Backup question

Dblaze

Dblaze

Dblaze

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Joined
3 Apr 2009
Posts
261
Location
Preston UK
Sorry that this is another backup question.

I have been doing a lot of reading online to try to cover all the bases of backing up my business data which I think is adding to the confusion.

I have read online that it is best to backup the pc user folder but when I do that it is giving me errors if an application has been opened or closed during the backup.

My question is do I need to backup the entire user folder?

Thanks
 
Id say only you can really answer that question. Obviously you've got documents and media stored in the relevant folders and then you've got application preferences stored in the AppData (hidden) folders.

Do you need them backed up or not?
 
When you say 'business data' what do you mean exactly?

What I do..

Once a month (ish) take a full system image when Windows is offline (I do it using Macrium Reflect in the boot cd mode)

Daily, backup files used into a 7z file
Weekly / monthly, robocopy my Music/Videos/Photos to a network location and 2x backup drives (So I have 4x copies of them, just in case!)

On my mum's work machine, she uses outlook, so I create a weekly backup of the PST file, daily backup of her files into a 7z file

Skydrive is also used 'Documents' folder to keep a cloud copy of them.


You need to know how to restore these backups too, no use blindly copy/pasting the user folder, there'll be a lot of junk you don't need. Better off doing application specific backups
 
I currently have two pcs to backup and I am backing them up as follows:

PC1

User folder Mirrored daily to (Z) Network drive and usb Hdd.

Lantek folders Mirrored daily to (Z) Network drive and usb Hdd.

Inflow inventory Mirrored daily to (Z)Network drive and usb Hdd.

PC2

User folder Mirrored daily to (Z) Network drive and usb Hdd.

Files stored on (Y) Network drive Mirrored daily to usb Hdd.

I also do a monthly drive image of both pcs and store that on the USB Hdd.

The usb hard drive is taken home daily as the offsite backup.
 
Is there anything you need in the user folder?
Is it just Users\username\Documents you need to backup?
 
I have a local backup for important data (documents/photography stuff etc) onto a serperate internal HDD, most non-confidential documents are also on Skydrive but the entire PC is also backed up to the Crashplan cloud (encrypted heavily) so I can restore any documents from there, or the entire PC if things really go badly.

Crashplan has saved my bacon once with my photography stuff already after a schoolboy error on my part involving an external backup drive and lots of tears!
 
I read that Windows stores settings for programs in the user folder, so rather than go through all programs trying to determine where these folders and files might be, its better to back up the entire folder.
Problems that I am currently having are that the backup is failing on:

C:\Users\US\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

And

C:\Users\US\AppData\Local\Temp

I don’t know if these are folders that do not need to be backed up, if it is ok not to backup those folders are there any other folders that also do not need to be backed up.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Set it to ignore those folders

Temporary internet files and the user temp folder. You won't need anything in them.
 
Suck it and see is the best advice, whether or not it's worth backing up the other folders, is up to you to decide.
 
bledd. said:
What do you use to back things up by the way?

robocopy is a great tool for backing up

http://ss64.com/nt/robocopy.html

Either /E or /MIR for making mirrors
Click to expand...

I use Syncback Pro for file backups and Paragon Drive backup.
I am opting for mirror backups because I don’t have the need to go back because of human error.
I have been bitten in the past so I want to cover the bases as much as possible without being too paranoid.

Thanks for the link
 
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