I'm to lazy to browse the web and boards have been slow so I'll ask here.

Is there a program that you can just click "back up" then sit back and feed cd's into the desiganted rom as it fills up. I'd like it to automatically burn every new or modified file since the last back up?

I've been doing it manually using the "find" on the OS with "created on or modified since ____ date" then dragging them over till disk is full burn then do it again. But I am always worried... Did I get them all?

If there is not an automated program like this then here is an idea for any programers, write one like this.

 

The back-up program built into Windows Xp will do that.

 

Sonic Backup MYPC - I use this.
Symantec Ghost - I use this also.
Dantz Retrospect - Have used this and had problems.
NTI Backup Now - have used this and had problems.

I use them for disaster recovery type backups. I normally don't do differential backups (files changed since the last backup), though the Sonic, Dantz, and NTI have that capability.
I have had the best luck with the Backup MYPC and Ghost. Easy to use to backup and restore. Can backup to CD, DVD, tape, or file with MYPC, CD, DVD, or file with Ghost. There is a new version of Ghost coming out in a couple of weeks. Newest version of MYPC is 6. Came out this year.

Edit - Sonic also has a product called Simple Backup. Not sure of the capabilities other than it does not include disaster recovery.

 

Somebody was asking me about Ghost a few months ago and I hadnt heard anything positive or negative about it. I think they went ahead and got it.. Now who was that????

 

Not sure, but for what you asked for, the ability to do differential backups, Ghost will not work. Not sure if the version coming out in the next couple of weeks will have that capability.

 

Ohh sorry I thought you meant that it would.

 

Sorry, I just took a look at the help file for Ghost 9 (what I have) and it will do incremental (I may have had the word wrong) backups. However if you are going to go with Ghost, I would get the new version coming out in a couple of weeks.

Edit - Just did a search. Some call it a differential backup, some call it an incremental backup. Both mean the same thing. Backing up all files that changed since the last full or incremental/differntial backup.

Edit 2 - Just attempted to do an incremental backup using Ghost. It will only let me do this to a disk file, not to a CD/DVD.

Personally I think you will get exactly what you want with Backup MYPC. It is easy to use and you can do full or incremental backups to any output type.

 

Thanks, It's late so I'll do some research on BackUp MYPC tomarrow.

That's what I was wanting to know.... Who will do it and who does it best.

I had wondered if that was what incremental and differential meant. I was assuming so but wasnt 100% sure.

 

You can use Ghost. I use it everyday.

I do a full backup on Sunday, then an incremental backup the other 6 days.

There is an option to limit the size of the backup files to 650mb for CD's.

Do the back up, then burn these files to your CD's.

I use an old hard drive as storage so I don't have to bother with the CD's.

The backup program the comes with Windows XP will do the same thing, but I prefer Ghost.

 

I just tried again. Ghost will not let me create a backup job to do a base and incremental backups to CD/DVD. It will only allow that to local disk. Only the full backup drive can be done to CD/DVD.

 

yea but didnt he (Kobi) say he was making the backup to disk and then burning them if necessary? That way you can limit the backup size.

 

As far as limiting backup size, with Backup MYPC, you can backup only those directories you want by creating a backup job. Also it will span CD/DVDs with no problem. I don't believe the XP backup will do this. Ghost only allows full drive backups, so whatever size file you create from the backup, that is it. I have not tried to create a disk file, then try to burn it to CD/DVD. I don't think it can be done easily.
I do a backup of my second hard drive seperate from my disaster recoveries due to this is where I store program updates and other files that change more often. I use DVD as I can do a disaster recovery of both hard drives (about 9GB uncompressed) to 1 1/2 DVD's. The seperate backup of my second hard drive is done to DVD+RW (I know, not the safest) and can get multiple backups to 1 DVD. Also I keep 3 sets of backup so that if the most recent that I am looking for a file from is bad, I still have a good chance to recover it.
As far as the backup/restore, with Backup MYPC, you can do 1 file, many files, or the whole drive. Also Backup MYPC has a better compression algorithm, and can store more on a disk. This product used to be the old Seagate Backup Exec, before Seagate sold their software division to Veritas. Veritas later sold the consumer portion (Backup MYPC) to Sonic. They still have the Backup Exec commercial products. Also one thing I have found is the Backup MYPC seems to have far less problem with changes in hardware. I have never had a problem when upgrading to a newer drive, even manufacturer. Something I can not say about the Dantz Retrospect. The Dantz product works well, when it works. If it has any problems, it turns into a nightmare to solve. I finally dumped it because I could not solve it aborting when I tried to do backups to my newest drive.
Ghost is a good product for disaster recovery, but if I was limited to only one backup product, Backup MYPC would be my choice, as it has far more flexibilty on what you can do.

 

Just get an external hard drive that matches your internal drive. They are dirt cheap and many come with brain-dead backup software. It's fast. Just get it and screw the backup to DVD/CD crap...

 

I second that....I was unfortunatly talked into getting a DLT tape backup system for my server....many I hate tapes......I think I might build a barebones system and place it in another building here and just do my backups over our network during the night instead....I am so tired of messing with tapes.....

 

Incremental and differential backups - whats the difference?

Each file has an "archive bit". If this bit is set, it means the file has changed since the last backup.

A full back-up backs up all files, regardless of the state of the "archive bit". And it clears the archive bit on each file, as well.

A differential backup does not clear the archive bit. That means the next day's back up will copy this file, even it if has not changed since the last backup.

An incremental back up does clear the archive bit. So if a file has not changed since the last backup, it does not get copied.

The difference comes when it's time to restore. To restore with differential back ups, the last full backup and only the last differential back up is needed.

To do a restore with incremental backups, the last full backup and EACH incremental back since the last full backup is needed.