Solved backup scheme for OS and games folder

[scripttron75]

my PC is Windows 7 64bit on the C drive which is a 120gb ssd drive. I have installed a ton of games using a spare drive which is F drive and it is a 1tb drive so the games are installed to the F drive and not C drive. what would be the scheme to backup the F drive so that i do not have to install all my games all over again? i have acronis as my backup or symantec backup exec. thanks

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I'd back up F with an imaging application.

Make a new full image periodically--say every week or month. Store the image on some totally different drive, possibly external.

If F fails, restore the most recent image to a replacement F.

Acronis should work for that, although it isn't what I'd personally choose.

I don't know anything about the Symantec app.

 

[scripttron75]

what would u recommend instead of acronis?

 

[scripttron75]

how about macrium?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Yeah, I'd use Macrium.

Here's a tutorial:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html


Second choice would be Aomei Backupper.

 

[scripttron75]

I understand how and what to do my issue is will it actually work though. the installed programs (games) are on F wont there be an issue with the OS on C running the games again even after a image backup due to registry entries and so forth.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I understand how and what to do my issue is will it actually work though. the installed programs (games) are on F wont there be an issue with the OS on C running the games again even after a image backup due to registry entries and so forth.

As far as I've ever heard, registry entries regarding drives are to drive letters per se (as regards image restoration); that is: a registry reference to F which happens to be a Seagate 1 TB drive would still be valid if the Seagate failed and was replaced by a Western Digital F. F is still F. The registry entry pointed to F before and it will point to F after.

If things are OK with the OS on C and the games on F now, I'd assume they would be after an image restore to F.

I have no idea what you mean by "and so forth".

But---imaging is not 100% foolproof, whether or not drives are changed.

If you want absolute certainty, you are out of luck, save for death and possibly taxes. You need to know what to do if your backup scheme fails completely.

You should gain some confidence with the imaging app of your choice by walking partway through the restoration procedure to make sure you know what choices to make in the interface and to confirm that your so-called "rescue disk" will in fact boot the PC.

 

[Victor S]

If you have your games installed when you image your system, there's no problem with the registry.
But you have to save your save games elsewhere before you do system image restore.

Then move them back so you can pick up where you left off. Many games save on the system partition, eg, to My Documents, AppData, etc.
If you don't move them you'll be where you were in the game when you made the image.
Steam games can be the exception to that if you set the option to save them to the Steam "cloud."

It's a PITA to find some games' save game location.
I always find the game's "save game" location and back them up. That takes some work creating save game directories on a different drive, but as a gamer I have no problem with it.

I don't pay attention to the registry. When I do an image restore, I just reinstall the games if necessary, then move the save games to where the game wants them.
With Steam games they normally will do a quick setup to re-register the game.

 

[whs]

If you want to use no program, use command prompt. This command will do it:

wbadmin start backup -backupTarget:X: -include:F: -quiet

Wher X is the volume number of the drive where you want to place the backup.

Recovery is simple. You have many options ==> http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html

PS: I like Macrium too. But this is easier.

 

[scripttron75]

thanks you guys i will give it a whirl what i meant by "and so forth". was any other contingencies other than the registry like other folders that belong to the game and that are written to the OS drive, this was said above so im not worried about it now. I will try that command to do a quiet backup. thanks