External HD question??
- Thread starter wantoplay
- Start date
Partition the drive.wantoplay said:Can I back up more than one computer on a single external HD?? Is it hard to do?? One is a notebook(Vista) and the other is a PC(XP.)
Depends on what your backing up. if it's just a bunch of known directories then sure why not as long as there is enough space on the external drive.
I have many computers and they all back up incrementally over the network each nite to 1 external 320GB hard disk. I attach the disk using NAS. I keep 5 versions of changed files incase I have to go back a version or so.
I have many computers and they all back up incrementally over the network each nite to 1 external 320GB hard disk. I attach the disk using NAS. I keep 5 versions of changed files incase I have to go back a version or so.
I would like to back up the HD's on both computers. Is that possible?Radio_Shack said:Depends on what your backing up. if it's just a bunch of known directories then sure why not as long as there is enough space on the external drive.
I have many computers and they all back up incrementally over the network each nite to 1 external 320GB hard disk. I attach the disk using NAS. I keep 5 versions of changed files incase I have to go back a version or so.
Most people, when taking a backup of their Hard Drive, will just take a copy of their files (including the whole directory structure) onto the backup drive. You wouldn't have any problems backing up both PCs that way onto one drive, as long as it's big enough.wantoplay said:I would like to back up the HD's on both computers. Is that possible?
Some people will take a "mirror" (or a "ghost" copy) of their drive as a backup. That's a different kettle of fish, and then backing up two PCs gets a bit trickier. But if you know what you're doing, it again shouldn't be a problem.
there's no real reason to back up the entire drive, only files that you have created vis a vis word, excel, favourites, emails etc.
There's no reason to back up the applications because you can simply reload them if your hard drive crashes.
Asimpler and more cost effective way is to simply buy a massive internal hard drive and back up to that. You can install it into the PC and whenever you need to, (I'm assuming you have some sort of network for the laptop and PC) just backup both onto this internal drive.
You can get huge internal drives for about half the cost of external ones....
There's no reason to back up the applications because you can simply reload them if your hard drive crashes.
Asimpler and more cost effective way is to simply buy a massive internal hard drive and back up to that. You can install it into the PC and whenever you need to, (I'm assuming you have some sort of network for the laptop and PC) just backup both onto this internal drive.
You can get huge internal drives for about half the cost of external ones....
You can make almost any internal drive an external drive for about $15+tax by buying an enclosure. Either NAS(network) or USB connected. Then you can take the drive offsite if you want.tboy said:there's no real reason to back up the entire drive, only files that you have created vis a vis word, excel, favourites, emails etc.
There's no reason to back up the applications because you can simply reload them if your hard drive crashes.
Asimpler and more cost effective way is to simply buy a massive internal hard drive and back up to that. You can install it into the PC and whenever you need to, (I'm assuming you have some sort of network for the laptop and PC) just backup both onto this internal drive.
You can get huge internal drives for about half the cost of external ones....
yeah that will work too if you ever have the need (or desire) to take it offsite. Simplest is still keeping it internal though but the enclosure idea will work too......Radio_Shack said:You can make almost any internal drive an external drive for about $15+tax by buying an enclosure. Either NAS(network) or USB connected. Then you can take the drive offsite if you want.
Easiest solution as posted above, throw an extra massive HDD in, internally. Then you can plug another PC up to it, via USB cable, to save files there also if you want.
I do not have the skills to do that. I kow nothing about them as far as building, adding things is concerned. That is why I asked about the external HD. I know I can't fuck up plugging in a USB.WoodPeckr said:Easiest solution as posted above, throw an extra massive HDD in, internally. Then you can plug another PC up to it, via USB cable, to save files there also if you want.
So all I want to back up is my photos, tax records and MS office files. On both computers.
Then an external or internal HDD will do either. All you have to do is 'drag & drop' the files you want to backup.wantoplay said:So all I want to back up is my photos, tax records and MS office files. On both computers.
FWIW, you can fuck up plugging in a USB......lol.
If you don't safely 'remove the hardware' and unmount the volume correctly you can have problems. This happens the most with Flash drives getting fried and failing prematurely when they are simply pulled out of the usb port while in use and not removed correctly.
