Mirroring is the automated process of writing data to two drives simultaneously. Mirroring is used to provide redundancy. If one drive fails, the redundant drive will continue to store the data and provide access to it. The failed drive can then be replaced and the drive set can be re-mirrored.
This is quick how to setup your mirroring with two exactly the same hard disks. It assumes you're building a new system from scratch, and setup mirroring at install time. But let's get something straight first: Software mirroring does not mirror the disks - it mirrors partitions. Thanks to Ed Wilts from Redhat General Newsgroups for this remark. So in this guide I'll show you how to setup your partitions on one disk and mirror them to another. After that, we will learn how to rebuild our mirrored partitions after one disk dies.
Need of Software Mirroring
Mirroring is an easy way of protecting the data, from beeing lost from disk crash. For example, If you keep your private stuff on one partition you can mirror this partition to another on the second drive, and if one disk fails, you will not lose your data, since you have the exact same copy of your files on the second disk. The same goes for the whole filesystem. If you setup mirroring correct, you might never have to reinstall your system again.
Software Mirroring vs. Hardware Mirroring
• Disk mirroring can be implemented entirely in software. Software mirroring can be less expensive, but it is also slower. Software mirroring requires the host computer to write the mirrored data twice.
• Disk mirroring can be implemented in hardware on the host I/O controller. The burden of writing each bit of data twice is placed upon the I/O controller, which is specifically designed for it.
• Disk mirroring can also be implemented in hardware on an external storage device, such as a RAID array. In this case, mirroring is completely removed from the hosts responsibility
Benefits of Software Mirroring
• Data is backed up as changes are made keeping the backup copy current.
• Immediate access of an up-to-date remote data backup in case of local server failure.
• Rapid disk to disk data recovery from the central server to remote server.
• When data is restored, data loss is reduced to a minimum.
• Continuous real-time disk to disk backup operation minimizes impact on network performance.
• Backup windows all but eliminated.
• Provides 24X7 data availability and disaster recovery.
By: subhash
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Showing posts with label back up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label back up. Show all posts
Monday, April 2, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
How To Protect Your Hard Disk Drive Against Electrostatic Shock
By: Ali Jamalan
If you’ve ever walked across a thick carpet and felt a shock after touching a grounded object (or shocked a friend on purpose) you know about the general effects of static electricity. But do you know how it works, or how damaging it can be to computer components? Although it may seem a bit silly and unimportant, “static shock” or Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) can cause significant damage to your hard drive. Comparable to a lighting bolt damaging a tree, ESD can act like a bomb exploding in your drive, blowing apart parts of the circuit board. But don’t worry – if you follow a few simple steps you can ensure you’re well protected and avoid letting a minor thing like ESD cause major problems.
WHAT IS ESD?
ESD or "static shock" is a portion of an imbalanced high voltage field on a non-conductive surface (e.g. your hand, the carpet, a screwdriver) that has just moved to a conductive surface in a rapid, uncontrolled fashion. "Static electricity" is the same portion of an imbalanced high voltage field on a nonconductive surface, but it has not yet reached the point of releasing it's electrons to equalize the imbalance between a conductor with a greater positive charge than itself. This imbalanced high voltage field will not "discharge" until conditions are right, that is until the number of electrons the charge grabs from around its location builds to a point in which no more electrons can be sustained. When a conductive surface of some type gets within 'jumping" distance, the process of equalising the electrical field is experienced.
Imbalanced high voltage fields are everywhere, constantly flowing over and around us, and people feel them because we are good conductors. The shock you sometimes get when touching a door knob after shuffling across the carpet is made in the same way a thunderstorm makes a lightning bolt.
Some Examples of Voltage:
• 3,000 volts - the average human can't feel voltage below this threshold.
• 8,000 volts - yawning and stretching with clothes on.
• 15-20,000 volts - shoving a plastic-coated box across the carpet with foot.
• 18,000 volts - getting up from a foam cushion on a nylon-covered couch.
• 35,000 volts - walking across a typical carpet.5
WHAT CAN ESD DO?
While ESD won’t kill you, it can definitely kill your computer components. While it takes an electrostatic discharge of 3,000 volts for you to feel a shock, much smaller charges, well below the threshold of human sensation, can and often do damage semiconductor devices. Many of the more sophisticated electronic components can be damaged by charges as low as 10 volts.
ESD damage occurs when a charge on a hand or tool finds a path of lesser resistance from itself to a drive. If the energy of that charge is larger than the amount of energy the drive can safely dissipate, damage may occur.
Especially sensitive to ESD are integrated circuits: processors, memory, cache chips and expansion cards. This damage can be immediate, resulting in melting, junction breakdown or oxidation. Even scarier, you could electrocute your drive and never even know it – the effects of ESD are difficult to trace and often do not affect the drive until several days to several months after the ESD occurrence.
PREVENTION TIPS
Luckily, a few simple steps can help you avoid ESD damage and promote long life for your disk drive.
• Keep your drive in an ESD bag until you handle it – an ESD bag is specially designed to prevent ESD.
• Always wear an ESD wrist strap grounded to an unpainted surface on the chassis of your computer.
• If a wrist strap is unavailable, touch an unpainted surface on the chassis of your computer before handling your drive.
• Only touch the connector pins on your drive with the proper cabling ends or jumpers. Never use a bare finger or non-insulated tool.
• Protect your drive from sources of high voltage power such as fans or vacuum cleaners.
• Never try to plug a power or data cable into a drive unless power to the box is completely off.
