13 replies to this topic

[zenia]

Backup

Sometimes a hard disk breaks. The hard disk doesn't start anymore. This happens a lot with an ssd. When a hard disk doesn't operate anymore the data, files and information stored on the hard disk can be lost. An option to make a little bit sure the information keeps available it is to make a backup of the hard disk. A backup is a copie of the files. The amount of work put into making and storing backups depends of the value of the information. Pictures of a holiday and of the childhood can't be taken again. People often regret the loss of pictures. A backup gives more opportunities to save information like pictures.

The best way to handle a back up is to make several copies of the information in several ways on several media and to store these media holders in several places far from eachother.

Several ways are like making a digital copy of information. Another way is to print the information and to store the prints. The same can be applied to pictures. A picture can be stored in a digital form. It is possible to print the picture and to store the printed version on paper too.

Some media that can be used are an external hard disk, a cd, a dvd and a usb-stick.

Online storage space is another option to save information.

The several media need to be kept on geographical locations that are far from another. When the media are kept in the same house the information can get lost by a fire or by burglars and thieves. When the information is kept in several houses in the same city the information can get lost by an earthquake, a hurricane or a water flood. When the information is kept on different media on locations far from eachother the chances that both locations get struck by a nature disaster are relative small.

A complete 100% full guarantee that information never gets lost is almost impossible. On the other hand can a simple action like making a backup each day and keeping the backup copies safe on several media on several locations far from eachother help to recover the information in the case of the loss of information.

Edited by zenia, 16 June 2011 - 12:21 AM.

[8ennett]

Backing up media and important documentation is becoming easier in this digital age.

Backing up to a USB storage device such as a small key may seem like a good idea, but try not to use one that you use on a regular basis as these items are easily lost and as was stated earlier can be lost in fire etc. It doesn't seem practical however to backup your data to a storage media and then send it half way around the world (or even half way around the city you live in) to keep the data safe. After sending the data away you will then have an outdated backup elsewhere once changes are made to the documents you have sent away. A better option would be to setup a persistent network connection with an offsite system. Say your parents have a computer and a permanent broadband connection, you can setup free (for personal use) software such as FBackup or GFI Backup, you can even use Microsoft Sync Toy to synchronise the two computers so any changes made on one will automatically update the other when both are connected to the web. This method is both simple and easy once setup, and helps to prevent outdated backups.

Microsoft SkyDrive offers anyone with a .NET passport 5gb of storage space. This form of online storage is upgradeable for a fee, however if you are storing media such as photos and images then 5gb is generally more than enough. There is no need to worry about spreading out your data across geographical locations as your storage on skydrive is backed up on several different servers at different locations as it is. If something should happen to one of the servers that stores your data then it is automatically retrieved from one of the other backups, and you generally wouldn't find out about the server failure. If some form of disaster were to occur and all the servers and backups were to be destroyed then the scale of the event would render you losing your data insignificant.

[zenia]

An internet storage solution can be seen like one of the useful additional ways of a backup. The problem, that the backup that is kept on a different remote location is out of date does not apply for important information that doesn't change. Examples of information that somebody likes to keep safe are tax documents, holiday pictures, youth pictures, sent letters, written documents like a book somebody is writing. It is not important that this information is updated regular. The reason is that this information doesn't change much and maybe not at all. Like a form that is filled in to send in the information about the income to the tax office is sent one time a year. This form doesn't change afterwards. The same applies for letters that are sent. It can be handy to archive the letters that are sent. Those letters don't change anymore.

One solution that somebody uses is to store the backup on an external hard disk. Once every week or every two weeks this person visits the parents the external disk is placed at the house of the parents. A second external hard disk that has a backup and that was at the house of the parents is taken back home. In this case the backup information is always at the most two weeks old. More recent changes and files can be stored online in the mean time like as an attachment of an email message that is sent to the same email address or to another email address this person owns.

