My Pc Backup

In-File Delta Enhances Offsite Secure Backup Technology

2013-01-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

We are all aware of the benefits backing up to a remote location. However the greatest problem with backing up data via the internet is explained as follows:-

Large files x low bandwidth = Massive backup time.

In-file delta helps to greatly reduce this issue. Files up to 300GB can use In File Delta technology. This basically means, after initial file backup, only changes in that file will be sent to an offsite location. This makes offsite secure backup more usable for large databases like Microsoft Exchange.

Here you can learn what in-file delta technology is and how in-file delta can be used to backup large database files (e.g. a 10GB Outlook.pst file) without uploading the whole database file everyday.

In-file delta technology is an advanced data block matching algorithm which has the intelligence to pick up changes (delta) of file content between two files when one of the files is not accessible and use the delta information between two files to rebuild one file from the other. Are you with me so far? Using this algorithm, daily backing up of large file (e.g. a 10GB Outlook.pst file) over low-speed internet connection is made possible because it requires only the changes of information since last backup to be sent to complete the backup of a large file (here we assume that the full backup of the file has been saved on the backup server already).

This is what would happen to the backup of a 10GB Outlook.pst file when it is backed up by PerfectBackup OBM with in-file delta technology.

The whole files (10GB), along with its checksum (128-bit) file, are backed up to the backup server. This can be done directly through the internet or indirectly using the seed load utility on a removable hard disk.

When backup runs again later (normally the next day), PerfectBackup OBM will download a checksum listing of all data blocks of the full backup file from the backup server and use it to pick up all changes that have been made to the current Outlook.pst file from the first full backup.

Changes detected are then saved in a delta file which is uploaded to the backup server. (This delta file is assumed to be small because the content of all PST files doesn't change lot of even after it has been updated)

Subsequent backups of this 10GB Outlook.pst file will go through step ii and step iii again. As explained, only a small delta file will be uploaded to the backup server.

With in-file delta technology, daily backing up of large file over low-speed internet connection is now possible

Example 1: If you are adding 200MB to Outlook.pst everyday, the first delta backup will upload a 200MB delta file and the next delta backup will upload a 400MB delta file. This will go on until Day 50 when the delta file required to be backed up reached 10GB. This delta file size (10GB) is now is 50% of the Outlook.pst which is now 20GB (remember that you have added 100MB to this file everyday). If the [Delta Ratio] is set to be 50% (default), the whole Outlook.pst file will be uploaded again.

Example 2: If you are adding 50MB to Outlook.pst everyday, the first delta backup will upload a 50MB delta file and the next delta backup will upload a 100MB delta file. This will go on until Day 100 because it is the [Maximum number of delta] (default) allowed in this backup set and the whole Outlook.pst file will be uploaded again.

All delta files are generated with respect to changes made since the last full backup file (i.e. differential backup). This means that only last full backup file and the last delta file are required to restore the latest snapshot of a backup file. This means that other intermediate delta files are only required if you want to restore other snapshots of a backup file.

In-File delta does differential backup rather than incremental backup. It is designed this way so that a corrupted delta file would only make one particular version of a backup file non-recoverable and all other backups created by other delta files of the same file would still be intact.

The full backup file, its checksum file and the last delta file uploaded (if more than one delta files have been uploaded to the backup server) are always stored in the data area. This means that these files are not affected by the setting of the retention policy and will always be kept on the backup server. This is done this way because all these files are required to get the latest snapshot of the backup file and they should not be removed from the backup server by the retention area cleanup routine. All other intermediate delta files are stored in the retention area.

To evaluate the PerfectBackup software free of charge for a month with in-file delta, please visit http://www.perfectbackup.co.uk/products

Data Backup, The Why How When for Business or Home

2013-01-15T05:13:00.000-08:00

1. What you should be doing about data backup and why?

2. Fine electro-mechanical devices to backup.

3. Meant to do it!

4. Once Bitten.

5. Backup, a mistaken or confused name.

6. What do you need to do today to start a backup plan or backup program?

7. Let's get organised.

8. Things to save or to backup.

9. Our recommended Backup System.

10. Near worst case scenario. When you most need a backup to restore from.

11. Our own system. How we backup our data.

12. Remember, Backup, start today.

1. Why do a data backup?

What you should be doing and why?

Computers always go perfectly. Right? What would you do without your PC? Computers can and do fail usually at the worst possible time. They may get stolen, trashed or crash. Most of us deal with the problems as and when they occur.

There are times though, when a little bit of planning and forethought pays big dividends.

2. Fine electro-mechanical devices.

The hard drive in your computer has both electronic and mechanical components that work with very fine tolerances where the head literally flies a fraction of a millimeter above the disks fast spinning surface. Measurements a fraction of a human hair thickness are not unusual. So bumping or dropping them or having PC power problems causes the components to literally crash and may result in irreparable damage.

3. Meant to do it!

Most business people and many home users are aware of the need to Backup (or copy, in easy terms) their information to another place for safe keeping. After failures they often say 'I meant to do it but never made the time.'

4. Once Bitten.

Every day before they walk out of the office they'll religiously run or at least start the backup going. In the morning they'll check and make sure all went OK with the Backup and look at any errors reported.

5. Backup, a mistaken or confused name!

Simply put, Data Backup is the ability to recreate or restore the system you had working before the PC failure or loss.

It may be called Copy, Save, Burn, Write. Unfortunately the word Backup is often used different ways. And means different things in different places!

Bookkeeping software typically prompts you to backup your data (the company accounts and ledgers, in other words). But the backup is usually on the PC not another disk or computer. So if that computer goes missing, then the company bookkeeping info is gone too.

You need to do this type of data Backup for bookkeeping and company client lists.

But there's more to do. Make a note where it goes to so you can Backup or copy it to another disk, CD, ZIP or Flash device you can take home.

6. What do you need to do today?

Simple. Work out what you use your computers for that you simply couldn't do without if it wasn't there tomorrow.

Would your business or personal relationships STOP without the ability to re-create the computer info you're using?

Please. Take a minute to read the full story below.

7. Let's get organised.

You'll need: -

any equipment and software to make the backup;

a plan to follow to do it regularly;

to backup what you should;

to store it somewhere safe;

to write down the backups done;

reminders to do it next time;

most of all the patience to wait and do it whenever it's due.

Lastly, it should be tested that you can recover from disaster if it ever occurs.

8. Things to save.

Information to Backup should include Documents; Spreadsheets;

Bookkeeping & Transaction data; Address Books; Lists; Emails; Personal information, Photos; Downloaded Programs and Licenses; Favorites;

Special things; Internet & Email settings; Regulatory matters.

Many of these items are irreplaceable, so they should be safeguarded.

9. Our recommended backup system.

Two copies, one at your place and one at a friends place.

Small Backup, things that change frequently, done daily.

Big Backup, total Backup of your PC because the info is organised in a disorganized sort of way, spread over the hard drive in hard to find places, done weekly or monthly.

More than one PC?

If you have more than one PC you may need to re-think and re-organise where information is stored in the computers.

A central point for all company data is easier to manage and Backup than data in all the odd places on the computer. You may investigate 'synchronizing' data so it's naturally on more than one PC.

10. Near worst case scenario.

If the Hard drive fails the information may be recoverable.

But it's a very expensive job by the professionals.

Occasionally one of our customers has needed to retrieve data from a dead hard drive. We recommend a particular company who has always managed to recover the data, but there's a lot of lost time and un-necessary expense especially when compared to the simple smart solution where you take all the necessary precautions and do the backup first.

We hope you never see one of these errors:-

an MYOB fatal error 1199 as one of our customers did recently. It translates to the data file causing this error is definitely unusable and irrepairable. It can only be fixed by restoring your data from your most recent backup. (Do you have a recent Backup?)

or HAL.DLL is missing or corrupt. It translated (in this case) to the Windows folder has disappeared. Anything at all that was stored in the windows folder is GONE. Windows needs to be re-installed from the original media (CD), Updated and Settings restored from a recent backup.

Occasionally we (you or I) will start working on a document or data file and have a little accident. Accidents happen to us all occasionally. The simplest way is often to simply restore from the most recent backup, or waste a lot of productive time just getting things back to the way before we commenced, and made the accident.

Just imagine what the worst case would be!

11. Our own system. How we backup.

Pixel ITT has these systems in place.

Daily, MYOB, when closing company data the data integrity is checked and Zipped up on the C Drive. It takes about 3 minutes.

Monday, 9am, Customer database and documents, Zipped into one file on C Drive. Takes 5 to 10 minutes at the start of day.

Monday to Friday, 9.50pm, Automatic Backup using XXCopy Pro of My Documents Folder which includes, MYOB, Customer data, Documents, saved to a redundant (older) PC as a file server, 5 minutes unattended. Older PC must be turned on and available on the office network.

Monday to Friday, 10pm, Automatic Unattended Backup of daily data important to business, MYOB, Customer data, Documents, Security info saved to CD, 3 to 5 minutes usually unattended.

Every 2nd Saturday, 2 secondary PC's, Full incremental backup, to CD on main PC. Takes 10 to 20 minutes attended.

Every 4th Saturday, Main PC, Full incremental backup to CD on main PC, takes 60 to 120 minutes attended.

What's missing in our backup system?

Off-site backup copy could be more recent but has the main ingredients of our business in a workable version.

Backup test has been performed to restore secondary PC's only. The main PC will be done when time permits or it becomes necessary.

12. Remember, Backup, start today.

We tell our customers, whether they're small business clients or home computer users at every chance we get, to backup, somehow, but backup regardless. We've all got cd burners and cd writing software these days, but still most clients do not have a recent data backup or use the backup software that came with their computer. If the worst disaster happens, we're called in to clean up the situation and regretfully tell the customer if they didn't backup before the computer was stolen or broken there's really nothing we can do to ease their pain whether it's business critical data or data like home pictures and email address contact lists.

So BACKUP, Backup, backup just do a BACKUP.

Greg Martyn is a partner in Pixel ITT providing computer service and support in the St George and Sutherland area south of Sydney Australia. Pixel ITT also supply software for backup, internet security, antivirus and firewall in Australia. Greg Martyn has been in a technicial role since 1967, and until 2000 worked for OTC and Telstra. Pixel ITT use and recommend the software we sell including EMCDantz Retrospect Pro which is our main backup tool. Trial software and more info is available through http://www.pixelitt.com.au.

How To Solve Your Money Problems NOW Testimonial

2013-01-10T11:49:00.001-08:00

Setting up a Tape Backup Strategy for your Business

2013-01-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

So you know a little bit about tape backup, but you're wondering how to set up a tape backup strategy for your business. Well, let's take a look at 3 simple steps to setting up a complete backup solution.

Step 1: Purchase your tape backup hardware

Firstly, purchase the tape backup hardware. If you need to perform file server backup (or Exchange Server backup or SQL Server backup) for small business, then one of the following tape drives should suffice:

* Travan cartridge drive (up to 10 Gb)

* DDS tape backup drive (up to 20 Gb)

* DDS tape backup drive with hardware data compression (up to 40 Gb)

Then purchase the necessary tapes for your backup rotation strategy. A good Grandfather-Father-Child variation will require 10 tapes or 14 tapes.

Step 2: Purchase your tape backup software

When it comes to tape backup software, one option is to use NTBackup -- the standard Windows backup program. The problem with NTBackup is that it is too hard to use. While an expert should be able to schedule backup jobs using NTBackup, what you really want is something a novice can setup in minutes.

What you really want to do is invest in some quality backup software for your business? Well, if you run a small business, you'll want to avoid those expensive brands! They're designed for large corporations. You should really be looking for software for tape backup that does everything you need, but is affordable at the same.

Look for a backup program that's designed specially for small business instead. Look for a product that is advertised as being simple to use. Remember, you don't want software that requires an expert to run it. Download a trial version of the backup software and try it out for a month or so. If everything works smoothly and you're happy with the product, go ahead and make a purchase!

Step 3: Continually perform your backups

So you've attached the tape drive to your server and installed the software. You've configured the software to run your tape rotation scheme and everything's raring to go. So how do you go about performing backups?

Well, at the end of each working day, put the tape into the drive. And as obvious as this sounds, the correct tape should be placed in the drive. For example, placing the "Week 2" tape instead of the "Week 3" tape in the tape drive will reduce the effectiveness of your tape rotation strategy! Your tape backup software should take care of the rest.

In addition, you should monitor the results of each backup to check for errors. For example, if a tape wears out and data cannot be verified, you need to take action and replace that tape. If some problem prevented a backup from completing, you need to know about it so that you can re-run the backup the next morning.

Be sure to also follow your manufacturer's guidelines for drive cleaning and maintenance.

Final notes

As strange as this seems, you should be at the mercy of your tape backup software. And the more control it exerts over you, the better! Let me explain...

NTBackup assumes that you insert the correct tape and it doesn't inform you of any errors. You are responsible for selecting the tape according to your tape rotation scheme, and the onus is on you to read result logs and discover if any errors occurred.

This means that the file backup process is tedious and prone to human error. A complete solution for tape backup should take charge of your backup strategy for you.

A tape backup software should email tape rotation instructions and the results of backups to you or your secretary, making your task far simpler and minimizing the chance of human error. Select the right server backup software and you're already most of the way to implementing a complete tape backup strategy for your business.

