Computer Storage Solutions

I run a tape backup of someone laptop here in my company and they are always leaving the laptop logged into the network with Outlook running.
I get errors on my tape backup when the .pst files try to backup-because Outlook is open.

Is it possible to use task scheduler, with some kind of DOS or .bat command to cause Outlook to close out at a certain time of the night so I can get a clean backup.

I’ve tried to just get the person to close outlook at night, but its someone high up in the company, and I dont want to aggrivate him too much - - and I’ve already mentioned it a few times to him.

Its very simple…

Here, this might help:

Depending on the version of windows that you use, the program you want is either kill.exe or taskkill.exe. Both are in the %windir%\system32 or %windir%\system folders, so you should be in the path.

kill.exe /?
or
taskkill.exe /?

TASKKILL [/S system [/U username [/P [password]]]]
{ [/FI filter] [/PID processid | /IM imagename] } [/F] [/T]

Description:
This command line tool can be used to end one or more processes.
Processes can be killed by the process id or image name.

Parameter List:
/S system Specifies the remote system to connect to.

/U [domain\]user Specifies the user context under which
the command should execute.

/P [password] Specifies the password for the given
user context. Prompts for input if omitted.

/F Specifies to forcefully terminate
process(es).

/FI filter Displays a set of tasks that match a
given criteria specified by the filter.

/PID process id Specifies the PID of the process that
has to be terminated.

/IM image name Specifies the image name of the process
that has to be terminated. Wildcard ‘*’
can be used to specify all image names.

/T Tree kill: terminates the specified process
and any child processes which were started by it.

/? Displays this help/usage.

Filters:
Filter Name Valid Operators Valid Value(s)
———– ————— ————–
STATUS eq, ne RUNNING | NOT RESPONDING
IMAGENAME eq, ne Image name
PID eq, ne, gt, lt, ge, le PID value
SESSION eq, ne, gt, lt, ge, le Session number.
CPUTIME eq, ne, gt, lt, ge, le CPU time in the format
of hh:mm:ss.
hh - hours,
mm - minutes, ss - seconds
MEMUSAGE eq, ne, gt, lt, ge, le Memory usage in KB
USERNAME eq, ne User name in [domain\]user
format
MODULES eq, ne DLL name
SERVICES eq, ne Service name
WINDOWTITLE eq, ne Window title

NOTE: Wildcard ‘*’ for the /IM switch is accepted only with filters.

NOTE: Termination of remote processes will always be done forcefully
irrespective of whether /F option is specified or not.

Examples:
TASKKILL /S system /F /IM notepad.exe /T
TASKKILL /PID 1230 /PID 1241 /PID 1253 /T
TASKKILL /F /IM notepad.exe /IM mspaint.exe
TASKKILL /F /FI "PID ge 1000" /FI "WINDOWTITLE ne untitle*"
TASKKILL /F /FI "USERNAME eq NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM" /IM notepad.exe
TASKKILL /S system /U domain\username /FI "USERNAME ne NT*" /IM *
TASKKILL /S system /U username /P password /FI "IMAGENAME eq note*"

CHEER UP!

Lets say I run a full/diff backup via Backup Exec on my systems to tape and then I run Robocopy to run an offsite backup to a remote disk. Then I decide to run a Windows Backup just because Im paranoid.. will the archive bits get mixed up and make the backup solutions lose track of what really needs to get backed up? Or does each solution have their own "log"?

Each program will keep its own log file.
 

I need to back up on a daily basis 120 gigs. I just need to know a scci system or what ever system or tape that wont be outdated to soon.

Our current backup drive crashed and the tapes for it are ancient.

I can understand why they are ancient if you’re using backupexec 8.6. I would recommend upgrading to 10D first and foremost. If you’re backing up that much data and you want to use tapes, you’re going to need a robotic tape library or a fat single drive in which the tapes are going to be VERY expensive. Another consideration is to use a couple of external hard drives that you can swap out every day and take offsite in case of fire.
Here is a link to a nice big tape drive that should have you covered for a while, depending on how fast you create new data.

