Is there anything I can use to backup my PC with FS9 files on it? I have about 25GB of FS now and it occurs to me that if this ever crashes, I will lose many hundreds of hours of personal hard work with specially engineered FS files, etc..I saw a MAXTOR external backup device today for about $140 and wondered if I should buy that. I want a simple device that is idiot-proof and doesn't require configuring, partitioning, etc.Appreciate any advice/suggestions, thanks!JS

Hi JS,I have 2 external drives - one is a 120GB La Cie drive and the other is a 300GB Maxter. I use the latter from time to time to offload stuff accumulating on my second internal E: drive which I also use for backups of archives, photographs and videos. I simply plug it in when needed via a USB 2 port and use the Copy command in Explorer. I've even been known to use the Copy command to backup the FS9 folder to this drive. However, this is not recommended as it takes an age to complete.As far as full system backups are concerned I have found the easiest solution to be Acronis True Image. Very easy to use and 100% reliable and you can compress the image. I backup my 2 internal drives onto my La Cie external USB drive. I find I tend to do this more frequently during spells of heavy updating or adding on to FS9. As you know some of what we do to the sim can be quite complex, not to say time-consuming, and the thought of having to do it over again from scratch is a definite no no as far as I am concerned.Cheers,Mike

Mike:Thanks for your informative post. I am learning as I read your words.JS

I agree with Mike, an external drive is, by far, the easiest solution. Just get one as big, or bigger, than the HDD where FS9 is installed so that a backup of the entire partition can be created. And I'd also agree about using Acronis True Image to create a restorable image of the entire HDD - it's super easy to use and works flawlessly. I wouldn't recommend just copying the FS9 folder to a backup disc as you'll lose all the registry entries for any addons that create them. The best bet is to image the entire HDD/partition where FS9 is installed. And, finally, none of this is as hard as it may at first seem. Many of us here have been through it many times and can work you through most any problems that come up.Doug

Doug:Thanks for your post and advice.JS

OK, I have reviewed Acronis True Image Version 9.0 at the Acronis website and am not sure how it works to help you in the event of a major disk crash. I don't understand how you can back-up your HD onto the HD with a utility like this. What if your disk crashes badly and is physically damaged, for example? Or does that typically not happen?For this reason, I am wondering, should I not simply get an external HD like Maxtor or Western Dig and just back everything up onto that and will that suffice? Remember, I am a PC-tech moron and need something simple and very workable. Sorry if this post seems silly to more experienced folks, but maybe I need further ed in this area (I probably do).Appreciate any further guidance, thanks!JS

You're right JS, you can't just backup onto the same HDD as that which holds the original data because you'd lose everything if that HDD suffers a physical failure. That's where the second HDD comes in. To do the safest possible backup of either the entire system or just individual data files you'll need two things, another HDD (I recommend it be external) and a program to get the system and data files from the primary HDD onto the new backup HDD. So, an external HDD big enough to hold the data and a program like Acronis True Image will do the job. With True Image you can make an image of the entire primary HDD and you can tell True Image to store it on the external HDD. And it is truly a complete image. If you ever need to restore the HDD you simply run True Image and tell it to restore - and it does. In the case of a physical failure of the primary HDD it's as easy as installing a new HDD, installing True Image and then running the restore. The result is that the new HDD will look exactly like the old one - everything is put back exactly as it was originally. And it only takes a few minutes to do the whole job - probably less that 30 minutes for the amount of data you're talking about. You can also use that same external drive to hold backup data files. Here's how I backup my "stuff". I use True Image to create an image of the entire primary HDD and store it on the backup HDD. I run the full system backup image once each week. That's in case I ever have to restore the whole system at one time. But on that backup HDD I also have other things. I have a complete copy of a default FS2004 installation (great for getting at the default files without having to fool with the CD's) and I also have a complete copy of my working FS2004 with all the add-ons included (no Registry information but all the FS2004 data is there in case I need it). And, there are copies of everything I've downloaded that's worth keeping. With that combination of backups I never have to worry about anything at all - I've never had a problem (including a disc failure) that I couldn't easily fix. It'll take you a little time to get the hang of keeping backups but the learning curve isn't very steep. Heck, I learned how to do it :-) . But even if you don't want to get into the sophistication of something like True Image, there is still much that can be done with just plain old Windows Explorer. You can get all of your important files on to a backup HDD with Windows Explorer. You can even copy over the entire FS2004 installation. System restore becomes a little more difficult as everything has to be reinstalled but at least you won't have lost all the data. And you can keep copies of all the downloaded "thingies" that we seem to collect so much of. Much easier to copy them from a backup HDD than to download them again.Doug

