Oh Bugga

Bugga wasn't exactly what I said at the time but it was close ;)

Had one of those 1 in a million happen to me last night. I always thought I had a good computer backup plan... I have (had) a backup for the backup.

So last night I'm adding data to a small usb external HDD from my laptop. The HDD is sitting on the keyboard grinding away when I decided to move it. Thought I had hold of it when I picked up the laptop. Guess not, the HDD bounces off the tiles. If you don't already know a spinning HDD that has a sudden shock will die 100 out of 100 drops, and mine was no exception. NO problem (ya right,I just killed a $150 HDD) I'll go and get my other backup external HDD. I plug it in and nothing, the laptop doesn't see the drive. Hmmm I'm thinking, I unplug it a few times, restart the machine... nothing. So I take it to my PC and try it there - nothing, bugger. I then try installing it in the machine to see what happens, long story short it's buggered.

I then remember that I have another smaller drive that I was using for backup shortly before moving to Aus so I go and dig that one out and install it in the external drive. And wouldn't ya know it the bloody thing works for about 5 minutes while I'm trying to re due my data backup and then dies. OK by this time bugger isn't exactly what's spewing from my mouth but I didn't want to move this to the orange room so you'll have to use your imagination as to what I was saying. Suffice it to say our two cats found hiding places in the garage until the storm passed. All three backup systems dead in less than 10 minutes - that's got to be a million to one. I beat the odds but I don't think I'll try these odds on the lottery.

And if that's not enough my firewall is bugging me to let a drwatson32.exe out onto the internet. Quick search and I find i have a key logging trojan on my system that both Norton's AND AVG missed.

So as I type this my new 80GB external HDD is quietly churning away beside me formating itself. It was the only one the guy had at the store so I'm going back when he has another to so I'll have my redundancy back. When it's finished formating I'm gonna blow the system off and rebuild it from scratch. Looks like I've got a long night ahead of me.

Hey Mat,

What about a Ghost copy of your backed up data, burnt to CD.

I do mine every few months so in the event I lose both HDD's I've got SOMEWHERE to start from.

I do know how you feel, thats why I do a Ghost copy on CD. It's hard to distroy a CD :rolleyes:

I think that many have got that particular T-shirt...

A slip of the fingers and ... learn Arabic quickly....(I gather that it's an excellent language in which to swear :) )

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Originally Posted by MajorPanic

Hey Mat,

What about a Ghost copy of your backed up data, burnt to CD.

I do mine every few months so in the event I lose both HDD's I've got SOMEWHERE to start from.

I do know how you feel, thats why I do a Ghost copy on CD. It's hard to distroy a CD :rolleyes:

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Ghost is ok - so long as you don't use RAID. I do, on both this machine and my primary work one. Ghost doesn't support any form of RAID.

The main machine has two 10,000rpm 75Gb disks in RAID 0 and two 250Gb 7,200 RPM disks in RAID 1.

However, I do image the crucial areas to DVD periodically, and have a regular weekly routine (especially for the work machine) of burning a data CD.

Mathew, I think that drwatson32.exe is part of Microsloths fault finding and reporting setup. I get from time to time as well. As for the HDD, what a bugger. But as Major said, backup the files to CD or DVD. They are really cheap now and it's hard to kill them. I try to do a full backup to DVD for our two computers at least once a fortnight. (Especially with all my Uni research and assignment:eek: )

:confused: Whats a back up? :confused:

Al :confused: :p

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Originally Posted by ozwinner

:confused: Whats a back up? :confused:

Al :confused: :p

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That thing you keep meaning to do, but put off/forget until something like above happens :rolleyes:

Sorry to hear of the drama Mathew hope nothing major was lost. Maybe the HD's dont like spinning the opposite way in the southern hemisphere :rolleyes: :D

... off to do a backup now

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MajorPanic

Hey Mat,

What about a Ghost copy of your backed up data, burnt to CD.

I do mine every few months so in the event I lose both HDD's I've got SOMEWHERE to start from.

I do know how you feel, thats why I do a Ghost copy on CD. It's hard to distroy a CD :rolleyes:

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I've not used ghost for a regular backup but that might change. I have a clean ghost image for my pc but not the laptop.

Does anyone use a backup software for burning to cd. I've got a lot of stuff that changes all the time and I don't want to have to go through everything manually. It would be nice to burn to cd but have the software that will copy over only new or changed files only. The HDDs make it easy cause I can drop the whole profile on the backup HDD and not worry about space but that would be far to much for a cd.

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Originally Posted by Wood Butcher

Mathew, I think that drwatson32.exe is part of Microsloths fault finding and reporting setup. I get from time to time as well. As for the HDD, what a bugger. But as Major said, backup the files to CD or DVD. They are really cheap now and it's hard to kill them. I try to do a full backup to DVD for our two computers at least once a fortnight. (Especially with all my Uni research and assignment:eek: )

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You're thinking of drwtsn32.exe which is the Dr Watson program. All the virus sights were listing drwatson32.exe as a trojan that logs key stokes. One of the main reasons I won't ever do any online banking cause both virus programs missed it.

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Originally Posted by Auld Bassoon

Ghost is ok - so long as you don't use RAID. I do, on both this machine and my primary work one. Ghost doesn't support any form of RAID.

.

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I Raid first two HDD and Ghost to a third without any dramas:confused: RAID is great for transferring virus

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Originally Posted by MathewA

You're thinking of drwtsn32.exe which is the Dr Watson program. All the virus sights were listing drwatson32.exe as a trojan that logs key stokes. One of the main reasons I won't ever do any online banking cause both virus programs missed it.

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Well you learn something new everyday!!:D Thanks..

Mathew, ther is software out there that provides for incremental backups. That is, only backs up changed data. Thsi might be run each night, then a full backup once a week. Trouble is, I can't remember the name of any of this software. Maybe someone else here has a name. Any,

REAL MEN DON'T DO BACKUPS :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Auld Bassoon

Ghost is ok - so long as you don't use RAID. I do, on both this machine and my primary work one. Ghost doesn't support any form of RAID.

The main machine has two 10,000rpm 75Gb disks in RAID 0 and two 250Gb 7,200 RPM disks in RAID 1.

However, I do image the crucial areas to DVD periodically, and have a regular weekly routine (especially for the work machine) of burning a data CD.

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You can't ghost a raid 1 drive? Is that because Ghost refuses? Can't see why it would matter since all they are is mirrored drives. Which in that case if you take an image of one drive you also have it for the other.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MathewA

You're thinking of drwtsn32.exe which is the Dr Watson program. All the virus sights were listing drwatson32.exe as a trojan that logs key stokes. One of the main reasons I won't ever do any online banking cause both virus programs missed it.

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Mathew,

I think online banking is reasonably safe now since they have intoduced an on-sreen keyboard for entering the password, by clicking on buttons rather than typing letters, so probably that would defeat most trojans.

I have used it for six years and never had a problem.

Rocker