I'm ordering you to take a backup!!!

[Doctor Q]

Stop what you are doing and take a backup right now!

A co-worker of mine lost an important file today, which can happen to anyone at any time. He hadn't taken a backup for months so he couldn't simply restore the file.

I don't want you to suffer the same fate, so I'm ordering (not asking) you to take a backup. Do it now, today, tonite, or tomorrow at the latest. If you had other plans, tell people that Doctor Q didn't give you a choice. You'll thank me later.

If you think you have a valid excuse (no, a note from your mother is not good enough), let's hear it. Otherwise, get to work!

[D0ct0rteeth]

Im out of DVD-R's and they are in the mail.. should be here tomorrow or Saturday at the latest

I definitely gotta backup as my external firewire drive may take a **** when I install panther

Thanks Q

- Doc

[G5orbust]

aye aye sir! Oh...wait...I backed up everything last week... Doh!

[SiliconAddict]

HEH do you really want to know how I do backups?

First I have a home brewed server with 380GB, recently upgraded, of storage with 4 partitions:
G: Backups\file storage 70GB
H: Software 40GB
I: Movies 154GB
J: Music 115GB

Each system in the house has a drive mapping for the personal directory to \\backup$\personalstorage\[familymembersname]
The My Documents directory points to the folder. For my 2 laptops in the house we use offline file shares so when the system comes back online any changes to the above share gets replicated back to the server. Backups of the server are on a once a week rotation with 1 set of backups going to the safety dep box once a month. Backups are done via DLT 35/70 backup tapes. So 7 tapes (getting close to 8 now.) get stored offsite once a month in case of fire or some other freak happenstance. Physical HD scans for bad sectors are done on a end of month basis overnight (Since it takes aprox 4 hours to do a comprehensive scan using IBM diagnostics.)

You may be wondering why I'm so anal retentive. Well other then being a Windows user, its second nature to us I lost 3 100MB zip disks back in 95 when the zip drive was just being introduced. The drive developed the click of death which was fatal to any disk placed in it. I vowed, after going on a psycho rampage and smashing the drive against the brick wall in the garage after losing 100MB of family picts and 3 years of personal journal entries, that I would never lose that amount of data EVER again, and to date I have not.

[Doctor Q]

The start of a new year is a great time to make a resolution to take a backup more often. I'm talking to YOU, the happy Mac user who hasn't backed up your documents for months because your Mac is so reliable. Reliability is nice, but no computer is completely immune to hardware trouble, software glitches, file deletion by human error, natural disasters, theft, etc.

Backing up applications may or may not be necessary if you have the original installation disks and can download patches and updates again, but the documents and files in your home folder are worth a lot to you.

You can back up files to .mac, to another computer, to an external disk drive, to CDs or DVDs, to a tape device, or even to another disk on the same Mac (not nearly as safe in case something happens to your Mac).

Pick a method and get started on your overdue backup!

[grapes911]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

Stop what you are doing and take a backup right now!

Normally, I wouldn't comply . . . but since you have a nice new 'tar, how can I say "no"?

This really is an important thing. Most people don't back anything up. I make a fully bootable backup every 2-4 weeks. Even if the whole hard drive crashes, I boot my Mac.

[Blue Velvet]

Nightly backup of home folder to internal cloned drive... but, but...

I'll do it right now.

[Applespider]

I did this morning on my LaCie just in case something happened to my 'Book while I was flying home... but I'll get right onto another one...

Funny you should mention it though, I just got through telling my mother that she should be backing stuff up more often (ie occasionally!). I did back her stuff up to my drive too this morning... it will be an old back up but at least she'll have one!

[kwajaln]

Originally Posted by grapes911

I make a fully bootable backup every 2-4 weeks. Even if the whole hard drive crashes, I boot my Mac.

OK, can someone explain to me (as much in laymen's terms please) what a bootable backup is? I am good about backing up almost everything to my 500GB external and also to DVDs, but am unfamiliar with "bootable". Thanks!

[grapes911]

Originally Posted by kwajaln

OK, can someone explain to me (as much in laymen's terms please) what a bootable backup is? I am good about backing up almost everything to my 500GB external and also to DVDs, but am unfamiliar with "bootable". Thanks!

