a copy, an image is instructions on
how to build a copy.

Kerry

 

[Timothy Daniels]

If the external HD is for providing a replacement OS if the
primary HD fails, there would be nothing to transfer the
backup to unless you got another internal HD. What
you *could* do is to merely take the external HD out of
its box and install it in as an internal HD. If its contents
are a clone of the primary HD, it should boot right up.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Alias]

If the external HD is for providing a replacement OS if the
primary HD fails, there would be nothing to transfer the
backup to unless you got another internal HD. What
you *could* do is to merely take the external HD out of
its box and install it in as an internal HD. If its contents
are a clone of the primary HD, it should boot right up.

*TimDaniels*

Thanks.

Alias

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Thanks.

I have read that this works and why it works - that the USB
interface just gets the standard IDE controller's signals to the
disk and that the disk is just a standard internal disk. Yet, I
personally have not tried the substituion. It would be worth
your while to try it yourself before you actually need it to work
for you.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Timothy Daniels]

Have you considered what's called a "mobile rack" or
"drive caddy" or "drive tray"? They require use of one
of the 5 1/4" drive bays, but they provide all kinds of
flexibility to interchange hard drives and to archive
entire hard drive contents. I use the ones made by
Kingwin, and I love 'em. They're made for both PATA
and SATA IDE hard drives:
PATA:
http://www.kingwin.com/pdut_Cat.asp?CateID=25

extra PATA trays:
http://www.kingwin.com/pdut_Cat.asp?CateID=35

SATA:
http://www.kingwin.com/pdut_Cat.asp?CateID=47

extra SATA trays:
http://www.kingwin.com/pdut_Cat.asp?CateID=44

To change any drive, just power down, slip out the
old tray, slip in the new, and power back up. Do a
PriceGrabber or PriceWatch or Nextag search on the
model nos. to get an idea of current prices.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Guest]

The responses have been helpful to those wanting to image or clone. DizzyBoy
also asked about mirroring as well and no response has touched that subject
yet as the date of this post. I would like to mirror the HD in Windows XP,
but cannot find any information on whether or not it is supported now.
Previous links I have found said that software RAID is only supported in the
server products. Is this still true?

 

[Kerry Brown]

The responses have been helpful to those wanting to image or clone.
DizzyBoy also asked about mirroring as well and no response has
touched that subject yet as the date of this post. I would like to
mirror the HD in Windows XP, but cannot find any information on
whether or not it is supported now. Previous links I have found said
that software RAID is only supported in the server products. Is this
still true?

Yes it is still true. Software mirroring is not supported with XP.

Kerry

 

[DizzyBoy]

Yes - Sorry - I did not check back (this topic) for a while. I went off
looking at software reviews once I realized that I would need to buy.

Next time a buy a pc I will make sure there is a removable HDD slot.


I'll update when I have all this finished. Project is on hold. Looking
for a new job right now so I'm a bit preoccupied.

Thanks for all the feedback. I think there are others that needed it
too.

OT: There was a good article in a recent Economist mag. (Bush doing Dr.
Stangeglove on cover) about how flash or flash equivalent may
eventually replace the spinning disk. This topic could be a period
piece in a few years: I suppose most topics inevitably are..

Thanks -
Dizzyboy

 

[Alan]

Yes - Sorry - I did not check back (this topic) for a while. I went off
looking at software reviews once I realized that I would need to buy.

Next time a buy a pc I will make sure there is a removable HDD slot.

Buy a removable drive bay and fit it yourself. They come with instructions.
Icy Dock are good.

 

[ms]

Yes - Sorry - I did not check back (this topic) for a while. I went off
looking at software reviews once I realized that I would need to buy.

Next time a buy a pc I will make sure there is a removable HDD slot.


I'll update when I have all this finished. Project is on hold. Looking
for a new job right now so I'm a bit preoccupied.

Thanks for all the feedback. I think there are others that needed it
too.

OT: There was a good article in a recent Economist mag. (Bush doing Dr.
Stangeglove on cover) about how flash or flash equivalent may
eventually replace the spinning disk. This topic could be a period
piece in a few years: I suppose most topics inevitably are..

Thanks -
Dizzyboy

Just get an external enclosure with USB 2 on firewire.

More convienient if you want to transfer files to another PC.

 

[Anna]

Just get an external enclosure with USB 2 on firewire.

More convienient if you want to transfer files to another PC.

Dizzyboy:
As I believe we discussed at length during the *long* course of this thread,
the use of one or preferably two, removable hard drives on a desktop PC is,
in my view, a most desirable hardware configuration for many, if not most,
PC users. While there's nothing wrong with having a USB/Firewire external HD
for storage/backup purposes, the enormous flexibility you gain from
equipping your computer with removable hard drives yields substantial
advantages over those external devices and should be considered. You are on
the right road in doing so.
Anna