I'm pleased and almost amazed, to hear anyone suggesting the use of Backups to preclude disasters.
We usually just hear about the disasters, because a user was too #^$&* or lazy to backup their system.
I've been setting up backup routines for legal offices, municipal offices and even Banks, since DOS days.
Under ideal conditions a complete C: drive backup may never be needed, but on just the one time that it is, there is just NO Replacement.
If done properly, a backup costs nothing, but a little time. I'll start a backup or 'CLONE' in the evening and let it run while I'm watching one of my favorite TV programs.
Backing up a well maintained HD should not take all day, as so many people have reported.
I've been doing PC Tune-Ups for four decades, and I'm usually horrified to see how many garbage files that people just let build up on their PC.
Like, 12k of old emails in an Inbox, or 24k tracking cookies left on a HD. Etc, Etc, Etc. It's nothing for me to remove over 100,000 junk files from a HD during a Tune-Up.
For all my customers who do backups, I try to train them on how to clean up their HD before doing a Backup. I have even provided them with the needed Cleanup programs.
A DOS Batch file, properly written can do a pretty darn good job of cleaning up most PC's. And for the unbelievers, YES, every version of Windows WILL run DOS Batch Files.
I have a cleanup program that I'm pretty sure was originally written as a DOS Batch File, and then was Compiled into an .exe program file. (TempClean.exe) It works GREAT.
And, it runs every day on my PC, because I have it in my Startup Folder. I've given it to many of my friends and customers and they all love it.*
The only problem is that once a batch file has been compiled, it cannot just be edited to make changes, like a Batch File can.
* A Clean PC is a more efficient PC.
I'm sorry that this post ran so long.
Cheers Mates!
TM
