Everyone backs up their desktop computer or laptop computer every day, right? OK, at least once a week? No. You are not alone. Before I got my Windows Home Server, I think I backed up by laptop a total of zero times. None. Zilch. Nada. Goose Egg.
I know that there are plenty of inexpensive solutions out there. I could have used the built in backup feature in Windows Vista. Or I could have bought some commercial backup software like Acronis True Image Home or Backup4all. Sure I could have, but that would require that I think about backup software (about as much fun as watching paint dry).
There are even several review sites (CNET or PC Magazine for example) that would have listed out for me what the leading backup software does, feature by feature.
No I didn't do any of that. Somehow I lucked out and upgraded my laptop or the hard drive to a larger or faster model before disaster struck.
Then about a year and a half ago I purchased my first Windows Home Server (the HP EX470). Even after that I didn't start thinking about backup software. And that's exactly the point. With Windows Home Server's image based backup, you don't have to. Each and every night, the PCs in my house are backed up automatically!
And the cool thing about the WHS solution is that if you have common files on two or more computers, say the same 100MB file on 3 computers, it only takes up 100MB when backed up. Not 300MB like it would with traditional backup software.
Recently, the folks over on the Windows Home Server Team Blog did a post about their backup solution and how it compares to traditional backup software; explaining a little about image based backup. The one thing I found odd was their use of the phrase "time machine" (Apple's backup solution is called Time Machine). Actually, the WHS solution can be thought of as a Time Machine on steroids! Was this a slip or an intentional lower case non-branding on their part?
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4 comments:
I have always been very careful about my data. My first attempt at backup a few years ago was with CD-RW disks. With the amount of data I had I needed about 25 disks to back it all up. What a pain in the butt!!! I then found about external disk drives and started using Ghost. This was the best solution that I found. Now that I have a MSS Home Server, it is an absolute delight to let all 6 of my home systems backup each and everynight automatically. My MSS is one of the best computer upgrades I have done in a while.
Are you trying to steal my thunder Donavan? I kid of course. But I asked this very same question on my blog a week or so ago. The cool thing was at least four of my readers decided to check out WHS after reading my post! I hope I hit on enough of all the great things WHS does to do it justice.
fasthair
I had been using Jungle Disk on each system. Just started with Windows Home Server but have run into a roadblock trying to backup a laptop. HP DV2000 using Windows Vista Home Premium. Error message on server states "The computer failed to take a snapshot of the volume for backup". Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks for the info on upgrades. MY HP Media Smart Server has received the full treatment and runs great.
I also have been unable to do backups because of "Computer failed to take a snapshot of the volume for backup". This infuriates me. I built a WHS server with 10 @ 1TB drives for video and audio backup, and it does not work! I have spent days and weeks on the net looking for solutions, and trying what people are suggesting, all to no success. The Microsoft site has almost nothing on the problem to correct it, or at least I have been unable to find it. Any direction to possible solutions would be greatly appreciated. I have had this WHS server for 7 months and can not schedule backups for changed files.
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