Linus Chang is a backup expert and the lead developer of BackupAssist -- backup software that is simple and affordable, and perfect for small and medium businesses. Protect your Windows servers, including SQL Server and Exchange Server, to tape, REV drive, hard drive, NAS and more, at a fraction of the cost of other backup programs. Transforms NTBackup into a script-free and simple-to-use tool.

Learn How To Make Data Backup Over The Internet!

2013-01-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

Why should you backup your data on the Internet?

There are several reasons.

* The backup is located at a secure place for away from your computer.

* It's is easy to do.

* Free available disk space on your web site can be used for storage.

* Disk space on remote server can be used for storage.

* It's a practical backup solution for small businesses and home users.

* It's gives extra security for documents and files.

There are basically three different types of data backup you can make!

* Full Backup of the hard disk.

* Full disk image backup for fast recovery.

* Backup of specific files and folders.

Online backup of a complete hard disk is not practical to do. Although, it can be done. The size requirement and the transfer speed over the Internet makes it yet not powerful enough to do. However in the future complete backup of hard disks online will be more common. Backup over the Internet is best suited for storing limited numbers of specific files and folders.

To do this you need an FTP software which makes it possible to move files over the internet. FTP stand for "file transfer protocol" and is the most commonly used method of transferring files between computers over the Internet.

Use FTP transfer and backup to your web site or to a remote server as a safeguard of your vital data files!

Learn how at http://www.data-backup-and-storage.com/ftp-backup.html

Normally you don't need to backup all the content of your hard disk, to recreate your data.

To be able to make a full recovery of your data, make sure that you keep CD's of all your installation programs and operating system in a safe place. In addition, if you have installed software from the Internet you need to keep copies of the installation programs as backup together with the installation codes.

After you have done that, you need to identify the files and folders that are important to backup.

These are the files you use on a daily basis either in private or in your business. If you are using Windows this can be files in My Document folder and/or your Outlook email files.

These are the files you need to backup so that you can recreate your computer back to what it was if you have lost your data.

If you transfer files from your hard disk directly to the remote site you risk exposing your data to hackers. Your data are not secure from outside preying eyes.

To get full protection you should use a backup software to first create a backup file which is stored temporarily on you hard drive. This file is then transferred with an FTP program to the online server.

There are also a number of online backup services you can subscribe to for this purpose. They often use their own transfer protocol.

Online backups should be made at regular intervals. It is also a practical way to make backup if you use a laptop and are on the move, given you have access to an Internet connection, of course.

If you get a hard disk crash or if your computer gets lost, then you need to be able to recover your data back to what it was

The first step you have to take is to install the operation system and the software from the installation CD's which you have stored in a safe place.

Next step is to download the backup or backups you are keeping on the Internet.

If you store your backup on a web site or on a server you should make sure that the backup is encrypted so that nobody else is able to read it.

You must keep the server's username and password you are using as well as the password you use for encryption of the backup written down on paper in a safe place so that you can recreate your data.

Full backup can be made using other types of media such as tapes, DVD's, on different disks or on networks.

To do this you need to have access to such devices.

This will cost you money.

The memory requirement for today's computers has increased. The cost of regular backup on tapes or on DVD's is high.

If you are an entrepreneur or a home computer user, this may not be an option available for you.

What happens if your computer gets stolen?

What happen if the building you keep your computer are struck by fire and destroyed?

Laptop and mobile computer are especially prone to theft. Not only because it is easy to carry away, but also because it is easy to get money by selling.

Therefore, you need to make backup of your important data on a location that is different from where you have your computer. Internet backup of data files is an attractive and cheap solution.

Per Strandberg has interest in backup technology and he is running an information site on backup and data security at http://www.data-backup-and-storage.com

Learn how to make secure online data backup using ftp at http://www.data-backup-and-storage.com/ftp-backup.html

Backup Software

2013-01-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

Creating a backup for the data in a computer or any electronic storage device is very important. Most equipment, including personal computers, have a good chance of "crashing," which is the failure of the hard disk on which the data is stored. When a hard disk crashes, all the data is inevitably lost.

This possible loss is the main reason for creating backups of the data that we have and that we are likely to use sometime in the future. The frequency of backup creation depends on the usage level of the system, the kinds of files stored, the frequency of changes made to the data, and the importance of the data. Some people store a lot of files on their computers and keep adding new ones continuously. Such people need a daily or even an hourly backup.

There are different kinds of backups: full backup (creates backup for every file and folder in the system); incremental backup (only the changes are copied); unattended backup (the backup can be programmed to take place at a certain time without the active participation of the user); archive or disk image (option to create backup for just files or the whole disk); differential backup (creates backup for only changed files and newer versions of the files); and snapshot backup.

Backups can be made into a whole lot of different devices: compact disks, DVDs, floppy disks, tapes, printouts, removable hard disks, online servers, and so on. Backups can also be made into fixed media like another part of the hard disk or to another computer on the same network. Each of these has different capacities, security limits, conveniences, and risks. It is advisable to back up into more than one media for reducing risk.

The main criteria to be considered while purchasing a backup software program are the ease of operation, ability to backup without continuous monitoring, ability to handle different backup formats like hard disks and CDs, ability to restore with minimum errors, easy accessibility to backup files, ability to have different compression levels for different kinds of files, ability to backup over FTP, USB drives and networks, and ability to verify whether the files have been saved well.

There are several kinds of backup software available today. Some of the best programs include the Genie Backup Manager, NTI BackupNow!, Novastor NovaBackup, Handy Backup, Double Image, ABC Backup, Absolute Backup, Active Backup Expert, Advanced Backup, AKG Backup, Argentum Software, Avail Solutions, BackRex Backup, Backup Buddy, Data Sheriff, Disk2disk and several others. There are also free downloadable backup software programs such as TaskZip, EZBack-it-up, SyncBack, IceMirror, Version, Freebyte, Back4Win, MOB, My Own Backup, Workgroup, Simply Safe, and many more. Most of these software packages come with many other advanced functions such as password protection, restoring damaged backups, filtering of files and storing them accordingly, compression capabilities and several others. Backup software can be downloaded for free from the Internet. Some advanced software programs have to be purchased.

Backup Software provides detailed information on Backup Software, CD ROM Backup Software, Free Backup Software, Computer Backup Software and more. Backup Software is affiliated with Network Status Monitoring Software.

An Introduction to Tape Backup

2012-12-27T05:15:00.000-08:00

If you run a small business, chances are you're saving important files to a server. But what happens when disaster strikes? How are you ensuring that your files won't be lost? Many people fail to realize that the loss of files could cripple their business. You can insure your office and equipment, but you can't insure files. You can't repair or buy back lost files. Ipso facto, they are lost!

This brings us to the concept of disaster recovery. What is disaster recovery? If you're thinking that disaster recovery is about frantically trying to get back data that's already been lost, then you're already behind the 8-ball! Disaster recovery is about safeguarding your organization's data so that it can be safely restored in event of a crippling disaster. And having an industry-standard file backup strategy is undoubtedly the most important part of disaster recovery.

What you have to do is ensure that all files on the server are backed up to another storage medium -- tape, removable hard disk, NAS device, and so on. Most businesses choose to use tape. Let's look at how you can set up a tape backup strategy for your own business.

1. Tape -- the perfect backup medium

Isn't tape an anachronism in the age of optical disks, removable hard drives and a plethora of whiz-bang, random-access storage media? Tape is indeed a dinosaur in relative terms, but it's ideal for backup. Tape is slow, but can store a lot of data... one mid-range tape should be enough to backup your entire server. Plus, tape is extremely cheap -- mid-range tapes cost around $20 each.

2. When should you backup?

Typically, tape backup is performed at the end of each day. Just put in the tape and let the backup process run overnight. If your server ever suffers a catastrophic disaster, you have at least saved all your files from the previous day.

3. Tape Rotation

The ideal tape backup solution would involve using a new tape for each backup. This means purchasing a new tape for every day of your business's operations. This is hardly cost-effective for your business. Tape is cheap, but not that cheap!

This is why we speak of tape rotation. Tape rotation means to reuse tapes from previous backups. The simplest tape rotation scheme is to have one tape for each day of the working week. Tapes are labelled Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

You can restore data from any one of the tapes in your library, or in this case, any day in the past the week. This strategy requires only five tapes, but only provides one week's data backup history.

4. Grandfather-Father-Son -- A Case Study

The grandfather-father-son schedule is the most widely used method, and involves backing up data in the following way:

* daily -- on the "son tapes"

* weekly -- on the "father tapes"

* monthly -- on the "grandfather tapes"

This system is far more powerful than the five-tape rotation, but requires more tapes.

This strategy provides you with the ability to restore data from the last week, plus any Monday over the last month, plus any month for as many monthly tapes as you have. Variations on this scheme are available, and provide a trade-off between the number of tapes required, and the number of monthly tapes available.

5. Different types of backup

Different types of backups are available in backup software.

* Full -- all files, system data

* Differential -- all files added or changed since the last full backup

* Incremental -- all files added or changed since the last full, differential or incremental backup

* Daily -- all files added or changed on the day of the backup

A Full backup will copy all files and system data to the backup media. It allows for the complete restore of all data from one single tape.

Differential, Incremental and Daily are partial backups are designed to reduce amount of data backed-up to the media, resulting in faster backups. To restore data using one of these backups, the last Full backup tape will also be required, along with any other partial backups since the last Full backup.

6. Tape backup software

At this point you may be thinking that performing tape backup is a complex task. Tape rotations, incremental backups... sure, you can try to do this manually, but this would make the backup process hiddeously difficult and prone to human error! The solution is to invest in a good piece of server backup software that will manage and schedule your tape backups for you.

What should you look for in tape backup software? For many small business owners, the price is crucial. Many brands of backup software are just too expensive -- in the $1000+ range -- and contain features that you'll never need. Look for a backup utility that's designed specially for small business instead. It should be simple-to-use, reliable and affordable. Choose a good tape backup software and you'll be well on your way to safeguarding your files and data.

Linus Chang is a backup expert and the lead developer of BackupAssist-- backup software that is simple and affordable, and perfect for small and medium businesses. Protect your Windows servers, including SQL Server and Exchange Server, to tape, REV drive, hard drive, NAS and more, at a fraction of the cost of other backup programs. Designed as a fix for NTBackup bugs and issues.

Backup Tips And Strategies For Artists

2012-12-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

A backup, in computer lingo, refers to making a copy of

important data for the purpose of data recovery. Should

the important data get damaged or lost, a properly made

backup will restore it all. The word "data" refers to

anything stored on a computer system: images, programs,

document, videos, etc. Taking backups of important data

can prevent loss of valuable work and the time needed

to recreate it.

In this article we'll take a look at common backup types

and strategies, data compression, and common backup media

types. A real life backup scenario will illustrate my

own backup procedures. The article will end with general

backup tips.

COMMON BACKUP TYPES

The best backup methods rely on simple and time proven

concepts. New or unnecessary technologies are best

avoided till proven reliable and necessary. The simpler

the procedure, the more likely it is to work correctly.

A full-backup consist of making a copy of all important

data. When you copy a folder with important files,

from say a hard drive to a floppy, you actually make

a full-backup of those files. Due to simplicity,

this approach is the most reliable of all backup

types. Its main advantage is ease of backup creation

and restoration. The main disadvantage is that the

backup will use as much space as the important data. If

the data is large, the backup process can be very

resource intensive in terms of time and the processing

power needed to carry out. Imagine the time needed to

full-backup a digital library consisting of millions of

books. Such operation takes days.

An incremental-backup works differently in that it backs

up only the modified files since the last backup. When

using this method, a full backup is created first and

then incremental backups are run on regular basis. For

large amounts of data this method is often the only

practical way to backup. It takes up less space than a

full backup and is less resource intensive to run. On

the other hand, contrary to full backups, incremental

backups need dedicated backup software to keep track of

what files to backup.

Compressing the backup data is a popular option. Such

practice lowers the amount of space needed on the backup

media. Although compression adds an additional layer

of complexity, it can be a good (if relied on wisely)

and sometimes necessary solution.

ESSENTIAL BACKUP STRATEGIES

Regardless of the backup type and data, the following

backup strategies should always be followed:

backup should be taken on a regular basis
backup should be automatic and need as little human supervision as possible
backup should be stored in a safe remote location
backup should rely on well established hardware and software technologies

Backup should be taken on a regular basis. The more

frequently the data changes the more often it should

be backed-up. For example, some of my most frequently

updated files (website files, source code, notes,

etc.) are backed-up daily. Files that are less

frequently updated are backed-up monthly.

Backup should be automatic. Except for the initial

configuration of the backup program and the occasional

supervision, the whole backup process should be automatic

and completely transparent. That is, the backup should

run by itself without causing any attention unless

necessary.

Backup should be stored in a safe remote location. Should

the location of the important data get damaged,

destroyed, or exposed to theft - a remotely stored backup

becomes invaluable. How remote? Disasters like fire,

flood, tornado, earthquake, etc., can cause widespread

damage. Ideally a backup should be stored in a far away

enough, minimal risk location.

Backup should rely on well established hardware and

software technologies. Such technologies are typically in

widespread use - thus cheaper and easier to troubleshoot,

or get help in the event of failure. As established

technologies become gradually replaced by new and

better ones, so should the backup media and hardware

and, if used, the software to re/store the data. There

is no guarantee that the common backup media of today,

like CD or DVD, will be usable in ten years. The same

is true for software. A good data preservation strategy

should include continual migration of the backup data

to mature and well established technologies of the time.

