Backup Software - Looking for Backup Recommendation.

Author

Looking for Backup Recommendation.

pdcjlw1@gmail.com

2007-11-27, 1:18 am

I do work on a lot of peoples pc. I do cleanup of adware and spyware
and viruses. I would like a way to do a backup on anyone's pc before I
start working on them. I can't depend on them having a second drive or
even a writeable cd drive. I would like a method that I could use to
leave the backup with the owner when I leave.

I think this is important for a couple of reasons. One in case I screw
up on the scans and mess up their pc. But the more important one is
that I find most people don't have any backup of their system. This
can be bad espically if they bought the computer with the software
already installed. They have no disks for like Windows and stuff.

So what options do I have for backup?

I apprecicate the help.

Thanks.

meerkat

2007-11-27, 7:15 am

<pdcjlw1@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:554826cd-6c7e-4884-97cc-7d8f06bc70df@s36g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>I do work on a lot of peoples pc. I do cleanup of adware and spyware
> and viruses. I would like a way to do a backup on anyone's pc before I
> start working on them. I can't depend on them having a second drive or
> even a writeable cd drive. I would like a method that I could use to
> leave the backup with the owner when I leave.
>
> I think this is important for a couple of reasons. One in case I screw
> up on the scans and mess up their pc. But the more important one is
> that I find most people don't have any backup of their system. This
> can be bad espically if they bought the computer with the software
> already installed. They have no disks for like Windows and stuff.
>
> So what options do I have for backup?
>
Do a drive image with Acronis TI.

Wandering

2007-11-27, 1:13 pm

Your problem is not the software, but the hardware. In order to leave folks
with a copy of their system that is recoverable, you have to have it on a
media they can handle on their hardware. If they all have DVD RW then that
is possible, but if the hard drive is very large, there will be many DVD
disks and much disk swapping involved. Not quite the push button thing you
imagine.

Second, taking a drive image is simply a snapshot of a point in time. The
recovery can only take the machine back in time to that point. All from then
to now will be unavailable.

In the end there needs to be a strong backup policy installed and followed
by your customers, or you cannot protect them from themselves.

If all you hope to do is restore a machine to the place it was when you last
restored, than in some cases a drive image such as Acronis will be helpful.
It would be far more useful if the machine had an external drive available
and Acronis was installed and making regular images on a fairly frequent
basis. I use daily! Even so, most data loss situations are a few missing
(accidently deleted?) files, and a file by file, automatic program should be
running in the background without file compression. It's easier to recover
from the replica files using no extra software.

So, in the end, what you need depends on both the customer and their
hardware as well what service level you wish to provide.

Good luck

<pdcjlw1@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:554826cd-6c7e-4884-97cc-7d8f06bc70df@s36g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>I do work on a lot of peoples pc. I do cleanup of adware and spyware
> and viruses. I would like a way to do a backup on anyone's pc before I
> start working on them. I can't depend on them having a second drive or
> even a writeable cd drive. I would like a method that I could use to
> leave the backup with the owner when I leave.
>
> I think this is important for a couple of reasons. One in case I screw
> up on the scans and mess up their pc. But the more important one is
> that I find most people don't have any backup of their system. This
> can be bad espically if they bought the computer with the software
> already installed. They have no disks for like Windows and stuff.
>
> So what options do I have for backup?
>
> I apprecicate the help.
>
> Thanks.

pdcjlw1@gmail.com

2007-11-28, 1:21 am

On Nov 27, 8:19 am, "Wandering" <amore....@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Your problem is not the software, but the hardware. In order to leave folks
> with a copy of their system that is recoverable, you have to have it on a
> media they can handle on their hardware. If they all have DVD RW then that
> is possible, but if the hard drive is very large, there will be many DVD
> disks and much disk swapping involved. Not quite the push button thing you
> imagine.
>
> Second, taking a drive image is simply a snapshot of a point in time. The
> recovery can only take the machine back in time to that point. All from then
> to now will be unavailable.
>
> In the end there needs to be a strong backup policy installed and followed
> by your customers, or you cannot protect them from themselves.
>
> If all you hope to do is restore a machine to the place it was when you last
> restored, than in some cases a drive image such as Acronis will be helpful.
> It would be far more useful if the machine had an external drive available
> and Acronis was installed and making regular images on a fairly frequent
> basis. I use daily! Even so, most data loss situations are a few missing
> (accidently deleted?) files, and a file by file, automatic program should be
> running in the background without file compression. It's easier to recover
> from the replica files using no extra software.
>
> So, in the end, what you need depends on both the customer and their
> hardware as well what service level you wish to provide.
>
> Good luck
>
> <pdcj...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:554826cd-6c7e-4884-97cc-7d8f06bc70df@s36g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> - Show quoted text

Your right about not being able to control the customers backup
habits. I've tried to setup something as easy as copying the My
Documents folder to a usb key. I have even setup a small script so all
they had to do was put in the usb drive and click the icon.
Unfortunetly for most people I have worked with don't even think about
backup until it is too late.

