program for backing up data

s452

s452

s452

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14 Jan 2010
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595
can someone recommend me a program for backing up my data?

i want it to back up to an external HDD at a scheduled time or when i tell it to.

it should only back up the files i've used since the last back up.

im running window 7 ultimate 64 bit, hopefully theres a way to do what i want in there
 
Open notepad..

type this..


robocopy /e "C:\source files" "D:\backup\desination folder"


Save that as "daily backup.bat" on your Desktop.

Make sure it's .bat and not .bat.txt (change the 'Save as type' to All Files)


Double click the file and it will first copy ALL data

Every run after that, it will only copy new files, or files that have been updated since the last backup
 
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You could also create a task in scheduler (control panel, admin tool) to run the bat file at a set time each day.
 
It kind of depends on whether you want
- a simple copy of the data with the same folder structure (e.g. robocopy, synctoy, syncback), or
- to be able to keep snapshots of the data as it was at each backup date (e.g. windows backup).

If you use robocopy without the /purge switch then I don't think it deletes any files from the target (backup) if you delete or move them around on the source, so over time you can get 'orphaned' out of date files on the backup. It might be worth bearing in mind that depending on how you do the backup, that if a source data file get unknowingly corrupted or deleted then the backup copy will be trashed too.
 
thanks for the copying part, can you provide the part that will delete files from the back up that have been deleted from the original as well
 
s452 said:
thanks for the copying part, can you provide the part that will delete files from the back up that have been deleted from the original as well
Click to expand...


Robocopy isn't something I've used for ages, but looking at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc733145(WS.10).aspx it would be:

robocopy /e /purge "C:\source files\" "D:\backup\desination folder\"

or this equivalent with just one switch:

robocopy /mir "C:\source files\" "D:\backup\desination folder\"

Don't forget that if you inadvertently delete a file from the source, then this will faithfully remove it from your backup, so it's not exactly safe on it's own as a backup plan. If you use synctoy or syncback (or robocopy withe the /l switch) it will give a preview of what files it is about to copy and gives a chance to spot anything unexpected.
 
bledd. said:
Open notepad..

type this..


robocopy /e "C:\source files\" "D:\backup\desination folder\"


Save that as "daily backup.bat" on your Desktop.

Make sure it's .bat and not .bat.txt (change the 'Save as type' to All Files)


Double click the file and it will first copy ALL data

Every run after that, it will only copy new files, or files that have been updated since the last backup
Click to expand...
Umm just tried that myself between 2 HDD partitions, the cmd screen shows up only for a split second, presumably saying command not recognised or whatever :S

Code: 
robocopy /e "G:\College Work\" "O:\Test\"
Am I just being stupid :P
 
robocopy /e "G:\College Work" "O:\Test"
would be similar to how i edited bledd's instructions for my needs for it to fit what you are wanting
 
s452 said:
robocopy /e "G:\College Work" "O:\Test"
would be similar to how i edited bledd's instructions for my needs for it to fit what you are wanting
Click to expand...
Did nothing still, weird umm

Downloaded Synctoy, very easy to use.
 
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SyncToy looks like just what I need to keep my FLAC files backed up and synced on my USB3 external drive. Nice one!
 
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