Boot Drive and Programs Drive Backup
Ok where to start? I've used TI 2009/10 but only to image stripped downed OS's for other purposes. I've never actually used it for data backups until now. I've bought TI Home 2011 w/ Plus pack during their promotion to use on my new computer. First let me lay out my HDD's to visualize my question.
2x Crucial C300 64GB in Raid 0 for C:\ Only used for Win7 + most used programs
2x Samsung 1TB in Raid 0 for D:\ This is used for data, user folders, most programs and anything else that would write a lot to the SSD like pagefile.
1x Samsung 2TB for F: Only to be used for backups.
That leaves me with
- C:\ ~120GB - OS
- D:\ ~2TB - User folders, Pagefile, Storage, Programs
- F:\ ~2TB - Backups
I've tried searching and reading the help files plus some of the great stickies around here, but can't find the answer to my questions. Basically question number one is about my system image. I want to have an image of my system in its current new state before I start overclocking and risking loosing the OS. Once I get stable I'll start a true backup plan. I'm just confused on how to make the image since parts of my OS are spanned across two different arrays (disks) instead of partitions on the same disk as in the Help file. So how do I go about this to where it works in case of needing to restore my OS? Do I make one giant image of both drives C & D or individual images of for C & D? How will this work during recovery as for mounting the right image to different drives?
Ok now to my second question. I understand the difference between an image and file backup as far as recovery goes. Right now my plan is to just have image backups on a differential schedule granted I find the answer to question number one. Do any of you use the file backup feature and is there any reason to utilize that tool if you are running regular backups of the full system?
I have some more questions that I can't think of right now and/or may be answered in the responses to the first two. I'll ask those later depending on what I still don't know. FWIW, I'm not a fan of the new GUI for 2011. It just seems so limited. :(
The most reliable backup you will need is an image combining both C:\ and D:\ because you have to have programs backed up with your OS.
To your second question, you can make your image smaller by excluding the C:\users\ folder from the image, but make sure you have a backup of your content: when and if you restore your system completely, restoring E will erase the current E and lay out the image without the C:\users folders!
To backup the C:\users you can use ATI with the file backup approach. Many users end up backup their content more ofthen than their system.If a lot of your content is non-changing compressed files like .JPG, .MP3/4, .AVIs, etc, you might consider a file replication tool like SyncToy, Karen's replicator, SyncBack or PureSync. This allows you to create reliable copies that are not wrapped in a proprietary container. I personally use SyncBack.
If you use regular images, you don't need file backups.
Note1: always consider backup redudancy on alternative medium. If you have irreplaceable personal files, back them up in the image, and some other way in some other place. Backups sometimes fail to be restored. You can reinstall an OS and a program. Not your favorite picture.
Note2: don't bother putting you pagefile out of your SSD. Your system will benefit from having your pagefile on your SSD, because it tends to read the pagefile much more than it writes to it. Also, even if you write completely over your SSD three times a day, it will take you between 15 and 50 years to wear the SSD out...
Thanks for the response. I've used Acronis to make images of OS's for overclocking sessions to have an easy/fast way to restore the OS in the event of corruption. I've restored multiple partitions before, but it was partitions on a single disk to start with. So I take it that during recovery I can restore the the individual partitions to the physical disk I choose? I just don't want to start creating system images to only find out when I need them that it wants to put both partitions on one physical disk. So with an image of C:\ and D:\ I can select to put C:\ on the SSD's and D:\ on the HDD's during the restore process?
As far as leaving out the C:\ users folder in the image, I can't find that option to exclude anything other than certain file extensions like .TIB. I should mention that I didn't move the user folders the "right" way. I just moved the location of the folders withing C:\users\name to the D:\ drive.
I do keep copies of important personal files like pictures and such on multiple storage mediums in their original form but I is nice to be able to restore an image and have them all back there where they belong. Thanks again for the help!
Yes, if you create an image with both disks inside, you will be able to restore each partition where you want.
It is always a good practice to restore from the recovery CD. When you do that, you will have the options of restoring entire disks (partitions, mbr+track0), or individual partitions. When you select individual partitions, you can do whatever you want with them (put them in a pre-existing partition, on the same disk or another, put them on a blank disk, resize them, etc.).
You still have to be careful about restoring the system, active partition as a primary active partition. Although it is not recommended, you can rearrange the partitions. If you deviate too much from the original layout, and your system doesn't boot any longer, you will be able to repair the startup with the Windows installation DVD.
Thanks a ton!
I can't find that option to exclude anything other than certain file extensions like .TIB.
Under the same 'exclusions' link, in 'files matching criteria' you can enter (or browse to) a path, like c:\users\