Help Request - Back-up Software - DPChallenge Forums

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

06/14/2007 05:28:07 PM · #1

I am asking for your help. I have searched the forums but can find no thread similar to my question. Sorry if it's a duplicate.

I have been using Symantec's Norton Ghost to back up my PC's hard disk to an external USB 2 hard drive. I learned a few days ago that Ghost had been malfunctioning for some time and that my backup files were corrupt. Fortunately, my regular disk is just fine and I haven't lost anything. I have manually copied my disk to my backup drive.

Symantec Advance Technical support informed me that there are known problems with Ghost and that "about 1 time in 10, it will fail." They took log and diagnostic data from my PC but cannot find the source of the problem or remedy it. I know i could uninstall and reinstall it (at least if Symantec's activation protocol was less draconian) but have lost confidence in the program.

For those of you running Windows XP Pro PCs, what back-up software do you use and recommend?

I would prefer software that takes backups automatically based on a schedule, and that records files in their individual native formats, rather than compressing them inside a humongous file store requiring the backup software to extract them. it would be great if the software only backed up new and altered files after the first whole-disk backup. I don't need to do a bare metal restore, but want to be sure I can restore files I care about.

You guys are smart!! Help anyone?

Thanks in advance.

SamDoe1

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

06/14/2007 05:31:06 PM · #2

I work for the computer services department at my school and we use norton ghost exclusively to back up and restore thousands of computers. If there ever was a hiccup, it was just a quick reinstall and everything was fine. 99% of the time, it works great. All you have to do is make sure the hard drive image works fine before you store it away. That's the program I'd use hands down.

ShaneBlake

Nikon D7100

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon

06/14/2007 05:31:35 PM · #3

i copy my photo files from one machine to another on the home network using a program called second copy. works great.

i think it's about $30 to buy, but if you set it up, it will keep running past the trial period, you just can't edit the settings after that...

SamDoe1

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

06/14/2007 05:33:22 PM · #4

Originally posted by kudzu:

That's kind of a different type of backup. Norton Ghost takes a "snapshot" (image) of the hard drive and saves that as a file. If you need to restore it, it writes this "snapshot" to your hard drive and your computer is EXACTLY how it was when you created the image. All your programs will be installed and all your files will be there.

06/14/2007 05:34:12 PM · #5

I recommend this in these threads but I don't think anyone ever downloads it. Nontheless, here is another recommendation for using the free and powerful utility Robocopy. If you are not concerned with disk imaging, which it sounds like you are not, there is no better way to go.

It is fast, it is efficient, it has countless options (mirroring disk structures, only copying updated/new files, maintaining OS file permissions, etc, etc). You can schedule it to run periodically and it will -just work-.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

06/14/2007 05:37:54 PM · #6

Originally posted by SamDoe1:

All you have to do is make sure the hard drive image works fine before you store it away.

That's really the problem. I tried to verify the backup image worked, found out it didn't, and Symantec can't seem to tell me why or what to do differently so it works reliably from here on.

I have run Seagate diagnostics on the external drive and Windows chkdsk. Both report the drive is fine. But something is corrupting the backup store.

It's sort of funny, one of their techs told me Symantec Internet Security (anti-virus anti-SPAM) interfered with it and to uninstall them.

awpollard

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

06/14/2007 05:38:19 PM · #7

Originally posted by routerguy666:

I just found yesterday that Robocopy is include in Vista. Very cool little utility. Lot's of options.

06/14/2007 06:14:10 PM · #8

Originally posted by routerguy666:

I'm probably just stupid about this but I downloaded the Robocopy GUI but it wants to point to a program that may be part of the Windows Resource Kit ... Is this right? where do I find the underlying resource kit software on XP?

06/14/2007 06:17:48 PM · #9

I haven't used that gui. Robocopy is just one file, robocopy.exe. It is included in the resource kits these days which you can download from microsoft. Just search for whatever you are running, eg, Windows XP Resource Kit.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

06/14/2007 06:25:11 PM · #10

Originally posted by routerguy666:

I tried that and get here: //technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsxp/bb264775.aspx

If I select download from the tabs, I get here: //technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsxp/bb381601.aspx

I can't find anything to download.

I'm feeling really stupid now.

Message edited by author 2007-06-14 18:26:34.

awpollard

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

06/14/2007 06:27:36 PM · #11

Is this where you downloaded from
//www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2006/11/UtilitySpotlight/

Seems to be inclusive (has the command line stuff) then again this system I'm am sitting at could have the reskit on it... I have a bunch of exchange/server 2003 admin packages and it could have been installed then...

Message edited by author 2007-06-14 18:28:07.

06/14/2007 06:28:30 PM · #12

Have a look here: //www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/default.mspx

rex

Canon PowerShot SD780

06/14/2007 06:30:37 PM · #13

//www.snapfiles.com has a FREE program called SyncBack

I use this program to back up everything. YOu can set it to back up entire drives and/or indiviual folders and certain time intervals. It is a great program. Try it!!!

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

06/14/2007 07:12:21 PM · #14

Originally posted by routerguy666:

Have a look here: //www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/default.mspx

I can get here, but can't find anything that lets me download all or part of the resource kit.

SamDoe1

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

06/14/2007 07:12:32 PM · #15

Originally posted by Dr.Confuser:

It's sort of funny, one of their techs told me Symantec Internet Security (anti-virus anti-SPAM) interfered with it and to uninstall them.

Norton anti virus is the biggest piece of crap ever. I'd uninstall it no matter what if I were you. Switch over to AVG Free antivirus. That very well could be the problem though, Norton could see your image file as a threat and try to keep it out. Seems like a long shot, but you never know with Norton AV. Other people seem to give you plenty of options, personally, I'd stick with ghost cause I've had lots of experience with it and, 99% of the time, it works flawlessly (at least for me). There isn't going to be a single piece of software that works flawlessly, there will always be something...

pineapple

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

06/14/2007 07:16:28 PM · #16

I recommend ViceVersaPro - a steady friend of mine for years and saved my bacon several times. Well worth the small $ for the Pro edition.

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon

06/14/2007 07:42:19 PM · #17

Just download the w2k3 res kit and install it, it's in there. It will install on xp. click

ShaneBlake

Nikon D7100

06/14/2007 10:03:56 PM · #18

Originally posted by SamDoe1:

right. let me introduce myself. i work in ITS. ghosting is _not_ what the op needs... in fact, it's a great deal of overkill, which is why i suggested second copy. it got high marks from cnet and was easy to use.

though i'm thinking i'll have to check out one or two of these free ones since i've never paid for it...

paddles

Pentax K10D

Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 AF

06/15/2007 11:42:34 PM · #19

Originally posted by Dr.Confuser:

Symantec Advance Technical support informed me that there are known problems with Ghost and that "about 1 time in 10, it will fail."

10% failure rate!? I would say that counts as good as useless for a backup strategy then.

Personally, I use Backup4All and have been very happy with it. It does full, differential and incremental backups (depending on the version you have), can do backups with or without zipping, can be set to do scheduled backups, and is quite strong on having different backup regimes and file inclusion/exclusion rules (for example, I have a backup routine for my image files and a separate one for my non-image data). It doesn't do drive images like Ghost does though.