Shopsmith Forums

dusty wrote:If so that might be a valid reason for getting Windows 7 Professional. I have Windows 7 Home Edition.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Connect-to-another-computer-using-Remote-Desktop-Connection

Two reasons to get Windows 7 Professional, remote desktop connection and backup that works. There is no reason to get Ultimate for single languages users.

That said for the extra cost of Professional there are better third party solutions for both.

paulmcohen wrote:Two reasons to get Windows 7 Professional, remote desktop connection and backup that works. There is no reason to get Ultimate for single languages users.

That said for the extra cost of Professional there are better third party solutions for both.

Are you saying that the Backup Function that comes with Windows 7 Home Edition does not work?

I speak occasionally in three other languages but the words I know and use are probably not in Windows.

dusty wrote:Are you saying that the Backup Function that comes with Windows 7 Home Edition does not work?

I speak occasionally in three other languages but the words I know and use are probably not in Windows.

In Windows 7 they crippled the backup function in editions below professional compared to Windows XP and even Vista (where they slightly degraded it).

You can only backup to DVD and given hard drives are 100's of gigabytes and DVD's are 5 gigabytes makes it kind of crippled. With Professional you can backup to a network or USB drive.

What pray tell is the 'backup' function doing that requires all that resource(s).

I think of the backup function as storing a copy of the registry.

Are we referring the the same thing?

I run Win. 7 Home and have no problem backing up my system. I bought a 1 terabyte, USB, external hard drive that came with a program already loaded on it that automatically backs up my machine any time a file changes. It's by Western Digital and it's called My Book.

curiousgeorge wrote:I run Win. 7 Home and have no problem backing up my system. I bought a 1 terabyte, USB, external hard drive that came with a program already loaded on it that automatically backs up my machine any time a file changes. It's by Western Digital and it's called My Book.

As I said there are lots of third party products, that is one that I have used.

What you don't have is the ability to get a new computer install a system DVD and restore your system back to exactly where it was with less than 24 hours of lost work. That is what Windows 7 Professional backup can do.

JPG40504 wrote:What pray tell is the 'backup' function doing that requires all that resource(s).

I think of the backup function as storing a copy of the registry.

Are we referring the the same thing?

See previous message, there are lots of things that can be backed up and lots of different ways to do it. The general purpose of backup is if you lose your registry or hard disk or your entire computer to get it back running ASAP.

Most third party products protect your data files but not your programs or settings. Most consumers don't have spare computers like big businesses do. When I worked for Intel they kept dozens of spare computers and if something broke you could be back in business in minutes by replacing the computer and restoring a system image and then your data.

I suspect that we are debating terminology here.

I back up the registry any time I plan on making a major changes to the computer.

I back up data files periodically meaning I create a copy other than what is on the HDD. I keep copies of all my photos, financial spread sheets and medical records. I also have copies of the shop related PDFs that I have accumulated. All together I have about 120GB of "backup data" on the secondary HDD.

Also on that HDD is a complete image of the HDD that contains the OS (Operating System). For me the OS is Windows 7 Home Premium. I have never had to use it but the image file (an ISO) would be used to recover from a major computer crash. That file contains all the drivers along with the operating system.

There are no data files contained in that ISO file. Data backup, as stated, is elsewhere.

In addition to that, I have an "Emergency Rescue Disk", created by Windows 7, that can be used to boot the computer if your Master Boot Record gets corrupted.

I have some third party software for testing the HDs, DVDs, video cards, sound system, etc but no third party software for what is being discussed here. All Windows 7 Home Premium.

The only functions (that we discussed here) I cannot do with Home Premium is backup to a network and make a remote connection to the second computer. I am not on a network so no loss. If you want to home network the families computers with remote print capability, etc - don't plan on using Home Premium.

Here is the complete comparison.

PS CORRECTION: I use a free download from CNET to create the ISO image of the OS.

Thank You for the elaboration!

To me the windows backup is the registry backup/restore function which can be manually executed to create a snapshot copy of the registry in XP or that takes place AUTOMATICALLY in XP Pro as setup by the 'administrator'.

Data and program file backup is another deal entirely.

The ISO file is new to me and the answer to a major concern! Thank You Dusty!!!!!

JPG40504 wrote:Thank You for the elaboration!

To me the windows backup is the registry backup/restore function which can be manually executed to create a snapshot copy of the registry in XP or that takes place AUTOMATICALLY in XP Pro as setup by the 'administrator'.

Data and program file backup is another deal entirely.

The ISO file is new to me and the answer to a major concern! Thank You Dusty!!!!!

Be aware that Microsoft makes it necessary to accept the conditions of the EULA (End User's License Agreement) when you load a Windows OS. The EULA restricts the user from making more than one copy (a backup) of the OS (Windows CD/DVD). If you create an ISO image, you have used that one backup.

I have yet to figure out the details when you buy a computer that is delivered without a CD/DVD. I know that Dell Laptops are delivered that way and that the HDD contains a partition that houses the "Recovery System" in a protected partition but what happens if the user needs to reformat the HDD.

I would guess that an ISO copy of the HDD might yield an operating system with the backup partition but I do not know that for certain.

One can always contact the manufacturer and can probably buy a new license and a copy of the OS BUT you have already paid for that why do it again.

SO SORRY for highjacking this thread which was initiated to discuss Sketchup - which, BTW, need not be backed up because you can always download it again free.

But, remember, that provides NO PROTECTION for your drawing files.