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Topic: Making a back-up cd of my hard drive (?) |
erik
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Posted 23 Jan 2006 4:23 pm |
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I've never attempted this but will have to try soon because my windows always starts now with the hard disk error message. I seem to have no issue with my O.S. as a scan from my PCrescue program shows no errors. So here are the questions:
Can I back up my entire HD to a CD-R/RW in one procedure?
Will my HD error carry over in the data?
Can I reload all the data from the CD-R/RW in one procedure (this would include O.S.)?
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-johnson
[This message was edited by erik on 23 January 2006 at 04:24 PM.] |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Jan 2006 4:50 pm
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You should get something like the Norton Ghost which will create an 'image' of your hard drive that you can save to CD. You will probably need between 6-7 CDs though, depending on how much there is on your hard drive.
If the error is a physical one with your HD, it will not be transferred to the CDs and you can reload the image to a new hard drive.
Steinar
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www.gregertsen.com
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 24 Jan 2006 4:04 am
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Also, DO NOT use CD-RW discs. They are very unstable and are known to lose format and/or data. If you do a backup use CD-R's, the are stable and will give you a "permanent" backup of what you have in case you need it in the future. I've learned the hard way with RW discs, several of my customers have learned the hard way and there are many posts on the Dell users forum of lost data with RW discs. The rule of thumb for RW discs is "do not have your only copy of data on an RW". RW discs appear to be like floppy diskettes that you can use, reuse, etc but in reality they are not.
A good backup program is needed, too, such as the Norton Ghost.
One other option to consider, and this really may be the best option is to reformat the hard drive and do a "clean" install (reinstall everything). Along with fixing whatever problems you have it "cleans up" the PC - and you will be amazed how fast it runs. As we use PC's, install/uninstall programs, etc fragments of files are left behind, etc and over time they can tend to have an effect on PC performance. Doing a "clean" install eliminates that. With a clean install, all you need to backup is your user data, e-mail account, address book and any e-mails you want to save, your Browser "favorites" and any downloaded programs and updates you want to restore. With a clean install, everything else is reinstalled using the Operating System CD, motherboard chipset drivers (if applicable), device drivers, and finally the application programs you want to reinstall, reinstall your peripherals (e.g. printers and scanner) and then restore your user data. It's a little more work but a much cleaner way to go.
The other issue with a backup, if you do a "Ghost" type of backup - one that gives you an exact copy of what you have, it will restore everything but you still have the fragments of old programs, etc. |
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 24 Jan 2006 5:25 am
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| And don't be afraid to set your recording speed to something like 4X or 8X so you make good spots on the disk. Take your time, do it right (like the old disco tune). None of this 48X or 52X stuff... too fast. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 24 Jan 2006 5:30 am
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| Ray, for data the speed is not an issue like it is with audio CD's. |
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John Daugherty
From:
Rolla, Missouri, USA
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Posted 24 Jan 2006 5:57 am
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| I have used a simple DOS program called "xxcopy" to copy to a separate hard drive. "xxcopy" utilizes the DOS "xcopy" command with several switches that tell the command to back up ALL files on the drive. |
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 24 Jan 2006 6:03 am
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| Jack, the write speed issue has to do with disk longevity, not the audio problem. Some time ago I read an article about CDR deterioration that all "burnt" CDR's have a finite life, and will eventually go bye bye. If you want to make a CDR that has the longest life, burn it slow, so that the marks in the dye have the sharpest edges. That way you have a higher probability of still being able to read it in 5 to 10 years. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 24 Jan 2006 3:08 pm
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But, how many of us are going to keep CD's for 10 years or more? The "data" CD's I have now will be obsolete in a year or two, especially if I upgrade to Vista.
If I were to make a backup of my hard drive, in a short period - maybe a month it will be obsolete. It's not long term.
No one has been able to prove that the lifespan of a CD is any amount of time. It is all theory right now. |
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