The amount of efforts and money somebody likes to spend to the backup options depend of the importance and the value of the information to this person. The most important part is to make backups very regular and very often. Once information and a file are lost it shows how important an updated backup is. Forums about computer issues are still filled with questions about how to retrieve data from a crashed hard disk. The use of data retrieval programs show that people still loose data from hard disks that refuse to operate. There are still people who are surprised that their equipment stops working. And the loss of data is felt more painful once the information is lost without a useful backup.

[zenia]

The remark about the usb-stick is useful. The same can be said about a hard disk. Some people use an internal hard disk that is placed in the same computer that houses the hard disk with the information. This is risky. The risks, that the second hard disk breaks are very high. The information on the second hard disk can easily get lost when the computer is used. When some actions are taken it is easy to erase the information on the second hard disk. Saving a file on a second hard disk on a computer, that contains the original file, can not be considered to be a backup. This can be called a copy of the original information. The place where the backup is saved makes the copy of the file a backup. The same regards to a usb-stick. When the usb-stick is used for regular use the risks that the digital information gets lost are too big to be able to call the copy of the file a backup. The usb-stick can get lost, can drop out of the pocket of somebody and the usb-stick can uninentionally be left behind in a place. The information on the usb-stick can be overwritten unintentionally. A usb-stick that is used for a backup should be used for the storage of the backup only. The backup usb-stick should not be used for regular tasks in order to minimize the risks of loosing the backup.

The same applies for other backup media. For instance an external hard disk with a back up should not be attached to the computer. The risk to overwrite the backup unintentionally is too high. A backup on an external hard disk that is connected to the computer with the original file can be called a copy of the information too. And a copy of a file is not the same like a backup.

[yordan]

The risks, that the second hard disk breaks are very high.

I would not say this that way.
The risk of loosing the computer is high, but in that case you can remove the hard disk and read the data on another computer.
Your data are on one physical disk, and if your backup is on another physical disk, the probability of loosing simultaneously both hard drives is negligible, you will loose one disk and the date will be available on the other one.
If you loose your backup disk, your main disk is still there. If you loose your master disk, replace it, re-install the operating system, and your backup data are available on the second disk.
The only risk is if the backup is on another partition of the same physical disk, then you are protected against an operating system failure but you are not protected against a hard disk failure.
And, of course, a NAS disk is probably the best solution, backing up your files to an independent disk located somewhere on your home Ethernet network.
Not so safe as a fully remote disk (in another town for instance) but very interesting because not attached to your computer and readable from any computer connected to your network.

[zenia]

(...)

If some form of disaster were to occur and all the servers and backups were to be destroyed then the scale of the event would render you losing your data insignificant.

(...) Means, that a part is taken out of the quoted text.

A backup can be seen like two copies of a file stored on different media on different locations.

It is possible to have different opinions about the usefulness of a backup. The idea is that after a big disaster the situation that files are still safe is less important. This depends of the importance of the values. When people had to leave New Orleans after the hurricane Katrina it might have been helpful to have backups of the files on the computer. Precious pictures of children, relatives and holidays will still be available. Documents and sent letters would still be stored. So the backup would easen the pain of the disaster. The backup makes sure the disaster doesn't get bigger than necessary. Lets imagine the situation of a company. When the company needs to move because of the water like in the case of the hurrican Katrina the files and information of the company are safe in the backup place. The company can move into another building, restore the files from the backup and the company is back in business again. Emails with customers are still there. Lists of customers are still ready to use. The financial information can be used like before. When the company doesn't have backup in another town the company would have a much bigger problem to start again. A webstore that lost its content because of server problems caused by the hurricanen continue with the back up of a database.

In the case of the nuclear disaster in Japan it is very obvious that backups of the nuclear system and the computer programs are needed to control the nuclear plant.

