Are you prepared?

Topic

New Reply

It’s Saturday night or Sunday morning where you are and I’d like to challenge you to test that you can restore a file that has been damaged, deleted o
[See the full post at: Are you prepared?]

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

1 user thanked author for this post.

Alex5723

Reply | Quote

Replies

Susan

Yes, we are prepared.

The core of our business is data analysis and it is not unusual for our workstations to store close to 100,000 data files – many dating back decades.

We back up all of our workstations as follows:

• Once a day our C drives containing PerfLogs, Program Files, Program Files (x86), SWSetup, User, and Windows folders are automatically backed up to a second internal drive using Acronis True Image for Western Digital.
• Midweek our C drives are backed up to external drives using Acronis True Image for Western Digital.
• On Fridays our Document, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders are copied to an external drive using File Explorer.
• Prior to running the monthly update of Windows 10 we Clone a copy of our C drives onto an external drive.
• Quarterly we Clone a copy of the C drive to an external drive.
• We Clone a copy of a PC’s C drive if and when we fully configure and populate a new machine or recover one that experienced a system failure.
• When we replace a computer, we simply unplug the old PC and put it into storage with its data files and software intact.

In addition to backing systems up, we make sure that we have the ability to open all files including those that are 20 or more years old.

All of our operating machines are equipped with Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, etc.

Our machines in storage still have IBM, Lotus, WordStar, etc. software installed and operational.

Therefore, if a file has been lost or damaged during the last 90 days, we have a good chance of recovering it.

If the file was lost or damaged more than 90 days ago, we may or may not be able to recover it – but chances are very good that we can.

Reply | Quote

Susan Bradley wrote:

I’d like to challenge you to test that you can restore a file that has been damaged, deleted or removed

I’ve done this literally hundreds of times in the past twenty+ years.  At the moment I’m copying drive images made beginning at 2:00 AM this morning to a docked HDD in my NAS.  When that finishes I’ll be swapping HDD’s for the second stored-offline HDD and repeat the process.

I’ve ripped apart and restored Windows way too many times to count, using Image for Windows, and that imaging software (currently v3.51) has never failed me.  I can restore single files, partitions, entire drives, a complete computer from my library of drive images.

My data files are copied in triplicate (three different drives in two PC’s) as well as stored in the cloud on OneDrive, daily.

Yes, I am prepared.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

Reply | Quote

I use One Drive for accessing some files. I have a few in my Personal Vault. The rest are ones I want to have remote access to – recipes, exercise stuff. Nothing too private.  I have Carbonite cloud backup.  But I am thinking about something else for when that expires. So you are ok with all your files being in One Drive ?  Are you concerned about privacy/security of those files?  And what about the safety of your backup being on One Drive? Any potential for data loss? I’d really like to start using One Drive as my cloud backup – but I have some concerns trusting it totally with my data, as, you can probably tell,  your input/experience would be appreciated, thanks! Donna

(I also have Macrium backup to a hard drive local backup + my data files only stored on a USB in a vault).

1 user thanked author for this post.

Fred

Reply | Quote

Donna, your situation is quite comparible with mine as you described it. The real important things (not very much) I always encrypt them at my pc with (Symantec) PGP encryption for desktops before sending and storing. Remote cloud storage with pCloud is good; Switserland located jurisdiction with special storagerules for EU, if and when one wants that.
A different matter nobody ever talks about is: How to make and preserve your “digital-inheritance”, and whom to trust with the keys and admittance. When your final mortal moment had come and nobody is able to access all your things.

Susan is absolutely completely right by using, making and restoring disk-images.

* _ ... _ *

Reply | Quote

pCloud, I will check them out – if I can use it in the US. thanks.  You are 100% correct on digital inheritance! I have several articles I pulled from the web on that, I just have to read them!!! I am making a note today to do just that. It is so important.   I am the techie for me & my hubby – he needs to know where the ‘keys’ are in case I pass b4 him or he will not have access to any accounts or even know what they are.

Also very, very important is this – my father is incapacitated with dimentia ; (   but he’s in a good nursing home.  He does not have a lot of digital assets (some people have many, even though they are older).  He has a pension which we have no access to because I was unable to set up online access and the only way to access it is with him on the phone. He’s not competent enough to do that.  I submitted a POA but it is only limited authority.  (Plus I just found out that the POA ‘dies’ when the person who authorized it dies).  Everything is ok for now, but if something comes up, we may be unable to address it.

So it is also important to prepare for your loved ones becoming incapacitated and get access to everything you will need! It is not pleasant to think about yourself or loved ones dying, but it must be done or you could face major problems.

Planning for these things is critical.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Fred

Reply | Quote

dmt_3904 wrote:

So you are ok with all your files being in One Drive ? Are you concerned about privacy/security of those files?

No, I’m not concerned about privacy/security of my files stored on OneDrive.

dmt_3904 wrote:

And what about the safety of your backup being on One Drive?

My backups are drive images stored offline, not on OneDrive.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

Reply | Quote

wondering why you prefer Terabyte to, say, Macrium? Thanks.

Reply | Quote

a wrote:

wondering why you prefer Terabyte to, say, Macrium? Thanks.

I first started using TeraByte’s imaging software when it was part of BootIt Next Generation, their partitioning multi-tool.  When they branched it off into Image for Windows, I got that and kept using both of them.  I now also use BootIt Bare Metal and BootIt UEFI, as well.

Two decades of continuous experience and never having been disappointed.  I have not had one single failure with TeraByte’s imaging software.  Having followed my own advice (see the red signature line) and frequently plundering Windows innards, I have pooched Windows more times than I can count, but restoring a drive image puts me right back where I started.

As for any other imaging software, I’ve never used any other, and I am not familiar with them, other than the complaints I’ve read about them on forums such as this.  I have no complaints about Image for Windows, and no desire to learn a new UI.

There’s more in Backup software – Image for Windows.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

1 user thanked author for this post.

a

Reply | Quote