Finally, by controlling the temperature, you can also help limit ESD. By increasing the relative humidity of the room where the computer is located, you can greatly reduce build-up of ESD. Static builds up more readily in dry environments than in moist ones; this is why you get zapped much more often in the winter time in northern climates than in summer.
So what happens if by some freak accident your hard drive experiences ESD and your data is lost? Don’t panic, because your best solution is only a phone call away. Many ‘Data Recovery’ companies have experience dealing with hard drives damaged by ESD and will apply the most advanced technology in the industry to perform data recovery. Contacting these immediately upon discovering ESD damage is the best option to keep you and your clients working and productive.
Knowing that ESD exists is the first step in prevention. By following ESD handling procedures and understanding the dynamics behind “static electricity,” you can ensure that working with a hard drive is never a shocking experience.
Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
If you’ve ever walked across a thick carpet and felt a shock after touching a grounded object (or shocked a friend on purpose) you know about the general effects of static electricity. But do you know how it works, or how damaging it can be to computer components? Although it may seem a bit silly and unimportant, “static shock” or Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) can cause significant damage to your hard drive. Comparable to a lighting bolt damaging a tree, ESD can act like a bomb exploding in your drive, blowing apart parts of the circuit board. But don’t worry – if you follow a few simple steps you can ensure you’re well protected and avoid letting a minor thing like ESD cause major problems.
WHAT IS ESD?
ESD or "static shock" is a portion of an imbalanced high voltage field on a non-conductive surface (e.g. your hand, the carpet, a screwdriver) that has just moved to a conductive surface in a rapid, uncontrolled fashion. "Static electricity" is the same portion of an imbalanced high voltage field on a nonconductive surface, but it has not yet reached the point of releasing it's electrons to equalize the imbalance between a conductor with a greater positive charge than itself. This imbalanced high voltage field will not "discharge" until conditions are right, that is until the number of electrons the charge grabs from around its location builds to a point in which no more electrons can be sustained. When a conductive surface of some type gets within 'jumping" distance, the process of equalising the electrical field is experienced.
Imbalanced high voltage fields are everywhere, constantly flowing over and around us, and people feel them because we are good conductors. The shock you sometimes get when touching a door knob after shuffling across the carpet is made in the same way a thunderstorm makes a lightning bolt.
Some Examples of Voltage:
• 3,000 volts - the average human can't feel voltage below this threshold.
• 8,000 volts - yawning and stretching with clothes on.
• 15-20,000 volts - shoving a plastic-coated box across the carpet with foot.
• 18,000 volts - getting up from a foam cushion on a nylon-covered couch.
• 35,000 volts - walking across a typical carpet.5
WHAT CAN ESD DO?
While ESD won’t kill you, it can definitely kill your computer components. While it takes an electrostatic discharge of 3,000 volts for you to feel a shock, much smaller charges, well below the threshold of human sensation, can and often do damage semiconductor devices. Many of the more sophisticated electronic components can be damaged by charges as low as 10 volts.
ESD damage occurs when a charge on a hand or tool finds a path of lesser resistance from itself to a drive. If the energy of that charge is larger than the amount of energy the drive can safely dissipate, damage may occur.
Especially sensitive to ESD are integrated circuits: processors, memory, cache chips and expansion cards. This damage can be immediate, resulting in melting, junction breakdown or oxidation. Even scarier, you could electrocute your drive and never even know it – the effects of ESD are difficult to trace and often do not affect the drive until several days to several months after the ESD occurrence.
PREVENTION TIPS
Luckily, a few simple steps can help you avoid ESD damage and promote long life for your disk drive.
• Keep your drive in an ESD bag until you handle it – an ESD bag is specially designed to prevent ESD.
• Always wear an ESD wrist strap grounded to an unpainted surface on the chassis of your computer.
• If a wrist strap is unavailable, touch an unpainted surface on the chassis of your computer before handling your drive.
• Only touch the connector pins on your drive with the proper cabling ends or jumpers. Never use a bare finger or non-insulated tool.
• Protect your drive from sources of high voltage power such as fans or vacuum cleaners.
• Never try to plug a power or data cable into a drive unless power to the box is completely off.
Finally, by controlling the temperature, you can also help limit ESD. By increasing the relative humidity of the room where the computer is located, you can greatly reduce build-up of ESD. Static builds up more readily in dry environments than in moist ones; this is why you get zapped much more often in the winter time in northern climates than in summer.
So what happens if by some freak accident your hard drive experiences ESD and your data is lost? Don’t panic, because your best solution is only a phone call away. Many ‘Data Recovery’ companies have experience dealing with hard drives damaged by ESD and will apply the most advanced technology in the industry to perform data recovery. Contacting these immediately upon discovering ESD damage is the best option to keep you and your clients working and productive.
Knowing that ESD exists is the first step in prevention. By following ESD handling procedures and understanding the dynamics behind “static electricity,” you can ensure that working with a hard drive is never a shocking experience.
Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
How To Perform A Full Backup Of Your Hard Drive Fast
By: otis
We all know that we should back up our system as soon
as possible.But if you're like most of us,you will get to it
tomorrow.The problem is that tomorrow rarely ever comes
until you experience a serious computer failure and then
its too late.
Taking the time to backup your data or entire hard drive
is not as painstaking as it may seem.And the rewards of
doing so will be great should your system experience a
crash.
If you have Windows XP you will need to install the new
Windows backup utility from the Windows XP cdrom.Just
place the WinXP cdrom in your cdrom drive and locate
the line D:\VALEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP.