In the case of the disaster in Haïti the government needs backups to be able to build up the nation. When the American soldiers arrived on the airport they set up tables with laptops running on solar cells near the landing strips. They gathered information of American citizens in Haïti. The first thing they did after putting the information of the citizins in the laptop was to send the American citizens home by air plane. Backups of the information of the American Ambassee would have been helpful to find which American citizens were on the island.

[starscream]

I always prefer second hard disk either USB or SSD is fine. I think USB disks are easy to connect and take backup. I take backup on weekly or monthly basis. Most of the time i need backups on monthly basis and i use the source files of design and code to sync with it. I also found that 500GB is relatively cheaper disk in the hd market. So it's not a bad deal for most of us. You can get 1TB but i doubt if that much space is needed for most of us. My needs are anywhere between 250-400GB per year. Much of unused data is removed once the project is done or if the files are no longer necessary or required.

I'm considering using amazon s3 or rackspace cloud storage option. But as i have low connection here so it'll take more time to transfer data from desktop to the cloud. I guess that makes it hard to backup in such case. But if you're using wordpress then you can sync your database monthly or on demand to the amazon s3 and rackspace whenever you want.

Other than that skydrive, dropbox and jungle disk (amazon s3) are the better option for anyone who wants to take backup of data. I have found skydrive much faster in comparison to dropbox i guess that is because of bandwidth slot feature of dropbox, that makes other options look faster. Anyway, cloud storage options aside, i keep one USB hard disk and usb keydrive with my important data and so far i have yet to lose any data with it. So i guess i'm backed up that way.

[zenia]

Backup drill

Suppose this imaginational scenario.

Five minutes after reading this the computer freezes. The screen shows just one message when the computer tries to start up. The message announces, that no hard disk can be found. The hard disk crashed. First try to backup the information from the last backup. Does it work? Second thought: Did any precious information get lost since the last backup and the crash of the hard disk?

For some information is a daily backup useful.
And there are ways to store documents that have been finished just after they have been finished. Options are to send them in an attachment to the same email address and to burn them to a dvd or a cd.

Backups are sort of important for customers and companies. Forums of computer users still get questions about the recoverage of files. And data recoverage programs are still used. It even seems that recoverage companies earn a lot by attempts to get data back from a broken hard disk. It seems the prize depends from the size of the hard disk. It seems to, that a data recoverage company might charge something starting at $ 5,000.00 for attempts to get data back. The reason that these companies charge these high prices is that they try to open the hard disk and to move the inner plate into another hard disk cover. This has to be done in a dust free room. And it is very expensive to get a room free of dust.

Google shows lots of addresses of data recoverage companies. This means, that people still lose data. Making a daily backup is probably not a usual task for lots of people.

It sometimes happens that just and only after the hard disk is broken and after the information is lost some people realize the value in economical and emotional sense of the lost data. Since making a backup is relatively easy and cheap and in some cases for free there are lots of reasons for sceduling the construction of backups on a daily base. The same goes for making and storing copies of files that are just created. Examples are filled in forms, letters, manuscripts, webpages, coded programs. When the file gets lost due to a unhandy move or by a technical issue the ability to return to a saved copy of the file can be a big relieve. And once it happens all the efforts made in the past prove themselves to be valuable and worth the time.

A backup on a second hard disk in the same computer is usually not considered like a safe and useful way to backup a file. The risk to overwrite the file by unintentionally giving the wrong command is too big. It needs some time to get more information about this. From a comprehensive backup view it is recommended to keep the backup storage media and the computer gear that is used daily apart.

The risk of losing the data from a usb-stick when the usb-stick is used for daily computer tasks is mentioned before by somebody else in the post about the storage of a copy of a file on a usb-stick. Only when the usb-stick is only used for the storage of a backup and when the usb-stick is kept on a different location far away from the computer with the original file it is acceptable to call the copy of the file part of a backup. And a complete backup consists of at two copies of the original file saved on different media and kept on different locations far from eachother and far from the computer with the original file. And at least two copies are needed. More copies on different media stored far apart from eachother improve media the quality of the backup. With media is meant the different way a file can be stored and saved. This includes prints that are printed out on paper. Like letters, information, articles and manuscripts can be saves in written form. When the files on a computer get lost the file can be restored by typing over the written text. The file might have been lost but the creative work is still available.


