HOW should I back up my hard drives?

[collegebound23]

I have 4 hard drives in my custom PC, one with Windows OS and about 100 programs; another hard drive with about 200 programs and documents/files; another hard drive with videos/photos; another hard drive with website data.

I am planning to buy a 8tb drive or something and copying and pasting the entire hard drive content into individual folders on the 8tb hard drive with GoodSync. Is this the best way to backup my data?

Also, when I backed up my C: drive (containing the Windows OS and 100 programs), there were some files that kept changing and that I somehow couldn't copy. I guess those are the system files that are running and changing constantly. Should I just copy what I can off the C drive or do something else to make an image of the drive?

 

[Hamperking68]

That is a perfectly fine way of doing it.

However if your serious you could set up NAS or purchase off-site backup.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, @collegebound23!

First of all, I'd second @Hamperking and advise you to consider an off-site backup. Keeping all the HDDs inside the system and making backups of them to another internal HDD is not a backup solution at all. There are very unfortunate cases/accidents where the whole rig's hardware can get damage through a power surge, for example. If you have all the data and its backups inside the PC, you will be facing a lot of data loss headaches.
Always remember that "backup" means that you have your data stored in at least two (2) locations. Moving data from your system drive to an external hard drive or another internal one is not a backup, unless there is already a duplicate of the file on a different drive and location.

Also, I believe that copy/pasting backup won't work for your system files. You will need a system backup software that will allow you to create an image of Windows on an off-site backup storage.

It's great to see you have considered backing up such enormous amount of data. Better be safe than sorry, right?

Keep us posted if you have more questions!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[collegebound23]

Hey there, @collegebound23!

First of all, I'd second @Hamperking and advise you to consider an off-site backup. Keeping all the HDDs inside the system and making backups of them to another internal HDD is not a backup solution at all. There are very unfortunate cases/accidents where the whole rig's hardware can get damage through a power surge, for example. If you have all the data and its backups inside the PC, you will be facing a lot of data loss headaches.
Always remember that "backup" means that you have your data stored in at least two (2) locations. Moving data from your system drive to an external hard drive or another internal one is not a backup, unless there is already a duplicate of the file on a different drive and location.

Also, I believe that copy/pasting backup won't work for your system files. You will need a system backup software that will allow you to create an image of Windows on an off-site backup storage.

It's great to see you have considered backing up such enormous amount of data. Better be safe than sorry, right?

Keep us posted if you have more questions!
SuperSoph_WD

What software should I use for creating an image if I have Windows 7? Also, should I image each hard drive separately as well as copy and paste files for backups?

Is it better to image drives or sync individual files? I am guessing that if you want to make incremental backups you must sync individual files? If you make a image, I am guessing you would have to make another image if anything on the drive is modified or any additions/deletions are made?

Do you suggest that everyone use CrashPlan as another backup necessity for keeping data safe?

Thank you so much

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

What software should I use for creating an image if I have Windows 7? Also, should I image each hard drive separately as well as copy and paste files for backups?

Is it better to image drives or sync individual files? I am guessing that if you want to make incremental backups you must sync individual files? If you make a image, I am guessing you would have to make another image if anything on the drive is modified or any additions/deletions are made?

Do you suggest that everyone use CrashPlan as another backup necessity for keeping data safe?

Thank you so much

Hey there again, @collegebound23!

No matter what sort of data you store on the individual internal HDDs, it's always highly recommended to keep a copy of it somewhere off-site (to an external HDD, NAS or some other external storage solution).
Sadly, as an official Western Digital representative, I'm unable to give you specific recommendations regarding third-party software. However, I can surely say there are a variety of utilities you can use to backup the whole system (both the OS and your personal files). You can also do that using Windows 7 Backup and Restore.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[collegebound23]

Thanks for all of your answers. =)

I am thinking about setting up a NAS. I have a pretty heavy-duty custom PC and am thinking about using it as a NAS as well. Will this save money compared to buying a separate NAS box? Will setting up a NAS on my computer lower the performance of my use of my computer?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Thanks for all of your answers. =)

I am thinking about setting up a NAS. I have a pretty heavy-duty custom PC and am thinking about using it as a NAS as well. Will this save money compared to buying a separate NAS box? Will setting up a NAS on my computer lower the performance of my use of my computer?

Turning your custom PC build into a custom NAS is not a backup solution for the files you have on it. Moreover, NAS systems use different operating systems. It is basically a set of HDDs connected to the network, so that any computer/device in your network can access it. Indeed, there is a way for you to make your PC seen as a NAS in the network, BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY not a backup solution for your PC at all.
As I already mentioned, you can consider having a true backup only if it's stored in multiple locations - ONsite (in the PC) as well as OFFsite (external, NAS, cloud storage solutions, etc.). Having multiple copies of your data inside your PC even if they are stored on different HDDs is still risky.
I'd like to give you an example with myself, since I had suffered the headaches of data loss back in the day. Afterwards, I started backing up my essential data on multiple locations off-site - an external HDD, DVDs/BluRays and a NAS system - as well as keeping an accessible copy of them on my rig (since it's my music collection). The NAS allows me to access my file through my phone, tablet, etc. But I feel safe because even if both my NAS and PC fail, I have a copy of these files on an external HDD and a big collection of DVDs. Being extra careful about your personal files is essential! Besides... better safe than sorry, right?

Hope this was helpful. Let us know if you have more questions!
SuperSoph_WD