System Image Backup Strategies/Thoughts

kado897 said:

F5ing said:

Thanks Burdus77. I guess I settled on only full images because I never saw the need to do them more often than once or twice a month, and they go quick enough that it doesn't bother me such that I want or need it to go any quicker. After I've gotten a machine loaded up with everything I want and customized the way I like it I may even go two or three months without bothering as it would be quick and easy enough to just reapply updates after any restore.

But I do have to ask another question (it's been a long time since I looked into this and I just have to know):

Suppose you start off making your full image and then over the course of time make 10 incrementals. Then you decide you want to restore. So you restore your full and then start restoring each of the 10 incrementals, but you find the 5th one is corrupt and cannot be restored. Doesn't that mean you've at least gotten your system back to the state it was in when you made the 4th incremental (although you may need to start over again and just stop at the 4th)?

With Macrium you point the restore at the last incremental and it sorts out for itself what it needs to do.

Wow, that sounds pretty cool. I might have to check out its other capabilities.

In the scenario I mentioned, I take it that Macrium would bring you back to the state you were in when you made the 4th incremental, and then notify you that it can go no futher. Does that sound right?

kado897 said:

What you would do in that case is point Macrium at the 4th or earlier incremental.

Thanks for that! Good to know.

kado897 said:

What you would do in that case is point Macrium at the 4th or earlier incremental.

That is good to know, thanks Kado. Which do you use? Incremental or Differential? I know some people even use a mixture of all 3.

I'm really glad I bought Macrium Pro. Most of my software is free software but that's one I'm happy about buying.

I knew this would be great thread to follow.

I think I've got the difference between the perils of differentials vs. incrementals via Macrium. (I realize I should just research this myself but there's so much experience available by members of this forum.)

Say you've made a full image via Macrium. You then come by later and make 10 partials (may not be likely one would wait that long before another full, but for discussion only). But consider two cases: one is you're doing incrementals, the other is you're doing differentials). In each case it turns out the 4th and 8th come out corrupt. If you restore via differentials you can get back to the state you were in as of the 10th differential (the last one). But if you restore via incrementals you can only get back to the 3rd, as the corrupted 4th spoils the rest of the chain.

After typing all that out it gave me the chance to think through it and I "think" I know the answer, but I'll post it anyway. If I remember correctly, that's the one difference when using the "incremental" term when referring to images vs. individual file backups.

kado897 said:

It depends what you are using to do you incremental File and Folder backup. If you are using Macrium to do it then you are in the same position as it does in incremental changes at the sector level not the file level. Others may be different.

Gotcha, thanks. I forgot that that really holds true for a lot of those "data backup" apps. That's one of the reasons I've not spent too much time considering many of them for standard data file backup; never really realized any true benefits of doing it any other way than standard file based (other than maybe speed), even back in the DOS days. On top of that it's got to store data in an open format, nothing proprietary.

It always pays to research the app you use for standard backup as well as your imaging/cloning app. Double or triple up on them as you go through your "proving" stage.

Thanks for the clarification kado897.

I'll definitely check that out. I "must" have incrementals for data as I like to be able to depend on that if I screw something up. The more versions the better. I don't really screw up that often, but I feel much more comfortable knowing I have backups, as I also know how easy it is to screw something up and not realize it until much later (if not paying close attention).