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Backup methods and programs.

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cmpm:
Besides Norton Ghost which cost about $60-$80 or other programs that cost money. I've come up with an idea on backing up.

Of course there's winbackup and system restore but here's another which works.

If you have two hard drives then this is a good way to go.
Have everything you want to back up loaded on both hardrives.
This would be a dual boot system with identical activation codes.

Install winxp on your slave drive.

To install winxp on another hard drive on the same system, just let it in install on a newly formatted ntfs drive. It will show you the partition in the setup if you don't use the repair option.

Install your programs and sync them with "GoodSync".

http://www.goodsync.com/index.html

http://netsecurity.about.com/od/windowsxp/qt/aaqtwinxp0829.htm?terms=transfer+activation+to+new+hard+drive

Other benefits of this setup is you can work with files on your master from the slave (Or the other way around). Because none of them should be in use, that would free up some operations that require the file to not be in use.

f0dder:
For a setup like that, I'd rather use RAID mirror... of course your solution has the benefit that sync'ing is done on demand, not transparently all the time... but this does mean that you can end up with the mess of "which drive contains the most recent files" et cetera.

Imho if you're doing backups, you should be doing them "right" - incremental or differential sets to some external device (fileserver with mirror or parity RAID, or external USB/FireWire/eSATA drive). Preferably with a set per day, so you can guard against partial corruption etc.

tomos:
Have everything you want to back up loaded on both hardrives.
This would be a dual boot system with identical activation codes.

Install winxp on your slave drive.

Install your programs and sync them-cmpm (June 25, 2007, 07:46 PM)
--- End quote ---

1) "Have everything you want to back up loaded on both hardrives."  -
presume that mean the files/folders (i.e. not the installed software/OS)

2) do you know, if you add a new drive to your computer, can you still activate as shown in your link above?

3) when you say -sync programmes- what exactly do you mean  :) ??
would regristry have to be the same on each drive - or not?? (different paths relevant?), programmes often store (or try to) info all over the place ...

4) dont understand this I'm afraid -
Other benefits of this setup is you can work with files on your master from the slave (Or the other way around). Because none of them should be in use, that would free up some operations that require the file to not be in use.
-cmpm (June 25, 2007, 07:46 PM)
--- End quote ---
-well I guess I do understand but probably not of importance to me

5) Would an advantage be that if the main drive dies, you can than boot up the other?


Imho if you're doing backups, you should be doing them "right" - incremental or differential sets to some external device (fileserver with mirror or parity RAID, or external USB/FireWire/eSATA drive). Preferably with a set per day, so you can guard against partial corruption etc.-f0dder (June 26, 2007, 08:24 AM)
--- End quote ---
of course
cmpm's idea could be done as well as incremental backup ...  :)

Carol Haynes:
Disadvantage of the suggested method is that the second copy will need to be activated - and some software won't work properly if you boot from the 'backup' copy disc (eg. Adobe software doesn't work from copies - even image based disc images without reactivation).

The problem with Windows activation is that each partition has a unique ID which is coded into the activation code. I don't think you can have two simultaneously active partitions with the same ID.

cmpm:
#5 mainly tomos

and this does work
both os work

and i was thinking of the free programs we use
i know the paid for programs would not work

but you could backup the info files to two hard drives

Carol,

I don't think you can have two simultaneously active partitions with the same ID.
--- End quote ---

not running at the same time but they do work separately, both being activated by the instructions in the second link i posted

it will auto boot from the drive with the .new file

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