I guess what I am looking for is a way to give them a backup they can
use if they have a hard drive failure. I would not be able to get all
their files back, but I could rebuild the pc from the last backup I
had made. In the past the customers had purchased their software
seperate from the computer, but now a days they buy a dell and it
comes with the operating system as well as office pre-installed so
there are no original cd's to use for a rebuild.

The bad part is that some customers have only a cd-rom and no writer.
I am thinking of purchasing an external usb hard drive that I could
plug into their computer with the backup software installed on it.
Then making an image of their hard drive. I could take this home and
then burn the Image to cds and send them back to the customer.

Does that make sense? Is there any other options for me?

I appreciate the help.

Wandering

2007-11-28, 1:21 am

Yes, it makes sense, and it could work. It would be easier, A program like
Acronis can make an ordinary file out of the disk image that can be
transferred to any media, including inexpensive CD. The program does not
have to be installed on the customer's machine, it can run right off it's
own disk that is Linux and bypasses their operating system entirely.

You could make a recovery disk on nearly any machine of similar vintage and
add their backup image to it. It's a bit more complicated than that, but
here is lots of help on the Acronis Website Forums.

Then they could boot on that disk, and run the recovery program. I am told
that in some way a one button restore can be done, but I don't know how.
You can also use Acronis to make a protected partition on their disk, and
put the image there. That requires an install of Acronis. It's never a good
idea to have your backup image on the same drive you may want to restore.

You could instead, use the external disk to make an image of their hard
drive, but the problem is the disk you are trying to restore is likely to
take many disks. An external HD would be better and faster, and you could
take the image with you. Then you could transfer it off to your own hard
drive for eventual use by you to restore the system. A better plan, I think.

Programs like MS Sector or Karen's Replicator can be installed on their
machine for free, and run unseen in the background to make backups of
whatever folders you wish at whatever interval you wish. They can't restore
a disk, but they can preserve data very well. I duplicate my key folders
every hour, and to another location every day. I never touch the system. It
just does it.

<pdcjlw1@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:2a217b0e-dc91-4fec-9615-f5d361c1463a@g30g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> On Nov 27, 8:19 am, "Wandering" <amore....@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Your right about not being able to control the customers backup
> habits. I've tried to setup something as easy as copying the My
> Documents folder to a usb key. I have even setup a small script so all
> they had to do was put in the usb drive and click the icon.
> Unfortunetly for most people I have worked with don't even think about
> backup until it is too late.
>
> I guess what I am looking for is a way to give them a backup they can
> use if they have a hard drive failure. I would not be able to get all
> their files back, but I could rebuild the pc from the last backup I
> had made. In the past the customers had purchased their software
> seperate from the computer, but now a days they buy a dell and it
> comes with the operating system as well as office pre-installed so
> there are no original cd's to use for a rebuild.
>
> The bad part is that some customers have only a cd-rom and no writer.
> I am thinking of purchasing an external usb hard drive that I could
> plug into their computer with the backup software installed on it.
> Then making an image of their hard drive. I could take this home and
> then burn the Image to cds and send them back to the customer.
>
> Does that make sense? Is there any other options for me?
>
> I appreciate the help.

Wandering

2007-11-28, 1:21 am

That's MS SyncToy....

--

Blessings & peace --- Ray
"Wandering" <amore.dei@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:fiiok2$sfo$1@aioe.org...
> Yes, it makes sense, and it could work. It would be easier, A program like
> Acronis can make an ordinary file out of the disk image that can be
> transferred to any media, including inexpensive CD. The program does not
> have to be installed on the customer's machine, it can run right off it's
> own disk that is Linux and bypasses their operating system entirely.
>
> You could make a recovery disk on nearly any machine of similar vintage
> and add their backup image to it. It's a bit more complicated than that,
> but here is lots of help on the Acronis Website Forums.
>
> Then they could boot on that disk, and run the recovery program. I am told
> that in some way a one button restore can be done, but I don't know how.
> You can also use Acronis to make a protected partition on their disk, and
> put the image there. That requires an install of Acronis. It's never a
> good idea to have your backup image on the same drive you may want to
> restore.
>
> You could instead, use the external disk to make an image of their hard
> drive, but the problem is the disk you are trying to restore is likely to
> take many disks. An external HD would be better and faster, and you could
> take the image with you. Then you could transfer it off to your own hard
> drive for eventual use by you to restore the system. A better plan, I
> think.
>
> Programs like MS Sector or Karen's Replicator can be installed on their
> machine for free, and run unseen in the background to make backups of
> whatever folders you wish at whatever interval you wish. They can't
> restore a disk, but they can preserve data very well. I duplicate my key
> folders every hour, and to another location every day. I never touch the
> system. It just does it.
>
>
> <pdcjlw1@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:2a217b0e-dc91-4fec-9615-f5d361c1463a@g30g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
>