frednow Posted February 13, 2004 Report Share Posted February 13, 2004 I've been using Retrospect Express 5.0.238 on a Mac G4/733 running OS 9.2, backing up to internal CD-R, for a couple of years now and I sure could use some help. Lately, it seems like the interval between needing to start a new CD-R is shrinking. I use to go about 2 or 3 weeks before a CD-R would fill up, but now it's down to as little as 2 days, and it's not that the amount of new/changed data has increased. Why is this happening? Two related questions to this are: 1. I started backing up about two years ago, and named my backup set "First Backup Set A." I am now up to my 58th CD-R in this set. Is this OK? Or should I start a new set, and if so, how? Do I start all over again with a complete backup? Also, is this causing the problem of shrinking interval between needing a new CD-R (see above)? 2. Am I wasting CD-R space by using 700 MB discs instead of 650 MB discs? Thanks in advance to whomever can help me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frednow Posted February 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 I guess there's not much traffic on this board. I can't afford Dantz' exorbitant (to put it mildly) support fee of $70 per incident, so I was hoping to get some help here. But it seems like no one is home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natew Posted February 18, 2004 Report Share Posted February 18, 2004 Hi I believe you posted the same message in two places? I responded to the other one. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frednow Posted February 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2004 Hi Nate, Yes, I had posted here but no one responded (until you ). So I posted it again wherever it seemed remotely appropriate. I've just responded to your last reply in the other thread (Express for Windows), but as I'm using Express for Mac, and if you are familiar with that version, we could continue here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goosfraba Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 Quote: frednow said: 1. I started backing up about two years ago, and named my backup set "First Backup Set A." I am now up to my 58th CD-R in this set. Is this OK? Or should I start a new set, and if so, how? Hi there, I'm backing up to a DLT IV and I have several sets. The problem is here that I'm using a other version of Retrospect but the idea is what matters, right? I've never had a backup set over 30 members and the main reason is that Retrospect becomes really lazy after having numerous sessions and files catalogued. If the version you're using works the same way as my version I'd imaging that the BU database is pretty well jammed up. In my version you just go to Configure -> Backup Sets -> New I _strongly_ recommend a) taking backups from the database file to another volume, burn it on a CD etc. start a new backup set! My two cents, -G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frednow Posted February 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 Quote: goosfraba said: I _strongly_ recommend a) taking backups from the database file to another volume, burn it on a CD etc. start a new backup set! goosfraba, thanks very much for the advice. I have already done the second thing you suggest, that is, start a new backup set. Although the initial backup took 21 700MB CDs! So I'm gonna be up against your suggested 30 member set pretty soon. Plus, that initial new backup took forever! I dread having to do it again that soon. So in the mean time I got myself a 160GB Firewire drive and will backup to that as well. I think I need some more advice on backup strategy. However, I'm not sure I understand the first part of your advice: "taking backups from the database file to another volume" ... could you please clarify? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goosfraba Posted February 26, 2004 Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 Quote: I have already done the second thing you suggest, that is, start a new backup set. Although the initial backup took 21 700MB CDs! So I'm gonna be up against your suggested 30 member set pretty soon. Plus, that initial new backup took forever! I dread having to do it again that soon. Hmm, could be that you need a new kind of media to backup to - DVD perhaps? Quote: So in the mean time I got myself a 160GB Firewire drive and will backup to that as well. I must be a little too suspicious but personally, I wouldn't take backups on any HD. Too many moving parts if if you ask me Quote: I think I need some more advice on backup strategy. In you're case I'd probably suggest DVD or AIT-3. Quote: However, I'm not sure I understand the first part of your advice: "taking backups from the database file to another volume" ... could you please clarify? As annoying as the initial backup of 21 CD-R's can be so is the re-cataloging of CD-R's Just to be on the safe side, take a separate CD-R and burn the catalog file on it. -G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frednow Posted March 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2004 Thanks very much for your help. I understand your reluctance to use a hard drive for backup, but I'm using it as a secondary, redundant backup in addition to the CD-Rs. I wouldn't depend on it for my only backup. Maybe I'll switch to DVDs instead of CD-Rs some day, when I get a DVD burner or upgrade my whole computer which would presumably have one internal. By the way, since you don't use hard drives for backup, maybe you wouldn't be the best person to ask this of, but is it possible and/or desirable to keep two different backup sets on a hard drive, maybe separated by partition, with one being the proprietary Retrospect "file" type backup and the other being a "duplicate" (also known as "finder") type backup? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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