Question
Having just had some recent computer tragedies, I am wondering what methods, formats or media you are using to backup your work? I am setting up a new CPU and got a 1 gig memory stick. I am thinking about placing "My Documents" on it and having that be my dedicated backup. Anyone see any problems with this?
Forum Responses
(CAD Forum)
From contributor A:
Technically your solution will work, but I don't like to have back ups that are dependant upon me having to be diligent about remembering to make the backup. After a week or so I tend to forget. I'd recommend PC back up software and an external hard drive. You can set it up to do automatic backups in the middle of the night if you leave the PC on.
I am looking at the prospect of recreating all of my Acad buttons/comands. I have the images saved but am unsure how to set them into the new commands. Is is a good idea to use a second computer as a backup? Apparently my information was still in the old hard drive until my computer friend reloaded Windows XP for me.
Last night’s tape leaves the building today and goes off site until Monday. EOY goes in a safe deposit box at the bank as well as a copy on-site. We also back up client machines over the network to tape as well as our CNC machines. Backups that do not bit level verify files may not be valid copies of the files or data. For a small company you can get an external hard drive and remove it from site. I would recommend using commercially available backup software and tape drives. Raid (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is a hardware system that keeps the same data on multiple drives so if a drive fails you do not lose data. Hot swappable raid allows you to unplug a faulty drive and replace it with system running. If all your business intelligence information is saved on computers then the value you place on that information should determine how much you are willing to spend to not lose it.
When we had a fire 9+ years ago the first thing I did when I got to the building was grab the tape out of the tape drive. 10,000 gallons of water went through our offices and computers. We lost 3 pages of paper that we got copies from the customers. Had the tape burned we would have lost 1 day of work.
From your post, it sounds like you only want to backup one machine. Give me a little more information, because IMO it makes a big difference for backup strategy.
No special program is required, but you have to reload your operating system and before installing windows BIOS have to be configured to raid. After installing windows only one drive will appear on your computer's directory. The size of your two drives will be joined into one. Back up will be automated at all the times. In case of failure you have to do nothing, good drive will take over and all you have to do take bad drive out and replace it with good one. System will recognize and reconfigure with little help. This is very nice system and it used widely in corporate servers with more expensive SCSI drives.
Also having external hard drive is not bad idea, once a week back up will be good. Now to restore your custom setting in AutoCAD you have to do following:
My Computer
Local C
Documents and Settings
Your user Name
Application Data
Autodesk
AutoCAD 200(4, 5 or 6)
R16 (R16.1 or R16.2)
ENU,
copy this ENU to removable media(memory stick prefferebly, not CD)
After reinstalling AutoCAD replace AutoCADs ENU with enu that you have on your removable media. All you custom settings will pop up after loading the program.
