Backup Questions

[True Blue]

I really hope this is simple.

Just bought a 1tb Western Digital NAS drive. It continually backs up from the directories I have selected on my PC's. I moved my Itunes library into a folder on the NAS drive and set Itunes to rip further CD's direct to the NAS.

I used to use a batch file containing XCopy commands to backup from my PC to an external usb HDD, but this is now redundant due to the backup facility of the NAS.

My concern is that I only have one copy of my music now on the NAS, can I use Xcopy to copy from the NAS drive?? I have tried using drive H: which is the network drive but nothing happens.

Am I missing something or can anyone suggest an easy way to continually backup my NAS drive?

 

[professorhat]

If the NAS is mapped to the H: drive on your PC, there shouldn't be any reason why xcopy couldn't be used to copy it from the H: drive to your C: drive.

 

[True Blue]

I agree it should!!

I was watching whilst it was sitting on the cmd prompt. A folder was created on my backup drive and it started to copy, but about 5minutes in it stopped and the folders dissapeared!!

Just trying now to manually copy the files from the NAS to my network drive, and again it stopped mid transfer!!!!!

AGHHHHHHHH. Any ideas????

 

[professorhat]

True Blue:Just trying now to manually copy the files from the NAS to my network drive, and again it stopped mid transfer!!!!!

Not sure I understand - do you have two NAS boxes? If not, what is the network drive you're trying to copy to?

 

[True Blue]

Sorry,

Right my NAS drive is a Western digital 1tb (H - on here is the automatic backup of my data AND my Itunes library (only copy)

Trying to copy to a

Buffalo Just Store external USB drive 1.0Tb : This is connected to the back of my PC and named Backup Drive (E

My Xcopy command line is:-

xcopy "H:Sonos Music*.*" "E:BACKUPSONOS MUSIC*.*"/w/c/v/f/d/s/a/-y

Thanks for your help

 

[professorhat]

Hmm, looks like it should work okay to me. In theory you wouldn't need the *.* in the destination path i.e.

xcopy "H:Sonos Music*.*" "E:BACKUPSONOS MUSIC"/w/c/v/f/d/s/a/-y

but I don't think having them would cause the issue - worth a go though.The /-y will ensure you have to confirm each overwrite though - is this what you want? If you want it to overwrite without prompting, it should be just /y.

If not, have you space to try copying it locally to the C: drive i.e.

xcopy "H:Sonos Music*.*" "C:BACKUPSONOS MUSIC"/w/c/v/f/d/s/a/-y

to see if it's just having an issue with copying directly to the USB disk. I can't see why it would, but it rules something out.

 

[True Blue]

Thanks for the replies so far, just in the middle of doing a good old copy and paste to get at least one good copy. Then I will have time to look at.

Would you reckon it would be a faster transfer just hooking the USB drive staight into the USB expansion port on the NAS?

 

[chebby]

Is the drive formatted in NTFS ?

 

[True Blue]

No, came preformatted FAT32???

 

[True Blue]

The NAS drive is NTFS

I am copying manually now........

WOuld this stop xcopy working??

 

[chebby]

I would have thought backing up from NTFS to NTFS would be less problematic.

I re-format my external backup HDs to NTFS before using them.

 

[True Blue]

OK, stupid question how do I do that? Assuming all data will be lost GRRRRRR

 

[chebby]

'My computer' then right click on the external backup HD icon and 'format'.

 

[True Blue]

Its ok, found how to do it online, will give a convert to NTFS tomorrow.

 

[The_Lhc]

True Blue:
Thanks for the replies so far, just in the middle of doing a good old copy and paste to get at least one good copy. Then I will have time to look at.

Would you reckon it would be a faster transfer just hooking the USB drive staight into the USB expansion port on the NAS?

It might well be, depends on the grunt the NAS has got for throwing data around really. Have you looked on the NAS to see if it has options to automatically back itself up to a USB drive plugged into it. That way you wouldn't need to leave the PC copying, you could just leave the NAS to get on with it (I've no idea if this is possible but it sounds sensible!).

 

[cram]

I'd also take a look at robocopy. Like xcopy but on steroids.

 

[True Blue]

the_lhc:True Blue:
Thanks for the replies so far, just in the middle of doing a good old copy and paste to get at least one good copy. Then I will have time to look at.

Would you reckon it would be a faster transfer just hooking the USB drive staight into the USB expansion port on the NAS?

It might well be, depends on the grunt the NAS has got for throwing data around really. Have you looked on the NAS to see if it has options to automatically back itself up to a USB drive plugged into it. That way you wouldn't need to leave the PC copying, you could just leave the NAS to get on with it (I've no idea if this is possible but it sounds sensible!).

Thankyou. This is the problem with online manuals, you stand even less chance of reading them. In there it clearly states that FAT32 formatted drives are limited to 4GB of transfer then cut out (as was happening). It also shows the idiots guide for connecting a USB NTFS Hard disk and copying all files from it. Doh!!!

Bit of reformatting tomorrow Thanks all

 

[professorhat]

Hmm, that seems odd. FAT32 has a 4 GB file size limit, not a transfer limit - unless you have some big music files, this shouldn't be preventing the copying.

At any rate, I would concur that if you can, it's worth getting the drive formatted as NTFS as it's a better file system all round so long as it will only be used with Windows PCs.

 

[True Blue]

Hoorah!!

External USB drive reformmated in NTFS, hooked up to usb port on NAS and copying as we speak.

No need for the Xcopy now

Thanks for all your help