Dan Murphy
We are family.
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2000
- Messages
- 84,091
How many times have we been reminded to BACKUP our computers? How many times have we been told, it's not IF, but WHEN you will have a computer/drive failure or hiccup?
Over the years, I can recall using a program for floppy disk backup, called Fastback. I recall using ZIP disks, a tape drive, CD backups, then Norton's Ghost and most recently, Drive Image, for DVD backup.
The biggest problems I found, as well as most people I think, is, number one, remembering to do the backup, two, doing it consistently, and third, just taking the time to do it. We do it once, maybe twice, then, like so many things in our busy lives, we 'will do it tomorrow'.
Well, I think I may have found the solution, and recommend you maybe look at using it too, at least looking into it. As it is WHEN, not IF.
I heard about the Maxtor One Touch on a PC Q&A talk radio show I listen to on Saturday nights on WGN Radio, David Lawrence's, Geek Speak.
Simple as can be. The one I purchased is the 120 Gig (there are larger). It was on sale at the time for $139 at Best Buy. My PC is also a 120 G, with about 20 G used. It is about the size of a cable modem, or for those who can recall some of the 'old days', it looks like a Hayes Smartmodem. It is USB (Firewire also available). You load the software drivers with an install CD once, plug it in, hook up the USB cable, push the button. Follow the steps on the screen. It backs up your WHOLE drive. You can have it back it up as an essentially non usable backup, for disaster recovery (the way I do it) or you can have it duplicate it, so it is a usable duplicate of your drive. I prefer just the backup.
Now, here is the neat part, where most backup ambitions fail and end. Subsequent backups. You set your schedule, the frequency, the time. I have mine backup, unattended, at 3 AM, every night. I have used this about 2 weeks now, I look every morning, and there it is, 3 AM backup. It will compare your PC to the backup, add anything new, delete anything that was deleted, replace any files that are changed. I am only a day away from current, and I do nothing. If I had a crash, maybe the drive is trashed. I get a new drive and do a total restore, no loss of data. And it can do it every day, or whatever schedule you wish.
I like it, just an FYI to share with the DIS family.
Hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend, drive safely, good wishes to all those in the southeast, Florida and elsewhere.
Over the years, I can recall using a program for floppy disk backup, called Fastback. I recall using ZIP disks, a tape drive, CD backups, then Norton's Ghost and most recently, Drive Image, for DVD backup.
The biggest problems I found, as well as most people I think, is, number one, remembering to do the backup, two, doing it consistently, and third, just taking the time to do it. We do it once, maybe twice, then, like so many things in our busy lives, we 'will do it tomorrow'.
Well, I think I may have found the solution, and recommend you maybe look at using it too, at least looking into it. As it is WHEN, not IF.

I heard about the Maxtor One Touch on a PC Q&A talk radio show I listen to on Saturday nights on WGN Radio, David Lawrence's, Geek Speak.

Simple as can be. The one I purchased is the 120 Gig (there are larger). It was on sale at the time for $139 at Best Buy. My PC is also a 120 G, with about 20 G used. It is about the size of a cable modem, or for those who can recall some of the 'old days', it looks like a Hayes Smartmodem. It is USB (Firewire also available). You load the software drivers with an install CD once, plug it in, hook up the USB cable, push the button. Follow the steps on the screen. It backs up your WHOLE drive. You can have it back it up as an essentially non usable backup, for disaster recovery (the way I do it) or you can have it duplicate it, so it is a usable duplicate of your drive. I prefer just the backup.
Now, here is the neat part, where most backup ambitions fail and end. Subsequent backups. You set your schedule, the frequency, the time. I have mine backup, unattended, at 3 AM, every night. I have used this about 2 weeks now, I look every morning, and there it is, 3 AM backup. It will compare your PC to the backup, add anything new, delete anything that was deleted, replace any files that are changed. I am only a day away from current, and I do nothing. If I had a crash, maybe the drive is trashed. I get a new drive and do a total restore, no loss of data. And it can do it every day, or whatever schedule you wish.
I like it, just an FYI to share with the DIS family.
Hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend, drive safely, good wishes to all those in the southeast, Florida and elsewhere.