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TCO Should Include Value as Well as Cost: indirect vs direct costs

Part 3: File-Based Backups vs. Images

Now let's consider another common scenario: a file-based backup. File-based backups are probably the most common type today, although they are far from adequate for most applications. For desktop users, it means simply copying the My Documents folder from their computer to a remote or removable drive. That's easy enough-assuming you don't have data stored elsewhere on the system. For example, Microsoft Outlook by default stores e-mail in the C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ folder. Eudora by default saves mail in the C:\Program Files\Qualcomm\Eudora folder. Either way, if you use a simple file backup strategy of only saving you're My Documents folder, you won't be saving your mail.

Much of the popular backup software today is simply file backup software. Although it is possible to do a complete file-based backup (that is, copying every file on your hard disk to a backup device), this strategy is flawed since Windows is not able to copy files currently in use by Windows or any other application. That means a file backup does not save hidden files or some system and configuration files. In the end, the resulting backup is fatally flawed and cannot be used to restore a disk back to a usable form. From a materials and time standpoint, this is an expensive and inadequate solution.