Here you see the first letter as D but if your optical drive
have a different drive letter,exchange the D with your
drive's letter.To install the utility,click on the file named
NTBackup.msi.
The backup utility will be installed to the system tools
group.Click Start,All Programs,Accessories,System
Tools,and Backup.There is a neat wizard that will walk
you through the backup process.
WinXP's backup utility will backup your entire hard
drive and will make a recovery disk to boot.
One neat third party backup software you can try is
NewTech InfoSystems at http://www.ntius.com where
you can download their trial version and put it to use
for 30 days.And if its your cup of tea,the full version
will run you about $79.95
You should back up your entire hard drive when you
perform your first backup.After that it is best to perform
an Incremental backup.This type of backup only allow
you to backup files that have changed since your last
performed backup.
Differential Backups copy changed files and files that
have been added since you last did your entire backup.
This type of backup is more detailed than incremental
backups and is easier to restore.
You can backup your files on cdroms and have the files
compressed to save both space and backup time.WinXP
will compress folders,subfolders,and files during backup.
You can purchase compression software that will do the
same saving you cdrom storage space.The compressed
files are automatically uncompressed once they are
restored unto your hard drive.
You can also use a second hard drive as your backup
storage device.We use two backup hard drives to be
certain Ultimate PC Repair is up and running 24/7.
You can either purchase an internal hard drive in install
it to your ide cable or you may want to purchase an
external hard drive that connects to your Universal Serial
Bus or USB Port.
The advantage of the external drives is that they have very
large amount of storage space,transfer data fast,and can
be moved from your computer to any other computer.
We use the Western Digital 170 Gigabyte External Hard
Drive and we simply bounce it around to either one of our
four computers with the greatest of ease.
You may also consider online services for backing up
your data.If you lose all your backup data,say due it a
natural disaster such as a flood,your online data is
right there waiting for you.
Another advantage of online backups is that you can
access,upload,or download your data from any location.
It is best to use high speed internet access if you're
considering online data storage.
One such online backup service is Istorage located at
http://www.iomega.com/istorage and charges from
$2.49 a month for 50MBs to $17.95 a month for a big
1,000MBs of storage.
Or you can check out FilesAnywhere located at the url
http://www.filesanywhere.com
Still another online service to try is CapSure located at
http://www.capsure.com
Backup your system now in one way or another if you
have not done so.If you have critical data that you simply
cannot due without,take the time to invest in a backup
device or one of the many online backup services.
Stop and perform those backups as soon as possible.
You will be thankful you did should something go wrong
with your computer.Its always better to be safe than sorry.
Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
We all know that we should back up our system as soon
as possible.But if you're like most of us,you will get to it
tomorrow.The problem is that tomorrow rarely ever comes
until you experience a serious computer failure and then
its too late.
Taking the time to backup your data or entire hard drive
is not as painstaking as it may seem.And the rewards of
doing so will be great should your system experience a
crash.
If you have Windows XP you will need to install the new
Windows backup utility from the Windows XP cdrom.Just
place the WinXP cdrom in your cdrom drive and locate
the line D:\VALEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP.
Here you see the first letter as D but if your optical drive
have a different drive letter,exchange the D with your
drive's letter.To install the utility,click on the file named
NTBackup.msi.
The backup utility will be installed to the system tools
group.Click Start,All Programs,Accessories,System
Tools,and Backup.There is a neat wizard that will walk
you through the backup process.
WinXP's backup utility will backup your entire hard
drive and will make a recovery disk to boot.
One neat third party backup software you can try is
NewTech InfoSystems at http://www.ntius.com where
you can download their trial version and put it to use
for 30 days.And if its your cup of tea,the full version
will run you about $79.95
You should back up your entire hard drive when you
perform your first backup.After that it is best to perform
an Incremental backup.This type of backup only allow
you to backup files that have changed since your last
performed backup.
Differential Backups copy changed files and files that
have been added since you last did your entire backup.
This type of backup is more detailed than incremental
backups and is easier to restore.
You can backup your files on cdroms and have the files
compressed to save both space and backup time.WinXP
will compress folders,subfolders,and files during backup.
You can purchase compression software that will do the
same saving you cdrom storage space.The compressed
files are automatically uncompressed once they are
restored unto your hard drive.
You can also use a second hard drive as your backup
storage device.We use two backup hard drives to be
certain Ultimate PC Repair is up and running 24/7.
You can either purchase an internal hard drive in install
it to your ide cable or you may want to purchase an
external hard drive that connects to your Universal Serial
Bus or USB Port.
The advantage of the external drives is that they have very
large amount of storage space,transfer data fast,and can
be moved from your computer to any other computer.
We use the Western Digital 170 Gigabyte External Hard
Drive and we simply bounce it around to either one of our
four computers with the greatest of ease.
You may also consider online services for backing up
your data.If you lose all your backup data,say due it a
natural disaster such as a flood,your online data is
right there waiting for you.
Another advantage of online backups is that you can
access,upload,or download your data from any location.
It is best to use high speed internet access if you're
considering online data storage.
One such online backup service is Istorage located at
http://www.iomega.com/istorage and charges from
$2.49 a month for 50MBs to $17.95 a month for a big
1,000MBs of storage.
Or you can check out FilesAnywhere located at the url
http://www.filesanywhere.com
Still another online service to try is CapSure located at
http://www.capsure.com
Backup your system now in one way or another if you
have not done so.If you have critical data that you simply
cannot due without,take the time to invest in a backup
device or one of the many online backup services.
Stop and perform those backups as soon as possible.
