A small rant/question on backups

[pixelkid94]

Ok bear with me for a moment.

 

These days all computers with Windows Vista and up scream at you to back up regularly and most techie people tell you to do so. But here's a thing. Let's say you get a virus that infects random files with copies of itself (VERY common). Then, before noticing the virus, you perform one of those regular backups. Now, your backup drive is corrupted with the virus, so restoring using that backup takes you nowhere.

 

SO what's my idea to fix that?

Make a backup of your system the moment you buy it (or after installing drivers if you prebuilt your system) and never back up again except on a DIFFERENT drive for your documents/installed programs. This way, your data is still at a minimal risk, but your system is not. If you catch a virus or suffer a hard disk failure, you can just restore from that "fresh start" image and work on restoring the data you lost.

 

Thoughts?

 

[pixelkid94]

Also I apologize if this isn't posted in the right place, please ignore my newness.

[Enderman]

You make regular backups and keep all of them, not just the latest one.

[Bloodyvalley]

I don't do backups. System Restore is my trick when I get a virus. Also, I really don't have any sensitive information that is worth backing up.

[RelentlessAF]

I don't do backups. System Restore is my trick when I get a virus. Also, I really don't have any sensitive information that is worth backing up.

System Restore doesn't get rid of most viruses, all it is is a restoration to settings at an earlier time, malware can still be there after a restore.

[Trik'Stari]

I never do backups. I never keep anything that I absolutely cannot lose on a PC. The only thing close to a backup that I use is Gmail (attach file, send to family member, google keeps it far more secure than I can)

[BonBon Scott]

I don't have anything on my computer that would be terrible to lose, so I very rarely do backups, because I just don't need to.

[pixelkid94]

Jesus you guys are fast at responding

 

I usually just make a system image containing the system JUST AFTER install drivers for that "rainy virus day" and store it somewhere safe and use a thumb drive to copy setup files of downloaded programs and data. This works very well and I usually only have a few minutes of downtime after a virus or failure.

[pixelkid94]

I never do backups. I never keep anything that I absolutely cannot lose on a PC. The only thing close to a backup that I use is Gmail (attach file, send to family member, google keeps it far more secure than I can)

 

#heartbleed watch out, man.

[pixelkid94]

Keeping very sensitive info off a pc is a good thing and i recommend it, but I just hate when I have to reinstall windows and start over when something fails. It's much better for me to jsut start where I left off

[Trik'Stari]

#heartbleed watch out, man.

eh?

 

I have a paid for Anti Virus service so if I do get something, I just crack open a cold one and watch some monkey fix my shit by remote

[Snickerzz]

Just dont get a virus? Lol thr only thing i have "backed up" is my porn on google drive :DDD but i do have separate drives for windows and data if you count that as backed up

[Misanthrope]

What you describe is a good practice, yes. But not the only one that will get you out of trouble 100% of the time. Remember that your system is as weak as it's weakest link which is usually a consumer version of windows running a bunch of consumer programs. 

At the end of the day, if you're truly concerned about it or rely on your data for really important things you should just not use windows at all.

[pixelkid94]

Just dont get a virus? Lol thr only thing i have "backed up" is my porn on google drive :DDD but i do have separate drives for windows and data if you count that as backed up

I try my best not to, but lo and behold, MalwareBytes still finds things.

 

 

eh?

 

I have a paid for Anti Virus service so if I do get something, I just crack open a cold one and watch some monkey fix my shit by remote

 Gmail was especially vulnerable during the heartbleed bug, not sure if it still is, but proves that, at one point, google was undertook.

[BonBon Scott]

Just dont get a virus? Lol thr only thing i have "backed up" is my porn on google drive :DDD but i do have separate drives for windows and data if you count that as backed up

 

Looks like you don't...horse around with your data.

 

Yes, I could have done better, but I can never resist an opportunity for a pun.

[Mooshi]

Anything I want to keep around, I keep on a separate drive.If something major happens with my OS, I don't have anything important on that drive to care about a reformat.

