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Does anyone use an alternative location for data and/or backup?


Abby Normal

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I guess my message was unclear, to say the least (either that or you've all started drinking early). I meant do you change the ATX defaults locations in the ATX Admin Console on your computer.

And, by the way, NEVER use Carbonite to backup ATX. It doesn't back up the folder where ATX puts the data and the backups.

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Carbonite, and most third party backup software, defaults to the more common folders.  It CAN be set to backup other locations as well.  They also skip certain file types (the last time I checked, movie files were not included by default), even in folders they are set to backup.  The "flaw: in such systems IS the impression that no user configuration is needed after installation.  Most don't find out they were not including other folders until it is too late.  The same thing happens when an "expert" moves data to a new computer for you, they only move the common locations.

The missing parts of most backup routines is storing a copy or two at a remote location AND routinely testing your backups by restoring them and making sure you were able to restore what you actually intended to backup.  It is a double whammy when you need a backup, think you were backing up, only to discover what you can restore, if anything, is not what you actually needed.  That is when I get called, asking if we were sending data to some secret undocumented location in the cloud, or sending data to our own computers (which we do not do).

 

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6 minutes ago, Medlin Software said:

Carbonite, and most third party backup software, defaults to the more common folders.  It CAN be set to backup other locations as well.

I left Carbonite because it could NOT back the Program Data folder because they dubbed it a system folder. It was hard coded into their software. Also, I had several problems with Carbonite that they were not willing to fix, much less acknowledge.

Agree wholeheartedly that the first rule of backup is to do a restore. The second rule is to check what is actually being backed up. CrashPlanPro is the best backup software I've found.

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I don't use ATX but I do change the default location of backups on my computer to a folder I prefer.

Doesn't really matter either way except for ease. I use Bittorrent Sync which automatically backs up any folder I want onto another computer also running Bittorrent sync. My work laptop automatically gets a backup onto an old, slightly broken case - laptop at home I use for media storage (Plex). Quickbooks, tax returns, working documents and spreadsheets, client documents I've scanned - everything is stored within the same over arching folder (sub folders within it) and everything gets backed up.

If either computer dies or is destroyed in a fire - I immediately have a copy of everything easily accessible and it's 100% free and nobody else can access the data.

I also keep a backup on an encrypted travel / zip drive but I only do backups for that every Friday. On weekends I routinely take my laptop home so I wanted a copy stored at work.

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2 hours ago, Abby Normal said:

10 replies in and I still don't any answers. <_<

I would never attempt to change the backup location on the computer itself.  I know that I have a complete and true backup every year and can move it from computer to computer.  If your hard drive crashes, what good is an internal backup?

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I have never changed the default backup file(s) location for ATX. Anything post 2012 I use export/import after unsuccessfully using the backup/restore function to move files to my laptop. The files I restored using backup/restore had random errors, but all files transferred using the export/import were fine.

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18 minutes ago, mcb39 said:

I would never attempt to change the backup location on the computer itself.  I know that I have a complete and true backup every year and can move it from computer to computer.  If your hard drive crashes, what good is an internal backup?

ATX creates an internal backups, as do many other programs. Of course you need to external backup all your data, internal backups and other important files. You'd be crazy not to.

I just wanted to know if anybody had changed file locations and if they'd had any problems. It sounds like no one here has.

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2 hours ago, RitaB said:

I leave the ATX default alone, but I also back up to a folder on my desktop and to a thumb drive.  I might be country as a turnip green but I can verboten with the best of em.

So do you use ATX backup and change the location to your desktop folder (bad idea by the way) and to a thumb drive, or do you just copy the ATX Backup folder to your desktop and thumb drive?

I just tried a thumb drive backup this morning out of curiosity and I selected 54 returns but it was taking so long I had to kill it. It only got to 2.

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2 hours ago, Abby Normal said:

So do you use ATX backup and change the location to your desktop folder (bad idea by the way) and to a thumb drive, or do you just copy the ATX Backup folder to your desktop and thumb drive?

I just tried a thumb drive backup this morning out of curiosity and I selected 54 returns but it was taking so long I had to kill it. It only got to 2.

With the jump drive, I use export/import; is done really fast.  I use backup with my external backup software.

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Thanks, I was more curious than anything else. I'm sure I'll have a new computer with a 1TB SSD before I come close to running out of room on my existing SSD.

But it would be useful for those using Carbonite (Switch to CrashPlan! You won't regret it.) to have their backups in a folder that Carbonite will backup.

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What Jack said.

Again, Carbonite and others DEFAULT to only backup certain common folders.  You CAN add additional files and folders to what Carbonite backs up.  If the folder's permissions, or your user permissions do not allow the file to be backed up, you have bigger issues with using that folder.

 

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