anyone know a Backing up program???

[buns]

I have a large store of word, excel and general text files which I need to back up so i can play about with the computer config......I used to use MS backup but ME doesnt have it......

so does anyon know a program which i can buy that will backup such data files onto floppies?

many thanks

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[alanrob]

Do you not have a CD burner? If not, you should get yourself one.
Then get a copy of Norton Ghost and use this to create a ghost image of your hard drive and burn it off to CDRW.

Ghost is the greatest backup software going as it takes a complete image of your hard drive that can easily be re-imaged back onto your original drive or onto a completely new one.

[buns]

I dont have a burner.......

half the difficulty is that the hard disk is messed up with all sorts of rubbish......so it may well need cleaned out.

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[alanrob]

You should try and get yourself a burner (try Ebay for some 2nd hand ones if you can't afford a new one).
Have a look at these ones if you can afford a new one - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatal...aCD_2d003_2dLO
I've got the 32x Liteon drive and it's a dream to use.

[buns]

the first difficulty is that to install a burner....i need to start playing with the machine......and it wont be backed up yet!

I need a utility that will back up to floppy.....

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[Shockabuku]

Hi Buns. If you're simply backing up documents to floppy, then perhaps "Copy" is a good backup utility?

[KevinR]

Hey buns how many files are you talking about...just drag'n'plop or even right click the files (pressing shift for multiple select and then 'send to a drive'). Word files don't take up much space unless you've got bitmaps or gifs hogging space.

If you want a program to do it, buy PC Answers (or similar) and their cover disc normally has some backup software on it.

The only answer to a crapped up hard disk is to back up your essential files and wipe the bugger clean, reinstall the operating system and load on what you really need. Then buy Norton Ghost or Drive Image and create an image which can get you back to this clean config when you clog it up again.

You know, if Bill Gates invented cars we'd walk!

[buns]

I would copy and paste......but their are a number of hunded files, some with bitmaps and jpegs upon......thats alot of floppies!

I'll go download something from sharereactor......

thanks

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The other way I have backed up stuff before is to upload it to my webspace provided by my ISP,not huge amounts I know but sometimes better than nothing.

[pack man]

hi
I would NEVER backup anything important to floppy disk, they are just not reliable enough. I use another harddrive as a slave and just copy over to it what i want to back up. Like my 20 GB's+ of MP3's i would hate to lose them!
Or like the others say get a CD burner.

BTW if what you are backing up is really important to you it does not make sense to back it up on the same drive.

[buns]

This is technically not my problem......it is my dads machine. He doesnt want to go spending money on burners and all cos he'll never ever use them.

Basically we there is a problem in that the machine wont shut down correctly......to get it to turn of, you have to hit a key, then the screen flashes orange and turns off. On boot up it always goes to a thorough scan disk. No amount of defrag or such has made any difference.

The machince is a 1.2 athlon but using a generic crappy psu....so im thinking that the difficulty may be a power thing.....but to have a fiddle......i need to get these files backed up somewhere!

i think this is going to be a case of alot o floppies....

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If thats the case why not fit your hard drive into his machine as a secondary unit and then just drag and drop the files to yours as long as you have room.If you are worried about the power usage disconnect the cd drive when you connect the other hard disc and anything else like other fans etc.

[alanrob]

Can I ask what was the last thing installed on the PC (or what was last installed before this problem appeared)?

If you know then uninstall that piece of software.
It might sort the problem.

[buns]

I'm quite confident that it isnt a software problem. The only potential thing it could be would be the printer......but i think the problem was somewhat after the event.

As it happens.......the breakers tripped while the machine was on so turned it off somewhat rapidly, since then anything tried gives the same result.....a computer which wont turn itself off!

This sort of question was asked on avs......they came up with all kinds of suggestions......the power being a big one.

any other suggestions would be appreciated!

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[pack man]

hi
well you could just make another copy of your files into a new folder. at lest that way you would have a kind of back up that should be safe unless you format the drive or something goes wrong with it.

Then after you have done that put in your windows CD and just reinstall it over the top of the one you are using now. It has worked for me in the past when things were going wrong.
It might change some settings but you can change them back. And you might have to install some drivers again.