Questions about backing up computer

[Colin]

I have a number of questions regarding backing up information on my computer.The first question has to do with my favorites folder.I have many favorites folders(over 30!) and was wondering if there's a third party software package I could buy which would make incremental backups(for instance is there a software package I could buy which would make an automatic backup everytime I make changes to my favorites or when I add a new website to my favorites folder) I know you can export your favorites to a different location but it seems like I would have to export each folder separately which given the fact that I have over 30 folders would be awfully time consuming.

Second,I was considering buying a second hard drive to backup all my data in case my computer hard drive fails but then the question arises-what if the backup drive fails? I've heard it said that you should have multiple backups of your data but how much backups should you have? Should you have a backup hard drive and then burn all the data from the backup hard drive to c.d.roms(if that is possible)? How long does data from c.d. roms last?

Third I've heard that Acronis makes good backup software as well as Norton.Does anybody have any input on this?

 

[CInfinity]

There are lots of incremental backup services out there some more expensive than others. Its going to depend if you want to keep the backup on-site or upload onto backup servers belonging to someone else.

Is your favourites folder really that important that you need constant backups? Would once per day not be sufficient?

question arises-what if the backup drive fails?

You might want to consider an external drive that uses RAID so your data is mirrored.

I've heard it said that you should have multiple backups of your data but how much backups should you have?

Its really down to your own preference and how much data needs be backed up. In the perfect world having as many backups as possible would be a good solution but storage costs money so its not always a valid option and thats why deduplication should be a part of your backup solution.

Should you have a backup hard drive and then burn all the data from the backup hard drive to c.d.roms(if that is possible)? How long does data from c.d. roms last?

I don't normally recommend using CD's for backups due to the problems that can arise from them. Their life expectancy can be very short is they are not maintained correctly. I'd suspect a few years.

Third I've heard that Acronis makes good backup software as well as Norton.Does anybody have any input on this?

Unfortunately I don't have any personal experience with either of these products. Search around the web and should find some info on them.

 

[TFT]

I have a second Hard Drive solely used for my data, on it I have my photos, Outlook addresses, Outlook Contacts, Driver genius backup, all downloaded programs, all Word data, registry backup and the list goes on.

I then copy the data on D: to a DVD, write a date on it and put somewhere safe. 3 months later I make another DVD then throw the previous one in the bin, so I'm never more than 3 months out of date if my HD goes belly up.

Why worry how long a CD or DVD should last, surely if you kept it that long then your data would be out of date anyway.