Making backup and RAID question.

[craige4u]

If i have Internal 2TB HD and attach another internal 2TB HD to increase space and use my PC.. it's said i am on RAID 0., as data will get written in sectors on both HDD's.

So now in this case, if i attach another blank 2TB internal HDD to make a backup, will it in the process of copying the data from one HD to another make a RAID 0 like situation and data will be copied on both sectors of both HDD ,OR, its perfectly normal & appropriate way to make backup,

 

[drescherjm]

If i have Internal 2TB HD and attach another internal 2TB HD to increase space and use my PC.. it's said i am on RAID1., as data will get written in sectors on both HDD's.

RAID 1 does not increase the space. RAID 0 does increase space and offers increased sequential transfers of large files however it doubles the chance of losing your data.

 

[drescherjm]

if i attach another blank 2TB internal HDD to make a backup,

I am confused what you are talking about however RAID 1 is not a backup. Use a backup program like windows backup to make a backup.

 

[craige4u]

Drescherjm,

Yes typing error.. i have corrected the same. (I meant Raid 0) and i dont like using backup softwares N prefer just copy->paste.

 

[danswartz]

" i dont like using backup softwares N prefer just copy->paste."

WTF

 

[m1abram]

Drescherjm,

Yes typing error.. i have corrected the same. (I meant Raid 0) and i dont like using backup softwares N prefer just copy->paste.

Yea that is not backup. Raid is not backup.

Use a backup program if you care about your data, otherwise just expect to lose it one day.

 

[craige4u]

Well,

Whts so wrong with Copy --> Paste frm primary HDD to Backup HDD ?

Straight and simple and we can see what data is copied as well, unlike backup softwares where we can't see individual files.

 

[m1abram]

Well,

Whts so wrong with Copy --> Paste frm primary HDD to Backup HDD ?

Straight and simple and we can see what data is copied as well, unlike backup softwares where we can't see individual files.

Potential for human error is huge. How do you handle versions and incremental backups. You probably don't. What happens if you have something that degrades your data but goes unnoticed for a backup or two. Can you get to an earlier version of your files?

 

[Aesma]

If i have Internal 2TB HD and attach another internal 2TB HD to increase space and use my PC.. it's said i am on RAID 0., as data will get written in sectors on both HDD's.

No.

If you just attach another drive you won't have any kind of RAID (nor should you). If you're in windows you'll just have another drive with another letter and 2TB of free space.

 

[danswartz]

Potential for human error is huge. How do you handle versions and incremental backups. You probably don't. What happens if you have something that degrades your data but goes unnoticed for a backup or two. Can you get to an earlier version of your files?

agreed.

 

[Liger88]

Prior to going RAID0 myself I heard a lot of backup horror story problems with RAID0, but I lived dangerously for 3 years not bothering backing up. The time I decided to was 4 days prior to the RAID0 crashing and realizing it was causing me headaches. Maybe it's just because imaging software are foreign to me because I never used them until a crises came.

My suggestion from personal experience? Use that third 2TB drive that'll be backed up as your test drive. Do a system image and save it onto your RAID0 array. Then familiarize yourself with the disk imaging program you are using and restore that same image onto the 2TB non-RAID0 drive. Restart, change the bios, and see if it works. It should back it up no problem (most imaging software don't have much of a problem with RAID0 anymore), but restoring it can be where you run into problems, not big ones but problems none the less.

If everything looks good after that, then reformat the 2TB non-RAID0 drive. Delete the current backup, and create a new disk image of the RAID0 and save it to the backup drive. Reason I say delete it instead of moving it is because some imaging software doesn't have an integrity check and I've corrupted mine doing that once, which was odd.