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[DCFIREMANN]

Man all this computer stuff is making me dizzy!!!!! Hoist I am like you I BACK UP NOTHING!!!! Hell I don't even know how!!!!

Be Safe

THE DAWG

[HogBreath]

You'll never decide to back up your files until you loose a HD one time. I had to learn the hard way also. I have a couple of external hard drives with 20 GB storage. It's a simple matter of copying the files over to it periodically.

[Sean M Cary]

I backup my data on a regular basis to a EHD. Software (including system, drivers, etc) I'm not really concerned about as I have all the disks to reload them. It's time consuming to reload the software, but I've found that doing it that way instead of restoring it the system seems to run faster. Also end up not loading all the software back because I've found that some programs I can do w/o and no sense having them on 'puter. I've actually learned a lot from crashing and rebuilding even though it was a pain in the butt. It also helps to have a backup computer.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

Norton Ghost...  When I build a new system and get it the way I like, I shoot a Ghost Image of it...  That way should I have a total failure I can restore quickly to the same point.  Just need a place to store the images, I use DVD's or and external.  DVD's are easier.

I also use self loading Linux images when I want to go places I shouldn't.  Knoppix and Backtrack...  I also use a linux firewall called IPCOP.  Free.

Yeah, I am paranoid.

Sean

[Hoist!]

DC's right on! This computer chit blows! And like Ken said, I guess you don't have a clue til you gert burned! Time for this boy to get an EHD and auto backup program!

And I think I'm just gonna replace SD cards in the camera instead of erasing the images and reusing the card. The SD cards are cheap enough that they can act as an extra backup for my pics from now on too.

Hoist!

[grc]

Not an expert, but when has that stopped me from having an opinion?  Using an external hard drive for backups isn't any better than having a separate internal hard drive, with this exception:  if you have an external backup you can store it in a separate location.  That way a burglar or a fire/flood/earthquake/whatever can't take your primary and backup data all at the same time.  The problem with that approach for us regular folks is, how often do you really think we are going to go dig the ehd out of it's secure storage area and make a backup, then take it back to the secure storage area?  Someone who is really serious about this and has a lot of irreplaceable files really should look at automatic backup software and internet storage.  I personally don't have need for all that, but I do run a separate internal drive for weekly automated backups (same backup is also on a separate partition on the primary hard drive for redundancy).  And the Ghost image idea Sean mentioned is a real lifesaver.  I've used it on a couple of occasions to fix a totally screwed software installation (Norton has developed a bad habit of selling software that is incompatible with the earlier versions of the same software, and the uninstallers don't fix the mess).  It would be a real lifesaver in the case of a total hard drive crash as well, saving untold hours installing and customizing the operating system and programs on a new drive.

Jerry

[VAZHOG]

I copy "My Doc's" to an external drive export the IE fav list and email contacts about every six month's - Then keep a copy of if it in a Fire proof safe (Vault) so if I lose my HD I can either buy a new pc - they change every 18 months anyway- or reload XP or windows 2000 on a NEW drive if that's the problem then copy "MY Doc's" folder from my Back up and import my FAV's and Email and I'm not completely wiped out. I also have 2 other PC's on my network that have extra rives and I keep copy's on the secondary drives as well. Plus I can swap stuff around over my local network and keep my laptop up to speed, Most of the programs that I use offer Download from the sites. So Going to the web and download &reloading the program is easy once you get the PC up on the operating System.

Remember your Folks have a lot of old pictures in albums from years gone by-Well as we move forward if you wish to keep your pic's you looking at a lot of old storage drives (Current Tech) that will have to be converted to whatever the future brings or you could just let it all go to the land fill that's about all it's really worth. 

[BLM777]

Best solution to the crashes, security problems, hacking and HD losses was making the switch to Mac about 10 years ago.  You'll pay more for the equipment, but can put the MS blue screen of death, rebooting and application re-installs in the history category.  As far as protecting your data from theft, fire etc., I use off site storage with mac.com as well as an external hard drive hard wired to a 750 gb external that lives in my fire safe.  Every 15 minutes critical files go off site and every 30 minutes the external is refreshed with all contents.  No more trauma.

[Hugh Janis]

Howie, I don't know what you're worked up about.  All of your pictures are on www.CVOHarley.com.  You just need to find them and download them.