You will be thankful you did should something go wrong
with your computer.Its always better to be safe than sorry.
Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
How Easy Is Recovering The Data In Your Hard Drive?
By:
I recently had my hard drive crash. I don't mean that windows decided to be bitchy and make me reinstall itself, It's been a long time since I've been idiot enough to run Microsoft programs, thank you very much. I mean that my hard drive, spinning away quietly at it's ungodly speeds, suddenly emitted a scratching, screeching sound which could only be described as sickening, and immediately wiped out vast swathes of data like some primordial plague lord reaper scorching the continent of Europe with the bubonic. It was hellish, but nothing compared to the misery which began once I hired a hard disk data recovery service.
Data recovery, as the techie patiently explained over the phone to me, is not always a simple or straight forward affair. To complete a successful recovery can either be a simple matter or a complex one, and either expensive, or ridiculously expensive, depending on the severity of the problem. Sometimes, the only problem is that something is not working with the loading mechanism of the hard drive. There are dozens of programs and macros which have to load to enable the computer to boot successfully, and if any one of these becomes cross linked, or has any error at all with one of it's files, it can potentially cause a crash and necessitate a hard disk data recovery. Fortunately, this is the easy kind, it is even possible to perform the recovery yourself with a little know how and an extra hard drive. Simply slave boot the hard drive to another one, and extract the data off of it, easy as pie.
If you actually scratch the disk's surface, however, hard disk data recovery becomes a much more difficult and problematic affair. Often there are several solutions. One of them is to do a simple software upgrade, where you pull as much data off of the hard drive as you physically can, and hope the scratch hasn't taken place in a spot where it ruined too many of your files. If the hard drive has been physically wrecked, that is, if it is badly scratched and won't spin without doing further damage, or at all, then it must be taken apart physically, and the plates must be analyzed by sophisticated, expensive machinery. And that is where hard disk data recovery can get into the range of thousands of dollars, don't get frustrated, talk it easy and things will go alot smoother.
Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
I recently had my hard drive crash. I don't mean that windows decided to be bitchy and make me reinstall itself, It's been a long time since I've been idiot enough to run Microsoft programs, thank you very much. I mean that my hard drive, spinning away quietly at it's ungodly speeds, suddenly emitted a scratching, screeching sound which could only be described as sickening, and immediately wiped out vast swathes of data like some primordial plague lord reaper scorching the continent of Europe with the bubonic. It was hellish, but nothing compared to the misery which began once I hired a hard disk data recovery service.
Data recovery, as the techie patiently explained over the phone to me, is not always a simple or straight forward affair. To complete a successful recovery can either be a simple matter or a complex one, and either expensive, or ridiculously expensive, depending on the severity of the problem. Sometimes, the only problem is that something is not working with the loading mechanism of the hard drive. There are dozens of programs and macros which have to load to enable the computer to boot successfully, and if any one of these becomes cross linked, or has any error at all with one of it's files, it can potentially cause a crash and necessitate a hard disk data recovery. Fortunately, this is the easy kind, it is even possible to perform the recovery yourself with a little know how and an extra hard drive. Simply slave boot the hard drive to another one, and extract the data off of it, easy as pie.
If you actually scratch the disk's surface, however, hard disk data recovery becomes a much more difficult and problematic affair. Often there are several solutions. One of them is to do a simple software upgrade, where you pull as much data off of the hard drive as you physically can, and hope the scratch hasn't taken place in a spot where it ruined too many of your files. If the hard drive has been physically wrecked, that is, if it is badly scratched and won't spin without doing further damage, or at all, then it must be taken apart physically, and the plates must be analyzed by sophisticated, expensive machinery. And that is where hard disk data recovery can get into the range of thousands of dollars, don't get frustrated, talk it easy and things will go alot smoother.
Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
How to Backup Windows XP Home Edition
By: Stephen Bucaro
Your computer cost you from hundreds to thousands of dollars, but the computer itself is not the most valuable part. The data on the hard disk is the most valuable part. How many hours of work did you put into creating that data? One little event, like a power line spike from a lightning strike, and all that work could be lost. Unfortunately, backing up with Windows XP Home Edition is not as simple as it should be.
The first step is to choose a backup device. You might choose a tape drive or a DVD drive, but those devices might require drivers to be installed before you could restore from them. The simplest option is to install a second hard drive in your computer.
The second hard drive doesn't have to be equal to your main hard drive. You can use an older, smaller hard drive as the backup device, as long as the backup drive has more "Free Space" than the main hard drive has "Used Space".
Install a Second Hard Drive
When installing a second hard drive in your computer, it's important to configure the drives correctly. Your motherboard should have two ATA (sometimes called IDE) connectors. The primary connector should have a cable with two drive connectors. The end connector should go to your main hard drive, the middle connector can be used for a backup hard drive. The second motherboard ATA connector should go to your CD-ROM.
On the back of each hard drive is a jumper. The jumper on your main hard drive should be set to the "Master" position. The jumper on your backup hard drive should be set to "Slave" position. Most modern computers use "Cable Select", so you can set both jumpers to the "Cable Select" position. Don't forget the power connector for the second drive.
When you restart your computer, the second drive should be automatically recognized and be designated with the next drive letter available, usually E: (D: being used for the CD-ROM drive).
Format the Second Hard Drive
Generally, you will want to re-format the second hard drive after installation to remove any previously installed operating system and to remove any previous file access rights. To format the drive, select Start | Settings | Control Panel | Administration Tools | Computer Management. In the "Computer Management" window, under "Storage", click on "Disk Management".
