-=PCTechTalk=- Re: Backing Up
- From: Gman <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 18:11:02 -0400
Sandi,
Of everything you've said on this subject so far, the statement that
you're having 'great fun' with it is the one that really jumps out at me.
Having recent backups of the stuff you'd hate to lose is one of the most
important things you can do for your system and your own peace of mind, yet
so many view it as a chore to be despised and often put off until it's too
late. Perosnally, I thoroughly enjoy the rummaging, especially when I find
things I thought I had lost long ago. I also sleep REAL well at night
knowing it would take a heck of a lot more than a hard drive crash to cause
me to lose my most important stuff.
For the rest of my reply, you'll find it interspersed below.
Peace,
Gman
http://www.bornagainamerican.org
"The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sandi Beach" <sandib2@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "pctechtalk" <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2009 4:00 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Backing Up
>I have two other things I really don't want to lose.
> One is my data base (names,addresses,phone numbers, etc.) kept in
> CreataCard (one of my greeting card programs. I learned long ago from
> their
> forum that I needed to save the FMNot32.dat and the FMNot32.bak files from
> the Data subfolder and I have them saved on a floppy from about a year
> ago.
> The second thing I want kept safe is my e-mail addresses.
I'll bet as high as you'd like to go that there's a LOT more than just these
two items you'd like to keep. I'll send you the book I sent in for Roger a
while back (over a year ago) that details some of these items for your
consideration. I'll then answer questions about anything it brings to mind
over the list.
> I was going to ask if it mattered whether I dragged and dropped from left
> to
> right or from right to left. Decided to try it with the .dat and .bak
> files after first creating a new sub folder in the storage, backup folder
> and labeled it CAC addresses. It seems to have worked.
> Now I am wondering about creating yet another subfolder in backups and
> label
> it e-mail addresses. I see in Outlook Express, addresses, file there is
> an
> export option. Would that be the best way to copy it to the external hard
> drive? Or is it best to locate it in Windows Explorer and drag and drop
> as
> I have done the others?
As you've discovered, it doesn't matter when you're looking to Copy or Move
an entire folder and its contents. It WILL matter when you're only after
certain files within a folder since you can only get to individual files in
the right pane.
The info on the email accounts you use are stored within the Registry. The
Export function is the best way to back those up. It creates a single .IAF
file for each of the accounts you choose to export. Whenever I add a new
account to OE, I export it as soon as I'm finished creating it. Whenever I
need to re-enter my accounts into a new OE install, I just direct the import
function to the folder where I keep my .IAF files and import each one
individually. I sure beats having to type out all that info again..
> Next question: How often should I create new backups of My Documents, CAC
> address, and the e-mail addresses?
The answer could be as simple as "Whenever something changes", but I'll
later discuss how to automate/sync at least most of this stuff.
> And will they overwrite each time so I
> will know it is current or will I need to manually delete the old backup?
This part all depends on how you approach the task. I often make a copy of
an entire OS volume in preparation for a wipe/reinstall. In that case, I
create a new folder and give it a name that includes the info I'll need to
remember exactly what's in it and why it's there. For example, the folder
might be named something like "2009-03-08 XP C" to tell me when it was
backed up, the OS that ran within it and the drive letter it came from.
This allows me to keep it separate from any other backups I may already have
in the parent folder. This type of Copy will not be overwriting anything
and I know full well that I have a rummaging session coming up in my near
future (once that drive has been wiped and the OS reinstalled).
On the other hand, if I'm just backing up my Docs folder, I have to decide
if I need to keep any of the older versions of files that may have changed
since I last backed it up. As an example, I have a few text files I use to
temporarily hold things I don't want to lose (a friend's new mailing
address, a quote I found while surfing, etc.). The newer version of one or
more of these files may have some of those things removed because I either
acted on the info or wrote it down elsewhere and thought I didn't need them
anymore. But I'm just as guilty as anyone of losing things and I may have
misplaced the paper I wrote it on just before deleting it from the text
file. Luckily, that info is still contained within the older backup version
of the file, but I'll lose that, too, if I just let this backup of the Docs
file overwrite the last one. So, if I know there's something that falls
into this concern, I'll take the safe route and create a separate backup and
then use Clone Master to remove all of the duplicates (start a separate
thread if you need details). Whatever is left I can check out manually to
make sure I don't lose something I still want to keep. I can then add the
info back to the files in the original Docs location and make a mental note
that both locations are now sync'd properly. It's more work, but it gives
me peace of mind I wouldn't have using the 'overwrite' method. On the other
hand, if I know there's nothing that qualifies for this method, I'll just
overwrite the old with the new.
If you overwrite, keep in mind that the backup will still have any complete
file you deleted within the original location.
> This is great fun and I sure hope I am doing it right!
You're doing great, Sandi. In Life, the Journey is infinitely more
important than the Destination. With this backup subject, you still have a
lot of Journey left to enjoy. Keep smelling those roses along the way.
;)
> Sandi
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