A BIT ABOUT DATA COMPRESSION

Compression makes data smaller and thus is a popular

backup option. Its main advantage is lower backup

cost due to lower space use. The downside is the time

needed to compress the data and later to uncompress it

for restoration.

Many compression formats exist. Each format use some

sort of compression method called an algorithm. There

are two types of data compression algorithms: "lossy"

and "lossless". Lossless compression reduce the data

size without modifying its content. Lossy compression

modify the data content to make it even smaller than

lossless compression.

Some compression formats, like MP3 or JPG, are highly

specialized. They use lossy algorithms and produce very

small file sizes but can only compress a particular

type of data. Other formats, like ZIP or BZIP2, are

of general purpose. They rely on lossless compression

algorithms and can work on any data. However, they will

never outdo special purpose formats like MP3 or JPG.

PNG and TIFF are popular image file formats which support

lossless compression.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of lossy compression,

JPG, MP3 or any other lossy format degrade the original

data to some extent. In other words, saving an image or

music in a lossy file format will make it different then

the original. Usually the difference, called compression

artifacts, is so small that most of us don't see or

hear it.

For the above reasons, lossy compression should never

be used when saving important data. Only lossless

compression is suitable for that. PNG and TIFF are

examples of image file formats that support lossless

compression. Such formats are ideal for storing

hi-resolution master images.

Finally, compression takes time and normally uses all

available processing power. Generally, the better the

compression the slower it is. Some compression algorithms

are extremely good at compressing but also extremely

slow. For backup purposes, one should evaluate common

compression formats and set for the most suitable one.

CONSIDER YOUR NEEDS

Some additional issues need to be considered when

designing the most suitable backup strategy for own use:

the type of backup files
if compression is desired, what compression to use and how
backup storage media

As noted earlier the best backups are simply copies of

important data. Such approach works especially well for

artists who rely on compressed image formats like PNG

or TIFF.

Note the difference between "built-in" image compression,

done every time you save an image in a format that

supports it, and compressing the backup data - applied

to all backup data regardless of what it is.

What backup compression to use, and if to use it at all,

depends on the type of backup data. Generally,

text files (TXT, HTML, XML, etc) can be compressed

the most of all file types. Images that have been

compressed with their own algorithms (PNG, JPG, TIFF,

etc) can't later be compressed much if at all. Images

which don't have own compression (BMP, TGA, etc) can

often be compressed quite a bit, though this depends on

the actual image data.

Thus if most of your important art data consist of

images that are already compressed, there is no need to

compress the backup. Text files on the other hand, can

be compressed a lot and save significant amount of space.

There are a few other things to consider when compressing

backup data. What compression program to use and how

to compress the files.

ZIP is the most commonly used compression format today -

it's fast and compresses well. It's been around for a

long time and is universally available. But there are

other, less known, good alternatives. For example,

7ZIP, RAR, and BZIP2 compress significantly better than

ZIP and are only slightly slower.

Finally, how to compress backups. Basically one can

either create a compressed archive of many files, or

compress each file individually. The main disadvantage

to creating a compressed archive is the possibility

of losing all files in the archive if the archive

gets corrupted and can not be recovered. On the

other hand, if files are compressed individually one

looses only one file - should it get corrupted and be

unrecoverable. Additionally, since a compressed file

use less space than uncompressed, it's less likely to

get corrupted. Thus it's more safe to compress files

individually.

WHICH BACKUP MEDIA TO USE

The commonly used backup media today are hard drives,

tapes and CDs/DVDs. Hard drives are the fastest and

often the best option for large amounts of data. They are

also the most expensive and not very durable. Tapes are

slow but can store a lot of data and can last decades.

CDs/DVDs are probably the most common backup media used

today due to its very low cost. Unfortunately, just

like hard drives, most have a relatively short expected

life span of between two to five years. Internet backup

solutions are also becoming a popular backup option.

Reliability is important to consider when choosing the

backup media. How robust is the media and for how long

can it retain the data? The quality of the media plays

a significant role here. All media degrade over time,

but some degrade more than other. Most of the low cost

burnable CDs have a life span of around two years. Higher

quality CDs can last up to five. Very high quality

CDs with a gold layer are expected to last decades.

Generally, if the handling and storage conditions

are good, quality media should last at least few years

without data loss. However, unless the best quality media

is used, an annual full backup is probably the safest

prevention against data loss due to media degradation.

A combination of different media may often be the ideal

solution. For example, some of my own backup practices

include using an external hard drive to mirror (update)

certain parts of my computer hard drives. Twice a year

I burn all important data on several DVDs.

I recommend spending some time investigating the most

suitable media and the hardware to operate it. High

quality products will minimize the possibility of

backup failure.

THE NECESSITY OF VERIFYING BACKUPS

The most important aspect of taking backups is making

sure they are error free. The backup data may prove

useless if corrupted due to media or other error.

It's good practice to immediately test the backup for

its validity. Errors will be detected and a new backup

can be taken right away. Any respectable backup program

provides an option for data verification. What good is

a backup if its data is corrupted?

A REAL LIFE BACKUP SCENARIO

My most valuable data is my art data, website files,

source code, and various docs. All my hi-resolution work

is stored in either PNG or TIFF. Nearly all my reference

images are JPGs. Thus all my image data can be backed

up without the use of compression and save huge amounts

of backup time and space. I do compress 3d files which

don't use own compression. For that I use bzip2 with the

maximum compression setting. All the remaining data are

basically text files and are compressed individually

using either bzip2 or 7zip. Images and 3d files, even

compressed, can be huge in size. Not surprisingly over

90% of my backup space is used on art data.

I backup daily, monthly and twice a year. Once a day,

the files which are frequently updated (notes, work

in progress images, source code, website files, email,

etc.) are backed up to another hard drive. This happens

during the boot process and takes a few minutes. Once

a month I backup to a CD which also includes less

frequently updated files. A copy of that CD is stored

in a remote location. Twice a year I take full backup

and store it on several DVDs at a friends house. If I

work on something especially important, I store it daily

on a CD/DVD or a USB mem-stick. My most critical data

is also regularly encrypted and stored on a very remote

internet host. I wrote a script to run all these backups

automatically. With the exception of CD/DVD storage,

no manual work is involved.

As you can see, a custom backup solution can be quite

sophisticated yet simple to carry out. It can involve

a combination of different media and backup procedures

to optimally satisfy ones needs.

FINAL NOTES

Depending on your needs a dedicated backup software may

be a necessary investment. Make sure to research this

carefully. Usually, products from reputable companies

that specialize in certain solutions are best. There are

also many good open source or free software alternatives.

It's best to avoid products which rely on proprietary

or closed solutions. For example, a backup software

may store the backup data in an unknown format only

supported by this particular backup software. Avoid

that. If the company goes out of business and the

backup software breaks, your backup data may be lost

forever. Look for products that rely on well known,

mature, and ideally open technologies. For example,

PNG is an open format for storing image data. What this

means is that the specification, or blueprint, for that

format is publicly available for anyone to use it. This

increases compatibility and reduces reliance on any

specific vendor or product.

Most artists important data consists mainly of images

and 3d files. To save space rely on PNG, TIFF or JPG

for bitmap image formats. Vector images and 3d files

can be compressed individually if needed. A basic

backup software that simply copies specified files

or directories to the backup media may be all that

is needed. It's best to make two sets of the backup

data and store each at different location. One close

to home, like a friends place, or a bank box and the

other far away.

Setting up a proper backup strategy may initially require

a significant amount of time and cost money. There is

a lot to research and consider. In the end however,

a good backup procedure will prove an exceptionally

valuable investment. As you read this, your screen could

go blank due to a hard drive crash. All your valuable

data - years of work, reference images, documents,

photo albums, 3d files, email, etc., - could be lost

forever. Unless you were prepared and took a backup.

Dawid Michalczyk is a freelance illustrator and an artist. He has been creating computer graphics since the early 90s. To see examples of his work and other writings visit his website at http://www.art.eonworks.com. He can be reached at dm@eonworks.com

Backup Software- Don't Buy It!

2012-12-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Computer Backup- Forget About It!

Backup Software is for the birds! Computer Backup is too hard, too much trouble and a pain in the butt. Let's just forget about it.

Backup Software is touted as the savior of your computer's critical business and personal files. They claim that all computer hard drives (where our files are stored) eventually will have a 100% failure rate. They try to tell us that the failure of our hard drives is just a matter of WHEN, not IF.

Do your backups they shout!

Poppycock!

BACKUP SOFTWARE- LET'S GET REAL

You and I know the real story. The real story is that new computers are so well made that they almost never fail, right?

Therefore, we don't need to worry about buying backup software and setting up a computer backup system, do we? It would just be a waste time-- for sure!

After all we know that all the press about hard drive failures, natural disasters and terrorist attacks is just a conspiracy by the backup software companies to get us to buy their products.

Personally I never had a hard drive failure (that I recall). If my computer stops working for whatever reason, that's life.

Therefore, I ignore these software backup companies that try to push their backup software products on the unsuspecting public even though they make data and file restorations easy. I don't give them the time of day.

Therefore as you see, I don't need backup software, do you? Of course not.

BACKUP SOFTWARE- STARTING OVER WITHOUT IT IS EASY

In the unlikely event that I got a virus or a bunch of spyware on my computers I'll just bite the bullet and move on. After all, if I lost all my data to a virus, then so what? Who needs backup software?

Heck, I'd just buy a new computer and begin again and I'd still wouldn't need backup software because it's just too much hassle.

If ALL my business data was lost due to a hard drive crash or virus corruption then I'd just start my business over. No big deal. It's not that hard, right? Using backup software is just a pain.

BACKUP SOFTWARE FOOLISHNESS

So by now we're all agreed that using backup software for computer backup is just for the foolish, right? Right.

Who would want to use backup software that automatically and easily backs up EVERYTHING on your computer hard drive to a DVD Rewriteable disk or USB external hard drive? That would mean you could easily recover from any computer disaster. That makes too much sense and is far too logical.

They claim that backup software is a virtual computer insurance policy against fire, flood, theft, earthquake, hurricanes, tornados and terrorist attacks.

Balderdash!

Ridiculous.

Hey, the businesses who survived Hurricane Katrina didn't need backup software did they? OK, OK I admit a lot of businesses without backup software and off site backup lost EVERYTHING and now they cannot recover their data and reconstitute their business. But that's life. Now these businesses and their employees can now move on to something new. How exciting!

Look, life without backup software is just so much more interesting.

By the way, did I tell you how much I enjoy playing Russian Roulette?

Did I neglect to mention my brief stay (it was really was only a few days) at the mental hospital? Ahh, that's ancient history. Let's get back to the present.

BACKUP SOFTWARE- THE PRESENT DAY

Want to hear something silly? My friend Ben down in New Orleans owned an insurance company. It made a very good living for him and his family. He didn't believe in backup software either. All his computers were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Ben just laughed and said, "No problem, this disaster gives me the chance to write the Great American Novel that I've always dreamed of writing".

What about his 10 employees and his thousands of customers he was asked? Ben said, "Heck, things always work out for the best don't they?"

What about the income from the business that supported his family he was asked? Ben said, "Oh, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) told me they would take care of us and not to worry."

See, Ben is all set and is none the worse for wear even though he didn't have backup software.

BACKUP SOFTWARE LESSONS

So boys and girls what have we learned about this backup software thing?

* If we don't have backup software, so what, it just makes life after a hard drive crash more interesting and fun.

* After a natural disaster that destroys your computers, FEMA will make it OK.

* All the hubbub about backup software is just a bunch of advertising hype to sell product.

* Just because you like to play Russian Roulette, you aren't really crazy.

FINALLY- BACKUP SOFTWARE FOLLYIES

I know another guy, Carl Jordan, who is crazier than I am. Carl and the rest of the loonies at Tweak All Consultants (www.tweakspeed.com) actually believe backup software can save your bacon.

In my own strange way I try to be fair and balanced. Therefore

if you disagree with me check out Carl's review of backup software at Backup Software

Now, where's my medication? My meds really smooth me out. They also help me forget about rational things like computer backup and backup software.

Jack Back has been in the computer business since 1983 as an IT executive and working computer consultant company owner. He has helped many clients after a computer crash who had no computer backup. Hurry to get your FREE REVIEW of backup software that saves your irreplaceable computer data from loss, damage or destruction at the Backup Software website.

Planning A Backup And Restoration Of Files For Disaster Recovery

2012-12-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

The Backup utility creates a copy of data on a hard disk of a computer and archives data on another storage media. Any storage media such as removable disks, tapes, and logical drives can be used as a backup storage.

While taking a backup of files, the Backup utility creates a volume shadow copy of the data to create an accurate copy of the contents. It includes any open files or files that are being used by the system. Users can continue to access the system while the Backup utility is running without the risk of losing data.

Volume Shadow Copy

Backup provides a feature of taking a backup of files that are opened by a user or system. This feature is known as volume shadow copy. Volume shadow copy makes a duplicate copy of all files at the start of the backup process. In this way, files that have changed during the backup process are copied correctly. Due to this feature, applications can continue writing data to the volume during a backup operation, and backups can be scheduled at any time without locking out users.

Types of Backups

The Windows Backup utility provides various types of backups. While planning for a backup strategy, it is important to choose an appropriate type or combination of different types of backups. The backup type determines which files are transferred to the destination media.

Each backup type relates to an attribute maintained by every file known as archive (A). The archive attribute is set when a file is created or changed. When an archive attribute is set, it means that the backup of this file has not been taken or it is due.

