IC Forum Archive

aderack · Posts: 5018

Are there any particularly good utilities I should be looking out for? Preferably freeware ones?

wourme · Posts: 101

I've recently started using Amazon.com's S3. You can store things on their servers for 15 cents a month per GB.

There are several applications available to access your storage space. I've been using "Jungle Disk." It's free but I don't think it does automatic scheduled backups, if that's what you're looking for. But some of those other programs seem to.

stotelheim · Posts: 414

I hear good things about setting up your own local subversion server.

Broco · Posts: 546

I use SyncBackSE. It is not freeware, but I didn't find any really good freeware programs for Windows. In particular, if you'd like to backup everything on your drive, system directories and currently open files and all, I think that's only supported by commercial applications. If you just want to back up a text directory or something, you could hack something up with free tools though.

DaleNixon · Posts: 766

rsync

aderack · Posts: 5018

Yeah, I want to do a full backup every now and then -- maybe once every month or two -- with a backup of some key areas maybe once a fortnight. And maybe some super-key areas once a week.

DaleNixon · Posts: 766

In windows there is something called SyncToy that might do what you are looking for. I think you have to download some sort of XP Power Toys or somesuch nonsense but it is free.

In the limited time I've spent with Vista I've noticed it has some pretty decent backup utilities built in.

aderack · Posts: 5018

Yeah, it's off the PowerToys page. Now downroading!

EDIT: It says I need some kind of .NET Framework thing, and I don't understand what this is, why I need it, or what on the download page to download.

James · Posts: 1735

I got an external drive and now I use it to keep important stuff around. I just copy the files from my file hard drive manually. It's not such a bad way of doing things; a good full reinstall/uninstall can do wonders for system performance.

aderack · Posts: 5018

Yeah, that's what I've got. It's just a nuisance to do it manually all the time, and I'd kind of like a full backup for posterity -- which I can't do just by copying the files!

DaleNixon · Posts: 766

aderack wrote:

Yeah, it's off the PowerToys page. Now downroading!

EDIT: It says I need some kind of .NET Framework thing, and I don't understand what this is, why I need it, or what on the download page to download.

The .NET framework is just a set of runtime libraries that allow programs written for the .NET framework to run on your computer.

It's perfectly harmless to install it. Windows update should have it in the list of optional updates.

Does it want version 1.1 or version 2.0? If you aren't sure, they can run side-by-side.

Legal Step · Posts: 1030

I recommend you get a decent sized, not to expensive external hard drive to boot. Backing up to CD is frustrating.

aderack · Posts: 5018

It doesn't specify. However, when I go to download there are... a lot of options on the page, and I'm not sure what I want.

DaleNixon · Posts: 766

2.0 Framework

1.1 Framework

I would try 2.0 first, then install 1.1 if it complains. Yes, they are fairly large packages to download.

Hot Stott Bot · Posts: 2097

Hmm backing up just on an external drive isn't really... that safe... hard drives break y'know...

Backing up to CD, keeping them in a file, and then re-copying those CDs once every couple of years is probably the way to go for a simple solution.

If you use hard drives for backing up important documents you really should be using a RAID of some kind. But that can be expensive and technically tricky.

You can also back stuff up on the internet. If you're only backing up small documents, just zip up your documents with a password and e-mail them to yourself on gmail -- for example!

If you have a lot more, you can buy some kind of remote hosting and copy your stuff over, but that can also get expensive and technically tricky.