Before we go into the easiest way to backup your laptop data, I'll first cover what is an SOE. In the corporate world IT or IS departments create what they refer to as a Standard Operating Environment (SOE) which enables them to service and support an environment which doesn’t differ too much from user to user.
This can save a huge amount of time and money in support when they can solve a lot of issues users are having without going to great lengths to diagnose them.
To put things in perspective, lets say a company has 300 users all with computers on their desk. The company will generally try and fit everybody with the same machine whether it be a desktop or laptop, all running the same applications, network settings etc. This enables the IS or IT dept to create an SOE which is good for their entire fleet. It would be tested in their own environment and customised to perform all the functions required for day to day business, of course there will be some variations to suit users individual needs.
If at any time a users computer fails or has a problem, a replacement computer can be given to the user with limited interruption to their work while in the meantime the issues with the machine can be resolved.
This also enables the IT or IS dept to be familiar with one standard environment and not 300 different systems all with different hardware and software.
How can this work for you at home??
When you get a new computer or you wipe your old one and rebuild it you can first backup your laptop data and then create a basic SOE which you can save in the event of a problem which can be reloaded to get you back up and running in a third of the time it would take you to rebuild it from scratch.
Here’s an example of a basic SOE:
-Windows or Linux operating system.
-Drivers for all your hardware.
-Office applications.
-Third party applications you use, ie Ad Aware, DAP, Adobe apps, Nero etc.
-You would also set up your internet connection and email settings.
You would get the machine to a point where it is functional for day to day use. Try to refrain from loading anything unnecessary like games until you have created the basic SOE.
A good base for such an SOE is to create your own on top of what has already been supplied by the manufacturer of the machine. A lot of the work will have already been done by the vendor. For example, the machine comes already setup with the operating system and machine specific drivers and utilities.
Once you have the machine running the way you like it, you need to create an image file. This is done by using software like Ghost (by Symantec), Drive image, True Image, Acronis True Image or the like. These software packages are made to be quite simple. The image can be stored on DVD (recommended) or on a backup partition on the hard drive, this is only possible if your drive has already been partitioned in this way. If not then another software package like “Partition Magic” may be required.
I suggest for example if you have a 20GB drive then you can split the drive into two 10GB halves, installing all your software on the C:/ partition and using the D:/ to backup your laptop data. This is to safeguard your image if the Operating System becomes corrupt. Keep the second partition for saving your backup laptop data files and your SOE image. In all cases I recommend you keep copies of the image on DVD as well as on your hard drive, but that’s just me..
Job done, now in the event of you getting a nasty virus or your hard disk crashing, you have complete snapshot image of your system which includes all your backup laptop data files as well. Depending on what laptop backup software you used to create the actual image file will affect how it is reloaded back onto your system. For example, if you have used Ghost you can use a Ghost boot disc (floppy) to boot your machine giving you access to the DVDROM or you may be able to create a bootable CD.
Important Note: You need to create a boot floppy or CD using the application you have chosen to create the image with, it's best to do this when you create the SOE image. The application you have chosen will have this function built in.
Your image can then be reloaded back onto your hard drive using the boot floppy or CD, whichever you've created.
Note: You cannot load an image on the same drive it's stored on. So if you have your SOE image stored on your C: and you try and restore it back onto your C: it will fail, this is the importance of having the image file (SOE) on another partition or DVD disc as Ghost and other apps. enable you to image Partition to Partition and DVD to Partition. Your backup laptop data files should also be stored on this partition.
For more info on image backup and restore procedures you should refer to the backup software manufacturer's website.
By having a laptop backup procedure, creating an SOE and making sure you regularly backup your laptop data, restoring your machine after a hard drive crash or virus infection can be done with a minimum of fuss and machine downtime.
This can save a huge amount of time and money in support when they can solve a lot of issues users are having without going to great lengths to diagnose them.
To put things in perspective, lets say a company has 300 users all with computers on their desk. The company will generally try and fit everybody with the same machine whether it be a desktop or laptop, all running the same applications, network settings etc. This enables the IS or IT dept to create an SOE which is good for their entire fleet. It would be tested in their own environment and customised to perform all the functions required for day to day business, of course there will be some variations to suit users individual needs.
If at any time a users computer fails or has a problem, a replacement computer can be given to the user with limited interruption to their work while in the meantime the issues with the machine can be resolved.
This also enables the IT or IS dept to be familiar with one standard environment and not 300 different systems all with different hardware and software.
How can this work for you at home??
When you get a new computer or you wipe your old one and rebuild it you can first backup your laptop data and then create a basic SOE which you can save in the event of a problem which can be reloaded to get you back up and running in a third of the time it would take you to rebuild it from scratch.
Here’s an example of a basic SOE:
-Windows or Linux operating system.
-Drivers for all your hardware.
-Office applications.
-Third party applications you use, ie Ad Aware, DAP, Adobe apps, Nero etc.
-You would also set up your internet connection and email settings.
You would get the machine to a point where it is functional for day to day use. Try to refrain from loading anything unnecessary like games until you have created the basic SOE.
A good base for such an SOE is to create your own on top of what has already been supplied by the manufacturer of the machine. A lot of the work will have already been done by the vendor. For example, the machine comes already setup with the operating system and machine specific drivers and utilities.
Once you have the machine running the way you like it, you need to create an image file. This is done by using software like Ghost (by Symantec), Drive image, True Image, Acronis True Image or the like. These software packages are made to be quite simple. The image can be stored on DVD (recommended) or on a backup partition on the hard drive, this is only possible if your drive has already been partitioned in this way. If not then another software package like “Partition Magic” may be required.
I suggest for example if you have a 20GB drive then you can split the drive into two 10GB halves, installing all your software on the C:/ partition and using the D:/ to backup your laptop data. This is to safeguard your image if the Operating System becomes corrupt. Keep the second partition for saving your backup laptop data files and your SOE image. In all cases I recommend you keep copies of the image on DVD as well as on your hard drive, but that’s just me..
Job done, now in the event of you getting a nasty virus or your hard disk crashing, you have complete snapshot image of your system which includes all your backup laptop data files as well. Depending on what laptop backup software you used to create the actual image file will affect how it is reloaded back onto your system. For example, if you have used Ghost you can use a Ghost boot disc (floppy) to boot your machine giving you access to the DVDROM or you may be able to create a bootable CD.
Important Note: You need to create a boot floppy or CD using the application you have chosen to create the image with, it's best to do this when you create the SOE image. The application you have chosen will have this function built in.
Your image can then be reloaded back onto your hard drive using the boot floppy or CD, whichever you've created.
Note: You cannot load an image on the same drive it's stored on. So if you have your SOE image stored on your C: and you try and restore it back onto your C: it will fail, this is the importance of having the image file (SOE) on another partition or DVD disc as Ghost and other apps. enable you to image Partition to Partition and DVD to Partition. Your backup laptop data files should also be stored on this partition.
For more info on image backup and restore procedures you should refer to the backup software manufacturer's website.
By having a laptop backup procedure, creating an SOE and making sure you regularly backup your laptop data, restoring your machine after a hard drive crash or virus infection can be done with a minimum of fuss and machine downtime.
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