[Trik'Stari]

I try my best not to, but lo and behold, MalwareBytes still finds things.

 

 

 Gmail was especially vulnerable during the heartbleed bug, not sure if it still is, but proves that, at one point, google was undertook.

Meh, if I lost anything they'd be liable wouldn't they?

[pixelkid94]

What you describe is a good practice, yes. But not the only one that will get you out of trouble 100% of the time. Remember that your system is as weak as it's weakest link which is usually a consumer version of windows running a bunch of consumer programs. 

At the end of the day, if you're truly concerned about it or rely on your data for really important things you should just not use windows at all.

If I had a choice, Ultimate Edition would be main main daily driver, but my college requires windows (not really requires, but the linux counterparts of the software is very dodgy). Plus linux hates my touch screen. #1stworldprobs

[pixelkid94]

Meh, if I lost anything they'd be liable wouldn't they?

probably not, as the issue was OpenSSL

[Misanthrope]

If I had a choice, Ultimate Edition would be main main daily driver, but my college requires windows (not really requires, but the linux counterparts of the software is very dodgy). Plus linux hates my touch screen. #1stworldprobs

 

You can still keep a NAS though. Is not perfect but it would be better than just using windows for storage and use of everyday files.

[pixelkid94]

You can still keep a NAS though. Is not perfect but it would be better than just using windows for storage and use of everyday files.

Meh, true, but I literally JUST TODAY learned what a NAS is thanks to techquickie. Plus I'm a lil broke thanks to college.

[Misanthrope]

Meh, true, but I literally JUST TODAY learned what a NAS is thanks to techquickie. Plus I'm a lil broke thanks to college.

 

They can be had for cheap though the hardware requirements are really not that much for just home use, just see if there's any relative with anything above 1ghz processor lying around and I'll do.

Since you mentioned you need windows, while that is true you can contain windows a lot by using a virtualization software like VMWare or Virtualbox so you run Linux for most of your stuff and only use windows within a virtual machine for the apps that you must have for your school and such.

[pixelkid94]

They can be had for cheap though the hardware requirements are really not that much for just home use, just see if there's any relative with anything above 1ghz processor lying around and I'll do.

Since you mentioned you need windows, while that is true you can contain windows a lot by using a virtualization software like VMWare or Virtualbox so you run Linux for most of your stuff and only use windows within a virtual machine for the apps that you must have for your school and such.

I'll be more specific with what I need, although your NAS solution will work, as I still have my first desktop with a celeron 900MHz and 512mb RAM (good ole days).

 

My college has secured wifi. To connect this wifi(imperitve for class), you need to download and use a program. This program signs you into the wifi and lets you access the faster and more secure wifi than the campus-wide guest wifi. That program is available for linux, but it VERY bad. It drops connection randomly, and is jsut all around a terrible program to work with. There are other minor issues with linux on campus, but that's the main one. I've tried VMs, PlayOnLinux, and Wine. None worked. Same issues. The windows counterpart works flawlessly.

[Misanthrope]

I'll be more specific with what I need, although your NAS solution will work, as I still have my first desktop with a celeron 900MHz and 512mb RAM (good ole days).

 

My college has secured wifi. To connect this wifi(imperitve for class), you need to download and use a program. This program signs you into the wifi and lets you access the faster and more secure wifi than the campus-wide guest wifi. That program is available for linux, but it VERY bad. It drops connection randomly, and is jsut all around a terrible program to work with. There are other minor issues with linux on campus, but that's the main one. I've tried VMs, PlayOnLinux, and Wine. None worked. Same issues. The windows counterpart works flawlessly.

 

I'm thinking wireless access points: Surely your school should support those for their wifi? Ask IT they might tell you they do in which case that access point takes care of the wifi connection for you and you just hook up to with with an Ethernet cable. 

[Santa_Dwarf]

If you have files that you really need, dropbox them.

If you've downloaded too much ram and you need to wipe your pc, do it, get your files from dropbox, and if your anti virus detects a virus on the file, then you proceed to get rid of that virus, or copy what you need out of it, and work on it from there.