ghost or backitup to external HD?

[loki]

i'm new-ish to XP.

i want to keep a full system backup in case of hd loss or theft. my idea is in
case of loss, i can simply put in a new HD and copy the ghost copy on.

until recently i used norton ghost to backup everything each month (4 dvds) then
copy 'my docs' onto a dvd every week or so.

i bought myself a philips external drive so i could do a ghost copy. my
questions are these:

1. should i use norton ghost v9.0 or go with the s/w that came with the external
hd (nero backitip 1.2.0.60) ?

2. should i compress files (space isn't an issue, both my hd and the external hd
are 40gB)?

3. anything else i've missed?

many thanks

 

[MAP]

i'm new-ish to XP.

i want to keep a full system backup in case of hd loss or theft. my
idea is in case of loss, i can simply put in a new HD and copy the
ghost copy on.

until recently i used norton ghost to backup everything each month (4
dvds) then copy 'my docs' onto a dvd every week or so.

i bought myself a philips external drive so i could do a ghost copy.
my questions are these:

1. should i use norton ghost v9.0 or go with the s/w that came with
the external hd (nero backitip 1.2.0.60) ?

2. should i compress files (space isn't an issue, both my hd and the
external hd are 40gB)?

3. anything else i've missed?

many thanks

I would use "Ghost" I tried Nero a couple of times and it always failed.
(files were in use, Ghost uses the service "volume shadow copy" more
effectively).

Use whatever the "default' setting for compression is for Ghost.

 

[loki]

excellent, thanks.

is there somewhere i could get a checklist of things on xp i should
maintain/check/update regularly? (for instance, i just came across a post
recommending that i check xp's restore facility monthly.)

 

[Sharon F]

i'm new-ish to XP.

i want to keep a full system backup in case of hd loss or theft. my idea is in
case of loss, i can simply put in a new HD and copy the ghost copy on.

until recently i used norton ghost to backup everything each month (4 dvds) then
copy 'my docs' onto a dvd every week or so.

i bought myself a philips external drive so i could do a ghost copy. my
questions are these:

1. should i use norton ghost v9.0 or go with the s/w that came with the external
hd (nero backitip 1.2.0.60) ?

2. should i compress files (space isn't an issue, both my hd and the external hd
are 40gB)?

3. anything else i've missed?

many thanks

These are two different types of programs with different purposes. Ghost is
for imaging a partition. This will fulfill your goal of having an archive
that can restore the entire system.

BackItUp is for backing up data only. It's not suitable for creating a
system image. Instead use this program in place of your "copy 'my docs'"
routine -or- if that once a week copy is sufficient, stay with that method.

A plus to the direct copy: it isn't dependent on a program to restore data.
This could be a considerable plus if in a situation where it's not
plausible to reinstall the backup program or, for some reason, the backup
program is not available. The minus: It's more difficult to automate a
manual copy backup. Archives take up more space.

On the flip side, a dedicated backup program can compress the backup,
automate the backup process and be scheduled to run on a regular basis.

Your choice.

2 & 3: If your external drive is the same size as the internal drive, you
won't have room for multiple backups unless you compress - or copy the last
image to DVD (or other media) before creating a new one.

Why bother with a second copy? What happens if the first one is damaged?
Remember the old adage of "don't put all of your eggs in one basket." The
second image will be a bit older but usable.

 

[Gene K]

I don't recall what Ghost States; however, Acronis True Image recommends
that images be created on a dedicated partition within an internal drive.
The dedicated invisible partition idea is to prevent file corruption [have
experienced that with an image].

 

[loki]

that's clear, thanks.

These are two different types of programs with different purposes. Ghost is
for imaging a partition. This will fulfill your goal of having an archive
that can restore the entire system.

BackItUp is for backing up data only. It's not suitable for creating a
system image. Instead use this program in place of your "copy 'my docs'"
routine -or- if that once a week copy is sufficient, stay with that method.

A plus to the direct copy: it isn't dependent on a program to restore data.
This could be a considerable plus if in a situation where it's not
plausible to reinstall the backup program or, for some reason, the backup
program is not available. The minus: It's more difficult to automate a
manual copy backup. Archives take up more space.

On the flip side, a dedicated backup program can compress the backup,
automate the backup process and be scheduled to run on a regular basis.

Your choice.

2 & 3: If your external drive is the same size as the internal drive, you
won't have room for multiple backups unless you compress - or copy the last
image to DVD (or other media) before creating a new one.

Why bother with a second copy? What happens if the first one is damaged?
Remember the old adage of "don't put all of your eggs in one basket." The
second image will be a bit older but usable.

 

[Sharon F]

I don't recall what Ghost States; however, Acronis True Image recommends
that images be created on a dedicated partition within an internal drive.
The dedicated invisible partition idea is to prevent file corruption [have
experienced that with an image].

Good point, however... If the hard drive dies, the image is gone. It could
happen and does. I keep images on an internal drive. It's very convenient
to run a restore from this location. *But* I take a few extra minutes to
duplicate that image to an external drive or a DVD.