Doug,More useful guidance and clear to a PC tech moron like me. Thanks very much. Much appreciated!JS

I use 2 methods of backup.Norton Ghost 9 to do an image of the drive.Second Copy to do specific backup comparisons of selected folders.I understand there is a freeware by Microsoft that can do what Second copy does.Abe

Doug:If you copy over the entire contents of your hard drive onto an external hard drive, would you still need to "reinstall" certain applications (including, perhaps Windows XP) if everything crashed and burned on your PC? If you just copy the FS9 folders or the entire FS9 installation with your add-on folders included, what would you have to do to get the sim to work again normally ?What is this stuff about registry entries that comes into play ?Thanks for your posts. Really helpful. Cheers,JS

The big problem is that you can't just copy the entire HDD to a backup drive. There are always files in-use and those files can't be copied. Also, there are system "thingies" like the Master Boot Record (MBR) and protected system files that can't be copied. Lots of important files and data are needed to restore a system that a simple file copy won't handle. That's why programs like Acronis' True Image and Norton's Ghost came into being. They get around all those problems and give us the ability to create a truly useable, exact copy of the entire HDD. And, they will write all that back onto the HDD whenever we want top restore the system. If the system crashes and burns without an image copy available to restore from you'll have to restore all the applications as well as reinstalling WinXP. No way around that situation. But, at least having backups of all the "data" files (as opposed to the WinXP/application files) will let you get your data back after the application that uses it is reinstalled. For example, if you have MSWord installed and the HDD dies or becomes corrupted you'll have to reinstall it. But if you have a copy of all your .doc data files somewhere those won't be lost and you can just copy them from the backup disc once the primary HDD is repaired/replaced. Here's the (very) brief story on the Registry entries. The Registry is that central place on the HDD where the Operating System (WinXP in our case) and most applications store much of the "techie-type" data that they need to operate. For example, when you want to use FS9 the Registry tells the operating system where the FS9 executable file can be found. Also, most all applications, including many FS9 add-ons use the Registry to keep track of some things (like serial numbers, data paths, peripheral availability, etc). And the Registry is a dynamic, constantly-changing beast. While it's possible to backup the Registry, it has to be done in exact synchronization with the OS and all the applications or the Registry data becomes suspect at best and useless at the worst. FS9 is interesting in that it will work just fine with no Registry entries at all (there is only one in any case). So, the default FS9 installation can be moved from disc to disc with no problem and the sim is happy. And I have a really quick, safe way to rebuild the missing Registry entry if it's ever needed. (There is also a small program out there somewhere that will also do the Registry restore but I don't remember where it can be found). The problem comes with the add-ons. As many of these add-ons require Registry entries, and just won't run without them, some degree of reinstalling is required even though they, and FS9 itself, can simply be copied to a backup HDD. The trick is knowing which of the add-ons need a Registry entry and which don't. Frankly, I have no idea except that many payware aircraft need the Registry and most scenery doesn't. So, it's best just to plan that a lot of reinstalling of add-ons may be needed. I'd also recommend buying the largest-capacity backup drive(s) that the budget will allow. I've had multiple HDD's for years and never seem to have enough space for everything :-) .Doug

Abe - Second Copy is, indeed, a great program to keep folders synchronized. Fast and simple. But...have you been able to get it to copy open files? I wanted to use it to backup my cookies folder but it simply wouldn't copy the index.dat file. Even with the option enabled to try and copy open files. I just could never get it to work on open files. But, other than that, I'd recommend it to anyone.Doug

JS - One thing that I always forget is that WinXP itself does have a backup program available. It doesn't do as much as most would like and it's not overly user-friendly but it will backup things. Nothing like the commercial programs available but for data files it may be preferable to Windows Explorer. You can get the info here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/s...t_03july14.mspx .Doug

Doug,To answer your question about Second Copy. Simply No.Second copy, as you mentioned, does not copy the OPEN files. And I doubt if Norton Ghost 9 can do that either. I am guessing that most of this files are not terribly of great importance (I could be wrong).I should have mentioned that there is another solution for backup that seems to be foolproof. Boot up from another partition or drive, and use the old fashioned way. Just hightlight everything of the 'C' drive (now probably'D') and dump it in a FOLDER of your choice. I have a couple of external drives that are very convenient.Abe

One thing to check with external drives is make sure it has an on/off switch. It sounds silly but some of them don't have the option, so you have to leave it on all the time. My old drive like this wore out very quickly since it was on anytime my PC was on. My new one I just leave off except for when I specifically need it. Since it is only backup, I don't need it all that often. As for backing up, I simply copy in Windows. It takes forever, but I just do it before I go to bed.