ON BackingUp and Restoring Data _________
This is presented as true to the best recollection and is offered
for guidance with NO warranty expressed or implied.
Your mileage may vary.
NEEDS TO BACKUP / RECOVER ------------
There are several needs to Recover ...
1. in case of hard-drive crash -- which takes the operating
system with it.
2. in case of file damage to the operating system which makes
it UN-startable or IN-operable.
3. in case of file damage to a NON-system file.
4. in case of file changes possibly made incorrectly.
There is only 1 reason to take a BackUp, and that is simply
to be able to perform any of the above Recoveries.
KINDS OF PROCESSES------------
There are different kinds of actions for both
BackUp and Recovery. Nearly every BackUp program produces VERY
UNIQUE files which can be used by and ONLY by its corresponding
Recovery utility program. The chance is EXTREMELY slim that
the BackUp info from one could be used by another.
These can operate under a variety of different processes ...
A. Some BackUps require a well-functioning operating system in order
to perform.
B. Some BackUps will NOT process files which are in-use. This is
rather
distressing in cases where a well-functioning operating system
is needeed to run them.
Such would seem like a good thing to AVOID, but possibly
can be worked-around by re-booting in "Safe" mode to avoid most
files' being in-use.
C. Some (but few) BackUps can be processed by other/un-related
Restore programs.
D. Some BackUp programs will only BackUp the ENTIRE system,
i.e., they canNOT BackUp just a part.
Such would seem like a good thing to AVOID.
E. Some BackUp programs will BackUp the selected parts.
Such would seem like a good thing to HAVE.
F. Some Restore programs will only Restore the ENTIRE chunk of
what has been BackedUp, i.e., they canNOT Restore just a part.
Such would seem like a good thing to AVOID.
G. Some Restore programs will Restore selected parts of
what has been BackedUp.
Such would seem like a good thing to HAVE.
H. Some Restore programs will only Restore the saved
files to their original Drive/Directory/FinleName,
i.e., they canNOT be Restored elsewhere.
This can be a problem if there is a need to have both
prior and current copies of a file on the system at the SAME
time for comparison/review/evaluation.
Such would seem like a good thing to AVOID, but that
may be tough to do with most processes.
HOWEVER, in such a circumstance, it can be worked-around
by moving or re-naming the current file out-of-the-way
so that the prior copy of the file which is being Recovered
can go to its original location without overlaying the current
copy. This will allow BOTH copies to be available for
review/evaluation.
DRIVE/MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS ------
There are also drive/media differences ...
I. Some BackUp drives/media can ONLY be used with a
well-functioning operating system. They may NOT necessarily
operate with a simple bootable mini-Operating System.
Generally these drives will have specialized
BackUp and Restore software available with sufficient
built-in capability to use THAT drive with THAT medium
and THAT format. That software may NOT suffice for making
any other use of that drive.
Such drives would seem like a good thing to AVOID.
II. Some drives which are bootable do NOT have such a
restriction and can be used with a mini-Operating System.
Such drives would seem like a GOOD thing to HAVE.
THE MAIN GOALS should be ...
.. (A) to have a MAXimum of data BackedUp
in a manner that will allow it to be Restored
onto a VACANT hard-drive from just the
set of Restore media at hand -- with a MINimum of frustration.
.. (B) to be able to BackUp either ALL or just a tailorable subset to files from any System.
.. (C) to be able to Restore either ALL or just a tailorable subset to files from any Backup.
.. (D) to be able to Restore to an alternate drive/directory
.. (E) to be able to conveniently view the directory of any Backup withOUT
having to depend on a sspecial utility.
.. (F) to be able to read/inspect the actual content of any Backup withOUT
having to perform a Restore.
Any proposed system should be evaluated for these goals.
SITUATIONS AND SCENARIOS ---
Besides having NO BackUp at a time of need,
the UN-thinkable situation would be to have a BackUp of
only the files which were not open and then to have NO
Operating System (mini or otherwise) capable of reading
the media and running the restore. Moving on to better things ...
The worst-case situation would be to
have the need in [1. above],
processes in [D. and F. above],
and the drive in [I. above].
This is too intolerable to even consider, let's shift to ...
The next worst-case situation would be to
have the need in [1. above],
proceses in [E. and a mix of F. & G. above],
and the drive in [I. above].
For which the prudent BackUp/Recovery scenario would be ...
.. a. BackUp the ENTIRE Operating System.
.. b. BackUp the remainder of the hard drive separately.
If needed, then ...
.. c. Restore the ENTIRE chunk of the Operating System.
using process [F. above] unique to the drive and program
When the Operating System is in place then ...
.. d. Restore the remainder of the hard drive as needed --
either if full or in parts.
using process [G. above] unique to the program
For some thoughts about media selection, see at ...
On_Archives
Be Prepared BEFORE the Need ! !
On_Other_Stuff