How to backup all data (except os)

[Dood76]

I am going to be upgrading Windows 7 32bit to 64bit, and I need to backup all my data. Is there a way to backup ALL your data (such as programs, desktop icons, videos, music, etc.) except your os?

 

[kingavinesh]

Norton GHOST might be the solution

 

[Dood76]

Anything besides Norton Ghost, I have heard Norton is not that good in general. How about Easus Todo (should I do a backup or clone) to backup ALL my data (including programs, desktop icons, videos, etc.)

 

[Hawkeye22]

A clone is useless in this situation as it will make an identical copy of the drive including the OS. Copying the programs isn't necessary since you will have to reinstall them all anyhow. Most decent backup software should allow you to choose which files/folders to backup. You only need to backup your data (videos, pictures, game saves, program installers,...).

 

[Pitkid777]

1. Obtain an external hard drive that can hold all of your data. (Programs don't backup but the installers do)
2. Drag the folders containing the data you want onto the hard drive.
3. Verify all the data you want is on the external hard disk. This will take a while. I recommend doing it by hand.
4. Disconnect hard disk.
5. Continue with upgrades.
Feel free to PM me with any further questions.

 

[WyomingKnott]

There are eleventy-seven ways to do what you want. You will get different answers from different people; most of them will be perfectly good and which one you choose will depend on what you are comfortable with.

For example: My approach is to take the system drive out, put in a blank one, and do the install. Then I re-attach my old system drive - all my files are there! In fact, you could change your My Documents folder on the new installation to where it was on the old drive and presto! all of your documents are there.

Any decent backup software will copy all your files to an external drive. Simplest to copy everything except the /windows, /program files, /program files (x86), /users, /system volume information, /recovery, and other system folders. Note that /Documents and Settings will need to be copied, but you can do it through /My Documents. If you are an advanced user, there are some things in /users that you might want to keep. Easeus ToDo backup is good, just dragging folders works, Windows 7 has a built-in backup.

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Even if you keep the old drive intact as I suggested first, you can't run programs that are on it. You will have to re-install all your old programs as part of your new OS instance.

Which means you can't really back up programs or your desktop layout. You might try a tool such as PC Mover, but I can't answer for how well that will work.

 

[danstechsupportunlimited]

Windows Backup. Easiest tool to use and it is free and already part of your windows operating system.
If you want to use Backup Maker. Its one of the best backup programs that i have tested.
Here is a personal backup software that is easy to understand and use, while still offering a very good set of features. It has a slick modern interface that makes it easy on the eyes, as well as to navigate. It has setup wizard that takes you step by step through the job creation process, with the choice to show or hide advanced options. Features include filters to exclude or include certain file types, or files with a maximum file size. It has a very easy to use scheduler with fine grain control over execution times, ans well as the choice to execute backup jobs at start up, shutdown, or upon insertion of a USB volume. If a job time is missed it can automatically be rescheduled. It offers the ability to run before and after job tasks, including mounting/un-mounting a network drive, powering down the computer, or rebooting, sending an email report, printing a hard copy of the backup log, or starting a subsequent backup job. Backup Maker did not balk on encountering long file names or foreign/unicode characters. Once backups are made each file is verified with a hash check. (CRC32)

It supports a variety of backup methods including incremental and differential zip archives which they call “partial backups” and they are presented in clear understandable terminology. Each type of backup can be fine tuned with certain file property parameters, including archive “bit” set and reset. (bit is a type of attribute flag that indicates a file has changed since it was last backed up) Archives can be encrypted if you need extra security. Archives can be automatically named by date stamp and split to any desired size. It supports to backing up to any local, network, or online storage that supports ftp,(SSL included) and it has the built in support for burning files directly to CD/DVD.

Backup maker supports restoring files to original or a new location. You can restore a whole backup, or just a single file. A nice search feature is included for finding a desired file in the zip archive.

The my only complaints would be that the wizard does not include options for auto selection of commonly backup files and folders, and it does not support backing up open/locked files. Also when I tried to restore a password protected archive, the password entry dialog popped up under the restore window, and for a while I thought the program had crashed or frozen. I had to minimize the main programs windows to enter the password. Another minor inconvenience is a popup nag screen that informs the user that the free version is for personal use only, and that it will be removed if you register it for commercial use. Other than that there is no difference between the free and commercial versions.

In testing the program on Win 7, I found all features to work as advertised. It is easy enough for a beginner to use, but robust enough for a pro. It has a decent help file in pdf form that covers each aspect of the backup process if you encounter any problems. I think Backup Maker is a great all around file backup program, and give it my top recommendation.