Right click on the backup disk's drive letter. In the popup menu, select All Tasks | Format... In the Warning dialog box that appears, click on the "Yes" button. In the "Format" dialog box, in the "File system" drop-down list, select NTFS. Click on the "OK" button. Again, in the Warning dialog box that appears, click on the "Yes" button.
Install the Backup Utility
Windows XP Home Edition doesn't install the Backup utility by default. You'll need to install it manually from your Windows XP CD-ROM.
1. After inserting the CD-ROM, open Control Panel's "Add or Remove Programs" utility. In the "Add or Remove Programs" utility", click on the "Add New Programs" button, then click on the "CD or Floppy" button.
2. In the "Run Installation Program" dialog box that appears, navigate to the VALUEAD/MSFT/NTBACKUP folder on the CD-ROM and select the file NTBACKUP.MSI. Click on the "Finish" button. The Backup utility will be installed.
Perform a Full Backup
To perform a backup, select Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Backup to open the Backup Utility.
Note: If you don't find Backup listed in System Tools, double click on the file name ntbackup.exe in the Windows\system32 folder.
In the "Backup or Restore Wizard", click on the "Advanced Mode" link. In the "Backup Utility" dialog box, select the "Backup" tab and set the checkbox next to the drive to backup (c:) and set the checkbox next to "System State".
In the "Backup media or file name" text box, enter the path to the file for the backup (example E:\Backup.bkf). Click on the "Start Backup" button.
In the "Backup Job Information" dialog box that appears, set the radio button next to "Replace the data on the media with this backup". Click on the "Start Backup" button. The "backup Progress" dialog box will appear.
Even when you backup to relatively fast media like hard disk, the process can take 30 minutes or longer depending upon how much data is on the main drive.
When the backup is complete, turn off the computer and remove the data and power cables from the backup drive. It doesn't make sense to leave the backup drive connected because if the cause of a failure is a power spike, it will take out both drives. Next time you want to backup you'll need to reinstall the cables.
How to Perform a Restore
In the unfortunate event that your computer crashes and you can't get it back by any other means, you'll need to reinstall Windows XP from the CD-ROM. (Automated System Recovery is not supported in Windows XP Home Edition.) You'll need to re-install the Backup utility. Then you'll need to shut down the computer to install the data and power cables to the backup drive. Restart the computer and use the Backup Utility to restore Windows XP from the backup file.
When using this backup method, it's important to be careful not to break any pins when you are removing and installing the data cable of the hard drive. And if your computer doesn't use "cable Select", don't forget to change the jumper on the main hard drive back to "Single".
Copyright(C) Bucaro TecHelp. 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
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
Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
Your computer cost you from hundreds to thousands of dollars, but the computer itself is not the most valuable part. The data on the hard disk is the most valuable part. How many hours of work did you put into creating that data? One little event, like a power line spike from a lightning strike, and all that work could be lost. Unfortunately, backing up with Windows XP Home Edition is not as simple as it should be.
The first step is to choose a backup device. You might choose a tape drive or a DVD drive, but those devices might require drivers to be installed before you could restore from them. The simplest option is to install a second hard drive in your computer.
The second hard drive doesn't have to be equal to your main hard drive. You can use an older, smaller hard drive as the backup device, as long as the backup drive has more "Free Space" than the main hard drive has "Used Space".
Install a Second Hard Drive
When installing a second hard drive in your computer, it's important to configure the drives correctly. Your motherboard should have two ATA (sometimes called IDE) connectors. The primary connector should have a cable with two drive connectors. The end connector should go to your main hard drive, the middle connector can be used for a backup hard drive. The second motherboard ATA connector should go to your CD-ROM.
On the back of each hard drive is a jumper. The jumper on your main hard drive should be set to the "Master" position. The jumper on your backup hard drive should be set to "Slave" position. Most modern computers use "Cable Select", so you can set both jumpers to the "Cable Select" position. Don't forget the power connector for the second drive.
When you restart your computer, the second drive should be automatically recognized and be designated with the next drive letter available, usually E: (D: being used for the CD-ROM drive).
Format the Second Hard Drive
Generally, you will want to re-format the second hard drive after installation to remove any previously installed operating system and to remove any previous file access rights. To format the drive, select Start | Settings | Control Panel | Administration Tools | Computer Management. In the "Computer Management" window, under "Storage", click on "Disk Management".
Right click on the backup disk's drive letter. In the popup menu, select All Tasks | Format... In the Warning dialog box that appears, click on the "Yes" button. In the "Format" dialog box, in the "File system" drop-down list, select NTFS. Click on the "OK" button. Again, in the Warning dialog box that appears, click on the "Yes" button.
Install the Backup Utility
Windows XP Home Edition doesn't install the Backup utility by default. You'll need to install it manually from your Windows XP CD-ROM.
1. After inserting the CD-ROM, open Control Panel's "Add or Remove Programs" utility. In the "Add or Remove Programs" utility", click on the "Add New Programs" button, then click on the "CD or Floppy" button.
2. In the "Run Installation Program" dialog box that appears, navigate to the VALUEAD/MSFT/NTBACKUP folder on the CD-ROM and select the file NTBACKUP.MSI. Click on the "Finish" button. The Backup utility will be installed.
Perform a Full Backup
To perform a backup, select Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Backup to open the Backup Utility.
Note: If you don't find Backup listed in System Tools, double click on the file name ntbackup.exe in the Windows\system32 folder.
In the "Backup or Restore Wizard", click on the "Advanced Mode" link. In the "Backup Utility" dialog box, select the "Backup" tab and set the checkbox next to the drive to backup (c:) and set the checkbox next to "System State".