Note: When it is said that "The file is marked as backup", it means that the archive attribute of the file has been cleared.

Normal Backups

When an administrator chooses to use a normal backup, all selected files and folders are backed up and the archive attribute of all files are cleared. A normal backup does not use the archive attribute to determine which files to back up. A normal backup is used as the first step of any backup plan. It is used with the combination of other backup types for planning a backup strategy of an organization. Normal backups are the most time-consuming and are resource hungry. Restoration from a normal backup is more efficient than other types of backups.

Incremental Backups

An incremental backup backs up files that are created or changed since the last normal or incremental backup. It takes the backup of files of which the archive attribute is set. After taking a backup, it clears the archive attribute of files. An incremental backup is the fastest backup process. Restoring data from an incremental backup requires the last normal backup and all subsequent incremental backups. Incremental backups must be restored in the same order as they were created.

Note: If any media in the incremental backup set is damaged or data becomes corrupt, the data backed up after corruption cannot be restored.

Differential Backups

Differential backup backs up files that are created or changed since the last normal backup. It does not clear the archive attribute of files after taking a backup. The restoration of files from a differential backup is more efficient than an incremental backup.

Copy Backups

A copy backup copies all selected files and folders. It neither uses nor clears the archive attribute of the files. It is generally not a part of a planned scheduled backup.

Daily Backups

A daily backup backs up all selected files and folders that have changed during the day. It backs up data by using the modified date of the files. It neither uses nor clears the archive attribute of the files.

Combining backup types

The easiest backup plan is to take a normal backup every night. A normal backup every night ensures that the data is restored from a single job the next day. Although the restoration of data from a normal backup is easy, taking a backup is time consuming. Hence, an administrator is required to make an optimal backup plan. An administrator must consider the following points before creating a backup plan:

·The time involved in taking the backup.

·The size of the backup job.

·The time required to restore a system in the event of a system failure.

The most common solutions for the needs of different organizations include the combination of normal, differential, and incremental backups.

Combination of Normal and Differential Backups

An administrator can use a combination of a normal backup and a differential backup to save time in taking a backup as well as for a restoration of data. In this plan, a normal backup can be taken on Sunday, and differential backups can be taken on Monday through Friday every night. If data becomes corrupt at any time, only a normal and last differential backup are required to be restored. Although this combination is easier and takes lesser time for restoration, it takes more time to take backup if data changes frequently.

Combination of Normal and Incremental Backups

A combination of normal and incremental backups can be used to save more time for taking backups. In this plan, a normal backup is taken on Sunday and incremental backups on Monday through Friday every night. If data becomes corrupt at any time, a normal and all incremental backups till date are required to be restored.

Backing up a System State Data

System State Data

System State data contains critical elements of the Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. Following are the files included in the System State data:

·Boot files, including the system files and all files protected by Windows File Protection (WFP)

·Active Directory (on domain controller only)

·SYSVOL (on domain controller only)

·Certificate Services (on certification authority only)

·Cluster database (on cluster node only)

·Registry

·IIS metabase

·Performance counter configuration information

·Component Services Class registration database

For backing up the System State of a computer, the System State node is included as a part of the backup selection in the Backup utility.

Note: On domain controllers, System State can be restored only by restarting the domain controller in Directory Services Restore Mode. NTDSUTIL is used to recover deleted objects in Active Directory.

System Recovery

In the event of a system failure, the recovery of the system is difficult and tedious for administrators. Recovery involves reinstallation of the operating system, mounting and cataloging the backup tape, and then performing the full restore. To make this process easier, Windows provides a feature called Automated System Recovery (ASR). ASR is used to perform a restore of the System State data and services in the event of a major system failure. An ASR restore includes the configuration information for devices. ASR backs up the system data and local system partition.

How to create an ASR set?

Take the following steps to create an Automated System Recovery (ASR) set by using the Backup or Restore Wizard:

1.Run Backup from Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup.

2.In the welcome screen of the Backup or Restore Wizard, click the Advanced Mode link.

3.On the welcome page of the Advanced Mode of the Backup utility, choose the ASR Wizard option from the Tools menu.

4.In the welcome screen of the ASR Wizard, click the Next button.

5.On the Backup Destination page, specify the location of the backup, and click the Next button.

6.Click the Finish button.

Note: An ASR backup does not include folders and files.

Best practices for Backup

According to Microsoft, administrators should take the following steps to ensure the recovery in case of a system failure:

·Develop backup and restore strategies and test them.

·Train appropriate personnel.

·In a high-security network, ensure that only administrators are able to restore files.

·Back up all data on the system and boot volumes and the System State.

·Back up the data on all volumes and the System State data at the same time.

·Create an Automated System Recovery backup set.

·Create a backup log.

·Keep at least three copies of the media. Keep at least one copy off-site in a properly controlled environment.

·Perform trial restorations.

·Secure devices and media.

·Do not disable the default volume shadow copy backup method and revert to the pre-Windows Server 2003 backup method.

·Back up your server cluster effectively.

·Back up the cluster disks from each node.

uCertify was formed in 1996 with an aim to offer high quality educational training software and services in the field of information technology to its customers. uCertify provides exam preparation solutions for the certification exams of Microsoft, CIW, CompTIA, Oracle, Sun and other leading IT vendors. To know more about uCertify, please visit http://www.ucertify.com/

Recovering Your PC From Disaster With Vista Backup

2012-12-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

A pre-requisite to using this feature of Vista is buying the license for either Vista Business or Ultimate editions. Unfortunately Microsoft have not made it available in other versions of Vista. There are two types of backup you can use, and they affect how you restore the system:

1. Using the 'Backup Computer' it's possible to write what's called an image backup of your entire PC to a backup device usually a USB stick or external drive. This snapshot of your entire system allows you to recover exactly to the same point in time. However, because it is an 'image' of your system drive it requires the restoring PC to have a system drive of at least the same capacity. Usually it would be the same PC so this is not a problem. It is also the lengthier of the two backup options as it backs up the whole machine.

2. Using 'Backup Files' you can backup selected data files such as images, photos, music, documents, spreadsheets, emails and application data. This type of backup is incremental i.e. it only backs up changed files and therefore is usually very fast taking only a few minutes. However it will not enable you to restore a full system, only those backed up files.

Typically we advise you use both types of backup and blend them to cover all your data and system. So for example you might take a complete backup weekly, but a file backup daily. In the event of a disaster you would need to restore the system backup first, and then each daily backup (since its incremental) that contains changes that will not be on the full system backup.

The service has a scheduling function within it so that regular file or full image backups can be taken on a regular basis be that daily, weekly or monthly, whatever suits your needs. With the speed of modern drives the backup of your entire PC can be done within an hour and in the event of a disaster be recovered in a similar amount of time.

There are many options for backup devices but with the steadily decreasing cost of external hard drives and USB memory sticks these are looking like the consumer and very small business users backup device of choice. You need a minimum of 80GB of space to backup up your entire system and that's what I'd recommend you do. An external hard drive would normally be connected to your PC via a free USB2 socket, however in some instances you may also have eSATA, Ethernet or Firewire (IEEE1394) connections available as alternatives. The fastest connections to use for backup in reverse order are USB2, Firewire and eSATA.

Should your machine stop working for either software or hardware related reasons the Image backup allows you to return it to its last working state to and be confident that everything should work perfectly as it did previously. What this means is that should anything go wrong with your current installation like a faulty hard drive, corrupt windows file or Virus problems, all that is needed to be done is to enter the Windows Vista Ultimate or Business disc, plug in the backup device and start the PC. Once you have done so, follow the steps below to fully restore your PC to the exact state as it was at the last backup.

Keeping your back-up image up to date means you don't have to worry about any problems caused by software errors, virus infections, hardware failures or corruption. Similarly, should your system hard disk fail entirely, all that would need to be done would be to get a replacement, install it and then follow the process of a system restore and you would have your operating system and software back as it was before.

Please note system restore points described in Windows are a different tool. They save operating system files as a snapshot at a given time in another directory (usually hidden) on your system disk so that without referring to a backup you can reverse a hot fix, service pack or driver update should it prove to cause instability or bugs. This is obviously no use to you is the system disk fails or becomes corrupted.

Doesn't RAID protect me from drive failures though?

Ideally if you have also selected our RAID1 or RAID5 disk storage configuration you can afford to lose one hard drive and simply 'hot swap' it out for a replacement without any interruption to the working system as it is able to rebuild the information that was on the missing drive on the fly, until you are able to replace the defective drive. Once the defective drive is replaced the RAID5 redundant volume set is rebuilt on the new drive and you have fault tolerance restored once again.

Remember your backup images don't care whether it's a RAID drive they are being backed up from or restored to so you can back up a RAID set and restore to non-RAID or vice versa.

How to restore Vista from a backup

Assuming you have your backups now to recover from your backup device (USB or External hard drive), and your machine is now back up and running (or you are using a similar replacement machine) and you have the same capacity hard drive space available it's very simple. Just go through the following steps:

1. Insert your Windows operating system DVD into the drive

2. Reboot your machine (or power on)

3. If you are asked whether to 'Press A Key' to boot from CD-ROM, then do so. The standard windows installation process will now begin with a progress bar along the bottom of your screen. Select your preferred language when prompted (i.e. 'UK English') and click 'Next'.

4. Once the Windows setup DVD has started select the Repair option from the first screen. You will see the 'Repair your computer' option on the bottom left. Click on it and click 'Select'.

On The following screen click 'Next' and you will get to a screen with an option o perform a 'Complete PC restore'

5. Then select the option to 'Windows Complete Restore' to restore from your latest backup (ensure your backup device is already connected and switched on)

6. Windows will now look for backups on your device and allow you to restore your system from it, this will take a few minutes depending on how big your system disk was in terms of volume of data that has been backed up

7. Now remove the Windows setup DVD, and reboot your PC again

8. Your system will now be restored to the state of your last Full image backup

9. You can now go into Control Panel, System Maintenance, Backup and Restore, and select to restore any documents, images, music, email or data files that are backed up individually but were not in the last Full image backup

Please note running through this process WILL DESTROY any existing data on the disks as it completely overwrites it with your backup image including any new files that might be on the disk so you need to be sure you do want to restore from the backup.

Typically a full backup image will take up at least 10GB of space, and your restore will create a new volume of exactly the same size as your original volume so you must ensure that you are restoring to a volume at least as big as your backup volume was.

Backup and Disaster Recovery FAQ

What do I need to do to ensure backups are run?

Just make sure you machine is on at the time set for backups to run, the backup device is connected and switched on. We also recommend you make sure all applications are closed and its advisable to have nothing running while backups are being taken.

Manually running backups

If you would like to run a one off backup because you are about to change your system configuration or add hardware or software and you want to be sure the system is safe this is a prudent practice and is easy to do. Go to the 'Start' bar (which has now been replaced with a Windows icon in the case of Vista) and Click on Control Panel, followed by System Maintenance and then Backup and Restore Centre. Select 'Backup computer' to make a full image backup of the entire machine and its configuration, or select 'Backup files' to make incremental backups of changed data files (the latter being much quicker and requiring far less backup space).

Bear in mind that you need to rename your backup image file names manually so you can identify which one is which when it comes to having to restore them, otherwise each successive backup will simply overwrite the last and you cant recover to a given point in time. To change their folder names simply use file explorer as you would on any other windows file system device.

All backups are stored in a folder on the backup device named 'Windows image backup'. The default name for the folder will be the PC's computer name. Here, simply right click the folder with the new backup you have made (the new one will be identifiable by the date) and select 'rename'. If you then need to restore to any given point you will be given a choice of folder names identifying all your backups you can restore from.

Do I need to backup anything else?

I recommend you also periodically (say once a month or quarter) backup your full system with a complete image backup. This is the only way to ensure the whole system in its complete working state is backed up and can be restored to. If you don't mind the wait for it to finish its better to run a Full backup as often as possible, but it can take some time (several hours).

Can I restore my system even if its still working?

Yes! If you want to revert to a previous working state of your system at the time of an earlier backup then even though your system is working you can go through the same procedure above to restore it to that earlier point. This is sometimes useful if a software or driver installation or a virus has infected your machine and you would like to safely revert to an earlier known working and secure state.

If the Windows DVD/CD wont boot on my machine what should I do?

Most likely your CD/DVD drive isn't set as the first priority boot device so the PC is scanning the disks and trying to boot from them first and failing. You need to check your boot priority setup in the machines BIOS setup. You can usually enter the BIOS by pressing [Del] at start-up (PC start-up, not Windows start-up, if windows is starting up its too late), usually there is a screen to accompany this to tell you when to press [Del] or another prescribed key). Your BIOS will usually give you three or more options for priority order of boot devices for installing windows or recovering from a backup this needs to be set as [CD-ROM] or [USB] first, it doesn't matter what follows it in second priority but ideally it should be your system disk to minimise boot-up time. This is exactly the same process as if you were about to fresh install Windows onto the machine

Protecting backup media

Don't forget your backup is only as good as the medium it's on. In business its good practice to dummy run a restore of your system every now and again to make sure the process and the media are working properly. If you have the time id recommend you do the same. Its also advisable to protect the media especially if all your backups are on a single external drive or USB device. Consider storing the device in a fire safe in between backups to ensure it doesn't get destroyed in the event of a building fire, flood or collapse. To be doubly sure buy two backup devices and rotate them on and off site (at a friends house or different business location) that way if an aeroplane hits your house (hopefully while you are out!) your friend still has one of your backups for you...

