File Copying And Backup Solutions Discussion

Darren Dirt · March 30, 2015, 09:03:46 AM

Quote from: Lazybones on March 29, 2015, 02:25:47 PM
At first I tried to use Clonezilla, but then it donned on me that Since windows 7 you have been able to do a FULL image based OS backup with the machine Running none the less and restore using the native backup tool.

[ x ]

So are you talking about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backup_and_Restore#Removal or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_8#File_History ? (what if you don't want ongoing backup, but periodically wish to do a "snapshot" image type of thing? Then Clonezilla ftw?)

Melbosa · March 30, 2015, 09:14:13 AM

Samsung SSDs come with a tool that lets you do an Online OS transfer to the new drive. It is quite impressive actually to see it work.

Mr. Analog · March 31, 2015, 07:30:20 AM

Switching XP to 7 (64bit) as my main art computer was an eyebrow raising experience. I didn't realize how POOR performance on XP was actually having an effect on what I could do artistically (NO MORE BANDING)... anyway I also discovered that I could ... actually run additional apps along side a hog like Photoshop without any issues... like none

No more mp3 stuttering, no more stream lag, heck I could even have a browser open with more than 4 tabs open (including the Picarto chat window)

Now I work with Windows 8 and the GUI is still a @%&#ed up mess but at least apps that run in parallel don't clobber each other anymore, in fact stuff like Outlook and Visual Studio actually seem to be quite content to run next to each other without bombing the @%&# out of each other. I can run a compile during a Lync meeting and still hear people.

TBH the only thing I miss about Win XP is the UI and the driver support for old, questionable hardware. It had it's day for almost 10 years.

Now if only MS could take the power of 8.1 and wrap it in a UI that isn't a total mess.

Darren Dirt · April 01, 2015, 08:45:52 AM

Quote from: Mr. Analog on March 31, 2015, 07:30:20 AM
Switching XP to 7 (64bit) as my main art computer was an eyebrow raising experience. I didn't realize how POOR performance on XP was actually having an effect on what I could do artistically (NO MORE BANDING)... anyway I also discovered that I could ... actually run additional apps along side a hog like Photoshop without any issues... like none

The only thing I find slower in Windows 8.1 vs 7/XP is file transfer... Anyone have suggestion how to NOT have Windows do its painfully slow default way of analyzing and displaying the pending files to be copied/moved?

Tom · April 01, 2015, 08:53:19 AM

Quote from: Darren Dirt on April 01, 2015, 08:45:52 AM
Quote from: Mr. Analog on March 31, 2015, 07:30:20 AM
Switching XP to 7 (64bit) as my main art computer was an eyebrow raising experience. I didn't realize how POOR performance on XP was actually having an effect on what I could do artistically (NO MORE BANDING)... anyway I also discovered that I could ... actually run additional apps along side a hog like Photoshop without any issues... like none

The only thing I find slower in Windows 8.1 vs 7/XP is file transfer... Anyone have suggestion how to NOT have Windows do its painfully slow default way of analyzing and displaying the pending files to be copied/moved?

xcopy? or some third party tool.

Lazybones · April 01, 2015, 09:19:17 AM

Quote from: Darren Dirt on April 01, 2015, 08:45:52 AM
Quote from: Mr. Analog on March 31, 2015, 07:30:20 AM
Switching XP to 7 (64bit) as my main art computer was an eyebrow raising experience. I didn't realize how POOR performance on XP was actually having an effect on what I could do artistically (NO MORE BANDING)... anyway I also discovered that I could ... actually run additional apps along side a hog like Photoshop without any issues... like none

The only thing I find slower in Windows 8.1 vs 7/XP is file transfer... Anyone have suggestion how to NOT have Windows do its painfully slow default way of analyzing and displaying the pending files to be copied/moved?

Using just about any cli or 3rd party tool like Teracopy. However if this takes a seriously long time you are likely transferring many many small files from an extremely slow source or data link.

Darren Dirt · April 01, 2015, 09:56:42 AM

Quote from: Tom on April 01, 2015, 08:53:19 AM
xcopy? or some third party tool.

I was mainly wondering if there is a way of telling Windows to NOT do its default way of pre-analyzing or whatever it does that makes it take noticeably longer -- even if copying just a single file. Still want a graphical interface, this is just the regular copying/moving of files from one place to another that I often need to do... In many ways the new filecopy is smarter and better than previous Windows versions for sure (the way it lets you say what to do for all future conflicts etc.) but it definitely seems to have a ton of extra overhead due to whatever it does up front to achieve the extra smarts.

I'm not describing it very well.