[Sean M Cary]

Not an expert, but when has that stopped me from having an opinion?  Using an external hard drive for backups isn't any better than having a separate internal hard drive, with this exception:  if you have an external backup you can store it in a separate location.  That way a burglar or a fire/flood/earthquake/whatever can't take your primary and backup data all at the same time.  The problem with that approach for us regular folks is, how often do you really think we are going to go dig the ehd out of it's secure storage area and make a backup, then take it back to the secure storage area?  Someone who is really serious about this and has a lot of irreplaceable files really should look at automatic backup software and internet storage.  I personally don't have need for all that, but I do run a separate internal drive for weekly automated backups (same backup is also on a separate partition on the primary hard drive for redundancy).  And the Ghost image idea Sean mentioned is a real lifesaver.  I've used it on a couple of occasions to fix a totally screwed software installation (Norton has developed a bad habit of selling software that is incompatible with the earlier versions of the same software, and the uninstallers don't fix the mess).  It would be a real lifesaver in the case of a total hard drive crash as well, saving untold hours installing and customizing the operating system and programs on a new drive.

Jerry

I agree...that is why I went to the on-line backup.  My first Iraq deployment I came home to a dead External and one of my RAID drives had died.  We were one HD away from losing all our data past the last time I had shot a backup (7 months prior - wife is NOT tech savvy).  This time before I left I did all of my extra redundancies. 

I would die if I lost all of our pics - especially since I do this for my food money.

Ghost is good stuff.

Sean

[TheVgirl]

Someone sent me a PM and asked if I'd seen this. 

As some have pointed out, you most likely can recover some of your data off the drive.  Don't just throw your hands in the air and give up!  All of the suggestions you've received so far as good ones!  Ghost is the best one!  Sean knows what he's talking about.  After nearly 20 years in the business and never once experiencing a hard drive crash myself I got lazy.  Then one day....Voila!  I had a harddrive crash less than a month ago on my laptop and the boot sectors were toast.  Replaced the harddrive, used my handy-dandy recovery tool to connect to the harddrive externally and was able to recover all my documents and photos but not all my programs.  I'll get the part number for you and you can order it from cdwg.com and try it.  I kept my harddrive in case I missed something.  If that doesn't work, I have a name and number to a company that specializes in data recovery.  Seems like they've done some high-publicity work like recovering data from the space shuttle when it crashed and Flight 93.  I used them at Shorter when a professor lost about 3 years worth of research and photos.  Send me a PM if you need more info.

Since that time, I took  my insurance agent's advice and made a proactive move to protect our memories.  I burned all our digital photos to CDs and took all our negatives and put them in a safe deposit box.

Good Luck,
V

[Sean M Cary]

Hoist PM'd me...  Of the two drives one was reused and one would not spin up...  In the past I have taken the platters out and put them in the same type drive body.  Worked a few times, only did this for General Officer types.  He said the guy had access to a clean room and was going to try and open the drives to get the data off.

I have a data recovery tool that will recover ANYTHING...used it a few times and it has saved my beans every time.  R Tool Studio - about 80 bucks for a single comp version.

Be aware that CD media is really only reliable for 3-5 years... DVD's about 7 and that depends on the type you purchase.

Ghost, ghost, ghost - and backup...

Sean

Someone sent me a PM and asked if I'd seen this. 

As some have pointed out, you most likely can recover some of your data off the drive.  Don't just throw your hands in the air and give up!  All of the suggestions you've received so far as good ones!  Ghost is the best one!  Sean knows what he's talking about.  After nearly 20 years in the business and never once experiencing a hard drive crash myself I got lazy.  Then one day....Voila!  I had a harddrive crash less than a month ago on my laptop and the boot sectors were toast.  Replaced the harddrive, used my handy-dandy recovery tool to connect to the harddrive externally and was able to recover all my documents and photos but not all my programs.  I'll get the part number for you and you can order it from cdwg.com and try it.  I kept my harddrive in case I missed something.  If that doesn't work, I have a name and number to a company that specializes in data recovery.  Seems like they've done some high-publicity work like recovering data from the space shuttle when it crashed and Flight 93.  I used them at Shorter when a professor lost about 3 years worth of research and photos.  Send me a PM if you need more info.

Since that time, I took  my insurance agent's advice and made a proactive move to protect our memories.  I burned all our digital photos to CDs and took all our negatives and put them in a safe deposit box.

Good Luck,
V

[Fired00d]

Howie, I don't know what you're worked up about.  All of your pictures are on www.CVOHarley.com.  You just need to find them and download them.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d