external HD backup help

[manny1975]

Hi all, a friend of mines has an old pc that he has alot of access files on and wants to back it up. I suggested we get an external hd. If I want to back everything up from the internal hd that he has do I just copy all the documents and programs from that c drive? Also is there a way for him to be able to save any other access, word, excel files to both drives at the sametime or is it wiser to just save it to the new drive? Thanks for your help.

[Hagar]

There is little point in copying program files from the C: drive, programs cannot be restored from such a copy. Programs needs to be reinstalled (Setup.exe) if things fail.
You can copy data files, like the My Documents folder.
One cannot save files to both drives at the same time. You save files in a normal way, then copy them to the external drive later.

It can be handy to use a backup program instead of plain copy. Cobian is free: http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm

[Sylvander]

"a friend of mines has an old pc that he has alot of access files on and wants to back it up...If I want to back everything up from the internal hd that he has do I just copy all the documents and programs from that c drive?"
It all depends on what it is you want to achieve.

e.g. I move all my data files off C: [to D: E: F:].
1. Then I make image backups of C: which is now holding Windows and Programs and configuration files and swapfile and hibernation file, but only backup when all is well with the software.
If at any point in the day-to-day changes of these files, something nasty happens, some change is undesirable, a restore of an image of C: will put things back as they were when all was well.
But when you do this, all the data files on D: E: F: will remain unaffected.
My image backups for C: are held on one of the partitions [N:] on my external USB2 HDD and also on partition G: on the internal HDD [in 2 locations in case one of the internal/external HDD's failed].

2. My 1 GB D: partition holds 500 MB of my personal data files [see image 1 below] that have been re-located off C:
Image backups of D: can be saved to G: and/or N: and I also SYNCHRONISE [using the free version of "SyncBack"] D: to my 1 GB "Flash Drive" H: [could be synchronised to O: on the external HDD, but this seems better].
This means there are 2 identical copies of these files that take about 5 min each day to synchronise.

3. E: holds music files plus odds, and F: holds image files videos etc.
These have image backups stored on N: [USB HDD][see image 3], and are also synchronised to O: [USB HDD][see image 2 below].

4. Imaging takes a snapshot of partitions at some point in time. It is especially useful for restoring a working Windows [or ANY OS] installation complete with programs and configurations etc.

5. Synchronising [FREE version of SyncBack] makes sure you always have an up-to-the-second copy of data files.
They only move FORWARD with time, unless you choose to go back a single small step...
Whereas restoring an image can take you back as far as you want to go [as far back as your backup copies will take you].
.

[manny1975]

Thanks so much for your help. i will try this once I get the external HD for her. Now I can look like a pro! =)

[Sylvander]

"is there a way for him to be able to save...files to both drives at the sametime"
Not sure what you have in mind here; could you explain?

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Now I can look like a pro! =)

Don't forget your Pocket Protector!!! (http://www.geekboys.com/images/nurture.jpg) :p
files to both drives at the sametime
Not to my knowlege unless a program, script or batch file is custom written.

A true backup is a duplicate of the original 'save'. So you need to use the Word program (Excel, etc), Open Office equivalent and so forth,,, first. THEN do a backup of the saved folder, document, partition, whatever the case may be.

It's rather difficult to do a backup of an open document as well as it is impossible to make a duplicate of what is in memory (Clipboard). These a susceptible to change.

Hagar said it quite well, I'm just elaborating on the same, just in other ways of looking at it.

[Paul Komski]

It can be handy to use a backup program instead of plain copy. Cobian is free.Thanks Hagar; interesting looking one to play with.