Using 2nd Hard Drive for Backup

  • Thread starter Thread starter T.Goldsworthy
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T.Goldsworthy

How do I configure a 2nd drive for backup and where do I
find a backup program? I am using Windows XP and the
help and support section does not lead me to any answers.
 
Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Backup.

Been a while since I used it but there is a wizard that starts and helps
you get started.
 
To use a second hard disk for any purpose, including backup, you need to
partition it and then format it.

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 313348
"HOW TO: Partition and Format a Hard Disk in Windows XP"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;313348

XP's native backup utility is installed with XP Pro but not XP Home. If you
have XP Home, you can usually install the backup utility from your XP Home
CD.

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 302894:
"HOW TO: Install Backup from the CD-ROM in Windows XP Home Edition"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302894

You can purchase your own backup software if you wish.

Mike Mulligan
 
There are several programs that will do this, try a Google
search for back-up software.

You might get a RAID PCI card and do it automatically with a
hardware solution.
RAID 1 mirrors the disk.



| How do I configure a 2nd drive for backup and where do I
| find a backup program? I am using Windows XP and the
| help and support section does not lead me to any answers.
 
Have you ever spent ten hours putting all your OS,
programs and settings back in and any Data files you have
created with them. If you downloaded them you will not
have a key to install or a way to get a replacement copy.

A copy is a copy. A Image is a image. A
clone/copy/backup is bootable, it has everything your
original drive has,OS, Programs, Email, Address Book,
Data and Registry. You can update it at anytime, any part
of it. Casper XP does that from the windows platform. I
have had Image files for years, the problem with them is
it's a whole file. You cannot make changes to them, you
cannot access them, you have to restore them. Some will
boot some won't. A image file cannot be written to a
smalled disk unless you can change the partition size to
fit the smaller drive. Lets say you have a 40gb main HDD
with 10 gb of data, you cannot put a image of it on a 20gb
disk. If you're up-grading to a larger drive wouldn't it
be nice to have the old drive for a back-up

I have all the backup programs made I think, Drive Image,
Ghost ( 3 versions ), Drive Wizard, Copy Commander, Drive
Back , TrueImage etc. I mentioned Casper-XP because
someone in here made a post about it , I said what the
heck, just another $39.00, I love it. It works so easy and
I have made 30 copies and they all booted, proof enough
for me.
Buy a second Hard drive $69.00 these days and a good
copy/backup program to make a clone. XP-Casper is one.

http://www.fssdev.com/products/ $ 39.00 make the clone
and then un-plug the power to the drive if you want.

Want to test drive a Demo for 30 days. It has some
features disabled.

http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2248-10161152.html?
tag=lst-1-8



XP is the most stable of all the windows, but it has the
highest corruption rate i have ever seen. I have Win 3.1,
Win 95 Win98 that never been re-installed , XP machines
have been done 10 times. At some point you have to wonder
what your time is worth.

I mentioned the second drive because the backup/clone is
made at IDE speed. Change two plugs and your back running
with 5 min of down time. Just the filters on my mail
program make it worth it to me.
 
T.Goldsworthy said:
How do I configure a 2nd drive for backup and where do I
find a backup program? I am using Windows XP and the
help and support section does not lead me to any answers.
Click to expand...

If it's a working 2nd drive just copy and paste from your C: drive to your
D: drive. There's your backup. If you're looking for compression you will
need a backup program. The value of a straight copy/paste is that you don't
need a program to get it back. If you want an exact copy you can buy Ghost
or another similar program. It will copy EVERYTHING to the target drive.
(bootable).

To protect my backup from viruses I bought a 20GB external USB 2.0 hard
drive. With 2.0 speed it's as fast as Firewire. I copy/paste from my C:
drive to my USB drive. Then I turn my USB drive off to protect it. If I
ever need something from it I just turn it on and copy/paste from it to my
hard drive. It cost under $100 and works like a champ.

I had my USB drive with my last computer. I copied everything from my old
computer to it. Then with my new computer I just plugged it into my USB
port and transferred everything I wanted from it.
 
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