Backing Up Data From Entire Computer - It's Getting Easier, It's Accurate And Less Expensive
For $106, we bought a brand new 160 Maxtor Gigabyte-external hard disk, including aluminium case, power supply, cables and software via eBay. A comparable unit
can usually be bought for about $200 or more in retail stores.
Usually, it is necessary for a brand new hard disk to be partitioned and formatted by the user. In some cases, the manufacturer of the hard disk cases supply
instructions on how to perform this task without having to open the computer. If such instructions are not available or in case of problems, hard disk manufacturers
recommend a different procedure. In the case of Maxtor, the recommendation is to remove the hard disk from its case, to open the computer and to temporarily install
it inside the computer, for partitioning purposes only. In that case, the jumper at the hard disk usually has to be set to “slave” first. Do not remove the “Master” hard
disk from the computer, that contains the operation system (OS, which is Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, etc.) This “Master disk” is needed to properly
start and operate the computer. However, installation of a second hard disk, called “slave”, is possible. If your computer contains a “slave” already, it can be safely
removed and replaced by the external hard disk, as described, for partitioning and formatting purposes.
Maxtor provides a software program for partitioning new hard disks via its web site, http://www.maxtor.com. The name of the software is currently “Max Blast 3”. It
contains proper instructions and is relatively easy to use, even for users that are not intimately familiar with this technology.
At the end of the partitioning process, the user has available the partitioned hard disk, ready to put back in its aluminium case. Do not forget putting the hard disk jumper
back to the “Master”position before making this step!
We downloaded - from the Internet - "Power Quest Drive Image 7.0" for $49.95 and, alternatively, "Acronis True Image 8.0", for $39.95. Both programs contained
proper instructions and did a good job at transferring the entire data from a total of three computers to the external drive - including programs, photographs, audio and
video files. In case of computer/hard disk failure, the data from the entire computer, a hard disk, partition, or folder can be replaced from the external disk within
minutes.
There are more programs allowing to do the same job. One very popular product is Symantec “Ghost”, which will allow making a complete “Clone” from one disk in
your computer to another one of at least the same size. This is a very fast process. A large number of more programs will also work. In our case, as mentioned
before, "Power Quest Drive Image 7.0" for $49.95 and, alternatively, "Acronis True Image 8.0", for $39.95 worked well and can be recommended.
If your experience is different, we would very much like to hear from you.
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Erdstation
E-Mail: astrocal@hotmail.com
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