Duplicating Files on Two Hard Drives to Make a Backup

[MCM0726]

I guess I'll get Norton Ghost. I want to make sure my program will run on another computer in case the one I have crashes, breaks, or is stolen.

I thought about a new thread right after I posted. But I appreciate your help and quick responses!

[Beavis]

im not sure it will copy your drive to another computer.

[MCM0726]

Hmm...good point. I'll have to read up on it. I guess worst case scenario would be to reorder the Hoster program. I just didn't want to spend $200.

[Beavis]

you dont have to re-buy the software. you just have to submit a ticket to support at the MTU.com website.


look here, you need to register before you can submit a ticket.

http://www.mtu.com/support/support-frame.htm

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by MCM0726

Right, I have the full version. I actually downloaded it a couple years ago and upgraded a few months ago. I'm wanting to back up everything to an external hard drive just in case, but it won't let me open the Hoster application on another computer. Should I buy a program like Norton Ghost to back it up, or is there another option?

To make it work on the second computer you must install it from the setup file you downloaded from MTU, not copy it to the second computer. You can then copy your KMA files from the first computer to the second, rebuild your database and you are in business.

[MCM0726]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll try the setup file first. If I can't get that to work, I'll try to send a ticket to the support department. Thanks again!

[cdrwizard]

If anyone's interested ...........you can back up your hard disks or just folders very easily with a program that can be used for free call "Goodsync"

works a treat!

[George]

Originally Posted by cdrwizard

If anyone's interested ...........you can back up your hard disks or just folders very easily with a program that can be used for free call "Goodsync"

works a treat!

Be careful not to use their syncronization feature. Any changes made on either drive are automatically done on both. It appears that whatever files were lost from one drive would be lost on the other, any spyware that invaded one drive would be duplicated on the other, and so forth.

From their website:

"File Synchronization (or 'synching') is the process of ensuring that two or more locations contain the same up-to-date files. If you add, change, or delete a file from one location, the synchronization process will add, change, or delete the same file at the other location."

[Ernie]

I downloaded the free program.... alwaysync. It's great!!

[cdrwizard]

You can actually select "left to right" "right to left" or "two way" in the settings.....you can also right click any system or any other type of file found that you are not interested in & tell the program to ignore such files. So for example if you are cloning the left drive to the right drive, files on the right hand drive will be deleted or added like you have done on the left side.

[a2kmike]

Has anyone used File Synchronizer from Latshaw Systems

You can check it out here

http://www.latshawsystems.com/Products.aspx

Mike S.

[gd123]

I have File Synchronizer from Latshaw Systems...I tried to use it...but, I didn't like it.

I use Total Commander...it's free if you don't mind the nag screen on Startup.

It has a compare Folder function. Just put one Folder on the left Panel and a different Folder on the Right Panel and click COMPARE.

It highlights any file that is different in RED. Then, just click COPY. Folders are identical.

http://www.ghisler.com/

[bryant]

Originally Posted by gd123

It highlights any file that is different in RED. Then, just click COPY. Folders are identical.

http://www.ghisler.com/

Which one does it copy to and from?

[dspins]

Originally Posted by Beavis

you dont need the program to back it up. just find all your kma's and drag and drop them to an external hard drive for safe keeping.

i love nortons ghost, it will clone an exact copy of your hard drive to another hard drive any size and all you have to do is swap hard drives.

XP PRO has a feature built into it that works the same as ghost. I use it once a week to backup to an external drive at home. Another way to achieve this is to add a raid array with a mirrored drive into your computer. This way you never have to worry about stopping to change a drive in the middle of a show.

[billyo]

been using acronis to cloned all my original hhd and replaced them with a bigger hhd .

[bryant]

Originally Posted by billyo

been using acronis to cloned all my original hhd and replaced them with a bigger hhd .

Just curious Billyo, if you clone a 40 gB HD onto a 250 gB HD, and then replace that 40 GB HD with a 500 HD internal HD, and then copy the cloned original 40 GB HD from the 250 GB onto that new 500 gB internal HD, will that 500 GB new HD STILL have 460 gB of extra space OR will it be equivalent to a 40 GB HD as the original was? Phew??

[billyo]

Originally Posted by bryant

Just curious Billyo, if you clone a 40 gB HD onto a 250 gB HD, and then replace that 40 GB HD with a 500 HD internal HD, and then copy the cloned original 40 GB HD from the 250 GB onto that new 500 gB internal HD, will that 500 GB new HD STILL have 460 gB of extra space OR will it be equivalent to a 40 GB HD as the original was? Phew??

actually you wont get the total 500g you'll only get about 465 out of the 500, you can only cloned whatever the amount of the hhd is, so if you cloned a 40g into a 500g ( 465), you'll have 425g free space left, you can not cloned a bigger space hhd into a lesser drive, there are some bigger space hhd, that will come up the same space as the hhd that youre cloning..Western Digital is famous for that..if you are planning to clone make sure you get a ntfs drive, there are some i call it restrictions when using fat32 hhd for clonning..so if you get a fat32 500g and youre cloning a 40 gig you'll get the same 40g after cloning, you'll lose all that extra space..( for some reason,) my reason for cloning is ..so i can have more free space..and keep the original as a back -up just in case...i'm about to clone my mini laptop if i can find away to open the back cover of it..

[bryant]

Originally Posted by billyo

been using acronis to cloned all my original hhd and replaced them with a bigger hhd .

Billyo, I'm still a little confused. What exactly do you mean by this and exactly how are you doing this.

I'm thinking this is something I want to do and want to make sure I get it exactly right.

[Beavis]

hey bryant its simple, its just software that clones your original hard drive to a larger hard drive. it copies your original hard drive exactly to the new one without having to re-install windows.

[billyo]

Originally Posted by bryant

Billyo, I'm still a little confused. What exactly do you mean by this and exactly how are you doing this.

I'm thinking this is something I want to do and want to make sure I get it exactly right.

just like Beavis said it's a software that will make an exact copy of your hhd without re-installing windows, just make sure to cloned your orig. hhd to a bigger hhd. ( from 80g to a 250 etc..)