There are examples of people who left and lost usb-sticks in a rented car and in a cab.

Edited by zenia, 21 June 2011 - 08:32 AM.

[yordan]

There are examples of people who left and lost usb-sticks in a rented car and in a cab

That's right.
But you will probably not crash your computer the same day when forgetting your USB stick in a cab.
You loose your USB-stick but your computer is still alive, so you rush to the next shop, buy a new USB-stick and backup your files again.
You can also imagine having two USB stick : one for monday, the second one for tuesday, in a round-robbin mode.

[zenia]

Reasons to make a backup

There are several reasons to make a backup. And there are several reasons because there are several ways digital information can get lost. The first reason is a human mistake. This happens often. Files still vanish because of the wrong command. And servers crash, hard disks break and usb-sticks get lost. There is a sort of scedule that computers get renewed every three till five years. And with every change of the components of a computer and of the complete computer the risk that digital information gets lost is present.

The second reason consists of technical issues. The parts of a computer are machine parts. And machine parts can stop to operate. And technical machine parts can break.

The third reason that can be mentioned are electricity issues. Especially an ssd can stop working because of a sudden stop of the electricity supply. Most ssd's don't have a controller that controls the safe storage of information when the electricity suddenly stops. And there are many reasons why an ssd can face the sudden cut off of the electricity. This happens for instance when the computer is closed using the on/off button.

Another reason consists of events that happen from outside. Burglars can steal all the computer equipment and all the information media like external disks, usb-sticks and dvd's and cd's. All equipment and all media in a building can get lost by a fire too.

Another possibility is more rare but it still happens. The investment brigade of the tax department can rally a company and take all computers and computer storage material with them. It is a common view that lots of boxes with documents and computers and computer storage material are carried out of a building. When the company saves backups on another location, not known by the tax officials, the information of the activities of the company are still available by the company owners and company workers.

The case of nature disasters is mentioned before. This can't be considered to be rare occasions. Maybe each month a nature disaster occurs somewhere in the world. Recent examples are the earth quakes in New Sealand and Haïti, the floods in Australia and the midwest of the United States of America, the tsunami in Japan and the tsunami in India and other coasts in the region. And in such cases backups can help to minimize the damage.

[zenia]

Reasons to make a backup

There are several reasons to make a backup. And there are several reasons because there are several ways digital information can get lost. The first reason is a human mistake. This happens often. Files still vanish because of the wrong command. And usb-sticks can get lost during a trip outside the house, the office or the building.

Another option is a mistake made when computer parts are renewed. There is a sort of scedule that computers of individuals and companies get renewed every three till five years. And with every change of the components of a computer and of the complete computer the risk that digital information gets lost is present.

The second reason consists of technical issues. The parts of a computer are machine parts. And machine parts can stop to operate. And technical machine parts can break. And servers crash, hard disk break and ssd's stop to function.

The third reason that can be mentioned consists of electricity issues. Especially an ssd can stop working because of a sudden stop of the electricity supply. Most ssd's don't have a controller that controls the safe storage of information when the electricity suddenly stops. And there are many reasons why an ssd can face the sudden cut off of the electricity. This happens for instance when the computer is closed using the on/off button.

Another reason consists of events that happen from outside. Burglars can steal all the computer equipment and all the information media like external disks, usb-sticks and dvd's and cd's. All equipment and all media in a building can get lost by a fire too.

Another possibility is more rare but it still happens. The investment brigade of the tax department can rally a company and take all computers and computer storage material with them. It is a common view that lots of boxes with documents and computers and computer storage material are carried out of a building. When the company saves backups on another location, not known by the tax officials, the information of the activities of the company are still available by the company owners and company workers.