Bottom line: Any Windows config/setting I can disable temporarily when I know I just want to do a mass file copy/move and do not need it to do the slower-but-smarter analysis stuff?

Tom · April 01, 2015, 10:08:35 AM

We know exactly what you meant and wanted. AFAIK there is no "disable this file scan" option. If there is, its an obscure registry entry.

Mr. Analog · April 01, 2015, 10:19:03 AM

How much data are we talking here?

Anecdotally, I find file transfer speeds in 8.x are highly variable depending on disk activity but also comparable to Win 7 (and both OSs clocked faster than XP on my setups)

Could it be something else slowing you down, like AV software?

Thorin · April 01, 2015, 02:31:04 PM

Quote from: Darren Dirt on April 01, 2015, 08:45:52 AM
The only thing I find slower in Windows 8.1 vs 7/XP is file transfer... Anyone have suggestion how to NOT have Windows do its painfully slow default way of analyzing and displaying the pending files to be copied/moved?

Quote from: Lazybones on April 01, 2015, 09:19:17 AM
Using just about any cli or 3rd party tool like Teracopy. However if this takes a seriously long time you are likely transferring many many small files from an extremely slow source or data link.

If you think the file transfer takes too long, do as Lazy suggests and install TeraCopy: http://codesector.com/teracopy. It's faster. I have it running on my Win8.1 machines, I had it on my Win7 and on my WinXP machines. It's faster. You can tell it through the settings menu to be your default copy program even for drag & drop, and I have set that now after experimenting with it on Win8.1. It's faster.

Darren Dirt · April 01, 2015, 02:57:00 PM

Quote from: Mr. Analog on April 01, 2015, 10:19:03 AM
How much data are we talking here?

Anecdotally, I find file transfer speeds in 8.x are highly variable depending on disk activity but also comparable to Win 7 (and both OSs clocked faster than XP on my setups)

Could it be something else slowing you down, like AV software?

I think I'm realizing it's both Windows 7 as well as 8/8.1 that the "extra stuff" has existed in the file transfer dialog etc... but I might be mis-remembering.

This is the MS Windows popup and delay that I'm talking about, there's nothing visible showing Avira doing anything (since I'm talking about folder-to-folder on same system, usually).

I guess I'm just opening a discussion because I realize that one of the big reasons I do not presently have an external (USB?) hard drive to truly "back up" most of my laptop's data is because I dread how freakin' long a time it would be to do the initial data dump... and if I break it into smaller tasks over a few days it's just more work to keep track of where I left off etc. [and create a process for myself that is not so cumbersome that I avoid doing it again for months at a time again!]

Still should do it, I know, but I guess I just want to do it most efficiently when I finally get that task to the top of my todo list...

Sorry for the hijack, folks.

And btw thanks for this info -- http://codesector.com/teracopy -- HOLY CRAP!
"One of the most common complaints about newer versions of Windows is the slow copying speed, especially when transferring lots of files over the network. ...TeraCopy integrates with Windows Explorer's right-click menu and can be set as the default copy handler."

Why would anyone NOT use the free version of this as their default file copy tool? (and the paid version = $25 CDN so not exactly budget-breaking)

Mr. Analog · April 01, 2015, 03:08:54 PM

Oh yeah NETWORK transfer on newer versions of Windows is complete ASS

As for differential backups to a drive array if you are on USB 3.0 it's not so bad, unless you are generating several gigs of content on each diff?

Speaking of which I need to buy another disk array. Outta space again.

Darren Dirt · April 01, 2015, 03:13:26 PM

Quote from: Mr. Analog on April 01, 2015, 03:08:54 PM
Oh yeah NETWORK transfer on newer versions of Windows is complete ASS

DING DING!

Yeah, it's especially that kind of extra overhead that is extremely noticeable, compared to XP (and 7? or not? can't remember...)

Within the same drive letter is not so bad. And who partitions their HD nowadays, amirite?

...I think my lappy has USB3 (got it in May of last year IIRC) but I have not really shopped around at MemEx to see what an external HD goes for nowadays. I'd also check FutureSchlock, but...

Mr. Analog · April 01, 2015, 03:17:40 PM

I forgo large network transfers now with a HDD dock

It's bad enough between same version Windows but if you have a mix on your network GOOD FREAKING LUCK

IF they can talk to each other the transfer is SLOW AS HELL

Tom · April 01, 2015, 04:01:33 PM

Hm, I have noticed network transfers on windows could be a tad slow... Maybe I'm just spoiled with my lunix. I can nearly peg out GbE with transfers over NFS. to properly peg GbE, I can pull shenanigans with "nc" (netcat), but thats usually too much like work. scp often gets pretty close too.