Basic backing up

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Hi,

I have a Windows XP computer with an 80GB hard drive.
The documents and other files that I need to backup take about 20GB.
I can't remember if that's compressed or uncompressed - I just tend
to zip or .tar.gz them up.

If possible I'd like to have at least my documents automatically
mirrored during the day onto (at least) one external hard drive.
If the cost isn't too prohibitive, perhaps the whole 80GB hard
drive could be mirrored.

Preferably, I'd also like to be able to do incremental backups
during weekdays (i.e. backup only those files that changed "today").

If I had Linux installed, the 'find' command could easily do incremental
backups at least. But on XP I tried using DJGPP to simulate Unix
commands like these, and I found trying to do things like
find .... | xargs ....
was just too flaky, constantly giving errors.

I'm probably looking for some sort of 'simple' commercial or
open source solution. I know that what I'm asking for (mirroring including
incremental backups of a single hard disk) is not very hard and is
standard, but I just haven't studied backup techniques before.
I hope that I can find something that's fairly low cost.

P.S. Preferably, I would also be able to either password-protect or
encrypt the external hard drive, or the individual files within it.
Something like GPG can very securely encrypt individual files, but
the way it renames the files (to .gpg and deleting the prefix) seems
like it can be hard to restore them to their individual names
(I could be wrong though some someone please set me straight if so).

Thanks very much for any advice that you can provide to me!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

In article <cpc8qd$im5$3@news-02.connect.com.au>,
Ann W. Bell <bella+nospam@ar.com.au> wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I'm probably looking for some sort of 'simple' commercial or
>open source solution. I know that what I'm asking for (mirroring including

Have you tried Cygwin (Cygnus Tools for Windows, a UN*X shell for MS Windows
computers, www.cygwin.com)? It works pretty well for me (I'm logged into a
Sun server using Cygwin ssh/xterm right now).

Mike Squires

--

Mike Squires (mikes at cs.indiana.edu) 317 233 9456 (w) 812 333 6564 (h)
mikes at siralan.org 546 N Park Ridge Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

For a simple backup Maxtor's One Touch backup external drive works
pretty good. I'm not sure on the encryption end of things however.
Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Ann W. Bell wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have a Windows XP computer with an 80GB hard drive.
> The documents and other files that I need to backup take about 20GB.
> I can't remember if that's compressed or uncompressed - I just tend
> to zip or .tar.gz them up.
>
> If possible I'd like to have at least my documents automatically
> mirrored during the day onto (at least) one external hard drive.
> If the cost isn't too prohibitive, perhaps the whole 80GB hard
> drive could be mirrored.
>
> Preferably, I'd also like to be able to do incremental backups
> during weekdays (i.e. backup only those files that changed "today").
>
> If I had Linux installed, the 'find' command could easily do incremental
> backups at least. But on XP I tried using DJGPP to simulate Unix
> commands like these, and I found trying to do things like
> find .... | xargs ....
> was just too flaky, constantly giving errors.
>
> I'm probably looking for some sort of 'simple' commercial or
> open source solution. I know that what I'm asking for (mirroring including
> incremental backups of a single hard disk) is not very hard and is
> standard, but I just haven't studied backup techniques before.
> I hope that I can find something that's fairly low cost.
>
> P.S. Preferably, I would also be able to either password-protect or
> encrypt the external hard drive, or the individual files within it.
> Something like GPG can very securely encrypt individual files, but
> the way it renames the files (to .gpg and deleting the prefix) seems
> like it can be hard to restore them to their individual names
> (I could be wrong though some someone please set me straight if so).
>
> Thanks very much for any advice that you can provide to me!

First, if you want something Unix-like try Cygwin <http://www.cygwin.org>.

Next, for the backups, the Windows backup program that comes with Windows
will do what you describe. It backs up to a single file so you could
encrypt that file if you needed to.

Alternatively you could use xcopy or an improved and highly regarded
third-party version called "xxcopy" <http://www.xxcopy.com>.

