Best way to sync two disk drives?

[turbostream]

Hi guys,

Some time ago my disk died and I kind of lost a lot of important data for me. Now I bought two disks:

1st disk, two partitions: windows 7 and data
2nd disk, one partition: data

How to setup a sync so it auto copies data from 1st disk to data in 2nd disk? I don't want to do this manual each time I save/edit one file on 1st disk data then copy/paste it onto 2nd disk.


Thank a lot for the help.
TS

 

[BisVal]

Use this profram: FreeFileSync , it's free and easy.

 

[Ztruker]

I use a paid for program ($39) called Mirror Folder for this. I've also used the free MS SyncToy 2.1.

FreeFileSync that BisVal mentioned also looks good. It's a SourceForge.net project.

You could also use backup software like Acronis True Image ($49) or free like Macrium Reflect Free. With either you can schedule regular backups.

With Acronis I have it setup so I maintain 4 backup sets, each contains 1 weeks worth of backups. The first is a full backup and the other 6 are all incremental. That means I can always go back 3 to 4 weeks.

Macrium doesn't support incremental backups. Some people says this is a good thing.

There is also online backup, like that provided by Carbonite and Acronis. Both run around $50 a year. The initial backup can take a long time to complete, depending on how much you chose to backup. I did this for my Web server which backed up over 20Gb of data and it ran continuously for more than 7 days. Now it takes about 45 minutes each night.

As you can see, I have multiple levels of backup and have never, ever lost a single byte of data. My data is important to me so I am paranoid about keeping it safe.

I know this is more info than you asked for but there are lots of options available and it would be good for you to look at more than one.

 

[turbostream]

You're right Rich and thanks to both of you for providing me with a couple of options. I want to go with a free version so will look into the software you mentioned.

Appreciate your help.

TS

 

[DeaconFrost]

If you only want to sync data, and not take an actual image, use SyncToy. It is free, and can be scheduled. I would suggest using it with an external drive, rather than keep all of your data online and accessible all the time.

 

[FliGi7]

Or you can use the already-built-in features of the Windows 7 OS and just mirror the partition. Both partitions are automatically synced when any change happens to either. No need for any extra software that you have to worry about scheduling.

Use Drive Mirroring for Instant Backup in Windows 7 - How-To Geek

 

[MacGyvr]

Or you can use the already-built-in features of the Windows 7 OS and just mirror the partition. Both partitions are automatically synced when any change happens to either. No need for any extra software that you have to worry about scheduling.

Use Drive Mirroring for Instant Backup in Windows 7 - How-To Geek

This won't work in his situation. He only wants to back up the data partition from drive 1 to drive 2.

 

[FliGi7]

This won't work in his situation. He only wants to back up the data partition from drive 1 to drive 2.

How to setup a sync so it auto copies data from 1st disk to data in 2nd disk? I don't want to do this manual each time I save/edit one file on 1st disk data then copy/paste it onto 2nd disk.

I'm not sure why you say it won't work. It sounds like it's exactly what he needs. He wants saves/edits to be mirrored as well, not just a static backup.

 

[Phone Man]

This won't work in his situation. He only wants to back up the data partition from drive 1 to drive 2.

How to setup a sync so it auto copies data from 1st disk to data in 2nd disk? I don't want to do this manual each time I save/edit one file on 1st disk data then copy/paste it onto 2nd disk.

I'm not sure why you say it won't work. It sounds like it's exactly what he needs. He wants saves/edits to be mirrored as well, not just a static backup.

Mirroring will only work for the entire drive not for a partition on a drive with multiple partitions. I use SyncToy from MS and it works great. I have moved files after renaming them and it picks up on the changes and updates the backup disk.

Jim

 

[turbostream]

You guys are awesome. Thanks a lot. I am getting WD 2TB disk tomorrow and will try this then.

 

[allend66]

I used to use SyncToy from M$ but changed to GoodSync ($19). There is a free version of GoodSync but it has limitations (300 files per sync). It also syncs your online storage account. (webDAV, ftp..)

