Why not backup files in original format?

02befree wrote:
Looking at several file backup programs and they all seem to want to backup
a session into some big file with a strange file extension like a cab file.
Nero backup, Microsoft Backup, etc. When you go to Restore from these, it
probably works fine if your setup is the same, but if the backed up drive
fails it seems you'd just want to take certain files and put them in the
appropriate place on a new drive. Am I making sense? It seems there's no
flexibility. I thought that the most flexible backup would be a duplicate
of the actual files that you feel are critical and then you can copy them
anyway, anywhere you want. Suggestions?

I think you would like Robocopy, which is free from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en

(Hope that didn't wrap), I agree that it is very nice to have
"transparent" backups, especially now that large USB drives are so
economical. Robocopy is like xcopy, but with many more options that
make it work well for backups.

Daniel Feenberg

On Tue, 7 Nov 2006 09:47:26 -0800, "02befree"
wrote:

[...]
Just used True Image for the first time and it saved my bacon, even though I
messed up a few things as I stumbled and fell my way through it without any
readup on it.
I'll try doing some selective restoring with some of these programs I have.
It seemed I had to restore in exactly the same location and All of the
files, but I probably have some options I didn't follow through on.
Trying to find some easy backup to use with some tech clients on their home
pc's to backup their mp3 stash, email, and docs in an automated fashion. I
guess everyone has Microsoft Backup if they're running Windows.


I avoid using any OS's backup software, or backup software
included with suites of software.

With the OS's stuff, it often changes format from one OS
revision to another, and is sometimes an unnecessary
challenge to get a restore accomplished.

The suite stuff can require extra time and money for various
reasons (I don't like combo TV/VCRs either! When the VCR
dies, you're left with a larger than necessary TV, and still
need to buy a VCR).

Right now I'm beginning to search for a product to use at
home. I'm doing disk images now, but that's getting to be
overkill (time) for much of the backing up that I do.

The tradition ideas of full, incremental, and differential
backups is once again sounding very good to me.

What ever happened to FastBack? ;-)
--
tbl

Previously tbl wrote:
On Tue, 7 Nov 2006 09:47:26 -0800, "02befree"
wrote:

[...]
Just used True Image for the first time and it saved my bacon, even though I
messed up a few things as I stumbled and fell my way through it without any
readup on it.
I'll try doing some selective restoring with some of these programs I have.
It seemed I had to restore in exactly the same location and All of the
files, but I probably have some options I didn't follow through on.
Trying to find some easy backup to use with some tech clients on their home
pc's to backup their mp3 stash, email, and docs in an automated fashion. I
guess everyone has Microsoft Backup if they're running Windows.


I avoid using any OS's backup software, or backup software
included with suites of software.

You can trust GNU tar, even though it is ususlly deliverd
as part of the Linux OS.

Arno