Mirroring a drive

KubeDawg · 11-16-2009, 08:25 PM

I am looking to get an external hard drive for my Windows PC that can be plugged in, and synced up with my current drive so I can basically backup the data on my PC, and be able to store the external HDD in a safe place so no one can steal it.

I know nothing about RAID, but I hear that it can do something like this.

Can anyone provide me some suggestions or a link to a place that has instructions on how to do this?

Also, if I do mirror my drive, does it have to be the same size/type of drive?

cjeshjoir™ · 11-16-2009, 08:58 PM

RAID isn't what you're looking for. Try googling rsync. As for the drive, it need only be as big as the amount of data you intend to put on it. Otherwise, get one as big or bigger than the drive you're going to back up.

MonoXideAtWork · 11-16-2009, 09:11 PM

symantec backup exec. I'll have an image up for you later.

teh_rape · 11-16-2009, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KubeDawg

I am looking to get an external hard drive for my Windows PC that can be plugged in, and synced up with my current drive so I can basically backup the data on my PC, and be able to store the external HDD in a safe place so no one can steal it.

I know nothing about RAID, but I hear that it can do something like this.

Can anyone provide me some suggestions or a link to a place that has instructions on how to do this?

Also, if I do mirror my drive, does it have to be the same size/type of drive?

fyi for raids no, they dont have to be the same size. however if you have, lets say, a 650gb hdd and a 500gb hd, you essentially lose the extra 150gb from the 650. you can only use as much as your weakest link, if that makes sense.
as others said, you dont want raid, you just want backups.

Mooga · 11-16-2009, 11:24 PM

RAID is redundancy, NOT back up.
I would just set a batch script to run every day and copy over files. Easy enough.

KubeDawg · 11-17-2009, 05:04 AM

alright. thanks for the info.

stray kitten · 11-17-2009, 02:58 PM

You can build a raid into windows if you want to check it out. Computer/Management/Disk Management/ right click the volume and raid options appear.

The problem is you may have to convert it to a dynamic disk and if you have other disk tools they may stop working. And once you go black (dynamic) you can never go back.

As mentioned RAID is not a backup. It is fault tolerance and even then you have to tweak the mbr to get the second drive to come up if the primary fails. The reason it is not a backup is because if you fuck something up, it will replicate to the mirrored drive. Like accidentally erasing all your Pr0n. It's gone. (note I said erase as in Eraser)

But if a drive fails you will still have a working computer. With only 1 extra disk and that being (I am guessing) USB I would go with the backup option. If you don't want to spend the money use windows backup and run the automated system recovery wizard. You already paid for it.

It will backup everything and create a boot recovery disk.

programs\accessories\system tools\backup

There is also a schedule tab to schedule backups.

Gwarsbane · 11-17-2009, 05:00 PM

I use a program called Migrate Easy to make a mirror of my hard drive.

It can be used with 2 drives of the same size or it can be used to make a backup to a drive thats larger or smaller.

I haven't tried doing it to an external drive yet, but when I did it, both drives were in the computer. You start with the drive you want to be mirrored as your main drive. Tell Migrate Easy the drive you are using for the source and then the drive you want to use as the destination and if there are any changes to the size of the partitions you want to do to the destination drive. Then sit back while it does it thing. Depending on how much stuff there is it can take a while but over all its nice.

Then once done if it is just a backup, you can remove the drive and store it somewhere.

Course there are some external bays you can get that have the 1 touch backup stuff. Never used anything of them but if you need to backup certain things all the time that might be the best way to go.

