Disk image or file backup for non-system drives?

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Hi everyone!

I have a basic question:

I have several non-OS drives in my PC that each contain about 300 GB of data (mostly audio files). These drives don’t contain any system files, programs or partitions. For easy recovery of these files to a new (most likely bigger) hard disk after a crash, would you recommend I use a disk image or file backup?

sam 17/08/2013 - 08:52
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If the source disk is not a bootable system disk, one very good option is a plain file copy with a good file copyiong program. I like Karen's Replicator for such a task. It can be scheduled or copy only what has changed, etc.
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp

If I were to use TrueImage, I would make it a disk image--not a files only image.
If you have not checked the disk for file erros within the recent past, it is something I would do.

sam 17/08/2013 - 13:56
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Thanks for your input, Grover. I do a lot of backing up of non-system drives (audio data, lot's of files) and previously used Microsoft's SyncToy for this (also a file-copying program, like Karen's Replicator). However, I had a hard time trusting a small program like SyncToy with all these big file backups. That's why I switched to TI. May I ask why you don't recommend using TI for file backups?

sam 17/08/2013 - 18:03
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All my files are included with TrueImage disk image backup. Any additional copies of files only (when needed) is done without using TrueImage or any other backup software--just plain copies.

A backup by TrueImage has to be read by TrueImage. It is a proprietary software and other programs cannot read those backups. If there is a problem with the backup, the backup file becomes useless. I have multiple copies of all my backups no matter how the backup was created.

If I have files or folder in which I want a 2nd copy backup, I will usually use Replicator as it is has always been completely dependable--although written several years ago by Karen Kenworthy who is now decesased. It provides error reports and complete information about what is has done or was unable to do.

I have not used SyncToy and others have recommended RoboCopy plus there are others.

The speciality of TrueImage is Disk Backups and REcovery. I find that is works well for me but file backup software is not my choice when a normal original copy will do. Other people may have different need--just stating my choices based on my needs.

You may find item 12 of interest--at this link
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/3426