In the "Backup media or file name" text box, enter the path to the file for the backup (example E:\Backup.bkf). Click on the "Start Backup" button.
In the "Backup Job Information" dialog box that appears, set the radio button next to "Replace the data on the media with this backup". Click on the "Start Backup" button. The "backup Progress" dialog box will appear.
Even when you backup to relatively fast media like hard disk, the process can take 30 minutes or longer depending upon how much data is on the main drive.
When the backup is complete, turn off the computer and remove the data and power cables from the backup drive. It doesn't make sense to leave the backup drive connected because if the cause of a failure is a power spike, it will take out both drives. Next time you want to backup you'll need to reinstall the cables.
How to Perform a Restore
In the unfortunate event that your computer crashes and you can't get it back by any other means, you'll need to reinstall Windows XP from the CD-ROM. (Automated System Recovery is not supported in Windows XP Home Edition.) You'll need to re-install the Backup utility. Then you'll need to shut down the computer to install the data and power cables to the backup drive. Restart the computer and use the Backup Utility to restore Windows XP from the backup file.
When using this backup method, it's important to be careful not to break any pins when you are removing and installing the data cable of the hard drive. And if your computer doesn't use "cable Select", don't forget to change the jumper on the main hard drive back to "Single".
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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
Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
External Hard Disk Drive: The Best Backup Medium
Want to backup quickly and easily? Backup to external hard disk drives.
Backup to external hard disk drives easily, securely and efficiently.
As a hard disk is the fastest and largest backup medium you can get, you may want to backup all your important files to an external hard drive. You can backup literally everything: your Outlook and Outlook Express files, your bookmarks, your favourite save games, and of course, your important work documents, photos, images and maybe even videos.
As an external HDD is detatched from your system and, combined with a strong encryption algorithm, like blowfish or 3DES, you can get maximum security. Just make sure you actually remember the encryption password. You can also store your external hard disk offsite (at a friend's house, a paid locker or specialized fire-proof storage place) in case your information is very important (well, generally, anyone can do that and it can't hurt for sure).
As external hard disk drives have the cheapest storage volume (about 200Gb for $150?) and you can reuse them for several years, you may as well get the cheapest backup medium at your disposal. When using a backup schedule, you can simply backup the backup program run when you are absent (or maybe even at night) to backup everything without supervision. If you need two or more backup disks, you may as well get another external HDD.
Also, now there are quite large mobile hard drives, which can admit all the necessary data: work documents, e-mail files, etc. You can also carry your data anywhere you want and feel safe, because some external hard disks are now hard to break by dropping.
So, go with external HDD and backup as fast as you want, as much as you want, secure your important data, get the cheapest backups and even be able to carry your backups anywhere you want.
By: Anonymous Coward -
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Backup to external hard disk drives easily, securely and efficiently.
As a hard disk is the fastest and largest backup medium you can get, you may want to backup all your important files to an external hard drive. You can backup literally everything: your Outlook and Outlook Express files, your bookmarks, your favourite save games, and of course, your important work documents, photos, images and maybe even videos.
As an external HDD is detatched from your system and, combined with a strong encryption algorithm, like blowfish or 3DES, you can get maximum security. Just make sure you actually remember the encryption password. You can also store your external hard disk offsite (at a friend's house, a paid locker or specialized fire-proof storage place) in case your information is very important (well, generally, anyone can do that and it can't hurt for sure).
As external hard disk drives have the cheapest storage volume (about 200Gb for $150?) and you can reuse them for several years, you may as well get the cheapest backup medium at your disposal. When using a backup schedule, you can simply backup the backup program run when you are absent (or maybe even at night) to backup everything without supervision. If you need two or more backup disks, you may as well get another external HDD.
Also, now there are quite large mobile hard drives, which can admit all the necessary data: work documents, e-mail files, etc. You can also carry your data anywhere you want and feel safe, because some external hard disks are now hard to break by dropping.
So, go with external HDD and backup as fast as you want, as much as you want, secure your important data, get the cheapest backups and even be able to carry your backups anywhere you want.
By: Anonymous Coward -
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
How to create a mirror image of your hard drive
Michael Cottier
The computer that you use has a hard drive in it, which stores everything that you put on it, plus all the settings that you prefer. You can then imagine how difficult it would be if you were to lose all of your data and have to set everything back up again. That is why a full hard drive backup is the preferred method of data backup, because every last bit of data is stored and not even your daylight savings time preference will be forgotten. There are many ways to make a perfect mirror image of your hard drive, and some are better then others. Let’s talk about the various strategies and find out what will best suit you.
The first way to make a perfect copy of your hard drive, quickly and seamlessly, is to use good hard drive image software. A great example of this type of software is True Image from Acronis, which is complete imaging software that helps anyone make a perfect image of their hard drive and save it anywhere, even the hard drive if they want to. Of course there are also many other types of software on the market, and all are just as unique too. Just be sure to choose a good one, because if you don’t, it could end up being the biggest mistake you ever made on your computer.
If you are a little more technically inclined, and have some knowledge of installing computer parts, then you could always use the RAID method. RAID, which stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, requires you to install another new hard drive and can be used to make a perfect mirror image of your current hard drive, which will always be up to date by the second. There are many different levels to RAID, but if you were using it for hard drive backup purposes, you would use level 1. Level one is called disk mirroring or duplexing, and this level will write data to both hard drives simultaneously, so when something happens to one there will always be the other one to fall back on.
