Backing up my data ?[Resolved]

**Pirate** · May 23rd, 2003, 07:43 AM

What is the best tool ? and what's the difference between iso backup files and just making copy of my data to different place ? Are these iso files more sort of fault-tolerant ??

**parksie** · May 23rd, 2003, 08:30 PM

A .iso file is just an image of a CD-ROM. Just another way of storing a lot of files at once.

Making a .rar file with recovery records and no compression is probably a fairly good way, should guard against random lossage.

**siyan** · May 24th, 2003, 12:12 AM

The "best" tool depends on what you are backing up, how much of it there is, and the type of loss you want to protect against....

**Pirate** · May 24th, 2003, 02:59 AM

Originally posted by parksie
A .iso file is just an image of a CD-ROM. Just another way of storing a lot of files at once.

Making a .rar file with recovery records and no compression is probably a fairly good way, should guard against random lossage.

Does this mean I can't save my HD content to ISO file ? Is it only for CD contents?

**Pirate** · May 24th, 2003, 03:00 AM

Originally posted by siyan
The "best" tool depends on what you are backing up, how much of it there is, and the type of loss you want to protect against....

I'm backing everything on my HD (vs.net proj files , some html , exe files ...etc . So what's the "best" tool you are talking about ?

**Celest** · May 24th, 2003, 05:16 AM

Norton Ghost.

**Pirate** · May 24th, 2003, 06:30 AM

Originally posted by Celest
Norton Ghost.

Yes , this sound the best tool . I dunno how did I miss this great tool though I ghosted my system partition and no longer install OS from CDs .

Thanks for reminding me .

**VisionIT** · May 25th, 2003, 11:26 AM

Norton Ghost stinks!

I used it years ago with an NTFS system, and it crashes all the time!

If you want a REAL package... try Acronis TrueImage. It can even backup your entire hard disk whilst you are in windows!!!

www.acronis.com

You have to create a boot disk with Norton Ghost, then reboot... which is not helpful when you use a RAID partition like us! You need to manually edit the autoexec on the floppy to preload all your IDE/RAID drivers before starting Ghost!!!!!

I used to like Norton products, but personally... I need something which works effectively without crashing the system or corrupting the MBR's! Bye Norton... hello Acronis & Kerio.

Regards,

Paul.

**Celest** · May 25th, 2003, 03:10 PM

I have used Norton Ghost perhaps 50 times and have not once encountered a single problem. Even with RAID you do not need to create a boot disk.

Anyway, Norton have updated Ghost a lot since you last used it. I'd suggest trying it again

**parksie** · May 25th, 2003, 04:10 PM

You only need RAID drivers if it's not proper RAID, I thought. As in, a real hardware RAID (not the 372-type software RAID support chips you get on boards like mine) should just appear as a single drive, setup in the RAID BIOS.

Or am I missing something?

**Pirate** · May 25th, 2003, 04:19 PM

Originally posted by VisionIT
Norton Ghost stinks!
I used it years ago with an NTFS system, and it crashes all the time!
If you want a REAL package... try Acronis TrueImage. It can even backup your entire hard disk whilst you are in windows!!!
www.acronis.com
You have to create a boot disk with Norton Ghost, then reboot... which is not helpful when you use a RAID partition like us! You need to manually edit the autoexec on the floppy to preload all your IDE/RAID drivers before starting Ghost!!!!!
I used to like Norton products, but personally... I need something which works effectively without crashing the system or corrupting the MBR's! Bye Norton... hello Acronis & Kerio.
Regards,
Paul.

I ghosted my system partition , XP , and working well now . I used that Win98 , ME days with no problems .

**Pirate** · May 25th, 2003, 04:21 PM

Originally posted by parksie
You only need RAID drivers if it's not proper RAID, I thought. As in, a real hardware RAID (not the 372-type software RAID support chips you get on boards like mine) should just appear as a single drive, setup in the RAID BIOS.
Or am I missing something?

What on earth are you talking about (RAID)?

**siyan** · May 25th, 2003, 04:36 PM

RAID - Redundant Array of Independent Drives

Its basically a way of getting more speed+data protection by either writing identical data to 2+ drives, or by "striping" data across 2+ drives.

Some tricky XOR stuff is also implemented in RAID-5-type setups

**Pirate** · May 25th, 2003, 04:39 PM

Originally posted by siyan
RAID - Redundant Array of Independent Drives
Its basically a way of getting more speed+data protection by either writing identical data to 2+ drives, or by "striping" data across 2+ drives.
Some tricky XOR stuff is also implemented in RAID-5-type setups

I have 2 drives , do you think I need that ? Is it helpful here ?

**parksie** · May 25th, 2003, 04:51 PM

Only if you think it's helpful. And also, for RAID to work best (for example the redundancy) you're best off with two drives of the same type and size, and preferably in the same manufacturing batch. Then they act with no speed loss, but they both write the same data. You can also stripe it across two drives, so you get double capacity and double speed. If you have *four* drives, you can do mirrored striping (/me ph33rs).

Takes a fair chunk of CPU to do the higher levels.

**siyan** · May 25th, 2003, 06:59 PM

Originally posted by Pirate
I have 2 drives , do you think I need that ? Is it helpful here ?

Its not usually neccesary for most people. Though I do plan on setting up software-based, partition-level RAID whence I get a new computer...

ie:

on 2 80GB drives, each partitioned 15GB/10GB/55GB

one 15GB partition (Primary Master) holds Windows and most programs

mirrored RAID for the 10GB partitions (school stuff / other stuff I'd rather not have to lose)

striped RAID for the 55GB partitions (media, downloads, game installs, stuff like that...)

the last 15GB partition is for whatever....probably a linux install to play around wtih.

therefore i have security + read speed for 10GB, read+write speed for 110GB, an isolated O/S partition so reformatting is easier and safer, and an extra partition to do whatever with....

**parksie** · May 25th, 2003, 07:10 PM

You can't get extra speed on a single disk, and will probably make it worse, since it's writing double data to a single disk. RAID is designed for more than one *physical* disk.

**siyan** · May 25th, 2003, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by parksie
You can't get extra speed on a single disk, and will probably make it worse, since it's writing double data to a single disk. RAID is designed for more than one *physical* disk.

Originally posted by siyan

on 2 80GB drives, each partitioned 15GB/10GB/55GB

I'm not that dumb

**parksie** · May 25th, 2003, 08:06 PM

Ah yeah I see now. Thought you were doing two 15gb partitions on one disk, or something.

It's 2am, so...

**Pirate** · May 26th, 2003, 03:08 AM

Sounds interesting , but I'm still unable to get this RAD thing and the way you partition your HDs . Where can I learn this anyways ??

**siyan** · May 26th, 2003, 08:30 AM

*shrug* google...

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