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BackUp for HD Replacement



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 21st 18, 03:31 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
No_Name
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Posts: 160
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

Sooner or later, hopefully much later, my spinning HD will need
replacement with another or a whole new PC.

Is there a way to back up, the current substantial HD apps and data
material, to facilitate this inevitability ?

I don't want to ever be faced with the daunting, if not impossible
task, of reinstalling everything with data.

Probably involve the cloud or other storage device.

Good advice most welcome and thanks.
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  #2  
Old November 21st 18, 03:46 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
Linea Recta[_2_]
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Posts: 742
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

schreef in bericht
...
Sooner or later, hopefully much later, my spinning HD will need
replacement with another or a whole new PC.

Is there a way to back up, the current substantial HD apps and data
material, to facilitate this inevitability ?

I don't want to ever be faced with the daunting, if not impossible
task, of reinstalling everything with data.

Probably involve the cloud or other storage device.

Good advice most welcome and thanks.




I used Macrium Reflect in the past to clone and recover my Windows 7 hd
successfully.to a new hd.





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\../
\/os

  #3  
Old November 21st 18, 04:04 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
Mayayana
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Posts: 6,438
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

wrote

| Is there a way to back up, the current substantial HD apps and data
| material, to facilitate this inevitability ?
|

There are different options. I use two disks that
are mostly redundant. So if one dies suddenly I'm
covered. In combination with that, I have disk image
backups of the OS with software installed. Data is
on separate partitions. I back up data to DVDs,
USB sticks, and old hard disks. Current data like
email gets written to DVD periodically.

If you just have C drive and keep all of your data
on the Windows partition then it's much more
awkward. One bad update and you lose everything.
And it's so big that you'll need another disk in order
to back it up. Backing up Windows as an element of
backup is very wasteful these days because it's so big.
You end up backing up 10-60 GB of system files for
no reason.

I've seen a few cases where friends have hired a
tech support person and that person just sets them
up with Carbonite. You pay a fee, everything gets
backed up to their servers, and if your computer
fails you can get it all back. If you want to trust
them with your data and don't mind paying then
that might be an easy solution. Here's a sample
of what's available:

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2288745,00.asp

I've never tried any of them. I don't know why
Carbonite is popular vs other services. I also don't
know anything about specifics. For instance, how
do you get it all back after you put in a new disk?
how does it work if you have to buy a new
computer and just want to download the data
backup? I don't know. My impression is that tech
support people are doing it because it's easy and
relatively secure. It may not cover the case of
neding to get a new computer.


  #4  
Old November 21st 18, 04:41 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
Paul[_32_]
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Posts: 11,873
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

wrote:
Sooner or later, hopefully much later, my spinning HD will need
replacement with another or a whole new PC.

Is there a way to back up, the current substantial HD apps and data
material, to facilitate this inevitability ?

I don't want to ever be faced with the daunting, if not impossible
task, of reinstalling everything with data.

Probably involve the cloud or other storage device.

Good advice most welcome and thanks.


So you're telling us, you've *never* *ever* made a backup ?

Despite the group being filled with dead disk horror stories ?

The first thing you need is a disk.

If this is a desktop, you can add an internal drive to the
PC temporarily, to accept the backup. The backup takes less time,
if done at disk speed.

4TB for $99 (backup drive, not OS drive)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16822235011

4TB for $160 (backup drive or OS drive)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16822179129

If it's a laptop, you might need a USB enclosure disk. These
need a lot of research to get a good one. This has a USB3 connector,
which would be backward compatible with USB2 computer ports (like
on my laptop). USB2 goes 30MB/sec so don't expect miracle backup
rates in such a case.

4TB for $157 (backup drive, might not even be usable outside the casing)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16822510044

*******

Then, a copy of Macrium Reflect Free.

https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

*******

You also have to decide whether you're a member of the "xcopy crowd"
or the "whole disk backup crowd". People will disagree on what
constitutes a backup. The above is for people who want
a whole disk captured, so that recovery is "mostly seamless",
instead of a mixture of bailing wire and binder twine.

If the source is a 2TB drive with 200GB of files, a 4TB drive will
hold 20 full backups. Or some number of "full+incremental".

The full+incremental method is the most efficient in terms of
storage space, and allows restoration to a "point in time". But
the version of Macrium to get that function, would cost money.

Whereas doing "full" backups, while inefficient, is also do-able
with the free version of Macrium.

You'll also need to make an emergency boot CD, the first time
you open the Macrium program. Using the CD, you can restore C:
when you need to, as the CD is its own WinPE boot OS and is just
enough to do the restore with.

But get yourself a drive to start.

Paul
  #6  
Old November 21st 18, 08:57 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
No_Name
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Posts: 160
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

Thanks all for great info.

I went with Macrim Reflect to a USB flash drive.

I had been doing backups of critical data to CD,
but wanted something easy to cover the whole PC.
  #7  
Old November 21st 18, 09:01 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 160
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

God, is he always this obnoxious ?!

Probably voted for Trump, too.

Sheesh !
  #8  
Old November 21st 18, 09:09 PM posted to alt.windows7.general
No_Name
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 160
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

Only a complete fool would tout for years on a Windows 7 NG,
all that BS about millions using 10 .
  #10  
Old November 22nd 18, 12:23 AM posted to alt.windows7.general
pjp[_10_]
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Posts: 1,183
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

In article ,
says...

Sooner or later, hopefully much later, my spinning HD will need
replacement with another or a whole new PC.

Is there a way to back up, the current substantial HD apps and data
material, to facilitate this inevitability ?

I don't want to ever be faced with the daunting, if not impossible
task, of reinstalling everything with data.

