Backing up your Assets
by Bruce Paulsrud (Febuary 27, 2003)
If you're a digital pack-rat or you store many digital images, you probably hate backing up your files (if you do it at all). Why? Because you have to use compression software (e.g., PKZIP) and multiple 100MB zip or CD-ROM disks. Using multiple disks requires a bit of strategy and then you must "baby-sit" the backup process. There is a simpler way to backup your data!
Consider a mass storage USB hard drive which is relatively inexpensive and makes data backup a breeze. For example, BusLink has a 60 GB USB 2.0 Drive for $147.23 (see: http://www.provantage.com/YBUSL03L.HTM for details). Considering compression rates, 60 GB is probably far more space than most people need. There are smaller drives for a little less money. Some USB drives come with backup software (e.g., Retrospect) that you can install. However, the standard Backup utility that comes with Windows is already installed, simple to use, and has a backup scheduling option. Another brand that Charlie Smyth likes is Maxtor which comes with Retrospect Personal Edition. Retrospect backup software is used to backup various department level servers. Lacie, a long time provider of external drives in the Mac world is offering a 500 GB, 7200 rpm, firewire external drive at a good value ($876). It got the 2003 best-of-show award by MacWorld.
In addition to cost, consider the following before you purchase a USB hard drive:
What type of USB port do you have on your computer(s)? You will see references to USB, USB 1.1, and USB 2. USB 2 is the newest and fastest type of USB port. If you don't know what type of USB ports you have, check the owner's manual or other documentation that came with your computer. Still don't know? Look for a drive that is backward and forward compatible with different USB versions. If you want the full scoop on USB versions, read http://www.usbman.com/Guides/USB_version1.0_version1.1.htm. Practically speaking, USB = USB 1.0 = USB 1.1.
If you don't have a open/available USB port on your computer, you can increase the number of ports by purchasing a USB hub (net increase of 1 to 3 ports) for $15 to $25 at Walmart, most office supply stores, or on-line. Just be sure to consider forward and backward USB compatibility. Also, some hubs come with a pretty short cable which limits where you can position and access the hub.
What capacity drive should you get?? Determine how much data you need to backup, consider compression ratios (if you use compression during backup), and then multiply your needs by two or three or more. Price differences are not that great and file sizes continue to increase, so buy a larger drive than you actually need today.
Is the drive compatible with Windows 98 and early (e.g., low MHz) Pentium processors?
Mobility/physical size. Between backups, do you plan to store the drive in a small safe?
What files should I backup?
To be fully protected against a hard drive crash, backup the entire C: drive or other data drives you might have. However, this is time-consuming and you probably have access to all the original software disks anyway. If you just want to protect your data and image files (e.g., My Documents, My Pictures, etc.), favorite places, and user settings, backup C:\Documents and Settings and all of its subdirectories. Some third-party software will store data files outside of the C:\Documents and Settings directory, so you'll have to do some investigating to be sure you don't exclude important data files.
The standard Backup utility that comes with Windows allows you to backup data in a variety of ways. See Backup's Help section to read about the differences. Use "Normal" for the first backup. To save time on all subsequent backups, consider using "Incremental", which backs up only those files created or changed since the last normal or incremental backup.
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