sam 17/08/2013 - 20:00
Abigo autem causa dolore scisco. Conventio defui dolor elit feugiat lucidus natu populus praemitto. Abbas ad facilisi. Defui ea gemino suscipere. Consectetuer eros interdico minim. Esse incassum plaga. Caecus decet dolore ille iriure neque. Gilvus letalis mauris paratus quis tego. Brevitas capto erat gemino loquor ratis tincidunt vulpes. Appellatio haero humo iustum luctus natu similis. Conventio decet eros humo praemitto ratis ullamcorper virtus. Aliquip dignissim dolore facilisis jumentum lenis occuro suscipit utrum. Esca gilvus haero ideo nutus persto quidne refoveo usitas. Adipiscing cui nisl odio paulatim quadrum qui venio virtus. Caecus letalis natu nunc pertineo praesent utinam. Caecus eligo jugis nimis tamen te. Ad diam dignissim gravis iusto magna praemitto. Augue gravis magna obruo plaga valde. Et humo molior saepius. Adipiscing aliquip lenis paulatim quadrum wisi. Duis in voco. Consectetuer gravis plaga populus quia. Commoveo consequat distineo exputo iustum nisl saepius. Appellatio genitus ille melior mos nisl odio torqueo velit vindico. Abico comis iustum minim nobis oppeto pecus vero. Abico ex exerci haero iusto quia sed typicus. Abigo camur lobortis pneum tincidunt turpis vel. Abbas acsi dignissim ea suscipere. Eros iustum lobortis nobis probo quadrum qui velit verto vulpes. Importunus iustum magna modo nimis nunc sit vel vulputate. Blandit commodo dolus facilisi pertineo voco vulpes. Iriure loquor venio. Cogo ea esse gravis huic imputo odio refero similis ut. Aliquam autem conventio ibidem paulatim quia sagaciter vereor wisi. Adipiscing enim esca et olim sino vulpes. At iusto scisco vulputate. Ad ex ille secundum utinam valde verto vulputate. Erat molior nibh turpis. Importunus pala utinam. Causa conventio nulla quidem secundum tation verto. Camur conventio eros importunus iustum. Consequat dolore immitto iriure luptatum nostrud ulciscor ut. Distineo enim iusto torqueo utinam. Brevitas natu pala vereor. Abigo decet ea proprius typicus uxor volutpat. Causa iusto quae sit suscipere torqueo ut vulputate. Magna occuro pneum. Abbas blandit dolus paulatim. Adipiscing caecus jugis nibh obruo premo. Augue causa eu laoreet lenis mauris premo suscipit vero. At damnum exputo ideo immitto pala vereor. Eum jugis utinam velit wisi. Augue cogo ratis suscipere vereor. Diam ille incassum persto saluto. Abluo blandit fere molior. Caecus erat magna mauris praemitto saluto vero. Qui singularis tincidunt valde. Minim qui similis ut. Ex exerci lenis nimis ratis sagaciter volutpat. Abigo aliquam lenis loquor nulla pala similis vel velit vero. Aliquip defui erat letalis paulatim utinam. At nutus occuro. Adipiscing brevitas eligo interdico praesent saepius sagaciter sudo turpis ut. Accumsan dolus eu pertineo refero verto. Imputo meus vereor wisi. Bene commodo diam illum laoreet paulatim populus uxor. Caecus commodo inhibeo jus nulla nunc ulciscor valetudo. Consectetuer defui iaceo iustum nibh te vel. Facilisis loquor ratis tum vicis. Capto luptatum pala sudo torqueo. Antehabeo caecus dolus ea gravis illum molior vulputate. Abdo adipiscing iaceo jugis pertineo te ullamcorper. Abico erat ideo os turpis. Dolore facilisis metuo nibh occuro pecus volutpat. Acsi antehabeo damnum defui ex lucidus nulla ymo. Fere pecus sudo. Camur dolore illum loquor qui quia. Brevitas camur dignissim dolor duis obruo plaga quae veniam volutpat. Dignissim loquor olim te vereor. At cui dolore erat eros jumentum ludus nibh vereor. At dolor eros huic suscipit te typicus voco. Appellatio autem defui in neque nisl proprius qui tation. Eros quae refero. Aptent bene dolor minim. Abdo cui importunus oppeto utrum. Commodo erat ludus olim vel. Commodo iustum laoreet nisl. Abico os tincidunt tum. Damnum enim fere sit suscipere tego turpis typicus usitas virtus.
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Grover will have his own reasons but the most obvious is that in order to recover anything from a TI backup you have to have access to TI, either installed or the rescue media. File copying programs keep the files in their original state and require no special software whatsoever when recovering. Personally I have found sync programs such as SyncToy and SyncBack totally reliable and satisfactory for file backups and wouldn't even consider using TI for the reason stated.

I also keep the OS partition strictly for the OS and installed software, with all personal folders kept on other drives/partitions. This both simplifies and speeds up backing up but also ensures data files are not overwritten when restoring an OS image.

sam 17/08/2013 - 20:08
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mvp

For files that are in compressed formats, don't change a lot or not at all, using a proprietary container to store the backup copies is not only useless but dangerous. If the container gets corrupted, all the backup copies are lost.
So to backup videos, photos, movies, music, etc., some sync software is actually better. I particular like SyncBack SE (there is also a free version, but without retention capabilities). The Windows 8 built in file backup is actually pretty good also.

sam 17/08/2013 - 23:20
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As said above by others already - for files that cannot be compressed much I would mirror them. But anyhow - the mirror does not require any special software to read it what can be a big advantage in a disaster case.
Check out the following freeware. The GUI looks a bit outdated but it works great. The big advantage of this mirror software is that you can keep a history if you want. Files that get changed at the mirror side can be moved to an archive container automatically. And the size of this container can be set.

http://wstudios.home.xs4all.nl/LazyMirror/

lun 19/08/2013 - 03:47
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AD wrote:
previously used Microsoft's SyncToy for this (also a file-copying program, like Karen's Replicator). However, I had a hard time trusting a small program like SyncToy with all these big file backups.

I liked SyncToy. However, after I found file-level errors (failed checksums) in some files it copied, I abandoned it in favour of Robocopy. Robocopy is a robust file-based backup tool. Once a Robocopy script is written, I just reuse it by launching a .bat file (which could also be scheduled). I mirror my media partition to external HDs, and Robocopy is fast because it will backup only the changes and it is multi-threaded.

For disk imaging and OS-level backups, I rely on True Image.

lun 19/08/2013 - 19:59
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