The case of nature disasters is mentioned before. This can't be considered to be rare occasions. Maybe each month a nature disaster occurs somewhere in the world. Recent examples are the earth quakes in New Sealand and Haïti, the floods in Australia and the midwest of the United States of America, the tsunami in Japan and the tsunami in India and other coasts in the region. And in such cases backups can help to minimize the damage.

Edited by zenia, 21 June 2011 - 09:03 AM.

[zenia]

Reasons to make a backup, part two



Youtube

A reason to make a backup regularly and daily is a part of the use of Youtube. Accounts on Youtube are still hacked. Passwords are stolen by emails and Youtube messages. Sometimes a partnership is offered. The Youtube user needs to confirm its ownership of an account by telling the password of the account. Some people like very much to become a partner of Youtube. And without much thinking a response to the message is sent including the password.

Some accounts get closed by Youtube. Reasons can be complaints, the abuse of the service of Youtube and inappropiate content. The videos are lost when the account is deleted.

When an account is lost because the password is obtained by somebody who is not the creator of the account a backup of the videos is useful. When the backups of the videos are available a new account can be made in five minutes. All what is needed beside a computer and internet access is a new email address. And when the new account is created the videos can be uploaded on the new account. Lets say that in one afternoon the new account can be online and running with all videos visible again. The experience of some users show that after three months a new account and new videos on the new account get more views and more visitors and more subscribers than the old, lost and hacked account had and got before the loss and the hacking.

The pleasure and the relief of being back in business with all the original footage uploaded on the channel can be huge. The pleasure to be able to avoid the sadness the loss of the channel can cause are worth the effort to keep several copies of the videos spread over the country stored in different ways.

Youtube is not a safe place to store a video. The risk of losing the video is pretty big. Videos get deleted for being flagged without a serious reason. Videos are taken down because of copy right infringement claims. These claims can be false. But still Youtube takes a video down without consulting the owner of the video.

A recent example is the video of Rebecca Black. The representatives of the young American teenage singer Rebecca Black made copyrights claims about the Youtube hit video Friday. The video is taken down by Youtube. The company that produces the video and Rebecca Black ony have access to their own video file when they have the original video saved and when they have copies and backups of the downloaded video.

Edited by zenia, 21 June 2011 - 09:25 AM.

[starscream]

Five minutes after reading this the computer freezes. The screen shows just one message when the computer tries to start up. The message announces, that no hard disk can be found. The hard disk crashed. First try to backup the information from the last backup. Does it work? Second thought: Did any precious information get lost since the last backup and the crash of the hard disk?

Current data which is not backed up from the first disk is lost. There is nothing we can do other than sending it to drive backup company. In such case they try to get almost every recently written data from the drive. They do have some price tag which makes us think to sync the drive every day. Or take backups on drives like USB or SSD drives. I prefer USB drives and most of the time data from these drives is taken out if anything goes wrong.

Let's consider your scenario. Let's say data is lost in first drive.But if you have operating system disk and the data in second drive then chances are there that you have enough data to work on. So you need to get one more drive for the installation and as base setup. Once you do that you can then install operating system and restore the files on this drive. So yes we lost the data from the previous drive to some extent.

One thing about windows is that if OS is corrupt and causing issues with the startup or something like that. Then you can reinstall OS or format the specific drive. You can always keep the data in another partition and that way your data will be safe. Most of the folks who keep OS and data on same partition are likely to lose it. This is what i learned so far from my experience with backup.

There is one software from symantec called ghost backup which backups system at the state you created image on. So always create a backup with softwares/keys installed. That way you can backup your system if there is no hardware issue but more of OS issue for the boot failure or system failure.

[8ennett]

Lol I think the bottom line is we all agree that backing up your data is essential and such be practiced regularly, although we all prefer to use our own methods. I'll be sticking to synchronising with an offsite backup for up-to-the-minute updated data and online storage for weekly backups.