Alan is Chief Technologist at Cryo Performance Computers in the UK. He leads the research and development of innovative PC design for games and demanding professional communities. Cryo PC supply high performance specialist PC's including professional custom built PC's and extreme gaming PC's.

GFI Backup 2009 For Database Backup and Recovery

2012-12-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

Database backup and recovery is a very important direction in today's computer dominion. The steady increase in storage media flaws and increase in information use calls for research and development of advanced database backup and recovery methods. Advanced database backup software gives a wide range of supported databases such as DB2 backup, PostgreSQL Backup, Oracle Backup, MySQL Backup and FoxPro backup among others. Database backup software offers numerous useful features for a database backup schedule. All people in needs of personal and business data security need excellent backup software solutions to protect their data.

Disasters are investable and this raises the need for disaster recovery techniques. The disaster recovery process enables one to restore system components after a disaster. Depending on the software used and how the backup process was done, the recovery process can be a great deal of work or very simple. Anyone that does reasonable computing amounts will some day be in need of program or data backups. The GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition presents an excellent and easy to use backup software for all your database backup and recovery needs.

GFI Backup 2009 offers you a backup solution for your program settings, photos, documents, emails and music. With the use of a smart and simple interface that is wizard-driven to a wide range of storage devices, the GFI backup 2009 Home edition software has plenty to offer. The great news about this backup software is its easy availability. In addition, it is downloadable, free and user friendly. Other unique features making the software stand out from the crowd include the ability to secure all important files for free. By the use of the ZIP format that is widely used, data can be restored within minutes. For all novice users, this backup software offers a wizard-driven interface which is very simple to use. In a nutshell, the software is full-featured, efficient and fast offering a perfect backup solution.

GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition also offers differential and incremental backups and can synchronize folders and files. Its settings for backup support a wide range of applications while this backup software offers many options for backup storage. Other additional features making the software very unique include its built-in task scheduler that is simple to use. The software also brags of predefined searching filters and 256-bit encryption that is one of the best encryption methods. You can backup the entire windows registry using this software which also offers you an in-depth log for each backup operation.

Be it a corporate environment or personal computer, the GFI Backup Home Edition presents a free backup software solution for all. Apart from being able to secure all your data, this backup tool also offers a registry backup and is capable of restoring most of the configurations for applications in case of a disaster. One advantage of this backup tool is that users can easily restore configuration settings in case they are destroyed. This backup software also preserves the structures of folders from their source. This software is best for corporate environments as it allows backing up of data to an FTP server or network share. The software is also a perfect backup strategy as copies of stack backup can be kept and new file versions can replace the old that have been backed up by use of the differential or incremental backup techniques. With this backup software, you can run backup schedules whenever the computer shuts down or starts. Another unique quality of this software is its ability to reschedule any missed tasks and run a back up even when the machine is off at a scheduled time. Try out this fully-featured backup software solution and unravel the benefits it has to offer you.

For resource: GFI Backup 2009

There are many backup software solutions available. GFI Backup offers the most common and the most useful options but best of all it's free. Chout more info about GFI Backup and download you free copy now.

Windows 7 New Backup Features

2012-11-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

Windows 7 Backup and Restore

With Windows 7, Microsoft expands on the reliable backup and restore solutions for both data files and the entire computer that it introduced in Windows Vista, which can be used to copy your important files and folders to a safe location or create a system image that can be used later to restore a unreliable PC.

File Backup If you think of your Documents library as the centre of your data universe, and keep a series of folders and files there and in other libraries, then you'll understand the importance of backing up these files on a regular basis. Windows 7 supports both automatic and manual data backup, enabling you to choose which files to back up and when. You can then restore your backups at any time to recover previous versions of documents, or to replace a file you may have accidentally deleted.

System Image There's nothing worse than discovering that you need to reinstall Windows for some reason. You also have to ensure that you have drivers for all your hardware, reinstall the applications you use regularly, reload your data, and reconfigure all of the system, so that it's exactly the way you used to have it. Rather than go through this pain, you can use a Windows 7 feature called System Image Backup to create what is called a system image. This image, which is essentially a huge file, contains the entire contents of your PC as it existed when you backed up an image. You can simply restore the system image and get right back to work.

Window 7 also offers a way to access previous versions of data files or a previous state in time, or called a System Restore. These features are not part of Backup and Restore, but when you add it all up, what you have is the makings of a full-featured data recovery software suite like Ghost used for many years with Windows XP.

Backup Capabilities in Various Windows 7 Editions

All Windows 7 product editions get Backup and Restore with system image backup capabilities; the only exception is network-based backups: Only Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate support that capability.

One Tool to Rule Them All: Using Backup and Restore

Although various tools are available through the Windows 7 user interface. A single menu control panel menu option in System & Security, the Back UP & Restore menu option provides a front end.

Backing Up Documents, Pictures, and Other Data

If you want to create a data backup, you can use Windows Backup, which is available from Backup and Restore. To do so, launch Backup and Restore and click the Set up backup link. This launches Windows Backup's Setup up backup wizard

In the first step of the wizard, you must choose a location to store the backup. You can save a backup to an internal or external hard disk, a writeable CD or DVD, or a network share. (Network backup is only available in Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise & Professional. The amount of space you need, of course, depends on the amount of data you are backing up. Windows auto selects the local storage offering the most free space, but you can change this of course.

Microsoft does not allow you to back up to the disk or partition you are backing up, you cannot go from C: / to C: /

In the second step, you have two choices: Let Windows choose or Let me choose. If you choose the first option, Windows Backup will automatically backup data files saved in libraries, on the desktop, and in any folders founder in your user folder. Windows Backup will also create a system image if you choose this option, and then automatically make periodic backups on a schedule going forward.

If you choose Let me choose, Windows Backup will present a view of your file system. From this option, you can pick exactly what you want to backup. You can also optionally cause a system image to be made.

In the next step, review what you've chosen. Click the Change schedule link to change the default, which is to make a backup every Sunday night.

Click Save settings and run, as the backup begins, Backup and Restore displays its progress.

If you set up an automatic backup, Windows 7 will monitor your PC usage and prompt you to perform full backups over time.

A backup is in progress. This message will occur in the future; when Windows Backup runs in the background you can create multiple automatic backup schedules if you want. For example, you may want to back up different drives or file types at different times.

Managing Backups

Once you have created your first backup. First, Backup and Restore indicates that you've set a backup location and indicates when the last and next backups occur. You can also change the automatic backup settings and restore all of the files for the each user account.

When you click the Manage space, the Manage Windows Backup disk space window will indicate, information about the selected backup device, you can browse the file system of the backup location, view backups stored on that PC, and change settings configured with system image backups.

If you do click View backups, you can't actually get inside the backup folder you have made. From here, you can view the backups and delete them.

Go back to the previous window and click Browse. This will open Windows Explorer view, navigating the location of your backup. At this location, you will see Windows Backup icon and the name of your PC. If you try to double click this folder, a Windows Backup window will appear. Instead, right-click the folder and choose Open. Then, click Continue in the permission folder that appears. You'll will see a folder structure representing your various backups. A number of standard ZIP files. If you accidentally lose everything, at least these files will always be accessible.

Restoring Files& Folders

Backup and Restore can also be used to restore files you have previously backed up. There are 3 file restore methods.

Restore my files. Restore your own files and folders.

Restore all users' files. Restore your own files and folders as well as those of other users.

Select another backup to restore files from. Perform more advanced restoration tasks, such as restoring files from a different PC.

You can follow these steps to trigger a restore of your own files or folders:

1. Open Backup and Restore and click the Restore my files button.

2. The Restore Files window appears.

From here, you have three options:

You can Search. If you know exactly what you're looking for, and only need one or a handful of files, you can use the Search button to Search your existing backup sets.

You can browse for files. If you'd like to manually browse around the backup set to find a file or any number of individual files, click Browse for files. You'll be presented with a modified File Open dialog, from which you can browse the various backups you've created, diving into the full backup or just the files in your user profile.

Recover entire folder

Whichever method you choose, you can mark a folder for restoration as you go and then continue looking for more.

3. When you're ready to go, click the Next button in the Restore Files window. Windows Backup will ask you to decide where you want to restore the files to; either to their original locations or to a new location.

Choose one and then click Restore. Windows Backup will begin restoring your files. If there any of the backup files will overwrite an existing file, you'll see the normal File Copy window shown below, which offers you a chance to overwrite, copy but keep both files, or don't copy.

When the restore is complete, Windows Backup will let you know that the files have been restored and list them.

Windows 7 System Image Backup

Backing up and restoring data files is important and should be on a regular basis, recently a new type of backup utility that backs up entire PC systems using system images has become quite available. These types of backups protect against a hard drive failure, virus infection or a major crash: If your you can use this system image to restore the PC to its previous state.

System imaging isn't new; companies have been using it for years such as Norton Ghost., Microsoft has created its own version, which it includes with Windows 7.

System imaging utilities typically compress the data on your hard drives to create a small image. Various solutions use different compression types, but you may be interested to know that Windows 7 uses VHD format that Microsoft also uses in its Windows Virtual PC software and its server-based Hyper-V virtualization solutions.

System images contain complete PC operating system files and user files & folders. You can't restore only parts of a system image, as you can with data backups. When you restore a system image, it restores the entire PC and overwrites any existing operating system. That means you should be careful before restoring a system image: Any data you have on the disk will be lost. Of course, remember to use automatic backups.

To create a system image, launch Backup and Restore menu and click the Create a system image on the left side bar at the top corner. This launches the Create a system image, shown below, which directs you through the steps to back up your whole PC. You can save system images to hard disks or DVDs, as well as network locations only in Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate only. You can only write a system image to a hard disk that is formatted with the NTFS file system.

Click Next. The wizard will give you a chance to confirm the backup settings and remind you which partitions are being imaged. It will also provide an estimate of the amount of space needed to create a system image. The required storage space varies according to the size and usage of the hard disk on your PC. Click Start backup to begin the system image process.

Two file system locations must be included in the system image-what Microsoft refers to as the boot partition and the system partition. The boot partition is always C:\, whereas the system partition is the drive with the Windows 7 Windows directory. This is typically C: but if you installed Windows 7 in a dual-boot setup with a previous Windows version, the system partition might be in a different location. If you have other drives or partitions, you can optionally choose to include them in the system image as well. As the image is created, Windows Backup will provide an ongoing progress indicator.

This process could take some time, especially on a heavily used PC. When it's done, Windows Backup will prompt you to create a system repair disc. You should do so: While Windows 7 does install recovery files directly into the boot partition, in some cases; these files will not boot the PC. If that happens, you can use the system repair disc to boot your PC, a requirement for restoring the entire PC with the system image (as we'll see in the next section you can use any writeable DVD for a system repair disc.

If you have both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 on different PCs, you cannot use the same system repair disc for each. Instead, you must create separate system repair discs for 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

Restoring the Entire PC

If a major hardware or software failure has made your computer unusable, and you simply want to return to a system backup, you can use one of the system images you've previously created. Note, however, that you will typically need to boot your PC into the Windows Recovery to make this happen, using the boot repair disc that you created earlier. Note, too, that restoring your PC in this fashion will wipe your system and format your C drive partition.So this should not a last resort.

Follow these steps to restore your entire PC using a system image:

1. Reboot the computer.

2. If you are using a system repair disc, boot the PC with that. Otherwise, after your PC has finished its BIOS sequence, hold down the F8 key. Choose Repair Your Computer from the Advanced Boot Options screen (below) and tap Enter.

3. After the loading files screen, choose the correct language and keyboard input method and then click next.

4. If you booted from the hard drive, you will need to choose System Image Recovery from the System Recovery Options window that appears. Otherwise, System Recovery will examine the hard drives attached to your PC and look for Windows installs. When it's done, it will list the install(s) it found and give you the opportunity to use Windows 7's built-in recovery tools to fix problems with Windows or you can restore your PC to an earlier time using a system image. Choose that latter option and

Click Next.

5. The Re-imege your computer menu begins. In the 1st phase of this system, you choose the latest image available by default or you can select a different system image.

Click Next.

6. In the next step, you can choose to format the PC's hard drive or C: / generally.

Click Next to continue.

7. In the final phase of the menu, you can certify what you're doing and click

Finish continuing.

This can take some time depending on how large you backup is.

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Computer Data Backups: Test Now or Cry Later

2012-11-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

If you're like most small business owners, your computer data backups are one of those things that you rarely pay attention to. Computer data backups are kind of like flossing your teeth and eating low-fat, high-fiber foods... everyone knows what they're supposed to do... but how many REALLY do these things religiously?!?

Unfortunately when it comes to your computer data backups however, complacency can be very dangerous. Of course, it's always a good idea to have a local computer service company that you can rely on for advice on selecting and maintaining your computer data backups. But, unless you're prepared to put a full-time PC support person on your company's payroll, it's really important that you get some basic understanding of the major issues with computer data backups.

So here's a compilation of some really crucial tips on computer data backups that I've put together, after nearly 15 years of helping small businesses protect their valuable computer data files.

Test your computer data backups regularly and monitor their log files.

To be effective, computer data backups must be highly automated to ensure that jobs are launched consistently and correctly, but your computer data backup system also needs to be watched over diligently to make sure it continues to function reliably.

Unfortunately, monitoring the computer data backup system generally isn't a priority until something goes wrong. By then it's too late.... Like the article title says, "Test Now or Cry Later!"

