Create Backup For XP

"Ian Jackson" wrote

| The easiest way of backing up your hard drive is simply to clone it to
| another hard drive. However, the OP seems determined to find reasons not
| to do the obvious.
|
Your opinion is not necessarily "obvious" to others,
however strange that might seem.

Isn't the best backup what works? If you lose your
house today, can you recover your data? Can you also
recover it in a way that's usable? (It's great that you
have your XP backed up to hard disk with AutoCAD
installed, but can you boot that disk in a modern
computer if your computer dies? Have you planned for
that?)

I've used disk image backup for many years. I put
images on CDs/DVDs and store copies in a safe deposit
box. I also, always, build desktops with two disks and
use the second as mostly redundant backup with data
and disk images on both disks, each of which have several
partitions to organize that data. I use old hard disks
to store large amounts of the same data, but only
because I have them sitting around. I also back up
basic data regularly to DVD. (How could anyone say that's
inferior? It costs about 30 cents and travels well.)
I have a specific partition for that basic data. It includes
things like business records and coding I've done. It
doesn't include bulky things like pictures and technical
reference.

All of that works very well for me. I've never gone back
to a CD from the 90s or 00s and found that I couldn't read
it. On the other hand, I very rarely need anything from
that time that's not on more recent backups. I would
*never* put any data only on C drive. If it's on C drive
at all that's only because it's not in the way. I have
it duplicated elsewhere on both hard disks.

Cloning your hard disk to an external one might be easiest
for you, but it's not terribly dependable by itself and not
very efficient. It's just a primitive form of RAID; a simple
method for people who don't want to figure out what
they actually need to back up, and who think System Restore
is a form of backup. The OS itself is a bloated, brittle container.
There's no reason to be backing up 1 GB of photos and docs
in a 10-20 GB structure of OS libraries that requires special
care to access. That's like backing up your will in a locked
suitcase full of junk mail. Lose the key (the hardware the
OS was installed to) and you'll need some expertise and time
to get at what's inside. Even then, you'll still need to weed
through junk mail that shouldn't have been in the backup.
Why back up your work DOCs along with the entire System32
folder? It makes no sense in practical terms. It *only* makes
sense if you don't want to undertake a more thorough and
systematic approach to backup, and if your data is not important.
(I don't mean that snidely. For many people I know, their
data is *not* important. When their computer fails they only
care about getting back online to check their gmail. That's
where their grandchild's latest photo is. They wouldn't
even know how to put that photo on their computer. For
those people, a spare hard disk when malware hits might
be a good idea.)

Mayayana wrote:
"Ian Jackson" wrote

| The easiest way of backing up your hard drive is simply to clone it to
| another hard drive. However, the OP seems determined to find reasons not
| to do the obvious.
|
Your opinion is not necessarily "obvious" to others,
however strange that might seem.

Isn't the best backup what works? If you lose your
house today, can you recover your data? Can you also
recover it in a way that's usable? (It's great that you
have your XP backed up to hard disk with AutoCAD
installed, but can you boot that disk in a modern
computer if your computer dies? Have you planned for
that?)

I've used disk image backup for many years. I put
images on CDs/DVDs and store copies in a safe deposit
box. I also, always, build desktops with two disks and
use the second as mostly redundant backup with data
and disk images on both disks, each of which have several
partitions to organize that data. I use old hard disks
to store large amounts of the same data, but only
because I have them sitting around. I also back up
basic data regularly to DVD. (How could anyone say that's
inferior? It costs about 30 cents and travels well.)
I have a specific partition for that basic data. It includes
things like business records and coding I've done. It
doesn't include bulky things like pictures and technical
reference.

All of that works very well for me. I've never gone back
to a CD from the 90s or 00s and found that I couldn't read
it. On the other hand, I very rarely need anything from
that time that's not on more recent backups. I would
*never* put any data only on C drive. If it's on C drive
at all that's only because it's not in the way. I have
it duplicated elsewhere on both hard disks.

Cloning your hard disk to an external one might be easiest
for you, but it's not terribly dependable by itself and not
very efficient. It's just a primitive form of RAID; a simple
method for people who don't want to figure out what
they actually need to back up, and who think System Restore
is a form of backup. The OS itself is a bloated, brittle container.
There's no reason to be backing up 1 GB of photos and docs
in a 10-20 GB structure of OS libraries that requires special
care to access. That's like backing up your will in a locked
suitcase full of junk mail. Lose the key (the hardware the
OS was installed to) and you'll need some expertise and time
to get at what's inside. Even then, you'll still need to weed
through junk mail that shouldn't have been in the backup.
Why back up your work DOCs along with the entire System32
folder? It makes no sense in practical terms. It *only* makes
sense if you don't want to undertake a more thorough and
systematic approach to backup, and if your data is not important.
(I don't mean that snidely. For many people I know, their
data is *not* important. When their computer fails they only
care about getting back online to check their gmail. That's
where their grandchild's latest photo is. They wouldn't
even know how to put that photo on their computer. For
those people, a spare hard disk when malware hits might
be a good idea.)

I found a variation of cloning, worked for another poster.

I had him clone the C: partition from his original
drive, shrink it down, then create a D: partition to
hold regular backups.

(Backup drive, can be removed from USB enclosure in an emergency
and re-inserted into the machine...)

+-----+------------+------------------------------------+
| MBR | Windows C: | Data D: to hold regular backups |
+-----+------------+------------------------------------+

If the original drive is toast, he can insert that drive
and use the OS on it in the regular way.

