Solved Separate partitions for software and content files?

TonyCzar · Oct 6, 2024

The files I generate are backed up continuously using Carbonite, so including them in nightly backups is unnecessary. I'm thinking about putting those files on a separate partition. Anyone have experience or wisdom to offer? tyia

antspants · Oct 6, 2024

No differnt to anything else, Tony. Just a matter of changing the drive letter for the destination.

I use FreeFileSync to one way sync my files to an external, then I have another function for FreeFileSync to backup the backup files to a second external.

Yes, I’m paranoid about losing stuff.

antspants · Oct 6, 2024

TonyCzar said:
I'm thinking about putting those files on a separate partition

I probably wouldn’t partition my C Drive though.

I have made plenty of these as externals but I have a lot of internals also

Buy an SSD and encase it into a USB-C or USB3 casing. I don’t trust premade external SSD drives anymore so I make my own.

These prices are AUD$ so they look expensive. Converted to USD$ and it’s a lot cheaper. Plus you can pay a lot less for a 500GB

You can also buy encasings for M.2 NVMe

antspants · Oct 6, 2024

Even an old laptop I have has one

Everything is attached by Velcro.

antspants · Oct 6, 2024

And I have 2 of these that are full, that I like.

So far not a problem in over a year of use. There is a fan you can turn on, but I only turn it on when heavy use is needed. The fan is a little loud. The lid is magnetic.

glasskuter · Oct 6, 2024

I second @antspants. I don't know if where you are gets the sales we do here in the US on Amazon on our Black Friday. but m.2 drives are always offered at fantastic bargains. Slip one in a good extender with a couple of thermal pads and away you go. Although I have a spare m.2 slot in my system I don't use it. Instead, my data drive is an m.2 permaanently connected via usb3. I have another m.2 in an extender I connect for backups that I connect to my usb type C slot. This particular drive enclosure is fantastic. I have 4 of them and highly recommend
.

Amazon.com

TonyCzar · Oct 6, 2024

Thanks, @antspants and @glasskuter. All valuable ideas.

cheaterslick · Oct 6, 2024

antspants said:
Buy an SSD and encase it into a USB-C or USB3 casing. I don’t trust premade external SSD drives anymore so I make my own.

Why make your own? Is there any advantage to that?

TairikuOkami · Oct 7, 2024

TonyCzar said:
I'm thinking about putting those files on a separate partition.

Windows 12 will finally do it, separate OS, apps, docs and all essentials on separate partitions. About time.
Keeping OS partition as small as possible will keep system backups small and fast to create/restore.
It can also keep files safe, since ransomware uses SYSTEM, blocking it will block ransomware.

IanMosley · Oct 7, 2024

TonyCzar said:
Anyone have experience or wisdom to offer? tyia

This is my setup -

My Windows OS is on drive 1; drives 0 &1 are intrenal - my 'user' files are distribued as shown.

glasskuter · Oct 7, 2024

cheaterslick said:
Why make your own? Is there any advantage to that?

Because I'm cheap, they're flexible and it's a good way to utilize storage you many have on hand when you changes out drives for a larger size. Having data files on same drive makes my images too large. I don't backup my data drive as often as I do my OS. and for safty I want my data separate from the OS. . It make my images too large too.. I accumulated all these (except one I bought) from folks who gave them to me. I've only been out the cost of the enclosures. (the enclosures will be even cheaper on Black Fridaty as well.

If you have to buy your drive and find it in a deeply discounted sale then all the better.Using usb-c it's fast enough for me connected as a data drive. . I also use one connected to my husband's computer shared for media., one to store images of my C: drive, another for images of 2 other computers in the house..
Come this Black Friday, I plan on grabbing a larger drive that will hold images for all the systems on one drive and moving the biggest m.2 I take out to my second m.2 slot. It's a matter of taking out 2 screws and slipping the drive out..

SlicEnDicE · Oct 7, 2024

I use Inateck external 2.5" enclosures for this purpose. I repurpose old SSDs. The Inateck enclosures support UASP over USB3 so you get full SSD speeds too.

