Yeah, this is so. But when I've got to find an old file , it's much easier to browse them the way I do backups. They are not in a proprietary format that backup programs often seem to use. I can just poke around and find them on the backup hard drive and copy them over.

If you back up or ghost to a hard drive and are carrying a destrutive virus, how do you salvage?

You have wiped out your last good data, and ove written with a deadly bug.

I keep all my data files in a shared folder on my desktop.

I back up my .pst to another shared folder on my desktop, 1 minute before I walk away with the notebook.

On both, "Offline files" (Tools/Folder Options in Windows Explorer) is enabled.

On my notebook, I map to these 2 network drives. The files are still available when I unplug the notebook from the dock.

The worst case scenario is that if my notebook is stolen, I've only lost any new or updated files (apart from critical ones which I still put on a floppy or CD-R).

Back in the office (or if I use a VPN), the notebook automatically synchronises the files.

Each computer backs up the other.

Each computer's backup is "offsite".

The restore, which I've had to do once from notebook to desktop, and once from desktop to notebook (stolen grrrrr), was simply reinstalling OS, reinstalling apps - usually 2-4 hours.

I'm not as quick as ScottC http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif - but both the backups and restores work.

OK, let me ask you a new question.

If it's so important (Important enough for me to go out and buy extra hardware that I don't otherwise need, and important enough that I should physically take time every week to do this), then why hasn't Microsoft built it into the O/S where it all happens automatically for me.

For all the badmouthing that MS gets, they generally are pretty good about throwing their weight behind whatever it is that everybody out there wants. I still think that the automatic updates to the O/S are a fantastic addition to the product.

So, why hasn't MIcrosoft added it into the O/S automatically and for free to obliterate the competition charging money for their software.

Microsoft hasn't done it because:

1) most people don't really care about backing up. What I mean is that people do care about their data, but they are too lazy to back up. Even if Microsoft made it available (besides the pathetic backup program today) most ppl still wouldn't bother. Heck, it's not that difficult to burn files to CD's, and most ppl I know don't want to to take the time to do it.

It's like keeping your checkbook in balance. A lot of people just don't do it.

2) Microsoft doesn't make money by spending R&D dollars on this new feature, and there's a lot of good solutions out there already. Bill Gates would make a lot more sales by incorportaing functions like voice computing, hand writing software, stuff that makes computing easier, so that's where he's focusing his R&D dollars on.

I believe my PC was shipped with at least one backup program. It is my responsibility to run it. Most people don't want to be bothered. They risk losing their data but for many people, we're talking about their home PC and the data isn't critical.

Business users do backup of course.

Well Windows Server 2003 does include an integrated backup program - its actually, AFAIK, Veritas

There are ways to automate Ghost.

1) Setup a bootable CD-ROM drive that loads a DOS CD-ROM driver and MSCDEX, add the Ghost image to the non-bootable data area of the CD-ROM prior to burning.
2) Make certain the autoexec.bat has the Ghost command line options to restore an image on the mounted real CD-ROM drive (not the virtual floppy/CD rom boot area)

Do a search on google for "Bootable ghost"

See; http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rosss...sec2.html#bk27 as an example

[This message has been edited by NickP 1K (edited 08-22-2003).]

Actually, Microsoft use to ship with some very good backup programs. They still do ship with backup, it's not installed by default. The third party programs were better, so they stopped installing theirs by default.

I use to use theirs all the time in earlier windows versions, but now they leave it up to others to support DVD and all the other media options.

The question of if Microsoft didn't include it that it can't possibly be important just doesn't work. Anti Virus software not important? A decent fax software? There are lots of things they don't ship with or install that are important, they just don't want to support the average user using them.

I am participating in their PC Satisfaction trials, it's an all-in-one application that has backup, anti-virus and a firewall.

All additions of Windows 2000 and XP include a backup program; installed by default.

Look under start\programs\accessories\system tools\
and you will see backup.

You can schedule it to run at off hours.

I back up to a searate physical disk nightly; and burn "My Documents" (where I keep all my stuff) to CD every few weeks. I keep the CD at the office; I have insurance for stuff in my home; but that CD has all my records -- all old emails; financial records, digital family photos etc.

And for those that asked -- you can script powerquest to attomate it. (At least the DOS mode version works; they have a new ver that I haven't seen yet that supposedly even runs under Windows).

I said "automate" I should have said "schedule". I don't want to have to be anywhere near it when it runs, and I want it to "sliently" backup across the network.

Given the microsquish penchant for providing a perfect host platform for remote security exploits and the associated virii, do you really want to trust your data to an MS firewall/virus scanner?

It's an ancillary point, I know, but I'll be buying Trend products, Veritas products, and a real firewall to sit in front of my windows farm until a snowball survives in hades http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif.

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Saving the world, one clue at a time.

It's twofold, yes, I do trust them with this, they are holding a very extensive and long beta test (unlike some of their other products) and it's been made from scratch with products aquired from others. It won't be a solution for myself but I do beleive it will benefit the average joe home user that doesn't "do" anti-virus or backup software.

Windows XP Pro installs it's backup program by deflaut, XP Home requires you to install it separately.

The problem with XP's backup program is that it can't backup up to CDs and it can't back up individual files, just folders. If that's not a problem it works fine. However the cost of removal media is more expensive than a good backup program like Stoomp's BackUpMyPC which is the non network version of Veritas and which can backup to cheap CDs.