System Backup On Floppy Disk?

[MCHAAK]

I know I need to backup my files - have lost files before - deleted myself I am afraid in an effort to "clean"! :( Then I figured - time to make a backup disk - so I could find and replace these files - right? I am a real newbie - so forgive my ignorance - but the only disks I found at the stores only hold 100mb! I don't have much stuff on my computer - lots less than all of you I am sure - about 1,400mb? But it seems a little ridiculous to have 14-15 disks! How could I ever find anything? IS THAT THE WAY IT IS???!!! Please tell me I am missing something here. thanks. m :confused:

[renegade600]

Don't even think about doing backups on floppies, get a cd burner at the minmum. I suggest reading the following for info about backups.

http://www.pcguide.com/care/bu/

Personally I only keep backups of my important junk - one cd. If I have a major crash, then a clean install would be needed anyway. A full backup will also include any problems that the computer is having.

[Alfons]

Backup Options:

Hardware:
1. For very small jobs, you can use floppy disks. This would be for things like documents, etc.

2. CD Burner is probably the most popular these days as well as being the cheapest. The blank CDs are approximately the same price as floppy disks if you buy them in bulk.

3. DVD Burner - a lot more expensive than #2 ( about 3-5 times the price of the CD burner) and the media is also a lot more expensive but will give you 4.7gigs of storage.

4. Hard Drive - More expensive than #2, less than #3 and faster than both. I use both #3 and 4 in external USB/Firewire boxes for the backups that I do - both private and business.

Software:
There are two types of software that can be used to create "backups", and the most popular for individual use has become the Disk Imaging software such as:

1. Norton Ghost - you should use at least version 2002.
2. Drive Image by Power Quest - Drive Image 2002 is a good version that handles all windows versions. Drive Image 7 runs from 2000 or XP.

With the exception of Drive Image 7, the other two give you floppies that you use to make an exact image of your hard drive so that it can be restored at a later date, if needed. I use this approach to capture the basic OS installation that has all the critical updates, drivers, and desired recommended updates. This saves me a lot of time when trying to rebuild a system. You should note that the imaging process also copies any problems, and fragmentation that you might have on your system, so care should be taken to have the system as clean as possible for this process to have much value. These floppies can direct the image to items #2, 3, and 4 - both internal and external, and the newer versions cover additional interfaces such as USB 1.1 & 2, Firewire, Network and Parallel. The earlier versions cover Parallel and Network to a degree.

The other type of software is the traditional backup software that stores each file and folder as well as other important system related items. Using this method also removes some common problems such as hard-to-fix fragmentation problems. Windows has it's own built-in backup package that can be used for this purpose (media is limited - W98 offers fDD, HD, or tape) and is free and it works. One package that I've recommended to individuals and small business clients is "Backup My PC" by Stomp -Formerly known as Backup Exec Desktop by VERITAS.

You need to determine what detail you want in a backup as well as how much money you're willing to invest in this process - it is an investment if your time and data has value - and then it's much easier to make an informed decision.

[Jim Smith]

The typical floppy can hold 1.44 MB of data. Backup tools use data compression which cuts roughly in half the number floppies needed. I've done several restores from floppies (35 to 50 in number) and had a few failures to restore.

Zip drives hold 100 MB to 200 MB but I prefer CD burning.

You can buy CD burners for $45 - $55. Copy doesn't compress but all my current 'backup' needs require less than 300 MB. Reformatting and reloading isn't all that bad and removes many problems. Low level format removes all malware.

Make more than one backup or copy.

[Elipsis]

Don't forget about network backups too.

I don't know if it applies in your situation, but on my home network I've found that one of the surest things is to simply push all the important data over the network to another computer... and pull it back after the format/hardware install/etc... is done.