From: keith_nuttle@sbcglobal.net   
      
   On 6/5/2013 9:51 AM, Tim W wrote:   
   > I used a free 'easeus' backup frogram for years to make data and system   
   > backups to an external hard drive I bought for the purpose. Last week I   
   > discovered I had inadvertently deleted some files so I went to try to   
   > recover them from my extensive backups. Easeus would not open even one   
   > of the backup files it had made. It seems I was wasting my time - and   
   > those backups were really slow too.   
   >   
   > I turned to MS Backup in System tools and it won't write a file big   
   > enough to be useful - is it a 4Gb limit? I could backup onto 20 DVDRs   
   > with that if I wanted to but I don't. I want a nice simple way of   
   > backing up all my data before the Hard drive fails on the old machine   
   > and if it helps me recover from system failure then that's good too but   
   > the data is really important. If I have to set it running and go to bed   
   > that is fine, as long as it actually works.   
   >   
   > At the moment I have no backup of anything. I don't want to spend the   
   > time going through the whole drive copying individual folders all day.   
   > How do I back up my data from XP? How can it be so difficult?   
   >   
   > Tim W   
      
   Have you tried to upgrade your current backup software?  While it is no   
   longer being supported, there may be a transfer program on the vendor   
   site to his current software, or you may find something by searching the   
   newsgroups and forums.   
      
    From the other threads I understand about the limitation on your back   
   up drive.    Terabyte drives are cheap, (1tb about $60). You could   
   transfer your files to the new drive and reformat the old to NTFS.   If   
   the old drive is several years old this may be the best as because of   
   age it could fail and you would loose every thing   
      
   If the old drive is small can you transfer the contents to your   
   computer, and then reformat?   
      
   As I recall you could combine files in DOS   
   (Command Line:  save file1 + file2    file12 ).  Have you tried that?   
      
   While all of my computers are NTFS, for years I use the free version of   
   Syncback. (http://www.2brightsparks.com).   
      
   If you go the new harddrive route, they usually include backup or sync   
   software.  I have been using the  Seagate soft ware with my Terabyte   
   drive.   
      
   For the record  I use Syncback  to synchornize the files on my laptop   
   and desktop, and then use the Seagate software to back up the desktop.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)