All right, now you need to consider what software you will use
to back up your data.
Do it by hand - One possible method (which will not work if you
are using a tape drive) is to simply copy files to your backup
media by hand. This does have some advantages:
- It does not cost anything. And after spending the money to buy
some backup hardware this may be the best solution.
- It's very easy. Just drag and drop (assuming you are not using
a tape drive).
The disadvantages are numerous:
- You must be present to do the backup. However, you could just
drag and drop before going to bed.
- Since it requires you to actually perform the backup yourself,
you may have a greater tendency to allow backups to slip.
- Your system will be very busy while the backup is being
performed, since it is done "in the foreground".
Second Copy - Possibly the best all-around product that I've
found for simple backup operations is called Second Copy (this
is not an affiliate link - this is an honest recommendation and
we will not make any money if you purchase the product). Second
Copy is inexpensive (less than thirty dollars for a one user
license) and extremely simple to use.
The program sits in your system tray whenever you are logged in.
You create profiles (this is very easy) which specify which
files to back up, where you want them to go and when you want
the backup to occur. The entire process of setting up a profile
generally requires a couple of minutes.
What I've done on my own system is create a series of profiles
to back up different things.
- I created one profile to back up my Outlook stationary. This
is not set to go at any particular time - I must manually start
it up when I want this directly backed up. This is because I
have set the output to my writeable CD unit, so I only want it
to run when I have the proper CD inserted.
- I created a similar profile for my desktop themes, ICQ skins,
wallpaper and screen savers.
- I created an automatic profile to perform a disk-to-disk
backup of all of my data very few hours. Second Copy only copies
those files that have changed since the last run. This gives me
a very up-to-date backup in case I have a system failure.
InSync - Another great product is called InSync (again, this is
not an affiliate link and we will make no money if you purchase
the product). This is similar to Second Copy, although with not
as many options. InSync is great for making copies of
directories or entire disks very quickly. Like Second Copy, it
is very inexpensive - around twenty dollars.
Backup Exec - If you choose to use tape as your backup media,
then you are stuck with Backup Exec or a similar product. I have
used Backup Exec in both my work (to back up over 100 servers)
and at home, and to tell you the truth I have found it to be
lacking in numerous regards. The product will do the job, but it
tends to be fickle and full of bugs. Add to that the problems
associated with tape drives (bad media, no random access) and
you've got a backup scheme which is the bare minimum.
Whatever comes with the hardware - Virtually all backup hardware
will come with some software which performs backups. If you are
strapped for cash, you can use this software. It will perform
the job, although perhaps not as well as you would like.
Recommendations - Personally, I use both Second Copy and InSync.
Second Copy is better for backing up things like my Outlook
Stationary, Desktop themes and ICQ skins. InSync is great for
making mass copies of large directories and entire disks (it is
faster than Second Copy but not as flexible.)
About the author:
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets.
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http://www.internet-tips.net Weekly newsletter:
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