The final way to make a copy of your hard drive is to backup everything individually yourself. This is of course the hardest and most time consuming strategy, but is preferred by some experts, because you can choose what to save. If you do use this method, you need to make sure you back up your registry files, system files and other important files and folders that you have. You might also want to save your entire software program folders, as they might contain important data related to the program that you want to definitely save. If you are using Windows XP, there is a backup utility that you can use for free, located in your “System tools” folder. Go there by clicking “Start” on your bottom toolbar, then go to “All Programs”, and then “Accessories”. You should now see a folder labeled “System tools” and once that is open, click on the “Backup” program.
Now that you have gotten some ideas on how to create a perfect backup of your hard drive, you should know where to save that backup. There is always the option to save your hard drive image backup on the hard drive itself, but most likely this will not work for everyone because of space limitations. Also, if the hard drive should be literally destroyed by a fire, tornado or some other act of nature, then the backup would be destroyed with it. That is why I recommend backups, especially hard drive images, be stored on a DVD-R, external hard drive or a device like a Zip drive. Then just be sure to backup once every week, or month, and store the backup in a secure location. Now you have a perfect copy of ALL of your data, and it is secure from this dangerous world.
The computer that you use has a hard drive in it, which stores everything that you put on it, plus all the settings that you prefer. You can then imagine how difficult it would be if you were to lose all of your data and have to set everything back up again. That is why a full hard drive backup is the preferred method of data backup, because every last bit of data is stored and not even your daylight savings time preference will be forgotten. There are many ways to make a perfect mirror image of your hard drive, and some are better then others. Let’s talk about the various strategies and find out what will best suit you.
The first way to make a perfect copy of your hard drive, quickly and seamlessly, is to use good hard drive image software. A great example of this type of software is True Image from Acronis, which is complete imaging software that helps anyone make a perfect image of their hard drive and save it anywhere, even the hard drive if they want to. Of course there are also many other types of software on the market, and all are just as unique too. Just be sure to choose a good one, because if you don’t, it could end up being the biggest mistake you ever made on your computer.
If you are a little more technically inclined, and have some knowledge of installing computer parts, then you could always use the RAID method. RAID, which stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, requires you to install another new hard drive and can be used to make a perfect mirror image of your current hard drive, which will always be up to date by the second. There are many different levels to RAID, but if you were using it for hard drive backup purposes, you would use level 1. Level one is called disk mirroring or duplexing, and this level will write data to both hard drives simultaneously, so when something happens to one there will always be the other one to fall back on.
The final way to make a copy of your hard drive is to backup everything individually yourself. This is of course the hardest and most time consuming strategy, but is preferred by some experts, because you can choose what to save. If you do use this method, you need to make sure you back up your registry files, system files and other important files and folders that you have. You might also want to save your entire software program folders, as they might contain important data related to the program that you want to definitely save. If you are using Windows XP, there is a backup utility that you can use for free, located in your “System tools” folder. Go there by clicking “Start” on your bottom toolbar, then go to “All Programs”, and then “Accessories”. You should now see a folder labeled “System tools” and once that is open, click on the “Backup” program.
Now that you have gotten some ideas on how to create a perfect backup of your hard drive, you should know where to save that backup. There is always the option to save your hard drive image backup on the hard drive itself, but most likely this will not work for everyone because of space limitations. Also, if the hard drive should be literally destroyed by a fire, tornado or some other act of nature, then the backup would be destroyed with it. That is why I recommend backups, especially hard drive images, be stored on a DVD-R, external hard drive or a device like a Zip drive. Then just be sure to backup once every week, or month, and store the backup in a secure location. Now you have a perfect copy of ALL of your data, and it is secure from this dangerous world.
Author:
Fully backup every last bit of your information by making a hard drive image at http://www.computer-customizing-guide.com/hard-drive-image-software.html If you need help customizing your computer, then Michael Cottier can help you here http://www.computer-customizing-guide.com/
Terms: Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live
Source: www.articledepot.co.uk
Cheap but Priceless. The Cost Of A Second Hard Drive
By: Dave Lewis
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Hard Drives were only big enough to store a very small amount of data. The very first hard drive, invented by IBM could only hold 5Mb of data (less than 2 average sized MP3 tracks) and was basically the size of a small closet. Want to talk cost? How about somewhere in the region of £25,000. (About £5,000 per Mb) This was back in the mid 1950’s though, and boy! How things have changed.
Just 6 or so years ago, a 10Gb Hard Drive was considered more than big enough for all but technology industry users and cost well over £200.
These days, hard drives capacities are huge… And cheap!
Right now you can get a 250Gb hard drive for less than £50. Think about that for a minute… 250Gb. That’s big enough to hold over 72 THOUSAND average sized MP3 tracks. Big enough to store about 250 full length AVI feature films. Decent resolution photos? Somewhere in the region of 2.5 million ok for you?
1Terrabyte drives are out now too so if you really think you’d struggle with 250Gb of extra storage space, just take the numbers above and quadruple them!
Just about every computer used today with the exception of the new “micro form factor” systems are capable of housing an extra hard drive, and even then external drives of the same size are available for not much more so for the sake of £50, why wouldn’t you fit one!
Consider this. Every important document, letter or irreplaceable photograph you have. The years of work on your family tree all gone in an instant because your existing hard drive has failed. You could replace your current hard drive with a new one but that still only gives you one copy of your work. Adding an extra hard drive is both cheap, and priceless. It gives you copies of everything as a back up.
