Dee
Sat May 17 03:38:51 PDT 2008
"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:0v0s24lhfnme8vjo4a7d74h3h1an8d7bc6@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 16 May 2008 22:43:06 +0100, "Dee" <fred@fred.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
>> news:qgpr2498hrj42p40ijka6nrsrt6rj7urq8@4ax.com...
>> > On Fri, 16 May 2008 19:49:09 +0100, "Dee" <fred@fred.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> To partition a second HDD, I read that it can be done in either of two
>> >> ways.
>> >> A Primary partition plus an extended partition with logical
>> >> partitions.
>> >> Or
>> >> with no Primary partition and just an extended partition with logical
>> >> partitions.
>> >>
>> >> Is there any reason why one way is preferable to the other ?
>> >
>> >
>> > It doesn't matter much, but if you're planning to have two or more
>> > partitions on your second drive plus whatever number you already have
>> > on your first drive, you may be falling into the trap of
>> > overpartitioning that many people fall into. So may I ask what you
>> > plan to use each of these several partitions for?
>> >
>> > --
>> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>>
>>
>> Thank you for your information.
>
>
> You're welcome. Glad to help.
>
>
>> On the second HDD, I plan one partition for a backup of C: (which has
>> just
>> OS plus applications), and one partition for a backup of a drive
>> containing
>> data.
>
>
> OK, but let me point out that what you are planning is among the
> weakest forms of backup there is. If your data is important to you and
> you're serious about backing it up, I urge you to reconsider your
> plan. I don't recommend backup to a second non-removable hard drive
> because it leaves you susceptible to simultaneous loss of the original
> and backup to many of the most common dangers: severe power glitches,
> nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the computer.
>
> In my view, secure backup needs to be on removable media, and not kept
> in the computer. For really secure backup (needed, for example, if the
> life of your business depends on your data) you should have multiple
> generations of backup, and at least one of those generations should be
> stored off-site.
>
> My computer isn't used for business, but my personal backup scheme
> uses two identical removable hard drives, I alternate between the two,
> and use Acronis True Image to make a complete copy of the primary
> drive.
>
> I also use a pair of 1GB thumb drives for making more frequent backups
> of my most critical data (like financial information). For that I just
> drag and drop.
>
> I recommend that instead of installing your second drive internally,
> you mount it in an external USB enclosure (about $20-25 US, and under
> five minutes work, even if you're all thumbs), and keep it connected
> *only* when you are backing up or restoring.
>
> You can read my thoughts on backup here:
>
http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=314
>
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
Thank you for your thoughts, and the article you gave a reference to. I
shall look into the methods you describe.
May well end up with an external HDD. Some years ago I tried backing up to
an external HDD, but Ghost (as it was then) often had difficulty finding the
external HDD. I understand things have improved since then.
Do you get any problems with varying drive-letters? I have heard people say
their external HDD shows up with different drive letters each time it is
used. Does this cause any problems with TrueImage, particularly when you
need to restore? Does it find the correct image to restore all right?
Dee