XP Backup - how many full backup copies?

[XPuser]

I just bought an external hard drive and want to set up automated backups
for my data files.

I am investigating using ntbackup from the XP home CD - before I install it,
I want to know if I can control the number of copies of backup files that
will be kept for each backup.

I plan to schedule a weekly full backup (of selected files and folders) ,
and daily incremental backups. I would want to keep the last 2 full backups,
plus any required incrementals. I want the backup software to manage and
delete the old backup files for me.

Can I specify how many versions of full backup file to keep? Will each full
backup write over top of the previous backup file, or will I have to
manually delete old backup archive files? Can I set up 2 alternating backups
to run every 2 weeks to do the same thing?

If XP backup cannot do this, are there any other freeware or reasonably
priced backup utilities that can do this for me?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Thip]

I just bought an external hard drive and want to set up automated backups
for my data files.

I am investigating using ntbackup from the XP home CD - before I install it,
I want to know if I can control the number of copies of backup files that
will be kept for each backup.

I plan to schedule a weekly full backup (of selected files and folders) ,
and daily incremental backups. I would want to keep the last 2 full backups,
plus any required incrementals. I want the backup software to manage and
delete the old backup files for me.

Can I specify how many versions of full backup file to keep? Will each full
backup write over top of the previous backup file, or will I have to
manually delete old backup archive files? Can I set up 2 alternating backups
to run every 2 weeks to do the same thing?

If XP backup cannot do this, are there any other freeware or reasonably
priced backup utilities that can do this for me?

Thanks for your help.

The best (and easiest) I've ever found is Acronis True Image ($50). I'm
still using V. 9, but it's served me well. It will do incremental
backups. I always keep an image of my base install (nothing extra) and
another full image with incremental backups. I also back up my 2nd
drive, which holds My Documents and a host of other important stuff.

 

[Andrew E.]

Actually a true back-up of a OS really is'nt a very good way to go...1st how
do you know the data youre backing up is 100% free from corruption,2nd,
the time one takes to install & go thru the installed backup OS one could
have
installed a clean copy of the OS...As a microsoft tech put it,use the file
transfer
wizard to "back-up/copy" youre user data,then if xp or hardware does fail,a
clean install of the OS is best,then run the FTW with user data to restore
the
pc...Plus,the FTW data on a cd or similiar,can be deployed on any pc with
xp...

 

[Lil' Dave]

I just bought an external hard drive and want to set up automated backups
for my data files.

I am investigating using ntbackup from the XP home CD - before I install
it, I want to know if I can control the number of copies of backup files
that will be kept for each backup.

I plan to schedule a weekly full backup (of selected files and folders) ,
and daily incremental backups. I would want to keep the last 2 full
backups, plus any required incrementals. I want the backup software to
manage and delete the old backup files for me.

Can I specify how many versions of full backup file to keep? Will each
full backup write over top of the previous backup file, or will I have to
manually delete old backup archive files? Can I set up 2 alternating
backups to run every 2 weeks to do the same thing?

If XP backup cannot do this, are there any other freeware or reasonably
priced backup utilities that can do this for me?

Thanks for your help.

A little on non-native file saving in form of a proprietary single file used
in such backup programs regarding subsequent versions of windows.

Bear in mind the previous versions of native prior windows backup (prior
windows versions) resulting backups were not usable with the current XP
version of backup for restoration. Another words, only XP's backup program
can be used to restore its backup, not prior versions of windows backup.
Don't know if that trend continues in subsequent versions of windows since
XP, like Vista and Windows 7 for instance.

Also consider 3rd party software must be operational in a subsequent version
of windows for its own restoration purposes. That is, if it only works in a
windows environment booted from the hard drive.