Always have backups!

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[DHT]Osiris

Lifer

Dec 15, 2015

14,618

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• May 19, 2024

• #26

GodisanAtheist said:

I think the golden rule is always three sets of Data in three separate places.

So for most people that would mean docs/files/photos on the c: drive, a cloud back-up, and then an external hard drive that you keep in a fireproof safe or something.

Click to expand...

3-2-1, 3 copies of data, 2 mediums, 1 offsite.

 

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[DHT]Osiris

Lifer

Dec 15, 2015

14,618

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• May 19, 2024

• #27

Lost_in_the_HTTP said:

I've tried to ask this question a few times and have never gotten an answer I understand.


Malware can be on a system for days, weeks or months before dropping the payload.

Let's say you do weekly backups. You get slammed and corrupted. You try to restore from a backup thinking your safe, only to be hit again in a few days.

How do you know how far back the malware was loaded? Last week, two weeks back, a month back? Which backup is safe?

Click to expand...

You don't, the notion is that if you have an event like that, you do a malware removal on the restoration/before it gets restored. There's a few ways to do it, but many backup programs can actually do malware scans on a mounted image, and once cleaned can be restored from. This won't help you from nation-state actors who have malware outside of database signatures, but if you pissed those ones off you're probably in a worse way anyhow.

 

WilliamM2

Platinum Member

Jun 14, 2012

2,520

553

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• May 19, 2024

• #28

Lost_in_the_HTTP said:

I have a duplicate/identical laptop set up. I did a full backup of this one and restored it to the other. Then I use FileSync to compare and adjust files between the two units. That keeps a more or less hot swap unit ready to go. It may only be a few days off (or weeks as in the recent case when I got lazy), but most everything is there.

I also keep just the files for Quicken and LibreOffice duplicated on a thumb drive.

Tho only other thing 'critical' is the passwords and logins for various websites. Most of those are in multiple browsers, on different devices and in an text file.

Click to expand...

Effective, but seems like a lot of effort, and double hardware cost. Wouldn't it be easier to just write a new image of the system once a month/week/day, whatever your tolerance is, to an external drive?

That's why I store all files on a separate drive from C: , I can restore the system in about 4-5 minutes.

 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer

May 24, 2003

67,904

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126

www.anyf.ca

• May 19, 2024

• #29

Don't forget to also backup 2FA codes if you use 2FA for anything. If you lose your phone or whatever you're screwed. I use Aegis which lets you export the list to a json file so if ever I get a new phone or lose this phone I can load it on another device. Although I should probably test that...

 

Lost_in_the_HTTP

Lifer

Nov 17, 2019

11,291

6,711

136

• May 19, 2024

• #30

Each machine has 2 SSDs, C and E. Most of the user data is on E, but we can't ever be sure both drives (and any connected external drives) won't be corrupted, can we?

 

skyking

Lifer

Nov 21, 2001

22,217

5,076

146

• May 19, 2024

• #31

I used to administer a few server pairs for small business. I have since fired all those customers, but I used samba, dirvish and Raid 1 for high availability and incremental backup. Dirvish containerized backups using rsync for the heavy lifting.
Off-site was multiple buildings at the sites with fiber between. If a big plane fell on them it was all over but that goes without saying.
My most epic recovery was the only one, while on a cruise in the Baltic with nothing but my Pixel phone.
I did command line BS with that, OMG never again. No Tab complete, just lots of staring to make sure I did not fuck it up.
For my stuff I just no longer GAF.
I have some cloud shizzle and a home server and that's it. If all the computers and phones took a simultaneous shit I would carry on.

 

WilliamM2

Platinum Member

Jun 14, 2012

2,520

553

136

• May 19, 2024

• #32

Lost_in_the_HTTP said:

Each machine has 2 SSDs, C and E. Most of the user data is on E, but we can't ever be sure both drives (and any connected external drives) won't be corrupted, can we?

Click to expand...

Don't leave the externals plugged in, and have at least two copies of everything (total of 3).

 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer

May 24, 2003

67,904

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126

www.anyf.ca

• May 19, 2024

• #33

Always have at least one backup copy that is cold. I'm a big fan of drive docks and using regular internal drives. The way my solution works is all my backup drives have a script on them, so when I insert them and run the backup script on my NAS it will call the script on the drive which in turn runs runs the appropriate backup job script that is on the NAS. So all I really need to do is once in a while, go in my drawer take one of the drives, pop it in, and run the job. The flaw with this is each backup job needs to be smaller than the drives I'm using. As the source data grows I need to adjust accordingly. But it gets the job done for now. I also bring drives to work once in a while to have an offsite backup. At least the most important stuff like pictures and such. I don't really backup my TV shoes and movies and such. I kind of like having them on hand, it's like my own local Netflix, but it also would not be a huge loss if something happened. I actually deleted a lot of TV shows a while back when I was running low on disk space before I did an upgrade.

