Most people think about backing up data about 10 minutes after it's too late to do any good. If you realize that you really need a good backup program after your hard disk crashes or your teenager decides to clear out some of your files to make room for new music downloads, you're setting yourself up for a data disaster. I really don't know how people can be so careless not to keep a hard drive backup before that disaster strikes. Especially those who are more vulnerable to bouts of data loss, hard drive failure should consider backup solutions as rescue.
Before you can even think about creating a backup, you have to get your files in order. It's important to back up your critical files on at least a weekly basis. But sometimes we need to backup our entire Hard Disc. Well, if you just want to backup your important files, just follow the instruction below-
Basic file backup Instructions for windows user
Step 1: Insert your Windows XP CD into the drive and double click it when it pops up on your desktop.
Step 2: In Windows Explorer, double-click the ValueAdd folder, then Msft, and then Ntbackup.
Step 3: Double-click Ntbackup.msi to install the Backup utility.
Step 4: Click Backup to run Microsoft's Backup program.
How to Run the Backup Utility
Step 1: Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup to start the wizard.
Step 2: Click "Next" to skip past the opening page, choose Back up files and settings from the second page, and then click Next.
Step 3: Decide whether you want to back up everything or just certain things.
Step 4: Decide where you want the backups saved to.
Step 5: Set a schedule for regular backups.
Well, thats just for backing up your files. If you need to backup your entire hard disc? There are a number of drive backup tools that can be used to avoid such disasters. The set of backup files usually contains a full image of an object and a number of its incremental/differential backups. The backup software provide a complete solution for hard disk backup, image, upgrade and cloning. From the loads of backup solution, I selected the Top 10 Hard Drive Cloning & Backup Software for your convenience.
1. Clonezilla: (Cross Platform)
You're probably familiar with the popular proprietary commercial package Norton Ghost®, and its OpenSource counterpart, Partition Image. The problem with these software packages is that it takes a lot of time to massively clone systems to many computers. You've probably also heard of Symantec's solution to this problem, Symantec Ghost Corporate Edition® with multicasting. Well, now there is an OpenSource clone system (OCS) solution called Clonezilla with unicasting and multicasting! Learn more about clonezilla
2. EASEUS Disk Copy (cross platform)
EASEUS Disk Copy creates sector by sector clones of partitions or hard disks, independent of operating system, file systems or partition scheme. It’s a versatile tool for both the novice and experienced user.
Just like CoolZilla, it’s not installed locally, rather the ISO image is burned to a bootable CD or DVD. The website is probably the best of all tools described here. The information is thorough and very clear, including a very detailed help section that will walk you through every aspect of the program. Learn more
3. XXCLONE (Windows)
XXCLONE is Windows software. The tool can create a self-bootable clone of a Windows drive as well as full backups of non-system volumes. Basically, it can make a hard drive image.
The interface is basic and clear. When started, the tool scans for available volumes and you can then choose a source and target volume from these. A direct link to the Windows Disk Management is provided through the “diskmgmt” button. Under the “Tool Cools” tab you can make use of options such as making the target volume self-bootable, manage restore points or create a batch file to save your current settings for future re-use.
The download section of the website provides a thorough help file that contains screenshots and descriptions of all features.
4. Acronis True Image Home 2009
It is an widely used backup and recovery solution. Acronis True Image Home creates an exact copy of the PC and restores it from the hard drive. Further, it also ensures backup of important files and recover them faster. Learn more
8. DriveClone
As the name suggests, the DriveClone makes a 1:1 copy of the hard drive, which is saved as a complete and compressed image CD, DVD, or to a USB external hard drive. This enables quick recovery of the hard drive and settings in the event of a data disaster. Learn More
Okay, that's all for today. Stay safe and sound.