They cost about $15-30 and are really good. I use the tool-less model. Just pop it open, insert drive, close it and connect. DONE. Can't be simpler than that.

TonyCzar · Oct 7, 2024

antspants said:
I use FreeFileSync to one way sync my files

I'm curious why FreeFileSync rather than the sync function of Google Drive for Desktop.

antspants · Oct 7, 2024

TonyCzar said:
I'm curious why FreeFileSync rather than the sync function of Google Drive for Desktop.

Because Google isn’t getting within 5000 miles of my files.
In fact zero cloud for me ever.

FreeFileSync is local.

antspants · Oct 7, 2024

To be more precise about my backups (My explanation above was very lazy and not all correct)

All my user folders are set by default on a secondary internal drive
FreeFileSync backs the user folders up to a 3rd internal drive and then onto the 4th drive, a 500GB SSD external
Then the 4th drive is backed up via Hasleo to a 5th drive another 500GB SSD, also an external drive

So
Drive 1 - System
Drive 2 - User Folders
Drive 3 & 4 - Mirror Sync of Drive 2
Drive 5 - Image of Drive 4

Nothing is on the C: Drive
Nothing is in the Cloud.

cheaterslick · Oct 7, 2024

glasskuter said:
Because I'm cheap, they're flexible and it's a good way to utilize storage you many have on hand when you changes out drives for a larger size. Having data files on same drive makes my images too large. I don't backup my data drive as often as I do my OS. and for safety I want my data separate from the OS. . It make my images too large too.. I accumulated all these (except one I bought) from folks who gave them to me. I've only been out the cost of the enclosures. (the enclosures will be even cheaper on Black Friday as well.

I dunno. I generally haven't had a problem with Samsung T5 and T7 SSDs so far. And they're small enough. I like the size.

For longer term data storage, I still use Western Digital 1TBs and 2TBs HDDs. Again, good luck with them so far. Knock on wood.

glasskuter said:
Come this Black Friday, I plan on grabbing a larger drive that will hold images for all the systems on one drive and moving the biggest m.2 I take out to my second m.2 slot. It's a matter of taking out 2 screws and slipping the drive out..

What do you do with your old drives?

glasskuter · Oct 7, 2024

cheaterslick said:
What do you do with your old drives?

Various things dating all the way back to the early days of sata HDDs. I had a lot of those over the years I donated to the IT dept at our local school system. I've given SSDs and smaller nvmes in enclosures to family and elderly friends on fixed incomes. I taught them how to use the drives for images....or I do it for them remotely. Usually they want me to do it.

Ghot · Oct 7, 2024

@TonyCzar

This is my OCD setup...

I use Macrium to deal with the Windows backups, and Karen's Replicator to deal with Disks 1 and 2.

Disk 1 is my "working" storage drive. Disk 2 is just a copy of Disk 1.

TonyCzar · Oct 8, 2024

antspants said:
I use FreeFileSync to one way sync my files to an external, then I have another function for FreeFileSync to backup the backup files to a second external.

What a magnificent program! Thank you for introducing us, @antspants. That alone was worth the full price of admission to this Forum.

antspants · Oct 8, 2024

TonyCzar said:
What a magnificent program! Thank you for introducing us, @antspants. That alone was worth the full price of admission to this Forum.

Be sure to check out the tutorials, Tony

FreeFileSync

Download FreeFileSync 14.3. FreeFileSync is a free open source data backup software that helps you synchronize files and folders on Windows, Linux and macOS.

freefilesync.org

And I give a basic rundown here, maybe or maybe not reading my post will be benificial?:

EaseUS Todo Best Type of Backup for changing photo folder

I'm about to set up a backup for a friend who's completely non tech savvy and has just got a new computer using EaseUs Todo and was wondering the best way / type of backup to use. I'll probably do a one off drive image in case but he's only concerned about backing up their photos of which there...

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