Also, Windows 2000/XP shell scripting (in Microsoft-speak "batch files") is
worth looking at--the Windows 2K/XP shell is not nearly as capable as the
Unix shells, but it is still much better than the Windows 9x shell.

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

You don't need emulate Unix or run Cygwin to log into a Sun server. All
you need is an SSH client (ie: <a
href="http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/">PuTTY</a>)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Michael Squires did...

>Have you tried Cygwin (Cygnus Tools for Windows, a UN*X shell for MS
>Windows
>computers, www.cygwin.com)? It works pretty well for me (I'm logged
into a
>Sun server using Cygwin ssh/xterm right now).
>
>Mike Squires

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

You are right, my reply to Michael was offtopic.

It sounded like Machael was stating that he was using Cygwin in order
to run an SSH session to his Sun box.
I was simply stating that it is not neccessary to emulate a Unix
environment just to run an SSH session. I then reccomended PuTTY, a
free and tiny client I use every day to log in to my server.

Forgive me if I have somehow offended, or pissed you off.

J. Clarke wrote:
> biscayneSix wrote:
>
> > Michael Squires did...
> >
> >>Have you tried Cygwin (Cygnus Tools for Windows, a UN*X shell for
MS
> >>Windows
> >>computers, www.cygwin.com)? It works pretty well for me (I'm logged
> > into a
> >>Sun server using Cygwin ssh/xterm right now).
>
> Oh. I'm logged into a Linux box myself. Yes, there are ways to log
in ton
> *nix servers other than Cygwin--so what? The original poster wasn't
trying
> to log into a server and Michael and I are both quite happy with the
> methods that we are using, neither of us has asked for an
alternative. So
> what point did you think that you were making that anybody but you
might
> care about?
>
> --
> --John
> Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
> (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

biscayneSix wrote:

> You don't need emulate Unix or run Cygwin to log into a Sun server. All
> you need is an SSH client (ie: <a
> href="http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/">PuTTY</a>)

Who said anything about a Sun server?

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

biscayneSix wrote:

> Michael Squires did...
>
>>Have you tried Cygwin (Cygnus Tools for Windows, a UN*X shell for MS
>>Windows
>>computers, www.cygwin.com)? It works pretty well for me (I'm logged
> into a
>>Sun server using Cygwin ssh/xterm right now).

Oh. I'm logged into a Linux box myself. Yes, there are ways to log in ton
*nix servers other than Cygwin--so what? The original poster wasn't trying
to log into a server and Michael and I are both quite happy with the
methods that we are using, neither of us has asked for an alternative. So
what point did you think that you were making that anybody but you might
care about?

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

biscayneSix wrote:

> You are right, my reply to Michael was offtopic.
>
> It sounded like Machael was stating that he was using Cygwin in order
> to run an SSH session to his Sun box.
> I was simply stating that it is not neccessary to emulate a Unix
> environment just to run an SSH session. I then reccomended PuTTY, a
> free and tiny client I use every day to log in to my server.
>
> Forgive me if I have somehow offended, or pissed you off.

Not at all, I was just having trouble figuring out how it related to the
OP's question.

While we're off topic though, do you know of a decent freeware xserver for
the Windows environment other than the one included with Cygwin? The ones
I've tried were an uphill battle--Cygwin's is nice and clean and works like
the docs say it's supposed to.

>
> J. Clarke wrote:
>> biscayneSix wrote:
>>
>> > Michael Squires did...
>> >
>> >>Have you tried Cygwin (Cygnus Tools for Windows, a UN*X shell for
> MS
>> >>Windows
>> >>computers, www.cygwin.com)? It works pretty well for me (I'm logged
>> > into a
>> >>Sun server using Cygwin ssh/xterm right now).
>>
>> Oh. I'm logged into a Linux box myself. Yes, there are ways to log
> in ton
>> *nix servers other than Cygwin--so what? The original poster wasn't
> trying
>> to log into a server and Michael and I are both quite happy with the
>> methods that we are using, neither of us has asked for an
> alternative. So
>> what point did you think that you were making that anybody but you
> might
>> care about?
>>
>> --
>> --John
>> Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
>> (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)