[Ham-Computers] RE: How to back up a HD

[Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal)]

Two ways to do this, but both require some capital expenditures...

1.  Via software - use a program like GHOST.  You'll need to boot to a
DOS prompt (via floppy, bootable CD, USB Flash, etc) to run the backup,
but it gives you a file-exact copy of the original drive including the
boot sector.  It's not an exact sector-by-sector copy (which would take
*MUCH* longer), but some apps give you the option to do it, if you wish.

2.  Via hardware - buy a RAID controller and let it mirror the drives.
Check your motherboard's manual - it might already support RAID.  If so,
enable it and run a "rebuild" on the 2nd drive against the primary
drive.  Same is true if you get a RAID card.  The advantage of the RAID
setup is simplicity...everything is automatically backed-up on the fly.
Put each drive on a seperate IDE channel for best performance.  There is
a possibility of a slight performance hit as the controller needs to
write to both drives.

Both options will cost about $30-$50 for the least expensive "stuff".
If you're getting an inexpensive RAID controller, I would recommend
something based on the Silicon Image 311x chipset vs the ITE 8212
chipset (slightly better support).  For software, I use GHOST, but other
apps are just as good for this purpose.

73,

  - Aaron Hsu, NN6O


-----Original Message-----
From: ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jim Isbell,
W5JAI
Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 5:50 PM
To: ham-computers at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Ham-Computers] How to back up a HD


I am running XP and have a pair of 80GB HDs on it.  I want to make a
copy of C: to D: so that D: is then a bootable HD and it could then be
swaped for C: and would work exactly the same.

Since XP doesnt even have a "real" DOS mode, I am lost as to how to do
this.

Can anybody help????
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