Tech: Backing Up Windows: Question

Subject: RE: Tech: Backing Up Windows: Question
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 25 Mar 14 - 12:31 PM

Thanks, Steve

Subject: RE: Tech: Backing Up Windows: Question
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 24 Mar 14 - 11:53 AM

If you've been orderly in keeping all your documents in the one place, those will probably all be served OK by your cut and paste routine.

However ...

Depending on which email client you are using, you might need to find where that stores its data and make sure you include that. Don't forget to include your contacts / address book as well as your messages, and if you've build up a sophisticated set of filters to redirect or block messages you might want to include those files as well. The option may exist to relocate those files to a more convenient directory so they are easier to include.

Similarly, don't forget about your music collection if that's on computer - is that in your regime? What about your photos?

Your regime also won't save your default settings from various programmes, so if you have put a lot of effort into creating custom settings (where 'a lot of effort' = 'a real pain to recreate') you, again, need to find out where those are stored and back them up.

Your system restore disks are only good for restoring the system to the state it was in at that moment, so if you install much new software it might be worth refreshing the disks. The same thing applies to your backups of course - so if a few months down the line you realise that you've not done a backup for ages and would therefore have lost all that data in an emergency, maybe the automation aspects offered by third party backup managers might become more attractive after all!

Subject: Tech: Backing Up Windows: Question
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 24 Mar 14 - 11:21 AM

Like, I suspect, many others I've been fairly lax in making backups. So, in order to rectiy this I bought a 1 TB external hard drive.

So far so good.

My question is:

Is simply backing up my data with a simple copy and paste, which used in conjunction with the Windows 'restore' DVDs (that HP suggested that I create) enough?

Or do I need to use the Windows Backup utility, or maybe a third party one?

Any advice appreciated.

Thank you.