And if that drive remains in the USB enclosure, the much
larger D: partition holds Macrium backups.

It gives the best of both worlds.

Paul

On Sun, 18 Jun 2017 08:03:49 -0700, XP4Me wrote:

Purchased a refurbished laptop with XP Pro installed.
Everything works.

I did a Macrium Reflect Image to a NAS and created a Rescue disk.

There is no Windows partition only the C:

Now I want to create backup dvds.

Is there a best way to do this ?

Please humor me and give me the simple steps to do this.

Anything else I need to do ?

Thank you.

Win XP SP3 Pro fully updated, all drivers installed, all my
most used apps, including Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice and VLC.
Clonezilla put it into an under 4GB image which I burned to a
DVD, which I successfully restored from a USB-booted Clonezilla after
formatting the HD and writing trash to it.
For data backups I use FreeFileSync (beware, this one is
semi-optional adware, all the other apps mentioned are freeware)
HTH
[]'s

--
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We have a new policy - Google 2012

"Paul" wrote

| I found a variation of cloning, worked for another poster.
|
| I had him clone the C: partition from his original
| drive, shrink it down, then create a D: partition to
| hold regular backups.
|
| (Backup drive, can be removed from USB enclosure in an emergency
| and re-inserted into the machine...)
|
| +-----+------------+------------------------------------+
|| MBR | Windows C: | Data D: to hold regular backups |
| +-----+------------+------------------------------------+
|
| If the original drive is toast, he can insert that drive
| and use the OS on it in the regular way.
|
| And if that drive remains in the USB enclosure, the much
| larger D: partition holds Macrium backups.
|
| It gives the best of both worlds.
|

Isn't that disk imaging? If two disks both have
images on data partitions then a ready-to-go
C drive on the second disk is not really necessary.
It won't be up-to-date in terms of app data, so
there will still be the need to refresh the OS
and refresh the data separately.

I keep images on data partition on both disks.
I could put one or more primary partitions in front
on the second disk for OS backups. In fact, I do
do that. But I only use them as space holders. If
I ever need to boot from the second disk I'll just
overwrite the first partition with an image and copy
over my latest data backup.

Mayayana wrote:
"Paul" wrote

| I found a variation of cloning, worked for another poster.
|
| I had him clone the C: partition from his original
| drive, shrink it down, then create a D: partition to
| hold regular backups.
|
| (Backup drive, can be removed from USB enclosure in an emergency
| and re-inserted into the machine...)
|
| +-----+------------+------------------------------------+
|| MBR | Windows C: | Data D: to hold regular backups |
| +-----+------------+------------------------------------+
|
| If the original drive is toast, he can insert that drive
| and use the OS on it in the regular way.
|
| And if that drive remains in the USB enclosure, the much
| larger D: partition holds Macrium backups.
|
| It gives the best of both worlds.
|

Isn't that disk imaging? If two disks both have
images on data partitions then a ready-to-go
C drive on the second disk is not really necessary.
It won't be up-to-date in terms of app data, so
there will still be the need to refresh the OS
and refresh the data separately.

I keep images on data partition on both disks.
I could put one or more primary partitions in front
on the second disk for OS backups. In fact, I do
do that. But I only use them as space holders. If
I ever need to boot from the second disk I'll just
overwrite the first partition with an image and copy
over my latest data backup.

It's cloning and backups on the same disk.

The reason for having the OS image C: on the drive, is so
you can insert the drive inside your desktop and "dial out"
in an emergency. It's prefaced on the enclosure being easy
to open, and move the drive inside the PC. We're not talking
about a Seagate or WDC USB drive, but a third-party enclosure
(or even a USB dock for that matter).

Whereas the D: partition, occupying about 90% of the drive,
holds regular backups, If you need to restore a backup from D:
using your Macrium CD, to the existing internal drive, you can.

Part of this is prefaced on "confidence building". Inserting
the drive with that emergency copy of C: , gets you back on
your feet, and ready to make plans. Whereas if your PC
just tips over, and you have your backup drive in hand, and
no plan, it's going to be a much more aggravating process.
Maybe, for example, you have an important email to send that morning
and no time for "geeky procedures", just inserting the drive
and using the C: you left on it, has its advantages. Leaving time
later in the day for a proper repair to the original drive.

There will, of course, be people who cannot handle moving a
drive from an external enclosure, inside their PC. Or there
will be people who don't know what a boot order is, and your
best attempts to teach them backup and restore, will be wasted.
So lots of these ideas, are expecting a certain level of
proficiency.

Paul

Ken Blake
Mon, 19 Jun 2017
18:35:14 GMT in alt.windows7.general, wrote:

On Mon, 19 Jun 2017 09:57:06 -0700, XP4Me wrote:


I am trying to create a Win XP Pro Installer DVD since the laptop
came preloaded and with no DVDs.

I would like to create a DVD (or set) that will boot from the DVD
drive and do a Windows Install with or without the currently
installed apps is
OK.


Almost certainly the laptop came with a recovery partition in lieu
of a DVD. It probably also came with instructions on how to burn
its contents to a DVD, so you would not be up the creek without a
paddle if the drive died,

Only if left in a factory state, the OP indicates it has no secondary
partition. It may have been reloaded with a single partition...

Burning it to a DVD should have been the first thing you did when
you got the computer. Since you apparently didn't, I urge you to
do it ASAP.

They got it used. It may have been reloaded with a single partition.


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'My kid had sex with your honor student.'