People have a strong tendency with a computer data backup system to set it and forget it. Automation clearly has many benefits, but a totally hands-off approach can be very dangerous if no one is overseeing your computer data backup process.

Test and Then Test Again: VERY Important with Computer Data Backup Systems

With any newly installed computer data backup system, don't assume everything works correctly right out of the box. Even more important, don't take for granted that your backup system will continue working indefinitely. You need periodically to restore some folders and files from your backup media to validate that your computer data backup system still works.

If your automated computer data backup routine is configured to include a verify run with each backup job, testing a sample restore job monthly should be adequate. However, if you have an extremely low tolerance for risk, you may want to simulate a sample restore job once a week.

The Hazard of Moving Parts and Open Design with Computer Backup Systems

Why do you need to take these precautions if you're purchasing a reliable, business-class computer data backup system to start with? Typically, a tape drive or other backup device is one of the few components in a PC or server that still have moving parts.

As a result, it's more prone to mechanical failure. In addition, because a backup device generally is open, as opposed to the sealed design of a hard drive, it's easy for the inside of the computer data backup system device to attract a significant dust buildup in a relatively short period of time.

Sample Restore Jobs and Cleaning Tape Heads of Computer Data Backup Systems

Testing a tape for a sample restore job is also a great time to clean the heads of the backup drive if your backup system requires this kind of maintenance.

Restoring a few hundred megabytes (MB) of data to a scratch directory and running a head-cleaning tape should take no more than 15 to 30 minutes.

When running a test restore job, always restore the data to an alternate server folder path, so as not to disrupt the use of any shared folders.

Building a Computer System Backup and Restore Procedure Checklist

In times of crisis, the most crucial issue becomes how quickly you can get the data back onto your system, undamaged. So, as you build your computer data backup system, be sure to document your test procedures into handy checklists.

This documentation also can be great for cross-training and crucial for avoiding panic during an emergency. Be sure you have a hard copy of this documentation next to your system and stored off-site with your backup media.

Watching the Log Files of Your Computer Data Backup System

In addition to running test restore jobs, you must inspect your computer data backup system log files daily. When the backup system is first installed, take time to get familiar with the way log files look when everything is working. This way, if something goes awry, you'll be better prepared to pinpoint the nature of the problem immediately.

As network operating system (NOS) suites and backup software have become more sophisticated, it's now possible to monitor backup system log files remotely and more proactively. In most cases, the backup system log files are just plain text (.txt) files.

Many third-party tools and utilities, as well as those included with Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server (SBS) and Microsoft BackOffice Server, can automatically e-mail or fax a backup system log file at a preconfigured time.

Automatically and Remotely Monitoring Tape Backup Log Files

Many computer consultants have their small business clients' log files automatically e-mailed to them daily, so the consultants proactively can watch out for potential problems with the computer data backup system.

However, don't think this proactive monitoring is limited to professional consultants. If your company has one or more branch offices you support from a centralized location, you also can use a similar method to monitor backup system health in remote locations.

For greater flexibility, you can set up an e-mail alias so the computer data backup system log file automatically is sent to you, your second-in-command and perhaps an external computer consultant - so you are all kept in the loop. Also, this way, monitoring continues even when you're out of the office or on vacation.

The Bottom Line

If your small business depends greatly on its computer systems, backing up your data is not optional... and it is not something that can be casually brushed to the back burner.

Use the computer data backup tips in the articles to help you become a more IT-aware small business owner. And remember, when it comes to computer data backups, "Test Now or Cry Later". The choice is yours.

Joshua Feinberg is a 15-year veteran computer consultant, an internationally recognized expert on small business computer consulting. He has appeared in dozens of business and IT trade publications including American Express OPEN Platinum Ventures, Entrepreneur, Inc, SCORE, Small Business Computing, and USA Today. To learn more about Joshua?s money-savings tips for small business PC support, visit his site at http://www.PCSupportTips.com

Creating a Backup Plan

2012-11-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

Your company's data may be its most important asset. Imagine a large corporation with millions of dollars of account receivable and account payable data stored on their network. A fire causes massive data loss. How much work would be required to re-create the lost data? Without backups, the company may not survive the disaster.

Choosing a backup media is important, but in this article I'll focus on creating a plan for the type and frequency of backups. Let's assume you will use some type of tape backup media.

If your company has only a small amount of data, you may be able to perform a full backup every night. You would need two tapes which you would alternate in case the most recent full backup turns out defective. At least you have a previous one to go back to. You would store the tapes in a secure off-site location to avoid being destroyed in the same disaster that might destroy the original data.

When you perform a full backup, each file that gets baked up has the "archive" attribute in its file properties set to zero.

The archive attribute is a flag stored for each file that has been created or modified. It indicates that the file needs to be archived. Backup programs can reduce the size of backups by saving only files which have been modified since the previous backup. When the file is saved in a full or incremental backup, the archive bit is set to one.

In Windows, you can view the archive attribute for any file by right-clicking the file in Windows Explorer and selecting "Properties" in the popup menu. In the "Properties" dialog box, click on the "Advanced..." button.

If your company has a large amount of data, it would be too time consuming to perform a full backup every night. Instead, you would perform a full backup only on Friday nights, and perform a "differential" backup on other weekday night. This backup plan would require six tapes.

- A differential backup saves all files that have been created or modified since the last FULL backup.

- Restoring with differential backups is easy. You need just use two tapes. First restore the last full backup. Then restore the last differential backup.

A differential backup doesn't reset the archive attribute. The next time you perform a differential backup, it will again save all the files that have changed since the last full backup. So each night, the differential backup will get progressively larger until the next you perfrom a full backup.

If your company has a great amount of data that changes every day, it would be too time consuming to perform a differential backup every night. Instead, you might perform a full backup on Friday nights, and an "incremental" backup on other weekday night.

- An incremental backup saves only the files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup.

An incremental backup checks the archive attribute to determine if the file has changed and needs to be backed up. Then it resets the archive attribute. An incremental backup stays small because it includes only files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup.

- Restoring with incremental backups is more time consuming. First, restore the last full backup. Then restore all the incremental backups made since the full backup, in the order they were made. The only reason to use an incremental backup scheme is if differential backups become too large, requiring more than one tape.

Many company networks continue to opperate on Saturday and even Sunday. In this case, you would need to add the required additional tapes to the plan.

If during the day your company creates a large volume of data, or a small amount of data that is too critical to wait for the standard night time backup, you can perform a copy backup. To do this, you just copy the selected files to a backup media.

Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included.

Stephen Bucaro

To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com. To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp.

Data Backup - Computer Backup - Safe Guard Important Data

2012-11-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

Data Backup - The most effective way to prevent data loss is a solid data back-up procedure. Critical data should be backed-up at least once daily or possibly even more often for very active file systems. The frequency will depend upon the rate at which the protected data is modified or updated.

Data Backup falls into three basic categories:

Normal Backup. All files are stored and marked as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is cleared). With this type you need only the most recent copy of the stored file or tape to restore all of the files. You usually perform one of these the first time you create a backup set.
Differential Backup. Here only files created or changed since the last normal or incremental backup are stored. It does not mark files as having been copied (in other words, the archive attribute is not cleared). If you are performing a combination of normal and differential backups, restoring files and folders requires that you have the last normal as well as the last differential backup.
Incremental Backup. An incremental backup backs up only those files created or changed since the last normal or incremental backup. It marks files as having been backed up (in other words, the archive attribute is cleared). If you use a combination of normal and incremental backups, you will need to have the last normal backup set as well as all incremental backup sets in order to restore your data.

Normal Backup- Anytime that a new procedure is initiated this type of backup must first be created before 'Incremental' or 'Differential' becomes possible. A 'Normal' backup copies all of the selected files and stores a complete copy of them in the destination set. Therefore, to perform a restore from a 'Normal' backup you need nothing more than the most recent 'Normal' set to restore every file that has been stored.

So you may ask, what is the point of the 'Differential' and 'Incremental' backup options. Well, it comes down to speed and storage space. A 'Normal' backup can take quite a long time to perform depending on the amount of data that is being backed up as well as use a very large amount of storage space.

Differential Backup- The 'Differential' backup looks at the data that is stored in the last 'Normal' backup and compares it to the state of the data in the current system and then stores only that data that has changed in the interim. In the typical computer environment, the ratio of the data that changes each day to the data that remains static is somewhere on the order of 1 to 2 percent. Therefore, the size of the 'Differential' backup is fractionally tiny in comparison to a 'Normal' backup and the time it takes to generate and store a 'Differential' backup is minimal compared to the time it would take to create another 'Normal' backup set. However, a 'Differential' backup set, in and of itself, is of no value. To perform a data restore from a 'Differential' backup, both the original 'Normal' backup set as well as the 'Differential' backup set are required.

Incremental Backup- The 'Incremental' backup looks at the data that is stored in the last 'Normal' backup set and also the changes that have been saved in the last 'Incremental' backup set and then compares that information to the current state of the system, storing only that data that has changed in the interim. This type of backup uses even less storage space and theoretically can be done even more frequently (even hourly). The biggest drawback to this type of backup is that to perform a data restore using this method you need the original 'Normal' backup set and all of the incremental backup sets as well.

A solid back-up procedure would normally be comprised of a combination of a periodic 'Normal' backup (maybe weekly or monthly) and either daily 'Incremental' or daily 'Differential' backups. The reason periodic 'Normal' backups need to be performed is because of the fact that over time the 'Differential' backup sets grow larger and larger and take longer and longer to create. In the case of the 'Incremental' backup, as time passes the number of backup sets continues to increase each time a backup is executed. Performing a fresh 'Normal' backup allows this process to start over.

Every system configuration should include some form of Data Backup:

We know that your data is important to you. A Data Backup plan is inexpensive and should be part of every basic system configuration.

I own a Computer Repair and Data Recovery business in San Antonio, TX. I spent 10 years in database development and the past seven mainly repairing and servicing hardware. However, I am now also offering Website Development, Internet Marketing, SEO, and Hosting.

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Bryan F. Keller

Can You Restore Data from Your Backup?

2012-11-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

Many users don't test their backups. This is because they don't take the time or they don't know the steps to take.

This means that there is a risk that the restoration of their system will not work nor can they be sure that they are able to retrieve individual files.

You should use a backup program which gives you a full report with verification which highlights possible errors when the backup is completed.

If the backup is taken from a server, then the backup administrator should get an email backup error report.

To test the backup, try to recover some of the files from the backup.

In case the backup is spanning over several consecutive CD's, DVD's or tapes then examine some files by restoring them from the last tape or CD.

Spanning by the way, is the term used to describe backup that can't be stored on one CD or tape but has to be divided and stored on more than one.

Special consideration must be given to open databases.

Many data backup products are not able to backup open databases. If that is the case you have to look for special backup solutions.

Tragically many users who don't test their backups find that data can't be recreated from their backups.

This even despite that backups have been made and everything seems to be OK. Tapes may be bad or the setup parameters are set wrong.

This is especially true if the backup is made with Ntbackup, the standard backup utility included in Windows.

Note: In Windows XP Home edition this program is not included in the installation.

One problem with Ntbackup is that it is hard to use and it is difficult to set up a backup schedule.

There exist other alternatives to choose from. Some are expensive. Often with a multitude of functions.

These products are targeted to the high end corporate market and should be avoided by small and medium businesses.

Backup should be easy to do and the instruction easy to understand.

NTBackup doesn't gives good enough information on possible errors. It's easy to make something wrong.

If you use a tape backup as your backup media then there are several things you can do to reduce these risks and make the backup safe.

1. Make backup with verification.

Use a backup product which verifies the backup. The verification will take up extra backup time, but it is well worth doing.

2. Tapes rotation.

Use several tapes and rotate them according to a set rotation time schedule. There are several different rotation models you can use.

3. Keep the backup at a safe place.

Keep the backup in another building to protect the data from disaster such as fire or flooding. One option is that one employee keeps backups at home. The place used for storage should be fire protected and burglar proof.

The location should have a normal stable temperature and should have no humidity or electric fields.

4. Maintain your equipment.

Maintain the tape driver and keep it free from dust. Make sure that you can get service of the hardware.

5. Keep track of the expiration date.

This is something you need to watch if the tapes are in heavy use.

All tapes have a limited life time and will wear out over times.

Normally this is when the tape has been used well over 1000 times.

6. Test the backup at regular intervals.

Test the backup by restoring files as described above. As an alternative you can restore files on to a different server or computer.

Per Strandberg work as a data security expert and manage a data backup resource site.

Learn more on tape backup technologies here!

Important Distinctions Between Full System Backup, Continuous Backup, and Incremental Backup

2012-11-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

There are many methods of data backup, stemming from many decades ago to the very recent past. Here we'll address a few different kinds of backup and some of the more technical aspects of their usefulness.

Unstructured Backup - This is when a user performs data backup of selected material manually, usually to Jazz or CD, with minimal regularity, continuity, or organization. It requires a low amount of investment and little effort, but yields a low level of recoverability.

Full System Backup - This is when a user executes a backup of the entire system disk, creating a duplicate image. Full system backup can be performed manually or on an automated schedule. It enables a high level of recoverability, but takes a long time to perform, so it is usually done biweekly or monthly. It often requires professional guidance during the restoration process as well.

