External Backup h/w & s/w

I want either an external hard disk or a USB stick or drive, plus (included or from elsewhere) backup and recovery software.

I have two laptops.

Main one is has Vista Home Premium, USB 2 and 184GB drive with under 40GB in use. Not expanding rapidly as I don't download films or lots of music.

Second one is XP, USB 1 (maybe 1.1), 40GB drive with about 20GB in use. (And about 15GB of folder/file backups from the main one so irrelevant for backup elsewhere).

Router is a Netgear 834PN so only 100Mbps ethernet. Also the main one connects wirelessly to the router.

Main requirements are:

- ability to do a full disk image, for "one-stop" recovery. (Having just spent three days restoring the main one, including downloading Vista SP1/SP2, all the fixes, and many other things I hadn't backed up manually like Adobe updates. Though I had to do it twice as right at the end of the first time a Windows Backup DVD of data folders screwed me up);

- ability to do folder/file recovery as well as full disk as that could be useful;

- also to handle the XP laptop.

Differential backups following a full one seem to me best in my case as the amount changing is fairly small. Incremental would be a pain at recovery time.

At the moment I have looked at:

- Iomega 500GB with USB 2 and Gigabit ethernet (wasted at the moment as I only have 100Mbps), which comes with EMC Retrospect at about £110, can connect permanently to the router;

- a Buffalo DriveStation Flexnet 640GB;

- skimmed past all the USB stuff as I didn't realise at first they were faster than 100Mbps transfer speed, when I did I thought I had better come here;

- Acronis True Image and Paragon Drive backup 9.0 Personal look favourites for the software. EMC Retrospect product description seems very woolly - though apparently it is more expensive than the other two if bought by itself.

The Iomega attracts me because it has a built-in print server. At the moment I have to either go and turn on the hardly-used second machine and print through it, (takes an age to start up), or cart the main one upstairs and print direct. However the printer is an HP All-in-One and the Iomega blurb says it isn't guaranteed to work with all printers - in particular all-in-ones. Or are they just covering themselves?

I don't need to use the EMC s/w with it if something else is preferable.

Re the wireless connection to the router if I go for something attached to that, I expect for a full disc image I would take the laptop upstairs and use ethernet. Wireless should handle the differential ones. Similarly for recovery - small amounts by wireless, large by ethernet.

Too much choice out there! Views please .

I use Acronis TI for full image, partition, files on a full/differential/incremental basis, and have been using it for backups to 2 alternating places for easy recovery of lost mail files etc.

Mostly it's to an external HDD connected via USB.

I've a little experience with some of the Paragon stuff - but stick to the acronis for preference.

Thing that I learned was to check the recovery process from the desired source to the required destination actually works - had to upgrade AcronisTI at one stage when I found that the standalone wouldn't see the SATA HDD on one system

Thing that I learned was to check the recovery process from the desired source to the required destination actually works

Excellent advice. Some of us have found out the hard way never to trust any backup system until you have tested the restore function. And if your backup software has a "verify" option (which most does) use it. It makes the backup take a little longer but it's preferable to ending up with a corrupt backup.

And, based on my mainframe disaster recovery experience, make sure you have paper notes containing the recovery process. One client was found to have all his recovery procedure documentation on his mainframes

...and in that sort of setup, keep the notes offsite along with the backups!

And regular run throughs where the ops run through the recovery procedures while the tech guys pretend to be dead by going down the pub with their pagers and mobiles turned off.

Reminds me of one customer who kept his backup tapes in a fireproof safe in the basement. Then they had a flood...

The fireproof safe wasn't waterproof, but, by a sheer fluke - and they learned the lesson, the tapes they needed were on the top shelf so were ok!

And don't save the only copy of the backup password in the backup. Link

I remeber that thread. I don't know whether to say:

or
.

In reply to a post by dandnsmith:

Thanks Derek. The only useful answer , and I posted a couple of links to this thread a few days later.

Been a bit busy since.

In a few minutes I'm going to order the Iomega disc and see how that goes with it's EMC stuff. Then maybe reconsider the software.

Looks like a USB hard drive with one of the two s/ws discussed may be more cost effective but I fancy having the print server if it works, and also I just think I will find it more convenient than a USB device.

Thanks again for the input.