Automatic Back Up Program

**PoonDoggy** · September 18th, 2002, 11:15 AM

I have a client that is looking for a automatic Back Up Program for WIN XP. He wants it to be able to back up security sensitive files onto a external Hard Drive (USB). He wants to be able to set it to automatically back up certain folders and subfolders from the internal HDD onto the external HDD at a certain time daily.

From what I have been reading, most programs are not able to (or dont state that) back up onto a ext. HDD.

Any Suggestions?

**Mntsnow** · September 18th, 2002, 10:01 PM

If the drive is mappable then the built in MS backup (veritas) should do what you want.

**DVNT1** · September 18th, 2002, 10:15 PM

I've never liked MS Backup so I will suggest an alternative.

Create a batch file that zips up the folders & files in question onto the removeable drive. You can create a TASK in Task Manager that makes it run at a set time M-F, every day, or even at logon.

To make this work, download the DOS version of pkzip.

The batch file could be simple or complex .

A simple approach would contain somthing like...

c:\pkzip\pkzip.exe g:\myBackup.zip c:\mydocu~1\*.* -RP where R menas recurse subdirectorys and P means preserve the file path. G: is the drive letter of the USB connected HD.

**M_Six** · September 18th, 2002, 11:33 PM

I agree with DVNT1. MS Backup is a pain.

DVNT1's excellent suggestion notwithstanding, might I suggest Second Copy? I've been using it for years at a client's office to backup data to a remote box. According to Second Copy's FAQs, you can use it to backup to a removable drive. It works like a charm and is really cheap.

**goldenbuddha** · September 18th, 2002, 11:49 PM

Hi there, I am currently using Veritas' Stomp Backup MyPC. A great app. You just start it, choose the folders you want to backup and you can set it to work with the Windows scheduler, it works transparently in the background. I have mine running at midnight on Wednesday and Saturday.

http://www.stompinc.com/bump/bump-retail.phtml?stp

**scholar** · October 31st, 2002, 05:36 PM

Stomp is expensive!

Iomega Ouik-sync works well.

PowerQuest Drive Image is an excellent imaging program and includes DataKeeper which does autobackup to my CD-R/W very nicely.

LOL

**akinsey** · October 31st, 2002, 05:46 PM

What about Backup Plus http://www.backupplus.net/? It comes with its own scheduler, its $39 to buy, works on XP too.
:Backups can be performed to other hard drives, removable devices such as ZIP or JAZ drives or even floppy drives, as well as to CDRW media discs* (must format first). You can even create backups to be split into individual sized pieces to later write to another device."

**akinsey** · October 31st, 2002, 05:46 PM

o00ps--Double post.

**MayflowerII** · October 31st, 2002, 08:55 PM

I use Stomp and one thing I've found out, and It's probably me, it won't back up over the network. I've had to go use the backup utility that comes with XP to accomplish my network backups.

**bhess** · November 1st, 2002, 03:37 PM

I've been using a program called handy backup. Someone here suggested it to me a while ago. I'm happy with it and it's free.

**bhess** · November 1st, 2002, 03:40 PM

Well it looks like it isn't free anymore. I have an older version that is free.

**RainFire** · November 1st, 2002, 03:44 PM

http://www.rdcomp.net/

EzBackitup - Easy to use personal file backup solution. Free!

I use it and it is just that - Easy!!!

shahani · November 1st, 2002, 03:49 PM

Cool link, Rainfire. Got the label maker free too. Will try the program tonite. Looks good though. Thanks.

**bhess** · November 1st, 2002, 03:50 PM

Ah-Ha!!

Google wins the day. It found ver 2.1 which I have and is free.

http://backup.novosoft-us.com/index.html

shahani · November 1st, 2002, 04:11 PM

Awright. Two free programs. Thanx, bhess.

**isup** · November 3rd, 2002, 02:31 AM

can' download all the data in handybackup2.1. at end of download when i try to install a message says can't install (because size of data downloaded is less than original file). this happened twice. anybody had this problem?

**MayflowerII** · November 3rd, 2002, 10:27 AM

Sorry Isup I don't know much about backups in general, let alone the program your are using. Just to give you an idea of how clueless I am when I bought the computer from gateway I asked about backups ( I didn't know XP pro had one). So Gateway sends me to the "addon dept" to spend $90.00 on a program that won't do what I want and then find out I had one all the time.
In rereading your post this is being downloaded over the internet? How abought local backups. They O.K.? Seems the download is glichy. Where you downloading from?

**nukes** · November 3rd, 2002, 11:52 AM

I would suggest using XCOPY in a batch file.
Use:
xcopy /M /H /Y /E c:\documents\*.* d:\backup
will backup all the files with the archive bit set from c:\documents to d:\backup.
The reason for the archive bit is so that it only copies files that have changed and so will save on time and bandwidth.