Incremental Backup - This is the most common data backup method on a professional level. Upon initiation, a full system backup is performed to create a baseline. Thereafter, incremental backups are performed which only backup changed data. There are various methods of accomplishing this. Simple incremental backup just backs up whatever data has changed since the last time an incremental backup was performed. It they are scheduled to run daily, an incremental backup will record all changes made for the last 24 hours. This is considerably faster and less resource-intensive than a full system backup. The downside is that it further complicates the data restoration process, as it will be incomplete without each piece of incremental backup data (there can be hundreds or thousands).

Another form of incremental backup is differential backup. Like incremental backup, it begins with a full system backup, then tracks changes made. Unlike incremental backup, a differential backup system records the changes made relative to the initial full system backup. This means there is more data getting backed up, so the process takes longer than simple incremental backup. Yet it only requires two files to fully restore a system - the initial full system backup, and the most recent differential backup. This is often considered the best simple compromise between full system backup and simple incremental backup.

Yet a third and more sophisticated variety of incremental data protection is the multi-leveled or multi-tiered incremental backup solution. In this solution, backups are scheduled and designated levels or tiers. Level 0 is a full system backup. For each other level n, backup data is tracked relative to the most recent n-1 level backup. If you start with a level 0 backup, then schedule level 1 backups Mondays and Fridays, and level 2 backups Wednesdays, The Monday and Friday backups will record everything changed since the initial level 0 backup. The Wednesday backups, however, will only record changes made since Monday, because it is a level 2 backup (and Monday's was a level 1). Though more complex, this system allows for a much higher level of resource management. For large amounts of data (thinks terabytes of corporate data) this can be a significant boost in available processing power. By customizing your incremental levels, you can optimize your ratio of data security to processing power consumption.

The most recent advent to mainstream data security is continuous backup. It is essentially a modernized, upgraded version of disk mirroring. In a disk mirror scenario, a backup drive is setup to simply mimic a drive you select - every change continuously throughout the day. Continuous backup takes this concept one step further by tracking the changes made, enabling the user to roll them back and thus restore their system to virtually any point in time. This is the simplest and most reliable backup method for home users and small business - situations in which there is a limited amount of data changing at any given time. The only limitation is processing power - a newer system is important to manage to disk syncing without perceivable changes in performance. Continuous backup can also be successful for large-scale operations, provided it is implemented at a low (user-end) level (such that there are a manageable number of changes processed at any one given time). For home and small business users with older systems, differential backup can offer better performance, but provides a lesser degree of reliable system restoration and requires more user input and understanding of the implemented software. Ultimately continuous data protection is an excellent upgrade solution for home and small business users in the process of upgrading their older computer systems.

At Rebit, http://rebit.com, Dennis and two co-founders created something referred to as "ridiculously simple backup". Rebit products are ideal for small business, relieving the burden of backup for IT providers and PC users. The Rebit SaveMe product is the only backup and recovery solution that starts working the minute it is installed, keeping PCs continuously protected from crashes, viruses or accidental file deletions. All Rebit products are continuous, complete, and easy to use. There are no buttons, no schedules, and no configurations. In the event of a catastrophe, one can easily and quickly recover individual files, entire folders, or restore the complete system to a point in time. For more information: http://rebit.com/products/product-comparison/.

Tape Backup Strategies

2012-11-03T02:50:00.000-07:00

Before you can have a secure and effective plan for managing your data, you must incorporate a strategy that includes the following information:

• The importance of the data you are backing up

• How often to back up your system

• How many tapes you will use

• When you will use certain tapes

• How you will keep track of your backup information

Choosing a Backup Strategy.

Several tape rotation schemes are described in this chapter. Prior to choosing a strategy to use with your Backup Exec system, you should examine the following questions.

How often should I back up?

While there is no set rule on how often to back up your data, there is one consideration that can help you decide for yourself: What is the cost of recreating data that was added or modified since the last backup?

Calculate the manpower, lost time and/or sales and other costs that would be incurred if your system crashed just before the next backup was to take place (always assume the worst-case scenario). If the cost is excessive, the strategy needs to be adjusted accordingly.

For example, if you have a database containing important customer information that you update several times a day, the cost to recreate that information would probably be quite substantial. On the other hand, the cost to recreate the data for one or two inter-office memos would be considerably less.

Ideally, you would want to do at least one Normal backup of all drives, directories, and files every day. Important files and directories that constantly change may need to be backed up several times a day. For safety reasons, a Normal backup should always be performed before adding new applications or changing your system's configuration.

How long does the data need to be stored?

The amount of time the data needs to be stored is directly related to the tape rotation scheme you use. For example, if you use one tape and back up every day, your backups will never be more than a day old.

Since tape media is relatively inexpensive when compared to the value of your data, it is a good idea to periodically backup your system on a tape not used in the tape rotation scheme and store it permanently.

The threat of viruses is an issue here also. Some viruses take effect immediately, while others may take days or weeks to cause noticeable damage. Because of this, you should have at least the following backups available to restore at any time:

• 3 daily backups (i.e., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)

• A one-week-old Normal backup

• A one-month-old Normal backup

Having these backups available should allow you to restore your system prior to when it became infected.

Important: Be careful not to restore data you think may be infected to a drive that is not infected.

What is the life expectancy of a tape?

Tapes that are used over and over will eventually become old and worn out. When this happens, the success of restoring data from those tapes diminishes. Since tape media is relatively inexpensive, it is a good idea to periodically replace your older tapes with new tapes.

Set a standard as to how long you can use a tape before you replace it based on the backup strategy you use, the number of times you use the tape, and how long you plan to keep the tape. Also, if the quality and reliability of a tape becomes questionable (you begin to get tape errors during a backup operation), you should replace the tape.

The suggested standard to be:

• if the tape is used once a week then dispose of after 3 months

• if the tape is used often then dispose of after 6 months

• if the tape is used periodically then dispose of after 12 months.

Backup Methods

There are five backup methods:

Method - Description

Normal - Normal backups will back up all selected drives, directories, and files regardless of whether or not they have changed since the last backup (resets the archive bit).

Incremental - Incremental backups will back up only the files that have been created or changed since the last Normal or Incremental backup (resets the archive bit).

Differential - Differential backups will back up all files that have been created or changed since the last Normal backup (does not reset the archive bit).

Copy - Copy backups will back up all selected drives, directories, and files and does not affect subsequent Incremental or Differential backups.

Daily - The Daily Backup method backs up all files with today's date (created or changed today) and does not affect the files' backup status (does not reset the archive bit).

Before you can develop your tape rotation scheme, you will need to decide whether you want to do Normal, Incremental, Differential, or Daily backups or a combination. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method. Copy and Daily backups may be performed in addition to the tape rotation scheme selected.

Normal Backups

Advantages

Files are easy to find - Since Normal backups include all data contained on your hard drive, you do not have to search through several tapes to find a file that you need to restore.

There is always a current backup of your entire system on one tape or tape set - If you should need to restore your entire system, all of the most current information is located on the last backup.

Disadvantages

Redundant backups - since most of the files on your system rarely change, each backup following the first is just a copy of what has already been backed up.

Normal backups take longer to perform - Depending on how much data you are backing up, Normal backups can be time consuming.

Incremental Backups

Advantages

Better use of media - Only files that were created or changed since the last backup are included, so there is much less data storage space required.

Less time required for backup - Incremental backups take much less time than Normal backups to complete.

Disadvantages

Files are more difficult to find - Incremental files may be spread across all tapes used since the last Normal backup. You may be required to search several tapes to find the file you want to restore (this is typically not a problem if you use full cataloging and Backup Exec's Advanced File Selection feature).

Full restoration of your hard drive may be time consuming - Restoring a hard drive will probably require the restoration of data from more than one tape. This can take more time than if all data was on a single tape.

Differential Backups

Differential backups include backing up all files that were created or changed since the last Normal backup. For example, let's say you perform a Differential backup on Monday following Friday's Normal backup. When you perform a Differential backup again on Tuesday, the backup will include the data you backed up Monday, as well as any files that were changed on Tuesday. If you had performed an Incremental backup on Monday and Tuesday, Tuesday's backup would include only files that were created or changed since Monday's backup.

Advantages

Files are easy to find - Restoring a system backed up under the Differential backup strategy requires a maximum of two tapes-the latest Normal backup tape and the latest Differential backup tape. This potentially represents a considerable time savings over backup strategies which require the latest Normal backup tape and all Incremental backup tapes created since the Normal backup.

Less time required for backup - Differential backups take much less time to complete than Normal backups.

Disadvantages

Redundant backups - The amount of data backed up each day following a Normal backup gets greater and greater. For example, let's say you are performing a Normal backup on Friday, and Differential backups Monday through Thursday. Redundancy occurs because the same information backed up on Monday will be backed up again three times (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).

Copy Backups

Copy backups may be performed in addition to the tape rotation scheme selected. Copy backups allow you to perform a backup to meet a specific purpose (e.g., create a special tape, backup specific data, etc.).

Daily Backups

Daily backups may be performed in addition to the tape rotation scheme selected. The Daily Backup method backs up all files with today's date (created or changed today). The Daily Backup method does not affect the files' backup status (does not reset the archive bit).

Tape Rotation Schemes

There are many different tape rotation schemes. They differ mostly by the number of tapes they require and how long the tapes are kept before they are rotated back into the schedule. The tape rotation schemes described here are:

• Son

• Father/Son

• Grandfather

• Ten Tape

Stick to the Schedule

To realize the maximum benefits of your tape rotation scheme, stick to the schedule. If the schedule is not followed regularly, mistakes could take place that would render all backup efforts useless. Make sure that backups of your system are performed on schedule.

The tape rotation schemes described here are generic. Depending on the value and quantity of your data, you may want to adjust a schedule to better fit your needs. For example, if you are using the Grandfather scheme, you may want to perform a Copy backup on the last Saturday of the month to rotate off-site for permanent storage.

Son Scheme

Number of tapes required: 1

Maximum Storage life: last backup

This tape rotation scheme simply involves doing a Normal backup every day. Although the Son scheme is simple to manage, backing up with a single tape is not an effective backup strategy due to the fact that magnetic media eventually wears out after many uses and the data you can restore only dates back to your last backup.

Father/Son Scheme

Number of tapes required: 6

Maximum Storage life: Two weeks

The Father/Son tape rotation scheme uses a combination of Normal and Incremental backups for a two week schedule.

In the Father/Son scheme, four tapes are used Monday through Thursday for Incremental or Differential backups. The other two tapes containing Normal backups are rotated out and stored off-site every Friday.

The Father/Son scheme is easy to manage and allows you to keep data longer than the "Son" scheme.

Note: If you choose to perform Differential backups, you can use 3 tapes instead of six. For example, you can perform Differential backups with Tape 1 on Monday through Thursday, and use Tapes 2 and 3 for your Friday Normal backups.

To implement the Father/Son scheme, perform the following steps:

1. Label your tapes and perform a Normal backup on Tape 5 (Incremental) or Tape 3 (Differential) on Friday.

2. Follow the schedule shown above for performing backups Monday through Thursday.

3. Rotate tapes 5 and 6 (Incremental) or 2 and 3 (Differential) off-site for maximum protection.

Grandfather Scheme

Number of tapes required: 19

Maximum Storage life: One Year

The Grandfather scheme is one of the most common tape rotation schemes. It is simple to manage and comprehensive enough to find files easily when they need to be restored.

In the Grandfather scheme, four tapes are used Monday through Thursday for Incremental backups. Another three tapes are used every Friday for Normal backups. The remaining 12 tapes are used for monthly Normal backups (January through December) and are kept off-site.

The Grandfather scheme is recommended because it offers a good tape number to storage life ratio (19 tapes/1 year). It is also easy to modify should you want to incorporate more tapes. For example, you could perform a Normal backup on the last Saturday of the month to store permanently.

Ten Tape Scheme

Number of tapes required: 10

Maximum Storage life: 12 weeks

Some tape rotation schemes result in excessive wear on the tapes that are used most often in the schedule. For example, a scheme may require the same four tapes to be used for Incremental backups on Monday through Thursday, every week. The Ten Tape scheme eliminates this by rotating tapes in a way that allows each tape to be used the same number of times over a 40 week period.

The cycle begins with a Normal backup on each Friday, and Incremental backups Monday through Thursday. On the fourth Friday of each four-week cycle, a Normal back up is performed and rotated off-site.

The scheme is divided into ten, four week intervals. The same four tapes are used Monday through Thursday in a given cycle, but change the next cycle. A different tape is used each Friday of the four-week cycle.

When you first implement the Ten Tape scheme, you will need to perform a Normal backup on Tape 10 before backing up to Tape 1 on Monday. This will ensure that you have a four-week-old copy of your data at the end of the first four week cycle.

The main benefit of the Ten Tape scheme is that all tapes are used equally during the cycle. This scheme is more difficult to manage than others described in this chapter. Although less tapes are required than the Grandfather scheme, storage life is reduced to 12 weeks.

Bernard works for Neustro the authors of NeuQs Free Help Desk.

Expert Reveals the 9 Biggest Backup Mistakes and How to Fix Them

2012-10-29T09:54:00.001-07:00

You know, backing up your computers is a bit like home insurance. It's easy to ignore it while everything is going just fine, and even easier to get complacent. But when something goes WRONG, you find yourself scrambling for your policy! And if you're not covered in the "fine print", you could lose the lot!

With your computer networks, the risks are just as great. You could lose the lot, jeopardise your business, and find it almost impossible to recover from. But happily this needn't be the case. This report is intended to alert you to the main risks, and to give you some insights into how to protect your computers, your business... AND yourself.