Probably involve the cloud or other storage device.

Good advice most welcome and thanks.


Backing up your data (e.g files you yourself have created or somehow
else put on the computer) is easy if you keep them in any kind of
organized order on hard disk. Simply copy the files to an external hard
disk big enough to hold them. Mail, passowrds etc. you can export out of
the app to some usable format and then copy tyhose file(s) in similar
manner.

Your installed programs can be a more difficult option to "just" back
them up. In general you can't as they are installed into the operating
system with often many of the required files placed in "Windows" sub-
folders and not simply the the apps installed folder. They usually don't
provide any listing of what those files are. On top of that many apps
get installed to a specific OS, e.g. XP, Vista, 7 or 10 and will install
differnt support files depending upon the os involved. That means any
"restore" must be to the same OS, e,g XP to XP. "portable" apps are
about the only ones can easily just copy and paste into another system.

Given the difficulties mentioned in proceeding paragraph, it's best to
back up both the OS and it's installed apps. There's numerous means of
doing this, Windows itself even allows you to create a "image" of the
hard disk for later "restoring". Others will offer advice I'm sure
  #11  
Old November 22nd 18, 12:53 AM posted to alt.windows7.general
Ant[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 554
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

For me, I back up both types. My important datas often. Full C: drive
image once a month before MS updates or whatever critical changes that
could make my C (unboo/uns)table. Drive image is a quick way to recover
though.


pjp wrote:

Backing up your data (e.g files you yourself have created or somehow
else put on the computer) is easy if you keep them in any kind of
organized order on hard disk. Simply copy the files to an external hard
disk big enough to hold them. Mail, passowrds etc. you can export out of
the app to some usable format and then copy tyhose file(s) in similar
manner.


Your installed programs can be a more difficult option to "just" back
them up. In general you can't as they are installed into the operating
system with often many of the required files placed in "Windows" sub-
folders and not simply the the apps installed folder. They usually don't
provide any listing of what those files are. On top of that many apps
get installed to a specific OS, e.g. XP, Vista, 7 or 10 and will install
differnt support files depending upon the os involved. That means any
"restore" must be to the same OS, e,g XP to XP. "portable" apps are
about the only ones can easily just copy and paste into another system.


Given the difficulties mentioned in proceeding paragraph, it's best to
back up both the OS and it's installed apps. There's numerous means of
doing this, Windows itself even allows you to create a "image" of the
hard disk for later "restoring". Others will offer advice I'm sure


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  #13  
Old November 22nd 18, 01:18 AM posted to alt.windows7.general
Ken Blake[_5_]
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Posts: 2,221
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

On Wed, 21 Nov 2018 19:23:18 -0400, pjp
wrote:

In article ,
says...

Sooner or later, hopefully much later, my spinning HD will need
replacement with another or a whole new PC.

Is there a way to back up, the current substantial HD apps and data
material, to facilitate this inevitability ?

I don't want to ever be faced with the daunting, if not impossible
task, of reinstalling everything with data.

Probably involve the cloud or other storage device.

Good advice most welcome and thanks.


Backing up your data (e.g files you yourself have created or somehow
else put on the computer) is easy if you keep them in any kind of
organized order on hard disk. Simply copy the files to an external hard
disk big enough to hold them. Mail, passowrds etc. you can export out of
the app to some usable format and then copy tyhose file(s) in similar
manner.

Your installed programs can be a more difficult option to "just" back
them up. In general you can't as they are installed into the operating
system with often many of the required files placed in "Windows" sub-
folders and not simply the the apps installed folder. They usually don't
provide any listing of what those files are. On top of that many apps
get installed to a specific OS, e.g. XP, Vista, 7 or 10 and will install
differnt support files depending upon the os involved. That means any
"restore" must be to the same OS, e,g XP to XP. "portable" apps are
about the only ones can easily just copy and paste into another system.



I agree with everything you say except for "a more difficult option."
In general it's not more difficult, it's impossible. Most programs
have many associated files and entries within \Windows, in the
registry and elsewhere.

Yes, there's an occasional exception that can be backed up, but they
are few and far between. So it safest to assume that all your programs
can not be backed up, and make other plans for getting them back
should they be lost.
  #14  
Old November 22nd 18, 01:22 AM posted to alt.windows7.general
Bill in Co[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 303
Default BackUp for HD Replacement

Paul wrote:
wrote:
Thanks all for great info.

I went with Macrim Reflect to a USB flash drive.

I had been doing backups of critical data to CD,
but wanted something easy to cover the whole PC.


The "easiest" one I tested so far, was a trial version
of Acronis. Where someone really worked at reducing
the number of steps.

The beauty of Macrium Reflect, is the Free version.
That's the part we like the best, the Free part.
Part of the price of free, is you'll be scratching
your head once in a while.

If you lack for amusement, I have some filmstrips
you can look at, for inspiration. The Macrium manual
would do more good. I didn't make these all the same
day, they were made months apart.

https://postimg.cc/image/f664kgrzh/ # Macrium6_Backup

https://postimg.cc/image/soq5qlgrx/ # Clone_Disk

https://postimg.cc/image/458x0anpn/ # Macrium_Restore_CD

Paul


Seconded. I think life is too short for the "scratching your head thing",
and Acronis is a good way to go, especially (I feel) with some older
versions. Like most things, it's gotten more and more bloated over the
years. I'm still religiously using an older version, and you can sometimes
find them on Amazon or eBay. And it's sure come in handy sometimes.

But I also think the OP also needs to determine if he wants to make a clone
OR an image backup, and that's another question for him to ponder, as each
has its own advantages and disadvantages. Personally, I think it's best to
have both.


 




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