Upgrading from Vista to XP - talk me through the misery!

If/when you try this again, I'll add my hat in to the ring to help if you're up this way. I wouldn't reccomend posting it, but you can if you want.

 

The machine's been running all day (well, since Monday to be precise) and I'm pleased to find that it is restoring files to the directories now. I've no idea why, but it allowed just 4 NTFS restorations, and fortunately all files bar 3 were in the 4 NTFS listings.

I've no idea of hard disc architecture, but that may make sense to someone?

NTFS 1 was massive
2 - smaller
3 - smaller
4 - smaller

2, 3 and 4 were the first ones it restored (smallest to biggest), and were useless as regards restoring files in the right folders. All corrupted.

NTFS 1 started last night and is finally coming good, putting the files in the right directories, not corript. There is masses of duplication of files in all the NTFSs. Bill Gates must have a very untidy house looking at this lot!

Videos look flaky, lots of grain and stutter, but there aren't that many important vids from the last yr.

 

When you get it all back, please either create a regular backup, or better yet upload everything to a cloud based service. I use sugarsync.
Although if you have a couple of terabytes of data, that might get a bit expensive, and a RAID based NAS would do. Just don't burn the house down/get robbed.

 

Realisically I have between 0.5 and 1TB of data, but there is so much duplication in this recovery process, that it's found 1.6TB.

I fortunately have a backup from circa mid-Sept last year, which was on other external HDs, but in a year a lot changes, data gets sorted, it gets better - and a mass reconciliation exercise isn't easy.

What is the best way to keep a regular backup, which isn't even on site?

Are these clouds not just servers, equally susceptible to hacking as any other website?

Time for a beer.

 

Probably not viable to have off site backup then. Look at a NAS of some sort.

Two options. First, regular backup (every Sunday morning at 2am type thing) where all the changes are worked out and stored. This is built in to Windows Vista/7. Can't remember with XP, but there must be something similair. Usually version dependent though, so make sure you have Professional.
Secondly, some software backsup whenever a file changes.
The first would be enough for what you need.

Probably, but I don't have any wikileaks level stuff. If someone is that desperate for my family pictures and old invoices, then they can have them. I'd rather that than risk what you're now going through.

Wine for me thanks.