Windows 10: No excuse any more for failing to take decent Backups

I keep the external drive in a different physical location, not having any sort of network... so it means I have to go and get it, and plug it in. Significant time compared to the much shorter time for the backup to run on SSD and USB3 on my new laptop.

 

Hi there
On my NAS I can swap HDD's in seconds so my Backup drive is pulled out of the NAS after backing up.
I also keep a second copy on external portable 2TB HDD. I've never needed the second copy but IMO it's always worth while having a second copy on a different device in case there's problems with the first one.

Another easy solution is to backup alternately to different HDD's - if you take backups regularly then even if one fails you've got a reasonable second version.

Cheers
jimbo

 

I don't understand that emphasis on backups at a different location. If your house burns down you have bigger things to worry about than some files. And how often does that happen. I have seen that last time in 1943/44 when the friendly US Air force bombarded us.

 

As far as my system drive is concerned, I don't have a back up. I like to reconfigure the whole darn thing every so often anyway, so I don't feel the need to back up my OS and other programs. But as far as my data goes...


I have several copies. I have 3 copies on 3 different drives hooked up to my computer, a hard drive in a drawer in another part of the house and a drive at my daughter's house, just in case. I rotate these out about once a month.

 

I have been working on my files for many, many years. They contain a lifetime of very important data.

 

Understand - that's why they need to get backed up. But why do they have to be at another location.

 

Fire, flood, thieves, small asteroid... oh heck, there are some situations where backing up is just not enough...

 

I guess if you expect the doomsday, you should save backups in a bunker.

 

All of important documents are scanned in as PDF's and stored off site, along with a local copy. Everything I need for a catastrophic lost is easy to get to, instead of trying to dig through rubble.

The Air Force did not bomb anyone in 1943 & 1944. That was the Army Air Corps and Marines who flew planes during WWII. The Air Force was not even formed until 1947.

 

If doomsday happens, no one would be around afterwards.

 

I understand it was not the Air Force but Air Forces. But at the time I did not understand the difference. I was only 7 years old and burning houses and burning people left a lifetime impression.

 

I keep all business records on my computer. I wouldn't be able to survive without them. Also have pictures of kids and grandkids that haven't been printed.

I always kept a backup in a safe deposit box at the bank. After a major hurricane (lost the roof to my office but not my data) I realized the bank could have been damaged and it took weeks for them to reopen. I could have been out of business for a month! Realized then that I had to get my offsite backup into a different geographical location and moved to a cloud service.

 

Hmm, hurricanes. I understand that this can be a problem. But in the Black Forest we never have hurricanes. And I live on a mountain that will never flood.

 

Hi,

Why not make at least one back up of the system ? Especially when one wants to changes things every so often ...?
I mean, what's the point of having all these important files backed up when all of a sudden you're without a system to continue that work, right ?

Ever since I've had W10 crash on me a couple of times, admittedly quite some time ago, I just keep a spare drive with the OS on so I can just pop it in when needed.

Cheers, *Wink