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Boot from a USB drive? Check the BIOS on the machine. Press Del or F2
during bootup and check out the boot sequence options. It either will
or won't list USB. Beware, make sure you exit without making/saving
changes if you don't understand the options. It's a good way render the
machine inoperable otherwise.
You'll need to check that on both laptop and desktop.
If you want the one USB drive to have the two systems on different
partitions, I think you'll need to set it up as dual boot. There are
traps there (problems with some printer drivers, occasional instability
in some cases), but it can work.
Will a disk replication utility (Caspar) see the USB drive? Never used
either, but the drive SHOULD turn up in windows explorer the same as any
other, with a drive letter. Unless the utility is cobbled to only see
C: drive or something equally silly, it will be able to see the USB
drive.
Alternatives:
* Get a tape drive and one of those backup programs that does a bitwise
copy of the disk, with network agent for laptop. Could be about $3KUS
at a guess for that 100GB capacity. Could be less when you factor in
compression. Works for laptop and desktop, requires a network, requires
tape interchange, backup procedure etc.. Restore to a fresh drive when
old one dies.
* Use a RAID mirror on the desktop. This would not address the laptop
backups. 2 drives. One is dynamically updated as a bitwise copy of the
other near instantaneously. One drive dies, the other kicks in
transparently, but you should be notified to replace the dead disk.
Check on that notification feature, as I've seen RAID without it - kind
of pointless, unless you go checking it weekly. Cost: a second HDD, a
SATA RAID controller, not sure of $. Check if your motherboard does
RAID, if so, probably no need for RAID controller, unless motherboard
RAID controller has useless/absent utilities. Pretty much a
set-and-forget once its up. You would ideally still have backups for
longer term disaster recovery/outright destruction of the PC.
* Compress images to DVD (not sure if your disk will compress to < 4.7
GB, but you should be able to split the image to multiple disks if
necessary). When disk dies, buy new one (or keep one in stock),
install, restore image, GO (could take a few hours to restore). Would
work for either laptop or desktop, if each has DVD burner or you can
network one to the other in the case where only 1 has a DVD burner, but
you'd need a network boot disk of Ghost or equivalent to do the restore
to the one with no DVD drive. Lots of hands on work here, managing
disks etc. 30GB DVDs are said to be coming out at the end of the year.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jimmy Snowden [mailto:jhsnowden@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, 3 May 2005 8:15 AM
To: Michael Guess; Omega-List
Subject: Re: External backup drives for multiple PCs
What about something like this:
http://www.usb-ware.com/sata-removable-drive-pro.htm
You are getting past my expertise.
Jimmy
Hi all,
This topic may have been covered in a prior post but probably not
withthe specifics I'm after. If anyone can help me I'd be grateful. I'm
alsosending this to Jimmy Snowden as sometimes my posts get kicked back
bythe list, so I'm hoping he can offer some suggestions while he
forwardsthis to the list as a precaution in case the original gets
bounced backto me (thanx, Jimmy!)
I recently purchased a new Dell Dimension 8400. Whereas my original
PChad dual drawered drives that I either used Casper or Ghost backups
on,then removed each evening, I've been unable to get Dell to create
thesame arrangement on my new 8400. I was advised to back up to an
externalUSB drive. Something about SATA type drives that can't
bedrawered.
What I'd wanted was a total backup I could hot-swap if there was a
crash,and get right back up running. If I must back up to an external
USB-baseddrive, can I still either use Ghost or (more likely since I'd
be withinWindows with all its drivers) Casper? Do you think Casper can
'see' thisdrive across USB and do its backup? What about being able to
boot fromthis external drive?
Also, because I have a Dell Inspiron1100 laptop that needs to be
backedup, I'd like to partition the external drive (Norton Commander?
Casper?)so I could back up both my new PC as well as my laptop.
Hopefully, whatI'm trying to do will work, and someone can advise me
accordingly. Ohyeah, if anyone has any recommendations for 100+ gig
USB-type externaldrives, I'm listening.
Thanx in advance everyone!
Michael
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