 

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Exterous

Super Moderator

Jun 20, 2006

20,429

3,533

126

• May 19, 2024

• #34

I've got a home NAS that backs the critical things up to an encrypted store on Backblaze. Everythings automated and sends me alerts and monthly summaries so I don't have to remember to do anything.

I get to do DR planning at work which is interesting. Most of the time the projects are pretty well resourced so we can often do it right. But occasionally you have to make tradeoffs as cost and hardware challenges get to be a real problem in the PB range.

 

skyking

Lifer

Nov 21, 2001

22,217

5,076

146

• May 19, 2024

• #35

docks are indeed handy, and I would not advise doing Backups with Peanut Butter (PB). Too messy.

 

rh71

No Lifer

Aug 28, 2001

52,856

1,048

126

• May 19, 2024

• #36

Anyone want to point me in the direction of basic backup strategy of a 12TB HDD? If I get another 12TB HDD, what [hopefully free] software do I need in WIN10 Pro to just make it back-up the difference on X schedule, after a full backup the 1st time? Is this a simple RAID setup? What if Bitlocker is enabled on the current drive and I want to keep it that way?

 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer

May 24, 2003

67,904

12,374

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www.anyf.ca

• May 19, 2024

• #37

Not sure if Windows has a rsync equivalent, but I would use that. Can set it up as a scheduled task.

 

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[DHT]Osiris

Lifer

Dec 15, 2015

14,618

12,753

146

• May 20, 2024

• #38

There's a few easy-to-use online solutions. If I was tasked with setting up a simple solution for someone on the cheap, I'd get a wasabi account, link it as a shared drive to someone's system, and get a robocopy script built to run every night or whatever. The user would need a semblance of knowledge to actually recover data though.

 

dullard

Elite Member

May 21, 2001

25,214

3,627

126

• May 20, 2024

• #39

I do a bit overkill, but I'm not worried at all about data loss.

1) Store all important files on 3 computers (mine, wife's, and HTPC). Lets us individually work with the files and have the HTPC run a continual slideshow in our living room.

2) Whenever I have a new set of data (like when uploading photos from a camera after an event) I run Beyond Compare overnight to ensure all three computers have identical data files. When one gets changed for any reason, that software flags that file and let you see them side-by-side for a pixel-by-pixel comparison for photos or a word-by-word comparison for Office documents. Beyond Compare can run either on meta data (did a file date or size change or similar) or byte-by-byte comparison depending on how fast you want it to run.

3) Twice a year I put them all onto an external drive that I store offsite (one at my parent's house and one at my in-laws house).

4) I always have the original files on SD cards in a fireproof safe if I need them.

 

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nOOky

Platinum Member

Aug 17, 2004

2,896

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• May 20, 2024

• #40

At home I only backup files and pictures etc. I use an external HDD to backup my main PC, then I also have two other separate PC's that I backup that data on. One is plugged in sitting there as a spare PC, and one is sitting unconnected in case of surge etc. I build new gaming PC's every few years and can't toss the old ones, so I use them for storage.

At work I don't care. I have one important folder that I backup myself, otherwise IT does the usual Outlook and file backups. We got hacked once and I lost a few days work on my important folder, so I back it up myself as I don't trust IT. We lost a ton of our older emails a couple years back from a data hack. That was both a blessing and a curse. I search my email often for things that are documented and years old. Sometimes I lost work that we did that I can't quite recall and wish to reference. Sometimes I lose emails that I don't mind being gone heh.

 

Muse

Lifer

Jul 11, 2001

37,839

8,304

136

• May 20, 2024

• #41

I keep nothing in the cloud. If it's there, I don't care. The CIA or FBI might be able to tease out something from my data (but they wouldn't want to). A phishing artist wouldn't know where to begin to hold my data hostage, it can't be done. Anything I care about I keep on my NAS and I back it up 100% offsite periodically.

There is some data I have lost. Dead HDs, the reason. It's on tape, though, and can probably retrieve it (video camera stuff). It's also possible I can find it on HDs I have around. That stuff is from 30 years ago when I wasn't as smart about data.

 

Last edited: May 20, 2024