2GB go-flex full

[wenmay]

My 2gb goflex is full. I don't need to back up everything that it always does, just documents. But there's no way to pick and choose what is backed up. It does the entire computer every time. Is there a way to get rid of all the extraneous files I don't really need and just put my documents on the external drive?

 

[wenmay]

Thanks so much for the suggestion. But I'm an idiot when it comes to tech stuff. When you say to format the drive, I'm not sure how to do it...and then how to get my docs backed up on a regular basis.

 

[WyomingKnott]

Well, don't format the GoFlex. That deletes everything on the drive. It would solve your problem of the disk being full, but not do you much good.

I personally can't quite understand what you want from your description. Does the GoFlex hold your actual data that you work with, or is it your backup drive? What backup software are you using, and what choices do you make when running it?

Decent backup software will have options to back up everything on your system, just your documents, or only pictures of purple polkadots (ok, I exaggerate a little).

So where do you keep your primary data, on the system drive or the GoFlex? If the GoFlex is your backup drive, how have you been doing backups? And what do you want to accomplish?

 

[wenmay]

Well, WyomingKnott, you've shined a spotlight on my ignorance! First of all, I realized I mistyped. The drive is a FreeAgent GoFlex 320 GB drive. It backs up my harddrive on an oingoing basis using Memeo Instant Backup. I use it only as my backup. Because it is an older drive, it does not permit picking and choosing what to back up. It just automatically backs up everything on the C drive (I see files I don't even understand such as eula, ini, installs, dll, and tons of others), especially when I make any kind of change. For example, if I move something from my desktop to a file, I can see in the lower right window that it backed up that change.

I really don't need the nuts and bolts of my computer if something goes awry (I probably need a new PC anyway). But I need to know I have my documents backed up and safe. To be honest, if I lose all that other info by reformatting the drive, it wouldn't be so bad.

Sorry to be so dumb when it comes to this stuff. If it's too frustrating to answer, I'll understand 🙂.

 

[WyomingKnott]

It just takes experience to provide details. And while I am a prophet of backups, people who have read my posts on the subject would be surprised how little I keep to the excellent backup programs I prescribe. That out of the way...

Sounds like Memeo instant backup came with the drive (is that correct?). If your copy of Memeo won't let you pick and choose which directories are backed up, one solution would be to upgrade it (if it's still made) or to buy or download some more flexible software. Set it to only backup the My Documents tree and voila, there you are.

Another thing to look at is how many copies of a document it keeps. If it keeps all the changes ever, your external drive could be full of 173 drafts of your resume. Yet another choice is to put off the problem by buying a 2 TB external drive - it will probably last you a long time if you are just filling an old 320 GB drive.

Heh heh - I just tried to look up Memeo but it's blocked because now they are offering online storage. How old is the drive - are you still in warranty? If the memeo came with it, you might try tech support.

The only real-time backup that I do is with one folder. I use a simple tool called - I don't know, I'm at work (before 9:00, it's my time) and the pooter is home. Oh, yes. MirrorFolder. It's not freeware. OTOH, it has kept my mail folder backed up from my SSD to a hard drive perfectly over the years.

Be _very_ careful picking folders to be backed up. Some things are stored in places that you did not pick - Email, for example. In Win7, /users/your_id/application data.

 

[wenmay]

WyomingKNott, you're a gem! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm such a techdummy that I didn't even realize Memeo was the solfware. Yes, it came with the drive and I thought they had to work together. The drive is probably five years old, so I'm on my own. But thanks to you, I think I've got a route to follow.

Thanks again...and stay warm in that frigid weather I see out west.

Wenmay

 

[WyomingKnott]

Thanks. The name is a book reference, I live on the East coast.