bsuggestions wanted on hard drive allocation

[timOleary]

Windows XP pro.
Home system with one or two other PCs on the network and I share the H
drive.

C: 250G SATA HDD 20G used 212 available. primarily apps and desktop
files and whatever defaults to the C drive. (not my TB mail folder
which is very large and on H)

D: 250G SATA HDD 16.9G used 215 available
I don't use this drive but three folders show: MSOCache; Recycler and
System Volume Information. As far as I'm concenred this drive should
be empty since I never write to it.

H: is external USB 117G used 115G available. I consciously put
everything on this drive. All eggs are in this basket, and with all
the hard drive space available, I need to get on the ball before my
next hdd crash.

The C and D are not configured for RAID and I don't want to bother.

Goal is to set up a sensible drive usage. Like make C the drive with
everything on it, and then mirror the whole thing onto D and use H
for redundant back up to H.
I think I need to obtain Acronis. But am unfamiliar with the command
set or what the best procedure would be; steps to take to transfer
files etc.

 

[JS]

Use the second drive for the XP pagefile and
for temporary files created by your software
application (Some applications will allow you
to specify where you want the temp files to be located)

Create a folder on the second drive for files you download,
this keeps them from gobbling up disk space on your
primary drive and makes for smaller Acronis Image backup
files.

Also use Acronis to create image backup to the second
drive (especially if you do frequent backups) then move one
image backup each month to the external drive. For example
the image backup you create just before installing Microsoft's
monthly (Patch Tuesday) security updates. I also create an image
backup to my second hard drive prior to installing any new software
or major updates to existing software like MS Office.

You could also use a utility named "SyncToy" to make quick
backups of your 'My Documents' folder to the second drive.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...36-98e0-4ee9-a7c5-98d0592d8c52&displaylang=en

In short your second drive provides a quick means of recovering
from a problem and your external drive is the means of last resort.


True Image 2009 - has a 15 day trial version available,
(Create a Restore/Rescue Media CD before you start)
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/
User's Guide: http://us1.download.acronis.com/pdf/TrueImage12_ug.en.pdf

During the 15 day trial test creating image backups to a unique folder
(one folder per backup, sample folder name: ATI_MMDDYY or _060609)
Create the 'Rescue CD and see if you can boot from the CD and locate
the image backup file you created.

Product Review Acronis True Image Home 2009:
http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/reviews/16045.aspx

 

[Andrew E.]

Why bother with "imageing/mirroring" to another hd,simply create a
RAID 1 set,this basically does the same but has other advantages a single
SATA hd does not.Read intel info on it at:
http://www.intel.com/performance/desktop/platform_technologies/storage_performance.htm

 

[timOleary]

  Why bother with "imageing/mirroring" to another hd,simply create a
 RAID 1 set,this basically does the same but has other advantages a single
 SATA hd does not.Read intel info on it at:http://www.intel.com/performance/desktop/platform_technologies/storag...

I was not going to set up RAID because on my mobo (ASUS P5WD2-E
PREMIUM) it is very difficult; the peformance increase would be
negligible, and it would require reinstalling Windows. I am not ruling
out the RAID, that's whay I'm asking for suggestions! Thanks for the
feedback

 

[timOleary]

I was not going to set up RAID because on my mobo (ASUS P5WD2-E
PREMIUM) it is very difficult; the peformance increase would be
negligible, and it would require reinstalling Windows. I am not ruling
out the RAID, that's whay I'm asking for suggestions! Thanks for the
feedback

my pagefile is on C and is 1536-3072
recommended is 4606
I want to either make the existing bigger, move it to D and make it
bigger, or have two pagefiles, the existing and an additional on D
sufficiently sized to a meet recommendations
suggestions, and exactly haow do I do this without crashing my PC?

 

[Twayne]

Windows XP pro.
Home system with one or two other PCs on the network and I share the H
drive.

C: 250G SATA HDD 20G used 212 available. primarily apps and desktop
files and whatever defaults to the C drive. (not my TB mail folder
which is very large and on H)

D: 250G SATA HDD 16.9G used 215 available
I don't use this drive but three folders show: MSOCache; Recycler and
System Volume Information. As far as I'm concenred this drive should
be empty since I never write to it.

H: is external USB 117G used 115G available. I consciously put
everything on this drive. All eggs are in this basket, and with all
the hard drive space available, I need to get on the ball before my
next hdd crash.

The C and D are not configured for RAID and I don't want to bother.

Goal is to set up a sensible drive usage. Like make C the drive with
everything on it, and then mirror the whole thing onto D and use H
for redundant back up to H.
I think I need to obtain Acronis. But am unfamiliar with the command
set or what the best procedure would be; steps to take to transfer
files etc.

IMO the best method is to use a program like Acronis - good choice, or
Norton Ghost, also good.

Schedule program to back up nightly when the computer's not in use, to
an external hard drive.

Start with a Full backup and schedule one for say every first day of
month. Then in between only do incrementals.

Take the first Full backup and commit to DVDs. If you have the moxy, 2
sets of DVDs, one to keep at the computer and one to store offsite
somewhere, anywhere you consider safe.
Repeat after each monthly full backup or whenever you make
substantial changes to your machine.

Acronis can I think do all that for you automatically; I don't use it.
I know Ghost can if Acronis can't.

Personally I only make CDs when there have been substantial changes to
the system but that's because I don't make a lot of changes. For
development work, extremely important to back up stuff, I use XXCopy in
a batch file to back that stuff up; fast and can be run as many times a
day as I wish, each file having the date/time added to it for
identification. Sort of a version control. The XXCopy output goes to a
DVD I keep in the drive or if there's nothing in the drive for some
reason, goes to the external drive for later transfer to the DVD.

Lots of things you can do and lots of ways to do them. For offsite
storage, I keep a copy at my sister's.
HTH,

Twayne`