Buzz Billsberry Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 Hi all I've recently bought an external hard drive to back the contents of my PC up. Where do I start?? I did see something whilst browsing on the pcsome time ago that said back up computer, but I can't for the hell of me find it. Any help and guidence would be much appriciated. I'm running Windows XP Home edition with service pack 3 etc Cheers Buzz Quote
Andy Banks Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 It's possible there is some software on the external drive, if not, you can use windows backup. Not got access to an XP machine but you should be able find this in Control Panel or Accessories or Administrative Tools. As ever GIYF (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422) Quote
John Williams (Panda) - Joint Manchester AO Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 Have a google for cobian backup it will allow you to select folders graphically. If you have problem pm me. Cheers john Quote
CrashBangWallop Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 If it's an external, formatted hard-drive connected via USB, you can just copy and paste the folders you need. If you want something a bit more comprehensive, Windows XP has it's own backup utility, but you might need to install it from the XP disc. I found http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422 by typing ' Windows XP backup' into google. If you're going to back up anything important, I'd recommend you burning a DVD/bluray instead. Hard-drives have a habit of failing at the most inopportune of moments. Quote
Blatman Posted February 4, 2012 Posted February 4, 2012 Do both! Back up the important folders / files to DVD's, then do a full operating system back-up to the external drive. As already mentioned, many external drives come with back-up programmes on a CD. Did your drive come with a CD? For the back-up in XP go to Start > Accessories > System Tools. There's a wizard... Quote
Stuart Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 Dumb question time - does that XP backup ultility back up the OS then - so you can do a complete restore after, say, a HDD failure? Quote
Andy Banks Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 Dumb question time - does that XP backup ultility back up the OS then - so you can do a complete restore after, say, a HDD failure? Not entirely but it will help get Windows back with all your files and settings. I believe you need the original OS CD/DVD. Quote
JustCallMeMac Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 I've used the following free back up software for years. http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp Easy to use and backs up can be run as and when, or automatically scheduled Steve Quote
Blatman Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 Dumb question time - does that XP backup ultility back up the OS then - so you can do a complete restore after, say, a HDD failure? In my experience... Yes! But... When we tried to restore an XP Pro system using a combination of the original install disc and the XP generated back-up file it was a rather fussy. Doing the retore using just the full O/S back-up that XP generates should go well. As mentioned though, there are many options for back-ups. I like several of the offerings that are available from Acronis, and I've used the disc cloning software to great effect. Quote
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 Whatever option you go for, just make sure you allow enough capacity for more than just one, constantly over written, back up. Nothing worse than patiently restoring from a backup set only to find you've neatly restored the fault too. And the back ups don't go far enough back to get to a "clean" copy. Quote
Buzz Billsberry Posted February 5, 2012 Author Posted February 5, 2012 Do both! Back up the important folders / files to DVD's, then do a full operating system back-up to the external drive. As already mentioned, many external drives come with back-up programmes on a CD. Did your drive come with a CD? For the back-up in XP go to Start > Accessories > System Tools. There's a wizard... the Back disc is a Western digital 1TB My Passport Essential SE and runs USB 2 & 3. I can't find the wizard in system tools and apparently the Home Edition of XP dosen't come with back up but I'm sure I've seen it on the PC but I just can't remember where. Anyway is it worth installing the cobain back up free software?? Cheers Buzz Quote
Blatman Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 I have no knowledge or experience of Cobain. A quick web search on Google using the phrase "system backup on xp home" found this... this... this... I could go on... and on... Quote
Dibby Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 To be honest, wouldn't worry about backing up your entire hard drive to recover if it all goes down, by the time programs update themselves and the crud gathers behind Windows it's easier to wipe and start again with a fresh install of Windows. Just keep a backup of your important files like photos and music rather than worry about these disc image programs, if there's a power surge in the house that takes out the computer, chances are it'll take out the external hard drive too so investing in a duplicate for off-site storage and swap them over or buy some online storage space. Quote
John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 Buzz - just go Start > Run and type in NTbackup. If nothing happens it aint installed Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.