BleepingComputer.com: Whats the best way for me to Backup?

I have all sorts of files for games and such and pics & vids. I am always updating and modifying things, so it would be hard for me to use DVDs. I use an external HDD. Its not really a "backup" because its not like everything is a copy of whats on the computer. Its just a hard drive full of good stuff. So I need a backup for the backup. I do have a slave HD where I copied some of the important stuff to incase the external HD should break. Is there a better way to do this?

Say I have a folder called X (2.5 gigabytes) on the external. Every once in a while I would have to copy that whole folder over again to the slave when I update it. Is there a way to make a folder know to update another folder (just what changed) without having to copy the whole thing over and rewrite it? I don't know if I can explain. Maybe I'd like to have 2 external hard drives working together somehow. I'm sure there are many people here smarter than me who are experienced with this and have good advice.

This post has been edited by TheEgg: 05 July 2010 - 03:34 AM

I am not an expert,however all I did with my External HDD is partition it and copy what ever I want to this external.Works great for me.

I don't burn any DVD'S

Here's a pretty good article on the advantages/disadvantages of various forms of backup:
7 Backup Strategies for Your Data, Multimedia, and System Files

I have various methods of backing up my files.

I have all my files backed up to an external hard drive automatically every hour automatically. Although this sounds like a lot, it really isn't; my computer is powerful enough that I don't even notice when it's doing it. Almost all decent backup programs are smart enough to only do incremental backups, so it will only re-backup the files that I changed.

That type of backup is only good against such problems as your hard drive dying, or something else going wrong with the physical computer. That's the most common case in which you must resort to a backup.

This isn't good enough if your home or apartment has a fire. For that, I recommend having small files (important documents, etc.) backed up to the cloud. Using a service such as Windows Live Mesh or Dropbox work really well for that. I personally use Windows Live Mesh, which automatically backs up my school folder. This has saved me on the occasional day where I forgot to print an assignment, or I left it at home; everything is available from the internet (password-protected, of course).

Good luck finding a system that works for you!

What should I backup? A: Your Windows Boot Drive

1] Your C: Hard Drive as a bootable backup (this is called a Bootable Drive Disk Image).

Why should I backup my bootable Hard Drive?
* If your computer refuses to start Windows, a bootable backup allows you to recover to the last saved bootable backup.

Why can’t I just use System Restore to revert to last known good System Backup?
* This sometimes Does Not Work. Especially, if the problem is a failing Hard Drive, that needs replacing.

Why can’t I just use the System Restore CDs or special partition recovery that came with the computer?
* This will revert the computer as it was out of the box. Your added software will need to be re-installed. Your files and information will be lost, if they are NOT backed up.

What should I backup? A: Your Documents and Settings folder

2] Your user’s Documents and Settings is on your Boot Drive C:.

Why should I backup my Documents and Settings? If I make a bootable backup in Step 1], they will be backed up.
Step 1] is done once, or every 6 months, or after installing new software. It will not be current.

What should I backup? A: Your other saved files

3] Your files that are NOT stored in Documents and Settings on your Boot Drive C:.

Why wouldn’t my files be in my Documents and Settings?
* If you save your files to someplace other than your Desktop, your My Documents, your My Music, your My Pictures, or directly into your Docucments and Settings folder - they are NOT in Docucments and Settings.
* Your files could be loose on Drive C: or on another partition or another drive (either internal or external)

Where should I backup?

1] An external hard drive is most common. Another internal hard drive for desktop computers is also common. You can find Today's best deals at [DealNews](http://dealnews.com) - [DealMac](http://dealmac.com) - [NewEgg](http://newegg.com)

Depending on the SIZE of your file collection, an external or additional internal drive is inexpensive - $65 to $100.

What size is my file collection?
Right click on your Documents and Settings folder and choose Properties in the menu.

Where is my Documents and Settings folder?
Boot Drive C: > Documents and Settings > [your username] folder (Mine is 2.25Gb today.)

2] A USB flash (thumb) drive may be large enough. May2010 the largest sizes are 32Gb, 64Gb, and 128Gb..

3] A CD (700Mb) or DVD (4.3Gb) or DVD-DL (8.5Gb) may be large enough for your files.

4] Another computer at your location can be used.

5] A network storage device at your location can work [about NAS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage )

6] A neighbor’s or friend’s computer can be used. (If both has a fast internet connection)
[CrashPlan](http://www4.crashplan.com/consumer/index.html)

7] An internet file storage service. [Mozy](http://mozy.com/) or [Carbonite](http://www.carbonite.com/) or SkyDrive with Windows Live Account.

What Windows Backup Software should I use?

1] For your boot drive backup to disk image I recommend. [Macrium Reflect](http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp) (FREE)

2] For your documents and files, I recommend [Cobian Backup 9](http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm) (free) (FREE)
[Howto Backup with Cobian](http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/index.php?act=print&tut=127&client=printer)



Mac OS X - Backup Basics - Backup Easy - Mac OS X

What should I backup? A: Your OS X Startup Drive
1] Your Startup Drive in a bootable backup (this is called a Bootable Drive Disk Image).

Why should I backup my bootable Hard Drive?
* If your computer refuses to boot, a bootable backup allows you to recover to the last saved bootable backup.

Why can’t I just reinstall OS X using the Archive and Install option?
* Sometimes this Does Not Work. Especially, if the problem is a failing Hard Drive, that needs replacing.

Why can’t I just use the System Restore CDs that came with the computer?
* This will revert the computer as it was out of the box. Your added software will need to be re-installed. Your files and information can be lost, if they are NOT backed up.

What should I backup? A: Your User’s folder
2] Your User’s folder on your Startup Drive.
Why should I backup my User’s folder? If I make a bootable backup in Step 1], they will be backed up. Step 1] is done once, or every 6 months, or after installing new software. It will not be current.

What should I backup? A: Your other saved files
3] Your files that are NOT stored in your User’s folder on your Startup Drive.
Why wouldn’t my files be in my User’s Folder?
* If you save your files to someplace other than your Desktop, your Documents, your Music, your Pictures, or directly into your Startup Drive - they are NOT in your User’s folder.
* Your files could be loose on another partition or another drive (either internal or external)

Where is my User’s folder?
Startup Drive > Users Folder > [your username] folder
What size is my file collection?
Highlight your User’s folder and choose Get Info in the FILE menu.

What Mac OSX Backup Software should I use?
1] For your Startup drive backup to disk image I recommend. [SuperDuper!](http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/Sup...escription.html) (Free or $27 for extra features)
2] For your documents and files, I recommend [SilverKeeper](http://www.lacie.com/silverkeeper/) (FREE) or [ChronoSync](http://www.econtechnologies.com/pages/cs/c...o_overview.html) ($40)