Hard Drive

I currently have XP and I want to plan toward the day when I get a new PC
with Vista.

I have been thinking of getting an external hard drive to back-up my files
as an insurance against a failure of the existing PC (happened to me once).
However, I am wondering if an additional internal will be better and
cheaper. If I get a new PC I could swap it over.

Any views? Also is there a suitable back-up program which automatically
detects changes and overwrites the back-up

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:08:15 GMT from John
<john.plant90nospam@ntlworld.com>:
> I have been thinking of getting an external hard drive to back-up my files
> as an insurance against a failure of the existing PC (happened to me once).
> However, I am wondering if an additional internal will be better and
> cheaper. If I get a new PC I could swap it over.
>
> Any views? Also is there a suitable back-up program which automatically
> detects changes and overwrites the back-up

The purpose of a backup is to guard against your computer being virus
infected, electrically zapped, destroyed, or stolen. If any of those
happens, it will most likely affect an internal hard drive as well.

For safety, have an external hard drive that you plug in to the
electrical outlet to your computer only when actually making a
backup. Theoretically, you should store the drive off site, but
that's pretty inconvenient. I compromise by burning a backup to DVD
once a month and storing *that* off site.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
A: Maybe because some people are too annoyed by top posting.
Q: Why do I not get an answer to my question(s)?
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top posting such a bad thing?

You can have both
you can buy an external HD case.......and a separate HD which you can
install in the case or remove and install in the soon to be new machine.
something like this
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...s&promoid=1058

peter

--
DISCLAIMER: If you find a posting or message from me
offensive, inappropriate, or disruptive, please ignore it.
If you don't know how to ignore a posting, complain to
me and I will be only too happy to demonstrate... ;-)


"John" <john.plant90nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:zH1wj.7110$582.4858@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net...
> I currently have XP and I want to plan toward the day when I get a new PC
> with Vista.
>
> I have been thinking of getting an external hard drive to back-up my files
> as an insurance against a failure of the existing PC (happened to me
> once). However, I am wondering if an additional internal will be better
> and cheaper. If I get a new PC I could swap it over.
>
> Any views? Also is there a suitable back-up program which automatically
> detects changes and overwrites the back-up
>

"Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
news:MPG.222a7e7639c1793598b4d1@news.individual.ne t...
> Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:08:15 GMT from John
> <john.plant90nospam@ntlworld.com>:
>> I have been thinking of getting an external hard drive to back-up my files
>> as an insurance against a failure of the existing PC (happened to me once).
>> However, I am wondering if an additional internal will be better and
>> cheaper. If I get a new PC I could swap it over.
>>
>> Any views? Also is there a suitable back-up program which automatically
>> detects changes and overwrites the back-up
>
> The purpose of a backup is to guard against your computer being virus
> infected, electrically zapped, destroyed, or stolen. If any of those
> happens, it will most likely affect an internal hard drive as well.

I'm not aware of any backup utility, application or procedure that will stop, guard
or protect against any of the issues you mention. Could you please provide any/all
proven information, documentation and links so those among us who are unaware of this
new technology can help others with it.


--


Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

"John" <john.plant90nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:zH1wj.7110$582.4858@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net...
>I currently have XP and I want to plan toward the day when I get a new PC with
>Vista.
>
> I have been thinking of getting an external hard drive to back-up my files as an
> insurance against a failure of the existing PC (happened to me once). However, I am
> wondering if an additional internal will be better and cheaper. If I get a new PC I
> could swap it over.

You could go with either or both, it's a users choice.
If your thought is to create an image backup or clone of the XP machine on the new
extra drive, then in the future move it to a new system which has Vista installed, it
should be a non issue as long as you set the jumper configuration for the proper
Master/Slave/CS setting the drive will be insatalled at.

>
> Any views? Also is there a suitable back-up program which automatically detects
> changes and overwrites the back-up

The top two backup imaging applications recommended are Norton Ghost and Acronis
TrueImage. Both applications have the ability to perform a cloning a drive, creating
a backup image, the option to perform incremental or differential backups, network
backups and more
Norton Ghost:
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/

Acronis TrueImage:
http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/pr...ose-trueimage/



--


Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:08:15 GMT, "John"
<john.plant90nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote:

> I currently have XP and I want to plan toward the day when I get a new PC
> with Vista.
>
> I have been thinking of getting an external hard drive to back-up my files
> as an insurance against a failure of the existing PC (happened to me once).


Good plan!


> However, I am wondering if an additional internal will be better and
> cheaper.


It may be very slightly cheaper, but it is not better. In fact it is
much worse.

Putting backups on a second internal drive is better than no backup at
all, but just barely. It is always possible that a user error, sever
power glitch, nearby lightning strike, virus attack, even theft of the
computer, can cause the loss of everything at once.

In my view, secure backup needs to be on removable media, and not kept
in the computer. For really secure backup (needed, for example, if the
life of your business depends on your data) you should have multiple
generations of backup, and at least one of those generations should be
stored off-site. Backup to an external drive, one that you connect
only when performing a backup, is fine.

Here's an article I wrote recently that will give general guidance on
backing up: http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=314

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:33:27 -0600 from Brian A.
<gonefish'n@afarawaylake>:
> "Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
> news:MPG.222a7e7639c1793598b4d1@news.individual.ne t...
> > The purpose of a backup is to guard against your computer being virus
> > infected, electrically zapped, destroyed, or stolen. If any of those
> > happens, it will most likely affect an internal hard drive as well.
>
> I'm not aware of any backup utility, application or procedure that
> will stop, guard or protect against any of the issues you mention.
> Could you please provide any/all proven information, documentation
> and links so those among us who are unaware of this new technology
> can help others with it.

