OceanObsessed
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I too am using multiple external hard drives. It's super easy this way.
-Chris
-Chris
backup software for photos
- Thread starter ce4jesus
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Charlie99
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I use a freeware program, Syncback. 2BrightSparks | Downloads to both backup my files, and to synchronize desktop machines in 3 different residences using a portable USB drive to move the my files.
For me it has the right tradeoff between complexity and features. Relatively easy to use, but if you want, you can can also control the backup/sync by selecting which directories, what type of files, what type of comparison is done on file size/date/checksum, when the files were last modified etc.
For me it has the right tradeoff between complexity and features. Relatively easy to use, but if you want, you can can also control the backup/sync by selecting which directories, what type of files, what type of comparison is done on file size/date/checksum, when the files were last modified etc.
I use an extremely handy little program called Second Copy, which simply copies whatever I tell it to from point A to point B... point B being an external drive. Once a month(ish), I rotate the external drive to swap with a second one at my parent's house, in case of a serious catastrophe.
My computer is on at all times, but SecondCopy can run as a service if you prefer to log off of your computer when not using it. Completely unattended, and rock solid reliable. It just does it's thing so I don't really have to think about it. It can email you backup confirmations, if you want. It manages versioning, if you want, so when you change a file, a backup of the original is kept as well. (Ditto for deleted files. Periodically, to save space, I prune the archived older versions)
I back up documents (including photos and music) daily, along with my FireFox bookmarks and a few various things kept in non-standard locations, and I back up my email program twice per day.
Until someone figures out how to bring Apple's Time Machine-style backups to the PC, that's about as good as it's going to get.
My computer is on at all times, but SecondCopy can run as a service if you prefer to log off of your computer when not using it. Completely unattended, and rock solid reliable. It just does it's thing so I don't really have to think about it. It can email you backup confirmations, if you want. It manages versioning, if you want, so when you change a file, a backup of the original is kept as well. (Ditto for deleted files. Periodically, to save space, I prune the archived older versions)
I back up documents (including photos and music) daily, along with my FireFox bookmarks and a few various things kept in non-standard locations, and I back up my email program twice per day.
Until someone figures out how to bring Apple's Time Machine-style backups to the PC, that's about as good as it's going to get.
I save initially to the internal HD in my laptop (I don't use a desktop machine). Then I copy to a USB-powered external HD. THEN I copy from there to another self-powered external HD, and THEN again to a further external HD, this time usually a powered one.
This gives me grandfather-father-son redundancy. I don't delete the photos/files from the original memory cards until they are saved in two different places.
For the above process I use a very useful utility called Beyond Compare. It's free to use for quite a while, and greatly reduces the time taken for this process. Particularly as the USB2 on my laptop has reverted to 1.1!
The above is of all data files I have created or saved. I also take a weekly backup image of the entire hard drive using either the Windows XP Pro backup utility, or Norton Ghost (which is better and safer but less convenient). I use Ghost 2003, which is the last "good" version. I'm told that all later versions are rubbish, and knowing Norton's other products I find that easy to believe.
I do this weekly backup via firewire to a powered HD, for speed.
I choose to do basic backups onto unpowered devices because the power here in Belize is very unpredictable and failures are commonplace - often as many a 10 in a day. I lost both versions of a file once when the power failed at just the wrong time, so for me it's laptops and USB-powered disks.
A tip. Don't have all your backup devices connected to your computer, or indeed powered in any way, at the same time. A significant power surge may wipe out all of them at the same instant. It's happened here to several people. Always disconnect an external HD when you're not actively using it.
Another tip. Assume that a laptop hard drive will fail after 18 months. It may last longer, but after that time it's probability of failure increases rapidly. I know business which issue laptops to travelling staff who routinely replace all internal hard drives after 18 months, even if they appear to be fine. A sudden failure is just too catastrophic, and disks are so cheap nowadays.
This gives me grandfather-father-son redundancy. I don't delete the photos/files from the original memory cards until they are saved in two different places.
For the above process I use a very useful utility called Beyond Compare. It's free to use for quite a while, and greatly reduces the time taken for this process. Particularly as the USB2 on my laptop has reverted to 1.1!
The above is of all data files I have created or saved. I also take a weekly backup image of the entire hard drive using either the Windows XP Pro backup utility, or Norton Ghost (which is better and safer but less convenient). I use Ghost 2003, which is the last "good" version. I'm told that all later versions are rubbish, and knowing Norton's other products I find that easy to believe.
I do this weekly backup via firewire to a powered HD, for speed.
I choose to do basic backups onto unpowered devices because the power here in Belize is very unpredictable and failures are commonplace - often as many a 10 in a day. I lost both versions of a file once when the power failed at just the wrong time, so for me it's laptops and USB-powered disks.
A tip. Don't have all your backup devices connected to your computer, or indeed powered in any way, at the same time. A significant power surge may wipe out all of them at the same instant. It's happened here to several people. Always disconnect an external HD when you're not actively using it.
Another tip. Assume that a laptop hard drive will fail after 18 months. It may last longer, but after that time it's probability of failure increases rapidly. I know business which issue laptops to travelling staff who routinely replace all internal hard drives after 18 months, even if they appear to be fine. A sudden failure is just too catastrophic, and disks are so cheap nowadays.
BurBunny
Contributor
I've used Ghost for several years with very little problem. I do have my computer running 24/7, and have the backups set to run at 2A my time on a rotating basis. Ghost has saved my tail many times, and the only times it hasn't worked right was when I did something wrong. I do periodically make sure everything is running correctly by doing a status check, but once set up, it does run nicely. But yes, for most people, it's probably more than what you need IF you're good about doing manual copies of your data.
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