I am looking for suggestions for automated backups.  My needs:

 

- I have files on my computer and my wife's computer that I would like backed up onto the unraid server.  Both machines are windows xp.  Looking for some software that would do this on a regular interval.

 

- I also would like to create snapshots of my kids PC's onto the server.  The goal here being that when they crash Windows I can reinstall from an image instead of the windows CD.

 

I have heard of Norton Ghost, but I see it lot of bad reviews.

 

Thanks

I use this for two of my Win 7 machines http://www.macrium.com/. The free version works well and you can make a bootable linux usb flash drive to restore the image. Ive used it once to test the recovery features and works well.

So you had to buy 1 copy for each machine (or the family 4 pack)?

I use a tool called SuperFlexible File Sync that works great - for your needs likely a standard version is all you would need.

If you have an all windows home environment, For a really easy solution..

pick up an HP micro server next time they go on sale or convert an old spare PC into a server and install WHS2011 on it.

for a price between $250-$350 total budget... (or $50ish if using an old PC)

 

It is truly set and forget and back up all of your home PC's. if you need to restore or even go back a few days or weeks, you can just boot to a thumb drive and restore the PC in question. My dad can restore his own PC and he is pretty technology handicapped..

 

you can then keep using your unraid for what is does now .

I feel unraid is a better storage solution and that WHS is a better backup solution.

 

Johnm

 

Will WHS backup to the raid server, or does it just backup to itself?  (my impression was the latter)

 

I have 2 friends that do IT work and both had nothing but great things to say about it.

 

The list of features is very impressive.  My main concern was yet another windows product...  As a windows product (as opposed to Linux) it would be one more thing that could get infected with a virus.  The last virus I had was network savvy and infected all the machines in my house.

 

 

I found this link:

http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php?title=UnRAID_Add_Ons#Add-On_for_Windows_Home_Server_.28WHS.29

 

Am I  correct to assume that I would then have 2 machines that are on 24x7?

 

 

I believe that plugin is for whs v1.

 

Yes it would be two servers unless you virtualized them as I have.

 

I do not believe whs2011 can back up to a network share without a bit of trickery. and even then I'm not 100%

 

I honestly keep next to nothing on my whs. it is just for back ups and web portal. What data I do keep on my whs is automatically backed up to my unraid via a robocopy scripts set in task scheduler.

 

As far as a virus, leave the UAC enabled on the server. Toss sep or something on it.  don't use the server for anything else. Set it up and remove the monitor. It is truly set and forget.

 

 

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Thanks.  This is good information.