Backing Up in Windows 7

[dyne]

I just learned that it is NOT a good idea to BACKUP files in Windows 7 by using the
COPY and PASTE commands. This works but is EXTREMELY slow, taking HOURS
to copy and it can create problems.
The correct way to BACKUP files using Windows 7 is to go to START, click on ALL programs,
then find MAINTANCE (which is far down on the list) and then click on BACKUP and restore.
This program makes backups MUCH faster, usually in a matter of minutes. There is a RESTORE
command to be used when needed. It is difficult to set up properly but eventually I was able to
get it to backup DRAKE10 and DRAKEDDM automatically every evening at 10 PM.

[Bees Knees]

I still use an old DOS xcopy command that works just fine in Windows 7. The idea is to only backup data files that have changed since the last backup to an external hard drive that then gets stored off site.

The DOS command is:

xcopy "c:\bees backup folder" "u:\bees backup folder" /I /E /Y /K /H /C /R /D

c:\bees backup folder is the folder on my c drive where all data is stored. I have all of my programs set up to place data files created by that program in that folder.

u:\bees backup folder is the external hard drive where all data is backed up to.

To create the backup command, enter the above text into a notebook document. Then save the notebook document as backup.bat

That creates an executable command to run the backup routine. Sometimes you have to right click on the backup command and choose “run as administrator” from Windows 7 to get it to work.

[PIGLEE]

I have discovered that the only good backup, is a backup that is done through the program, and then restored using the program.

I do my backups and have them saved in My Documents. Then I use Karen's Replicator (a free program) to backup to my portable hard drive. It is done automatically when ever I schedule it for. I also use I-Drive to have a Cloud Back Up ( I call this my fire insurance, because I once lost everything in a fire).

This system has worked great for me. I have had major computer problems this year, and have had to move my data 5 times. The only thing I lost was some emails.

[dtlee]

There is a big difference between Backup / Restore and copying files. I have never used any of the copy commands for a full backup / restore since they will generally not copy the system files. I used to use True Image for my backups but I have recently switched to Paragon Backup & Recovery after True Image nearly destroyed my Windows 7 install. Windows 7 Backup and Restore seems to not want to backup my C drive to my other drive because it seems to believe that my system files are there (the only thing remotely related to the "System" on my other drive is my documents folder). While I understand the foolishness of ever backing up files on your system drive to your system drive (talk about putting all your eggs in one basket), my other drive is installed partly to give me a place for a quick restore assuming something affects only my C: Drive. Thus, I have not found a use for their backup and restore function.

Using XCOPY to copy selected files and directories is still an option, but I would suggest taking a look at ROBOCOPY which comes with Window 7 and is far more robust (supposedly, they named it ROBOCOPY for "Robust File Copy" but I don't know if that is true or not). Someone apparently wrote a GUI front end for this that Microsoft adopted, which is discussed here:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2006.11.utilityspotlight.aspx

I know that others have written supposedly even better GUI front ends, but I prefer the command line most of the time.

For my routine copy chores in Windows 7, I am using TeraCopy Pro, found here:

http://www.codesector.com/teracopy.php

For many scenarios, TeraCopy just works great for me quite seemlessly and saves a tremendous amount of copying time. If you have found that Copy / Paste is slow in Windows 7, you may want to try using TeraCopy which. after installing, replaces the Windows copy function and greatly speeds up these processes. If you are happy with copy / paste, obviously, you would not need to look at this.

For synching files between multiple machines and for running scheduled backups of specific files and directories, I am using SyncBackSE found here:

http://www.2brightsparks.com/

The main reason I have for not using Windows 7 Backup and Restore for the scheduled backups is that I back up to a network drive and am still running several machines using Windows XP. Since SyncBack works in all versions of Windows that I have, I prefer to use that. Secondly, since I use it to synchronize certain directories across machines, it is just easier to have both the directory synching and backups in one place.

Please don't think I am saying I am doing this right or that anyone is doing it wrong, just sharing the particular methods I use.

[taxxcpa]

Copy vs backup

I backup occasionally to the C drive and use carbonite to backup daily. I also copy and paste Peachtree accounting files periodically to an external hard disk.