I got me hands on a tape drive and was wandering if it was better to backup my stuff on tapes or just buy terabyte hdds

The tape drive is a DAT24 so it’ll only support DDS-3

Tapes are a thing of the past…back when hard drives were very expensive and not very large (unlike the terabyte drive you mentioned). It was unheard of back then to use hard drives just for backup purposes.

Furthermore, tapes have to be rewinded and physically "played" to get the data on it, and to read data off it. This causes a lot of wear & tear.

I remember years ago when I was working in a data center, and we had to retrieve some data for someone…we had to find the tape first, then run special software that knew where the data was, and then we had to wait until the tape was fast forwarded to the right section. After all that, we would hold our breath and prayed that the data integrity would be okay.

That was 10 years ago when the technology was at its best. To do it today, you would probably be using a drive that is very old, and tape media that is very old (unless they still make new ones).

In case there’s any confusion as to what I’m recommending…I’m saying no to tapes and Yes for the hard drive method.

I have a backup mirror attached to the outside of my minivan rear window. The adhesive is 3M Weatherproof. How can I remove it?
The mirror is still attached. How do I get between the glass and the adhesive pad?

use a heat gun first to soften the glue and get it all in one pull.
be careful to not let it get to hot as it will bubble the paint. scrape whats left over and then any residue glue that is left, soften and soak using gasoline as lacquer thinners can harm paint

I had created a backup file, but it is taking up too much space and slowing down my laptop. Can I safely delete this file? I purchased the computer in Oct/Nov 2006.

Here are the PROPERTIES:
Backup.bkf
TYPE OF FILE: Microsoft Backup File
OPENS WITH: NT Tape Backup Utility
LOCATION: C:\
SIZE: 2.83 GB (3,046,576,128 bytes)
SIZE ON DISK: 2.83 GB (3,046,588,416)
CREATED: Monday, December 04, 2006 08:49:16 PM
MODIFIED: Sunday, April 01, 2007, 02:33:00 PM
ACCESSED: Today, March 31, 2008
ATTRIBUTES: Archive
Can I put the file on a CD?

If you think you’ll never need to put the system back the way it was when you first got it….sure go ahead and delete it.

i have the general idea how incremental backup works, just backup what has changed from the previous day. but what i dont understand is why when restoring from backup you have to get all the backup tapes together in order to view the data? cant i just take one tape and look through it?

You need all tapes because incremental backups only have files that have changed after the last full or incremental. So you have to start from first full and go thru all incrementals to have a complete restore.

If you have only the first full, the backup system will be unaware of of subsequent changes in the incrementals.

Is there still a good reason to run backups at night? Now that we have shadow copies and faster, higher performing servers, I am wondering if it’s better to run tape backups during the day when we can keep an eye on the backup process and change tapes for spanning if necessary?

People run backups at night because that is the time where there is the least amount of traffic on the computer/server.. So when they run the backup, it will have less effect on the server performance and the users will not notice it because they will most likely not be connected..

1) a SCSI CD ROM drive
2) a tape backup device
3) a nerwork interface card
4) none of the above

thank you

you can install windows from a CD/DVD drive or a network connection, Ive never seen it done from a tape drive.

installing from a network connection is a bit fiddly.. you need to get the system awake and able to talk to the network which isn’t for the faint hearted

Im pretty certain you can also copy the installation media onto a USB memory stick and run it form that

1) a SCSI CD ROM drive
2) a tape backup device
3) a nerwork interface card
4) none of the above

thank you

you can install windows from a CD/DVD drive or a network connection, Ive never seen it done from a tape drive.

installing from a network connection is a bit fiddly.. you need to get the system awake and able to talk to the network which isn’t for the faint hearted

Im pretty certain you can also copy the installation media onto a USB memory stick and run it form that