A comparison of backup devices and their approximate costs, is available via our website.

First, some sobering Statistics which will SHOCK you!

* 93% of companies that lost their data centre for ten days or more as a result of a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. 50% of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately.

* 30% of companies report that they still do not have a disaster recovery program in place and two in three companies feel that their data backup and disaster recovery plans have significant vulnerabilities. Furthermore, only 59% of companies polled test their data backup and storage systems at least once a quarter. Conducting a regular external audit of backup and restore systems is far from a common practice - only 32% report conducting an external audit.

* At what point is the survival of our company at risk? 40% said 72 hours, 21% said 48 hours, 15% said 24 hours, 8% said 8 hours, 9% said 4 hours, 3% said 1 hour, 4% said within the hour.

* 30% of all businesses that have a major fire go out of business within a year. 70% fail within five years. * Gartner estimates that only 35 percent of (Small & Medium Businesses) SMBs have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place.

* According to a recent NFIB National Small Business Poll (USA), man-made disasters affect 10% of small businesses, whereas natural disasters have impacted more than 30% of all small businesses in the USA. Hurricanes are by far the most destructive force causing power failure, flooding, customer loss, and the closure of many businesses.

* According to a recent Touche Ross study, the survival rate for companies without a disaster recovery plan is less than 10%!

Symantec® survey reveals:

Despite Warnings, SMBs Still Not Prepared

* 52 percent of SMBs do not have a disaster preparedness plan.

* 65 percent of SMBs were in regions prone to natural disasters.

* SMB's went through an average of five outages last year. SMB's Don't Act Until After A Disaster

* 49 percent of SMBs implemented a disaster preparedness plan due to a previous outage or data loss.

* 54 percent implemented their plans in the last six months. Lack Of Preparedness Impacts The Business

* Since downtime equates to a median loss of US$14,500 a day, prolonged downtime could shut down an SMB.

* SMB outages cost their customers US$45,000 a day with 24 percent saying they lost data due to disaster affecting their vendors.

So now you can see why it is CRITICAL to your business to independently evaluate your current backup solution. Potential consequences of getting it wrong, are that you lose Money, Customers, Your Job, or even Your Business if a disaster happened and you couldn't get the data back quickly. It could be DEVASTATING! But it doesn't need to be such a risk....

Mistake #1: Not backing up everything We recommend that your backup system be capable of, and configured to backup everything. Too often, we hear of clients who need to restore a piece of information from their backups, only to find that it is not contained on the backups. Some people only backup the data from their main accounting system for example, and not their other important data such as Word and Excel documents. Your backup device or service must be large enough to fit all of the data from your computer or servers. This means that when you are upgrading the hard disk capacity of your system, you need to confirm that your backup device or service is still appropriate! There are a range of solutions that can be used for this purpose - an outline of these is included at the end of this article. It's also best if you have backup software that automatically runs the backups at a time when nobody is using your system so that all of the data is available to be backed up. Many of these software packages include functions to provide confirmation that the backup has completed in the form of an email which is also highly recommended. If you have a server computer, then you may think that backing up the information on the server is enough. What you also need to consider is that there may be data stored on individual computers too and also on smartphones and tablet computers!

Mistake #2: Not backing up Email data With the greater reliance on email, we are receiving more requests to restore emails. In our experience most people do not backup emails at all. These are often the only record of communication where in the past there may have been a series of letters and or faxes. If you have your own email server in-house, you may need to install an additional backup program or agent in order to properly process the email information. Many clients use Microsoft Exchange, which often requires a backup agent for your backup software so that it can properly backup the email data. Even if you have the right agent for your mail server installed, there can also be limitations on how you can restore the mail data. This has to do with the design of the email and backup software. It may be the case that the entire mail database must be restored in order to get back a single email. Of course this can increase the time and inconvenience associated with performing a restore. Similarly, if emails have been archived by the auto-archive feature in Outlook then they are probably stored on your workstations hard disk instead of your server (and therefore are probably not being backed up!) If you don't have your own mail server, then your computer is probably storing the emails on your local hard disk drive rather than the hard disk of your server. Files on local hard disk drives are not usually backed up. Your email software should be configured to place these files on the server where they will be automatically backed up. Another issue with email backups is that emails which are received and deleted on the same day may not be able to be restored if your backups take place only in the evening, meaning that the email must have existed in your mailbox for at least one night to have had an opportunity to be backed up. This same limitation applies to all of the data on your system if you are only doing nightly backups.

Mistake #3: Insufficient "depth" of backups Most people don't have the resources to keep backups forever. If backing up locally to disk or tape, then you will need to overwrite older backups unless you are happy to keep buying more disks or tapes. If you are backing up to an online service, then there is usually a limit to the amount of storage that you can use too. This means that there will be a limit to how far back you will be able to restore. A common backup system is to keep 5 backups, one for each day of the week. This means that if a file were accidentally deleted or corrupted, and you didn't discover this for longer than a week, then you will not be able to restore it from backup, because all the backups that contained a "good" version of the file would have been overwritten. We suggest that you keep a number of weekly or monthly backups to provide protection against this. Free and entry level online backup services are often worse and may only keep 1 version of files. If using a backup service it's important to understand their depth of backups (often referred to as retention policy) when you start out rather than finding out too late that their system is unsuitable for you.

Mistake #4: Not backing up frequently enough How often you backup (along with the depth of backups you keep) determines the choices that you have when it comes time to restore and will vary depending on your requirements and your budget. It is possible to backup as often as every 15 minutes, or as little as daily or weekly. Why doesn't everyone backup every 15 minutes then?

* Because the more often you backup, the more space your backups consume (therefore you need to buy more disks, tapes, or offsite storage)

* Backing up can reduce the performance of your system while the backup is taking place

* Time taken to complete a backup. If your backups run for longer than 15 minutes (some can take several hours to complete) then this too will limit how frequently you can backup

* Some systems are unable to be backed up while they are being used. Depending on your backup software, it may not be able to backup data that you are working on or you may be "locked out" of some parts of your system while the backups take place.

Mistake #5: Not keeping some backups offsite One of the reasons for doing backups is to protect against disasters such as fire or theft. So it is important that some of the backups be kept offsite to ensure that all of your backups are not destroyed or stolen along with your system. This is one of the reasons why using offsite backups services is appealing as your data is kept offsite. Where this can be a problem is that the speed of backups can be too slow to enable you to backup everything (see point #1 above!) and in the event that you need to restore, it can take a long time to restore

Mistake #6: Files not backed up because they were open In general, your data can't be backed up while it is being used. For example if you have an important Microsoft Word document that you are working on and you leave this document open overnight, some backup software will not be able to back it up. This is more serious if someone remains inside your accounting system which can often mean that the entire accounting system is not backed up. This is becoming less of an issue as many current generation backup programs now have the ability to backup open files. You should check that yours is able to!

Mistake #7: Incorrect restores If you find yourself in a situation where you need to restore, proceed carefully! We have seen occasions where a client has set out to restore a small amount of data for a two week old backup but instead has restored their entire system. This can be disastrous. Usually your backup software will provide the option to restore files to a different location. This option should almost always be selected. Once restored, you then copy the files across to their original location. It's also important when restoring from physical media such as tape or disk to make sure that you write-protect the backup media (or to suspend online backups if you are restoring an old backup and it is likely to soon be overwritten) before you start. This is to protect against your system automatically doing a new backup over the top of the backup that you want to restore!

Mistake #8: Backups are not checked Successful backups depend on the correct operation of your backup software and hardware. Over time problems can develop that might stop your system from backing up. Unless you check your backups regularly you might not be aware of that there is a problem. For example, tape drives can develop a hardware fault which prevents them from backing up, but does not prevent them from loading and unloading tapes correctly. Windows updates or installation of new software, that you would think is unrelated to backups can also "break" your backup software as an unexpected side-effect. So it is important to be looking deeper at what it going on with your backups to be sure that you will be able to restore should you need to.

Mistake #9: Poor labelling/recording of backups When you find yourself in a situation where you need to restore a file to how it was last Wednesday, you don't want to waste a lot of time trying to figure out which backup is required. Investing a small amount of time to appropriately understand your backups and how they are rotated/overwritten can save a lot of time and anxiousness when you need to restore. Where media like removable disks or tapes are used labelling them clearly and keeping a manual log of which media was rotated on which day (and if the backup was successful) is recommended. For online backups, making sure that you understand how to review backup logs and to select an individual file from a particular backup (you will sometimes want to restore an older version of a file, not the most recent backup of it and this can be difficult or in some cases impossible to restore an earlier version of it.)

And a Bonus: Mistake #10: Bad folder structure Keeping your data in a logical, tree-like folder or directory structure will make it easier to find the information you are looking for. This is just as important when it comes time to restore information. Most times people want to restore just a few files, and you need to be able to locate these files in the backup software before you can select them for restore. Having a logical, and not overly complex directory structure makes this easier. Many servers also allow you to set permissions on folders and files. Without making this too complex, it is also be a good idea to set appropriate permissions at the folder level so that the number of people that can access and modify your data is just those that need to.

Considering these Mistakes, you now need to fix the problems and implement a Backup Solution which works best for your business. By selecting the right Backup Technology, you're ALMOST done.

What are the most important features when choosing the best Backup Software?

Automatic Scheduling of backups Advanced backup software is capable of automatically scheduling the backups. No doubt you have lots of other responsibilities and things to think about! So backups, a bit like insurance, are not going to be at the front of your mind until there is a problem! Save yourself the worry and make sure that you implement a solution that automatically launches the backups.

Full System backups If your full system is not being backed up then chance are some important information is being missed. Modern computer systems create and use tens or hundreds of thousands of files and even to IT experts it's hard to be sure that you are selecting all of the important information. This is why we feel that it's important to backup all of the data on your system.

Backups of Open Files If you or somebody else is in your accounting system or editing a Word or Excel document you don't want it to not be backed up. Ironically this is probably what you most want to be backed up so make sure that your software is smart enough to deal with open files!

Backups of Databases Again, not all backup software handles databases like Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server correctly. Some software requires that you purchase additional modules and/or to configure backups in a certain way to be able to successfully restore them. Other databases, such as Oracle for example, are not supported at all by some of the major backup software packages and you may find that even a backup that you software labels "successful" will not get you all of your data back!

Monitoring & Alerting Probably the most important feature, yet one that is very often neglected. Even if your backup system is fully tested and working today something could change in the future such as a (and sadly we have seen all of these!)

* Backup hardware failure

* Backup software failure due to compatibility issue with a Windows or other software update

* Backup software failure due to changing a user or administrator password or other permissions

* Backup software failure due to a bug in the software that is not immediately triggered! Most or all of these problems will be detected early if you have the appropriate backup monitoring and alerts in place. You can monitor backups yourself, locally, or you can enlist professionals to monitor your backups remotely.

Disaster Recovery When the unthinkable happens, your choice of backup software and the selections that were made in setting up the software can have a huge impact on what happens in a disaster. Before disaster strikes you should be thinking about:

* How long you can get by without access to your IT systems?

* How long will it take to restore your whole system in the best case?

* Which systems features are most urgent?

* What hardware/software you need to recover your systems?

* Do you need to restore to identical hardware? (for MOST software and/or configurations you do!) This means you need to have spare, identical servers on standby.

Email Archiving Is really a separate topic, but one that is increasing in importance. Even if everything is setup correctly to do full backups of your email, restoring them can be complex and costly and yet may not recover all of the information that you need if the email was sent and deleted between backups, or was deleted some time ago. With many backup scenarios you can't see the individual emails contained in a backup until you restore it and so you may have to complete multiple costly and time consuming "restore cycles" to retrieve the emails you need. Or even worse you might not find them! A dedicated email archiving solution is the answer here. And of course you will still need to backup your email archive as well!

HOWEVER, that's not the end of the story. Great software TOOLS will only solve PART OF THE PROBLEM. You also need the right ADVICE, PLANNING, TESTING and SUPPORT to get the best results with any backup solution.

For many businesses, there is a real risk of a Disaster. An event which can be caused by Mother Nature (such as flooding and Cyclones or Hurricanes), or a Power problem, a Fire, a Virus or Malware, or any other unforseen potential problem which could render your computers inoperable.

Now I have shown you what the problems are and what to look for in a potential backup solution. The rest is up to you.

To help you evaluate your current backup solution, start by Answering these Questions. This 12-point checklist may help you to pinpoint problems with your backups!

Is everything on your system being backed up?

Who checks that the backups worked and how often do they check?

Do your backups run automatically?

Is there a WRITTEN backup log showing who checked the backups (and for backups to disk or tape also showing which disk or tape was used?)

When did you last restore from a backup?

Have you ever done a full restore of your system?

How many copies of your backups do you have?

Are some of these backups kept offsite?

Are the offsite backups stored securely?

How is the security of the offsite backups protected?

How far back can you restore your accounting system?

Can you recover an email that was deleted last month?

How did you go with Questions? Are you confident your business will be safe if an unforeseen event occurred?

If you couldn't answer all the questions above, or if your answers left you realizing that you are unprepared, or lack the required knowledge to protect your business data, don't despair. You fit into the same category as most businesses! Find yourself a professional partner with expertise in Backup and Disaster Recovery.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this report is general in nature and does not take into account your particular situation and requirements.

Steven Bakker is a recognized expert in IT Backup Solutions in Australia, specializing in Disaster Recover, Business Continuity Planning and Backup/Restore Software and solutions. For the full report, visit http://nas.com.au