 

[FliGi7]

This won't work in his situation. He only wants to back up the data partition from drive 1 to drive 2.

How to setup a sync so it auto copies data from 1st disk to data in 2nd disk? I don't want to do this manual each time I save/edit one file on 1st disk data then copy/paste it onto 2nd disk.

I'm not sure why you say it won't work. It sounds like it's exactly what he needs. He wants saves/edits to be mirrored as well, not just a static backup.

Mirroring will only work for the entire drive not for a partition on a drive with multiple partitions. I use SyncToy from MS and it works great. I have moved files after renaming them and it picks up on the changes and updates the backup disk.

Jim

Then, how did this guy mirror two of three partitions on his drive?

http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/58079-cannot-mirror-3rd-partition-disk-0-a.html

 

[DeaconFrost]

Then, how did this guy mirror two of three partitions on his drive?

You can do it with individual partitions, but the entire drive must be converted to Dynamic, I believe. I'm still a believer in the age-old addage of never letting software do the job of hardware. To me, RAID should be done at the controller, and not through the OS....but that's just me. Too many software RAID failures to ever trust it.

 

[gregrocker]

Win7 backup imaging and file backup both will do scheduled incremental backups. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/615-backup-user-system-files.html

MS has perfected their Sync program which is now called Live Mesh. It can synchronize across HD;s or computers, even save a copy online at SkyDrive so you can access your files from any computer or device. Live Mesh: Better Alternative to DropBox, 5GB Free Space | Free Software

 

[Phone Man]

Then, how did this guy mirror two of three partitions on his drive?

You can do it with individual partitions, but the entire drive must be converted to Dynamic, I believe. I'm still a believer in the age-old addage of never letting software do the job of hardware. To me, RAID should be done at the controller, and not through the OS....but that's just me. Too many software RAID failures to ever trust it.

Well, I learn something everyday.

Jim

 

[turbostream]

So I got the disk a bit late and installed SyncToy. Seems to be working quite well. Thanks a lot for your help.

Was a bit curious about the transfer speed between two WD disks. Motherboard and disks support speeds up to 3Gb/s bit I only get around 70-80MB/s.

 

[whs]

Or you can use the already-built-in features of the Windows 7 OS and just mirror the partition. Both partitions are automatically synced when any change happens to either. No need for any extra software that you have to worry about scheduling.

Use Drive Mirroring for Instant Backup in Windows 7 - How-To Geek

This is a software Raid which mirrors 2 drives, not 2 partitions. And it does not work in Win7 Home editions.

 

[FliGi7]

Or you can use the already-built-in features of the Windows 7 OS and just mirror the partition. Both partitions are automatically synced when any change happens to either. No need for any extra software that you have to worry about scheduling.

Use Drive Mirroring for Instant Backup in Windows 7 - How-To Geek

This is a software Raid which mirrors 2 drives, not 2 partitions. And it does not work in Win7 Home editions.

It was already stated above that it does, in fact, work with partitions and not just an entire drive.

However, it would be good for the OP to clarify what version he has in order to determine the feasibility of this option for him.

 

[whs]

Or you can use the already-built-in features of the Windows 7 OS and just mirror the partition. Both partitions are automatically synced when any change happens to either. No need for any extra software that you have to worry about scheduling.

Use Drive Mirroring for Instant Backup in Windows 7 - How-To Geek

This is a software Raid which mirrors 2 drives, not 2 partitions. And it does not work in Win7 Home editions.

It was already stated above that it does, in fact, work with partitions and not just an entire drive.

However, it would be good for the OP to clarify what version he has in order to determine the feasibility of this option for him.

Yeah, provided all partitions on the drive are dynamic. And try to boot from a dynamic disk.

 

[FliGi7]

Why would you need luck? In another one of my above posts linking to another user's thread where he was trying to mirror a partition, you can see that his boot disk is dynamic and he's currently booted into Windows 7.

I would assume this is the same user in this thread below as well, where he successfully converted his boot drive to a dynamic disk:

Can you convert Windows 7 boot partition into a dynamic disk - windows-7