If my hard drive where to crash, there is an exact clone (as of my last backup) of it on a partition on one of my external firewire hard drives. I could boot from my external and not skip a beat.

Basically, instead of just saving important file, my backup can boot.

[maya]

I have to make a backup soon. I am so lazy after the holidays.

[mad jew]

I'm backing up as we speak. Thanks Doctor Q.

[Aarow]

I don't have very many documents to warrant a backup. But all my music is on my (sister's) iPod.

Seriously. If I could find my USB drive, I would backup.

Sorry, Doctor Q.

[maya]

Originally Posted by mad jew

I'm backing up as we speak. Thanks Doctor Q.

suck up.

[mad jew]

Originally Posted by maya

suck up.

Good point. Thanks maya.

[joepunk]

Yes sir!

Just as soon as I purchase a HD and case.

[virus1]

once i accidentally repartitioned my internal drive on my powerbook.. if only i had dr. q a few hours before that....

i have backups of my home directory of my ibook on my imac and mac mini.. im good..

its just what the doctor ordered..

[Doctor Q]

Yes, I admit I'm using the authority of my oversized avatar to influence everyone against their will. But it's for your own good. There's absolutely no proof that I get a kickback from blank media vendors and firewire drive manufacturers.

[dubbz]

I didn't start doing regular backups after the previous Crash on Computer with Irreplaceable Data and I certainly won't do it this time either.

I just cry silently in the night instead.

[joepunk]

I think that my luck on never experiencing a loss of data from my drives says something. I most probably am due for one.

Hey, just noticed that Best Buy has Seagate 120GB for $30. Might go out tonight.

[kwajaln]

Originally Posted by grapes911

If my hard drive where to crash, there is an exact clone (as of my last backup) of it on a partition on one of my external firewire hard drives. I could boot from my external and not skip a beat.

QUESTION: What exactly is it that I need on the external that will give me the ability to do this?? I have partitioned my external into 3 for home video (DV), photos, and backed-up, compressed DVDs. Should I have just backed up the entire hard drive on my iMac to the external?

[iSaint]

Originally Posted by joepunk

I think that my luck on never experiencing a loss of data from my drives says something. I most probably am due for one.

Hey, just noticed that Best Buy has Seagate 120GB for $30. Might go out tonight.

Dang! I'd buy two or three for that price!

[hayduke]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

Stop what you are doing and take a backup right now!

Reminds me of Click and Clack the Tappit Brothers from Car Talk. They're always talking about "taking a haircut." Often times when I run into someone at the grocery and they ask, "What are you doing here?" (Um, duh! Grocery shopping!) I respond, "Taking a haircut." They either get it...or they don't!

[grapes911]

Originally Posted by kwajaln

QUESTION: What exactly is it that I need on the external that will give me the ability to do this?? I have partitioned my external into 3 for home video (DV), photos, and backed-up, compressed DVDs. Should I have just backed up the entire hard drive on my iMac to the external?

I use Carbon Copy Cloner to make my backup. I have a 100 GB internal hard drive. I partitioned out 100 GB of my external. You only need as much space as you are currently using on your system drive, but I find it easier to just make it the max size my system hard drive could ever be. Next open CCC and select your source hard drive and your destination hard drive. Let it sit for a while and you're done. Now you'll have two exact hard drive partitions. Assuming the second one is firewire, you can boot from it.

[mduser63]

Originally Posted by grapes911

I use Carbon Copy Cloner to make my backup. I have a 100 GB internal hard drive. I partitioned out 100 GB of my external. You only need as much space as you are currently using on your system drive, but I find it easier to just make it the max size my system hard drive could ever be. Next open CCC and select your source hard drive and your destination hard drive. Let it sit for a while and you're done. Now you'll have two exact hard drive partitions. Assuming the second one is firewire, you can boot from it.

I use CCC to make my backups too. I do it once a week, every Sunday. It's supposed to be able to do a sync instead of a complete clone, but it doesn't seem to work, because it always takes a LONG time to do a backup, even when not much has changed. Even so, it makes it really easy to make a complete, bootable backup in case some thing goes wrong. I used it just yesterday to make a back of my Power Mac hard drive with Panther just before upgrading to Tiger. Thankfully the upgrade went (relatively) smoothly, but it was nice to have a complete backup just in case.