Good grief, what are you on about? Maybe the selective quoting was
the problem; here's the part you chose to delete.

If you truly can't understand how a backup to external hard drive
protects against all those perils .... Well, words fail me.

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:03:52 -0500 from Stan Brown
<the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm>:
> For safety, have an external hard drive that you plug in to the
> electrical outlet to your computer only when actually making a
> backup. Theoretically, you should store the drive off site, but
> that's pretty inconvenient. I compromise by burning a backup to DVD
> once a month and storing *that* off site.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
A: Maybe because some people are too annoyed by top posting.
Q: Why do I not get an answer to my question(s)?
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top posting such a bad thing?

"Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
news:MPG.222b60c3e493631098b4d7@news.individual.ne t...
> Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:33:27 -0600 from Brian A.
> <gonefish'n@afarawaylake>:
>> "Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
>> news:MPG.222a7e7639c1793598b4d1@news.individual.ne t...
>> > The purpose of a backup is to guard against your computer being virus
>> > infected, electrically zapped, destroyed, or stolen. If any of those
>> > happens, it will most likely affect an internal hard drive as well.
>>
>> I'm not aware of any backup utility, application or procedure that
>> will stop, guard or protect against any of the issues you mention.
>> Could you please provide any/all proven information, documentation
>> and links so those among us who are unaware of this new technology
>> can help others with it.
>
> Good grief, what are you on about? Maybe the selective quoting was
> the problem;

Not at all, it's your context.

here's the part you chose to delete.

Which doesn't apply.

>
> If you truly can't understand how a backup to external hard drive
> protects against all those perils .... Well, words fail me.

That's unfortunate because I would like to know.


--


Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

"Brian A." <gonefish'n@afarawaylake> wrote in message
news:%23g36KbqdIHA.4712@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> "Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
> news:MPG.222a7e7639c1793598b4d1@news.individual.ne t...
>> Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:08:15 GMT from John
>> <john.plant90nospam@ntlworld.com>:
>>> I have been thinking of getting an external hard drive to back-up my
>>> files
>>> as an insurance against a failure of the existing PC (happened to me
>>> once).
>>> However, I am wondering if an additional internal will be better and
>>> cheaper. If I get a new PC I could swap it over.
>>>
>>> Any views? Also is there a suitable back-up program which automatically
>>> detects changes and overwrites the back-up
>>
>> The purpose of a backup is to guard against your computer being virus
>> infected, electrically zapped, destroyed, or stolen. If any of those
>> happens, it will most likely affect an internal hard drive as well.
>
> I'm not aware of any backup utility, application or procedure that will
> stop, guard or protect against any of the issues you mention. Could you
> please provide any/all proven information, documentation and links so
> those among us who are unaware of this new technology can help others with
> it.
>
>
> --
>
>
> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience }
> Conflicts start where information lacks.
> http://basconotw.mvps.org/
>

Brian try asking your question in one of the private MVP groups. You look
like an idiot asking it in a public forum. (ever hear of Acronis TrueImage,
BootIt NG, Ghost?)

--

Xandros

"Xandros" <arron.neus*remove*@gmai.lcom> wrote in message
news:%23kAAUX7dIHA.4712@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
> "Brian A." <gonefish'n@afarawaylake> wrote in message
> news:%23g36KbqdIHA.4712@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> "Stan Brown" <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote in message
>> news:MPG.222a7e7639c1793598b4d1@news.individual.ne t...
>>> Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:08:15 GMT from John
>>> <john.plant90nospam@ntlworld.com>:
>>>> I have been thinking of getting an external hard drive to back-up my files
>>>> as an insurance against a failure of the existing PC (happened to me once).
>>>> However, I am wondering if an additional internal will be better and
>>>> cheaper. If I get a new PC I could swap it over.
>>>>
>>>> Any views? Also is there a suitable back-up program which automatically
>>>> detects changes and overwrites the back-up
>>>
>>> The purpose of a backup is to guard against your computer being virus
>>> infected, electrically zapped, destroyed, or stolen. If any of those
>>> happens, it will most likely affect an internal hard drive as well.
>>
>> I'm not aware of any backup utility, application or procedure that will stop,
>> guard or protect against any of the issues you mention. Could you please provide
>> any/all proven information, documentation and links so those among us who are
>> unaware of this new technology can help others with it.
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience }
>> Conflicts start where information lacks.
>> http://basconotw.mvps.org/
>>
>
> Brian try asking your question in one of the private MVP groups. You look like an
> idiot asking it in a public forum.

You have your opinion and I have mine.
Backups on internal or external media do not guard against being virus infected,
electrically zapped, destroyed, or stolen.

The system could unknowingly already be infected and any backup would include that
infection. Restoring that backup would restore the infection as well.
Although external media is safeguarded from an electrical spike, an electrical spike
can happen any time the external media is /connected used.
External media can be destroyed or stolen from anywhere at any time unless it's
locked away in a vault.

(ever hear of Acronis TrueImage,
> BootIt NG, Ghost?)

Ever read my response to the OP?


--


Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Windows Desktop User Experience }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375