Windows 10: My backup strategy

I clone the primary SSD onto the clone one via Macrium. About once a month. Sometimes more often if major changes take place. Then I test it extensively make sure I can boot off of it. Furthermore, have a second machine that's clone of the primary machine, hardware and software wise. that's also gets internally cloned exactly like the primary. so if I experience catastrophic software failure, unable to boot, I boot off the clone SSD. That's basically in sync with the primary, might lose a few weeks of changes but the core OS is intact. If the changes are really critical, back them up to an internal drive which is shared between the primary/clone ssds. If I experience catastrophic hardware failure, switch over to the clone machine. At that point I have the option of using the OS that's on it, that's somewhat out of sync ( but not really) or I can just swap the SSDs into it from the failed box and be where I was before the crash. Basically that's 1 primary and 3 copies of the operating system and hardware is essentially 1:1 except that the clone machine lacks a bluray disk player.

:)

 

First time strategy game recommendations

All the suggestions so far have been RTS games. I'll add Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander (the first one, not the second one) to that list.

If you want to try a turn-based strategy game, I suggest you start with some of the classics, like Civilization or X-COM or Master Of Magic or Master of Orion. Most of those, except for the earlier versions of Civilization, are available from GOG.COM or Steam. OpenTTD is also a cool game if you want to start with a freebie. They are older, for sure, but still great games. It does not take modern graphics with lots of explosions to make a great strategy game. You could even try the Chess game built into 7--gasp. It's not the strongest opponent, but it plays a decent game.

 

Backup Issue - Microsoft 10 - Cannot perform initial backup

Question

• 
  
  

Applies to

• Windows
• Windows 10
• Update, backup, & recovery

5 views Backup Issue - Microsoft 10 - Cannot perform initial backup




My backup stubbornly refuses to run. I can't run the initial backup, therefore the file history backups don't run either. This has been an ongoing problem for quite some time. Suggestions I've received have not worked so far. Following is the problem
and the failed resolution attempts:

• I get this message from the Event Log:

Unable to scan user libraries for changes and perform backup of modified files for configuration C:\Users\Papa\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration\Config

Event ID - 201

Level: Error

User - System

*** ---- There is no config file at this directory location. The contents of the location are:

catalog1

catalog2

config1

config2

• In another thread from July, someone suggested checking a particular service (I forget the name just now) is running. It is.

• Two days ago a Microsoft employee suggested the following steps. These steps resulted in no change, still no backup:

KA

Karthicka_R replied on

• Microsoft
• Support Engineer

Hi,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft community.

I suggest you to follow the below steps to start and stop the services “Windows backup” and “volume shadow copy” and check if it helps.

• Press “Windows+R” and in the run command box type “services. MSc”.
• Search for the service “Windows Backup” double click on it and check whether the service is started or not, click on “OK” button. I suggest you to stop and start the service again.
• Once done again search for the service “Volume shadow copy” double click on it and check whether the service is started or not. I suggest you to stop and start the service again, click on “OK” button and
  check whether you can perform backup successfully.

Hope this information was helpful and do let us know if you need further assistance. We will be glad to assist.

• I performed these steps multiple times. The backup still crashes, with the same error message. In addition I collected the following error message, but only one time:

Unable to start a backup cycle for configuration C:\Users\Papa\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration\Config

Event ID: 200

• Can anyone help me with this stubborn problem?

Thank you in advance.

 

Using network hard drive for backup

It depends what sort of backup you want to do. If you're happy just backing up regular files, then there are a bazillion (really, that many!) different bits of freeware to do that. There is a good list here:

Download Back Up Tools for Windows - MajorGeeks

and pretty much all of them can do network backups. Some even have fancy options like encryption. Really, the most useful thing is just being able to schedule them and know they ran OK.

You may also want to make a system image backup too, and you'll find that software in the very same list.

I don't have Windows 8 as yet, so I'm afraid I can't suggest any for that platform. Personally, I use Clonezilla for image backups.