So your computer crashes. Your hard drive stop won’t boot up. You wipe it or replace it, install Windows all over again and your back in business. Everything you can’t afford to lose is sitting on the other hard drive unaffected by the havoc the computer crash caused.
It’ll be the best £50 you’ll spend on your computer in a long time.
A second Hard Drive… Cheap, but Priceless.
Article Directory: http://www.articlecube.com
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Hard Drives were only big enough to store a very small amount of data. The very first hard drive, invented by IBM could only hold 5Mb of data (less than 2 average sized MP3 tracks) and was basically the size of a small closet. Want to talk cost? How about somewhere in the region of £25,000. (About £5,000 per Mb) This was back in the mid 1950’s though, and boy! How things have changed.
Just 6 or so years ago, a 10Gb Hard Drive was considered more than big enough for all but technology industry users and cost well over £200.
These days, hard drives capacities are huge… And cheap!
Right now you can get a 250Gb hard drive for less than £50. Think about that for a minute… 250Gb. That’s big enough to hold over 72 THOUSAND average sized MP3 tracks. Big enough to store about 250 full length AVI feature films. Decent resolution photos? Somewhere in the region of 2.5 million ok for you?
1Terrabyte drives are out now too so if you really think you’d struggle with 250Gb of extra storage space, just take the numbers above and quadruple them!
Just about every computer used today with the exception of the new “micro form factor” systems are capable of housing an extra hard drive, and even then external drives of the same size are available for not much more so for the sake of £50, why wouldn’t you fit one!
Consider this. Every important document, letter or irreplaceable photograph you have. The years of work on your family tree all gone in an instant because your existing hard drive has failed. You could replace your current hard drive with a new one but that still only gives you one copy of your work. Adding an extra hard drive is both cheap, and priceless. It gives you copies of everything as a back up.
So your computer crashes. Your hard drive stop won’t boot up. You wipe it or replace it, install Windows all over again and your back in business. Everything you can’t afford to lose is sitting on the other hard drive unaffected by the havoc the computer crash caused.
It’ll be the best £50 you’ll spend on your computer in a long time.
A second Hard Drive… Cheap, but Priceless.
Article Directory: http://www.articlecube.com
Computer Hard Drive Recovery – Should We Have An External Back Up?
Technology has certainly come a long way in the past few decades. Gone are the huge contraptions that used to characterize computers. Nowadays, you can easily purchase a notebook computer that weighs in at less than 6 pounds. However, one thing hasn’t changed. Hard drives still occasionally crash and frustrated users are left trying to figure out just how to do hard drive data recovery on their own.
Hard drives aren’t perfect, although they’re amazing examples of mechanical engineering. Physical damage can easily occur since these disks are spinning at such high speeds. The smallest interference while in use can cause damage in certain areas. Various features have been put into place to reduce the likelihood of a critical hard drive failure, but these are not 100% effective. Sadly, physical damage isn’t the only reason why you may need to attempt hard drive data recovery. Many people accidentally wipe out their hard drives because they’re not sure what they’re doing.
If you do know a good deal about computers, and are not the one who messed up the hard drive in the first place, it may be possible for you to do your own hard drive data recovery. Keep in mind that to do this, you may need to fix your master boot record, or retrieve data from a physically damaged disk. If you can’t do this, then you’ll need to employ the services of a hard drive data recovery expert. Actually, if your system crashes and you don’t actually recover data for a living, I’d suggest you go straight to a hard drive data recovery expert. One thing though…they’re expensive. Come on, these guys are specialized in what they do. You didn’t really expect that any hard drive data recovery expert would do it for free, did you?
You know what can really help you save money if your hard drive does crash? Backing up your data. It seems like such a sensible thing to do, doesn’t it? Some users partition their hard drive. This makes it easy for you to do your hard drive data recovery because chances are only one partition will fail. If you’ve backed up your files, you can continue working or, better yet, you can save them to an external source and get a new hard drive. You should definitely invest in an external back up. Yes, it’s an inconvenience to remember to back up important files, but at least you won’t have to pay for a hard drive data recovery expert.
By: Jim Grayson -
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Hard drives aren’t perfect, although they’re amazing examples of mechanical engineering. Physical damage can easily occur since these disks are spinning at such high speeds. The smallest interference while in use can cause damage in certain areas. Various features have been put into place to reduce the likelihood of a critical hard drive failure, but these are not 100% effective. Sadly, physical damage isn’t the only reason why you may need to attempt hard drive data recovery. Many people accidentally wipe out their hard drives because they’re not sure what they’re doing.
If you do know a good deal about computers, and are not the one who messed up the hard drive in the first place, it may be possible for you to do your own hard drive data recovery. Keep in mind that to do this, you may need to fix your master boot record, or retrieve data from a physically damaged disk. If you can’t do this, then you’ll need to employ the services of a hard drive data recovery expert. Actually, if your system crashes and you don’t actually recover data for a living, I’d suggest you go straight to a hard drive data recovery expert. One thing though…they’re expensive. Come on, these guys are specialized in what they do. You didn’t really expect that any hard drive data recovery expert would do it for free, did you?
You know what can really help you save money if your hard drive does crash? Backing up your data. It seems like such a sensible thing to do, doesn’t it? Some users partition their hard drive. This makes it easy for you to do your hard drive data recovery because chances are only one partition will fail. If you’ve backed up your files, you can continue working or, better yet, you can save them to an external source and get a new hard drive. You should definitely invest in an external back up. Yes, it’s an inconvenience to remember to back up important files, but at least you won’t have to pay for a hard drive data recovery expert.
By: Jim Grayson -
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
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