11-16-2009, 08:25 PM	#1
KubeDawg Nade Whore Server Owner Beta Tester Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Oklahoma Class/Position: Scout/Soldier Gametype: CTF/TDM Affiliations: blunt. Moto Posts Rated Helpful 128 Times	Mirroring a drive I am looking to get an external hard drive for my Windows PC that can be plugged in, and synced up with my current drive so I can basically backup the data on my PC, and be able to store the external HDD in a safe place so no one can steal it. I know nothing about RAID, but I hear that it can do something like this. Can anyone provide me some suggestions or a link to a place that has instructions on how to do this? Also, if I do mirror my drive, does it have to be the same size/type of drive? __________________ Moto's Funhouse \| Dallas, TX - 74.91.114.247:27015 ff_plunder - Complete

11-16-2009, 11:24 PM	#5
Mooga Colorless FTW D&A Member Beta Tester Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: A Small Box Affiliations: SRCDS.com Posts Rated Helpful 1 Times	RAID is redundancy, NOT back up. I would just set a batch script to run every day and copy over files. Easy enough. __________________ ~ Mooga ...w00t? SRCDS.com \| Twitter

11-17-2009, 05:04 AM	#6
KubeDawg Nade Whore Server Owner Beta Tester Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Oklahoma Class/Position: Scout/Soldier Gametype: CTF/TDM Affiliations: blunt. Moto Posts Rated Helpful 128 Times	alright. thanks for the info. __________________ Moto's Funhouse \| Dallas, TX - 74.91.114.247:27015 ff_plunder - Complete

11-17-2009, 02:58 PM	#7
stray kitten mjau D&A Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Class/Position: kittens are sneaky, spy Gametype: Capture the mouse Posts Rated Helpful 2 Times	You can build a raid into windows if you want to check it out. Computer/Management/Disk Management/ right click the volume and raid options appear. The problem is you may have to convert it to a dynamic disk and if you have other disk tools they may stop working. And once you go black (dynamic) you can never go back. As mentioned RAID is not a backup. It is fault tolerance and even then you have to tweak the mbr to get the second drive to come up if the primary fails. The reason it is not a backup is because if you fuck something up, it will replicate to the mirrored drive. Like accidentally erasing all your Pr0n. It's gone. (note I said erase as in Eraser) But if a drive fails you will still have a working computer. With only 1 extra disk and that being (I am guessing) USB I would go with the backup option. If you don't want to spend the money use windows backup and run the automated system recovery wizard. You already paid for it. It will backup everything and create a boot recovery disk. programs\accessories\system tools\backup There is also a schedule tab to schedule backups. __________________ 6 of the 10 richest counties in America now surround Washington D.C. Our "capitol" edged out Silicon Valley as the nation's richest metro area. Reality Distortion Field = 1. Stream the distractions: One percent, hoodies, and kony oh my. Last edited by stray kitten; 11-17-2009 at 03:01 PM.

11-16-2009, 08:58 PM	#2
cjeshjoir™ 1-800-UNAGIPOWA Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: California, USA Gametype: AvD, Spirit of TFC Affiliations: ™.AvD Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	RAID isn't what you're looking for. Try googling rsync. As for the drive, it need only be as big as the amount of data you intend to put on it. Otherwise, get one as big or bigger than the drive you're going to back up.

11-16-2009, 09:11 PM	#3
MonoXideAtWork Pub Allstar! Beta Tester Join Date: Aug 2008 Class/Position: under en kvinna Gametype: Capture the Flag Affiliations: Eternal Order, Must be h4x, Mono's happy funtime. Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	symantec backup exec. I'll have an image up for you later.

11-17-2009, 05:00 PM	#8
Gwarsbane Slayer of humans D&A Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mostly on earth though in some alt dimensions Class/Position: I'm an Offensive Defensive person Gametype: Fortress Forever Affiliations: I'm a merc, only thing that talks is money Posts Rated Helpful 3 Times	I use a program called Migrate Easy to make a mirror of my hard drive. It can be used with 2 drives of the same size or it can be used to make a backup to a drive thats larger or smaller. I haven't tried doing it to an external drive yet, but when I did it, both drives were in the computer. You start with the drive you want to be mirrored as your main drive. Tell Migrate Easy the drive you are using for the source and then the drive you want to use as the destination and if there are any changes to the size of the partitions you want to do to the destination drive. Then sit back while it does it thing. Depending on how much stuff there is it can take a while but over all its nice. Then once done if it is just a backup, you can remove the drive and store it somewhere. Course there are some external bays you can get that have the 1 touch backup stuff. Never used anything of them but if you need to backup certain things all the time that might be the best way to go.

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