Limiting disk space used by Backup

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

I have a permanently connected USB drive which is the target for my N360 documents backup as well as being the target for my Windows System Image backup. 

 

I used to have Norton Save and Restore for XP which allowed me to do a weekly backup of both system state and documents and it had the ability to reserve a proportion of the disk for other files.  It would manage the backup history to stay within the boundaries set.  Unfortunately now I'm on Windows 7 that's not an option.

 

Part of that capability is now provided by Windows Backup [system state] and I had a licence of N360 "spare" so does N360 backup have the same capability to store multiple revisions of documents within certain size limits or does it provide a simple document synchronisation capability, meaning the "backup set" size is equal to "My Documents" size and has to be "manually" left available on the external drive...?

 

Windows manages the backup space and tells me the maximum it will hold, based on some automagic algorithm. 

 

Trying to work out if I need another backup drive for the other random junk I hold or if there is an ability to manage backup sizes well enough to just need the one external drive.

2

360 Doesn't do multiple revisions.

It's more like a synchronisation with encryption and a little bit of compression.

So the only way to limit the size of the backup is by the selection of the items you choose to include.

 

It's not extreamly robust but it's great for what it does, the majority of computer users don't use any type of backup at all so by including it with the product it gives everyone a backup program and introduces them to offsite backups as well through the online storage that is included.  It does not support multiple revisions.

 

Norton Save and Restore was really Norton Ghost that was renamed for a while.

Although your correct that version will not run on Windows 7 64bit, Ghost 15 fully supports it if you need a more robust program.

 

BTW- you have a screaming system there.  Me and one of the other gurus just recently built new systems with the i7 2600k. He got the Sabertooth and I got a P8Z77-V PRO.

You absolutly have to get a SSD for that thing, the first time I booted up with it on the 6GB\s port I almost fell out of my chair and it still amazes me to this day.

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

3

Dave,

I understand that Office Depot is introducing a new line of office chairs with seat belts and head rests :smileylol:

4

My office chair lacks seat belts, but I would be more interested in a lazy boy reclining office chair.

 

But you need to make sure you have your chair in the full upright position with both feet on the floor before booting a SSD on a SATA 6GB\s system.

 

 

5

Thanks Dave.  I'd thought that was the answer but wasn't sure.

 

I might have a look at Norton Ghost again.  I had a copy back when you could still boot a current OS from a floppy....!  If 360 does the job together with Win Backup then I'll be happy.  In fact probably further ahead like this than I was before, 360 sync's automatically - which seems to be daily looking at the logs - where as NS&R was weekly.  That's OK for system images but can be awkward with documents.  Especially if you have a memory like mine for remembering which documents and what content....

DaveH wrote:

 

BTW- you have a screaming system there.  Me and one of the other gurus just recently built new systems with the i7 2600k. He got the Sabertooth and I got a P8Z77-V PRO.

You absolutly have to get a SSD for that thing, the first time I booted up with it on the 6GB\s port I almost fell out of my chair and it still amazes me to this day.

 

Dave

 

Thanks for the compliments on my system too.  Your post reminded me that I hadn't updated the signature, that's all fixed now.  You're right, gotta get a seatbelt for my office chair !

6

Thanks for updating that, I should have known you had one, especially after going with something like the Sabertooth.

I got the OCZ Vertex 4, but since I dual boot I want XP and 7 on seperate drives, my next SSD will be an Intel.

I have a WD Black 2TB drive that I will use exclusively for system images, I will have Ghost make daily incremental images of each operating system and I should be able to hold several months of daily backups.

 

Before I switched to Ghost I used to do something very similar to you and it worked out pretty good.

I would make full images manually about once a month and in between I would do file and folder backups of all the important data that would change between the images.

Then if I ever had to do a restore I would restore the image and then restore the file and folder backup.

 

For your information. There are 2 "portable" files you can use to view and restore your 360 backups.

ARestore.exe and ARestore.loc

If you put copies of those 2 files on your external drive you will be able to access your data even without 360 installed or even from another system.  Just put those on the "root" of the drive (not in the 360_backup folder, one level above it).

That way if disaster stikes you can always get to your files as long as you have just the external drive.

 

Dave

 

 

 

7

Thanks again Dave. Those 2 files were already in the root of my backup drive. I'd not noticed them until you mentioned them.

I have done the same with my last XP backup and the Recovery Point Browser from NS&R - just in case. Not needed them so far and hope never too.

The 500GB Hitachi drive was my XP system drive, so after installing Win7 on the SSD I simply deleted the rest of the drive "around" them after moving my browser favourites and Outlook files etc. Thus my data has never been moved.....