How do you Backup?

[coffee]

I've changed my file structure and I'm considering backing up differently too.

Up till now I back up all of my photography, pictures, office, movies separately, but the photog and pictures are huge folders, so they can take up to 6-7 hours each to backup.

Now that my file structure is root/year/month/subject, for each of the above, I'm thinking about backing up each month of the year separately from one another. The plus side I can see if once a month is backed up, you don't have to back it up again unless you make changes. The downside is if I have to ever go to the backups, I will have to restore each month separately. I use Genie Backup Manager and works very well.

I'm also wondering if backing up in smaller chuncks can preserve some data in case other data gets corrupt somehow.

So do you backup in small chunks which takes less chuncks of time, or do you backup everything at once and just let the computer run for what can be days.

[LensBaby]

Hey I lost the other post. I will send you that paperwork from my instructor if you pm your email address. I cant send it through here.

[shayebryd]

I was wondering the same thing. I have 3 external HD totaling close to 2000 GB....thought they'd last forever......lol......but they are nearly full!
I have read that even the EHD are known to corrupt or fail.....and the cost to retrieve the information can be quite spendy.
Wondering what other's do to backup......
Thank you in advance!

[LensBaby]

There is a post somewhere on here that tells how everyone backs up. I use a long process. This is what I do -


I have files on the computer, and then I transfer them to a file on my external hard drives. (I have two at this point)

I then make copies of my files on a disc and make at LEAST 2 copies because the cd's can be corrupt themselves. Think about it...if you put your files on a disc and for some reason the were deleted off of your system, and when you went to get the disc it was corrupt..you would be upset.


Ok so after I send to externals, make multiple backup discs, I then send to an off site service provider.


I do not do this for all of my files, just my great shots, and also for clients.

[garthm34]

I've also been noodling about the best i.e. efficient, reliable and safe way to backup my photos.

Currently I backup manually to 2 external hard drives. I'm looking into a system that would allow me to do the following automatically on a schedule.

1. After I do a full backup to the 2 external drives.

2. In one weekly scheduled job incremental backups from the source hard drive folder including subfolders, sequentially to the 2- external hard drives. Basically,

Source Drive on computer ----Incremental Backup to ---- External Drive #1
THEN same
Source Drive on computer ----- Incremental Backup to ---- External Drive #2

these external drives are on the network (NAS drives)

Each backup would include a verification step and create a log file that could be checked for errors. All backup of files would be exact copies of those files i.e. no image backup and no compression of files.

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions please let'em fly!

[jerryph]

If you do a search this topic is covered a couple of times.

[garthm34]

If you do a search this topic is covered a couple of times.

First place I always look... but alas all I ever get when trying to search the forums here is a blank page. Never does work for me.

[coffee]

First place I always look... but alas all I ever get when trying to search the forums here is a blank page. Never does work for me.

This is true. The search on this forum isn't good.

[jerryph]

First place I always look... but alas all I ever get when trying to search the forums here is a blank page. Never does work for me.

Funny, it *always* seems to work for me?

http://www.proudphotography.com/foru...ghlight=backup

http://www.proudphotography.com/foru...ghlight=backup

http://www.proudphotography.com/foru...ghlight=backup

http://www.proudphotography.com/foru...ghlight=backup

All I did was enter the word BACKUP into the advanced find and hit enter!

[LensBaby]

The search doesn't work when I am on my mac, but it has worked before when I was on my pc. Usually it is just a blank page for me as well.