Robocopy still the best option?

[golem]

I've never had a backup routine but am about to begin. Was going to implement RAID 1 but after some forum education am finding out a removable backup disk is what I really want. So, should I assume Robocopy (likely with GUI) is still the way to go for my simple /E /Purge needs? I will be mirroring both a small system drive and a 2Tb data drive.

Cheers!

 

[Dinesh]

Use Macrium Reflect Backup and Hard Disk Imaging for Windows 7, Vista, XP and Server 2003/2008

 

[karlsnooks]

I've never had a backup routine but am about to begin. Was going to implement RAID 1 but after some forum education am finding out a removable backup disk is what I really want. So, should I assume Robocopy (likely with GUI) is still the way to go for my simple /E /Purge needs? I will be mirroring both a small system drive and a 2Tb data drive.

Cheers!

My favorite, which has never failed me, is Windows 7 Backup & Restore.
I use the program almost daily.

Here's the tutorial written by Brink:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html

 

[karlsnooks]

failed to mention: for simple data backups, then an excellent choice is SyncToy.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...36-98e0-4ee9-a7c5-98d0592d8c52&displaylang=en

 

[golem]

Thanks Dinesh for the reply! Definitely a worthy option but...

My stingy fingers should have typed "free" in the thread title.

 

[golem]

Thanks karlsnook!

I was just reading up a bit more on Backup & Restore before catching your post. It looks like it should allow mirroring and syncing but none of the tuts have spelled that out yet. I'm going to check out your link right now (along with SyncToy).

Cheers!

 

[golem]

failed to mention: for simple data backups, then an excellent choice is SyncToy.
Download details: SyncToy 2.1

Despite the name it looks like SyncToy will handle my meager needs perfectly. I am "echoing" away as I type this.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[karlsnooks]

golem,
Glad that you've got a good solution. I'm going to be using Sync Toy myself more. I like to be thoroughly familiar with a program before I suggest such. I've used Sync Toy in the past but not the latest version.

 

[pparks1]

I've never had a backup routine but am about to begin. Was going to implement RAID 1 but after some forum education am finding out a removable backup disk is what I really want. So, should I assume Robocopy (likely with GUI) is still the way to go for my simple /E /Purge needs? I will be mirroring both a small system drive and a 2Tb data drive.

Cheers!

Depends upon what you are trying to achieve.

I personally use robocopy exclusively to back up my DATA files. These get backed up, frequently, to 2 USB hard drives which I keep offsite. This is the only backup that I REALLY CARE ABOUT. This is the stuff that is irreplaceable (my photos, my email, my documents, my spreadsheets, my password databases, etc).

I also run an image based backup (my tool of choice is Acronis True Image 2010 because I bought it). I use this about once per month to make an image of my 80GB SSD operating system drive over to my second partition which contains my data. This way, if my OS takes a turn south, I can simply reapply the image and get back to where I am at. However, this type of backup is a nicety...but nothing that I feel is necessary to keep offsite or on multiple backup discs. Worst case scenario, I get out the original media discs, reinstall them, reinstall my apps and configure a couple of things. Just a few hours worth of work and I'm back in business.

While I do realize that I can do file and folder backups with my software (Acronis)...I choose not to. My reason is that I don't want my files packed away in any sort of container file that requires I have Acronis running to mount. The way I look at it, if something corrupts that container file, most likely everything contained in it is gone. But with my straight up robocopy file backup...if a file gets corrupted, I only lost that corrupted file. And if my drive gets corrupted, there is always my second drive. And if my house burns down, it's ok because my data is offsite.

 

[golem]

Depends upon what you are trying to achieve.

I personally use robocopy exclusively to back up my DATA files. These get backed up...

I also run an image based backup (my tool of choice is Acronis True Image 2010 because I bought it). I use this about once per month to...

You have pretty much explained my new backup routine (with just some minor differences).

I tried Robocopy first with the GUI front-end but it acted really finicky. I could not get some of the switches to perform, often it would not start, could not get it to save a script, etc. To be fair I didn't attempt command line entry so it could have simply been the GUI. On the other hand, SyncToy, while not quite as robust as Robocopy did work flawlessly. After an overnight "echo" of 1.6Tb I got a chance to test the syncing ability. This it did relatively quickly even considering I allowed it to do a complete drive sync.

Like you I am also now imaging the system drive. This is being accomplished using the built-in Windows 7 Image Backup utility. I've got an old WD 80Gb drive I'll be using via USB.

Thanks for bolstering my confidence in this regimen.

Once again SevenForums comes through. This domain provides an invaluable source of reference!