From: java@evij.com.invalid   
      
   The next first thing I would do, after sorting out the current mess   
   and getting at least one good backup of the system as current, is   
   split the data and the system.  You need to back up the data everyday   
   or thereabouts, but the system only needs to be backed up every month   
   or six, depending on how fast or drastically it's changing, which with   
   XP near end-of-life is usually not much these days.   
      
   So, for the future, split the drive into two partitions, the first for   
   the system and the second for the data.  Then you can ...   
      
   1)	Back up the system via an imaging system.  Someone has already   
   mentioned Acronis, and myself I use Ghost.  I've no direct experience   
   of the former, but have heard good reports, and personally have found   
   the latter invaluable, although not absolutely foolproof, but then ...   
   is any backup system?   
      
   2)	Back up the data by incremental backup software such as DeltaCopy   
   that, after the first backup, only needs to copy those files that have   
   changed since the last backup.  If the software has a method of   
   keeping historical copies of overwritten files as well, so much the   
   better, but DeltaCopy does not.   
      
   I have a dedicated Zyxel NAS server, which normally would be linked   
   via Gigabit cabling, but is temporarily down the other end of the   
   house and linked by WiFi.  Even so, nightly backups only take 10 mins   
   or so, and even imaging a system drive will complete overnight.   
      
   I quite like the Zyxel, though I had to take control of it by booting   
   from a USB stick in order to get it do *exactly* what I want.  I've   
   heard good reports of QNAP NAS systems, which I believe are completely   
   open.   
      
   If you need to buy any networking hardware such as switches, routers,   
   or cabling to connect up everything, make sure that it really is   
   Gigabit, that is 10/100/1000Mbps  -  I've seen a lot of kit on places   
   like eBay touted as Gigabit, but which is actually Fast Ethernet,   
   10/100Mbps, or even just plain old Ethernet at 10mpbs!   
      
   On Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:51:56 +0100, 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.   
      
   ...   
      
   > 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   
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