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Xcopy alternatively xxcopy if you're nasty.

Stuff too big? Pipe it into an archiver.

Seriously, proprietary backup applications have been obfuscating and fucking up what these have been doing for years reliably for 99 percent of users.

Otherwise, buy a separate HDD and just periodically run a script that recursively copies all files on one drive to the other.

This is exactly how I do backups at work. I have four active file servers and one server with a big damn hard drive on another floor that updates a copy of everything on all the other servers twice a day. I'm using XXCopy, http://www.xxcopy.com/ and it works pretty well - even generates log files similar to BackupExec. Then on the weekends it runs a PowerArchiver script and dumps everything with a modification date less than 7 days old into a zip file and shoots it across the internet to another computer that extracts the zip file onto its own dupe of all the servers, keeping the zip for incremental purposes.

All this for under $100 in software and two 300GB drives each thrown in their ownn old ass desktop. And it's completely automated - no room for human error.

We all have friends (surely?) - we could be doing the same thing across the internet to eachother's houses. Two guys buy big hard drives to be hosted in eachother's desktop (or extra computer) and a script on each computer that dump changed files to a zip and shoots them across the net.

See my earlier post about XXcopy, http://www.xxcopy.com./

Better, use xxcopy. Similar CLI, free; avoids the common problem of long/short file names getting scrambled. The "pro" version apparently has network features, but I've never used that.

First of all, I'm confused by what you mean when you say it's only using 10% of bandwidth. 400Mbps, means you're gonna get something like a max of about 40 Megabytes per sec transfer. (remember, 8 bits per byte, plus some overhead) Are you seriously only getting 4 MB/s?

As far as copying faster. You might want to try robocopy from the Windows 2003 resource kit or xxcopy. I've tried xxcopy and it seems to buffer things well, such that I can do a sustained 25 MB/s or so when backing up files to my 500 Gig USB 2.0 external drive.

The explorer method of copying seems to have a lot of overhead, and doesn't buffer the transfers well. At least not with lot's of small files.

fYou said, "All hotfix installers released since XP-SP2 have had an /integrate switch to do just that."

I tried that with two installers I just downloaded, and both had the /integrate switch.

A previous comment said to download the critical updates from here: Microsoft Updates Catalog, using Internet Explorer. Be sure to hunt for "Windows XP SP2". If you choose the logical "Windows XP Professional SP2", you will be offered only a ton of junk.

The system puts the files deep in separate folders. It is necessary to use an application like XXCopy or the File Finder in PowerDesk 4 from Ontrack to move the .EXE files to one folder. XXCopy and the File Finder in PowerDesk 4 are programs you need anyway. I've had problems with later free versions of PowerDesk, so I stay with the free PowerDesk 4.

There was no way to put the command line switches into a Slashdot comment, so I made a web page: Windows Update Installation Command Line Switches.

I haven't done the integration yet, but it looks promising.

I see now how to get critical updates. Skip "Windows XP Professional SP2" in the menu, and go to "Windows XP SP2".

The system puts the files deep in separate folders. It is necessary to use an application like XXCopy or the File Finder in PowerDesk 4 from Ontrack to extract the exe files to one folder.

XXCopy and the File Finder in PowerDesk 4 are programs you need anyway.

I've had problems with later free versions of PowerDesk, so I stay with the free PowerDesk 4.

I have been searching for something like this (progress bar, eta, etc. for copy operations) for native Win32 for over 2 years. I've seen the unxutils page, but the cp.exe included in that package doesn't support the -g parameter. I pride myself in being able to accomplish more via the command line in both Windows and *nix environments, but lack of progress information makes me resort to the GUI for large file transfers (> 2 GB). Moving platforms and using Cygwin are not viable alternatives, but if anyone has any other suggestions, I welcome them. (I can't even find someone to take my money; $40 for XXCopy gets you every feature under the sun and only a pop-up GUI progress bar! wtf?!?)

I have been searching for something like this (progress bar, eta, etc. for copy operations) for native Win32 for over 2 years. I've seen the unxutils page, but the cp.exe included in that package doesn't support the -g parameter. I pride myself in being able to accomplish more via the command line in both Windows and *nix environments, but lack of progress information makes me resort to the GUI for large file transfers (> 2 GB). Moving platforms and using Cygwin are not viable alternatives, but if anyone has any other suggestions, I welcome them. (I can't even find someone to take my money; $40 for XXCopy gets you every feature under the sun and only a pop-up GUI progress bar! wtf?!?)

just in case you had to switch HDDs wonder how long it'll take to back up 1TB

I have a 1TB RAID-5 NTFS array (vintage 2002 so it's not a speed demon but still respectable - maxes out the PCI!). I back it up using FW400 (also not the fastest these days) onto an external 1TB RAID-1 array. Using ntbackup with write-verify it takes 2 days for the backup, and 1 day for the verify.

XXCopy is quicker - takes around 1 day for write+verify.

These times would be cut to around a fifth if the data travelled over a faster bus than regular PCI and FW.

• CKRename - Tool to mass rename files in a folder. Works very well for renaming MP3s.
• WinMerge (Use latest RC under beta builds) - Compare document, script, HTML, etc content versions (compares what has changed from revision to revision).
• XXCopy - Extended version of XCopy. This is a great utility for scripting file backups from one drive to another.
• ISOBuster - Open CD/DVD ISOs, BINs, IMGs, etc without having to burn them. Can extract files without burning as well.
• Vim - Improved version of the vi editor.
• IrfanView - Batch Image Processing and viewer (much like ACDSee, but FREE!).
• Diskeeper Lite - An updated version of the disk defragmenter that comes with Windows 2000 and Windows XP. This version does a better job of defragging the drive and shows you more information. The site isn't the manufacturer's, but the download does come directly from them. ExecSoft doesn't have this listed on their site anywhere anymore.
• Locate - Windows version of a linux utility. Creates a database of every file on your drives. You can then search and get instant results.
• xvi32 Hex Editor - Very nice hex editor.
• 7-Zip - A freeware file archiver. It supports all of the popular formats (ZIP, CAP, RAR, ARJ, GZIP, BZIP2, TAR, CPIO, RPM and DEB) as well as its own format, 7z.
• Max Lister - Create text lists of files in folders. For example, it's useful for an mp3 list.

Installation / Automation

• InnoSetup - Create your own EXE installers.
• ISTool - A GUI front-end for creating InnoSetup installer scripts.
• WinINSTALL LE 2003 - Create your own MSI installers. Also edit existing MSI installers (change options, add/remove components, etc).
• KiXtart - Advanced batch processing language. Commonly used for logon scripts but can be used to accomplish many tasks (comparable to using VBScript and WELL documented).
• AutoIt - Create scripts to send keys to applictions. Commonly used to "silently" install applictions that don't natively support silent install switches.

Multimedia Tools

XXCOPY Haven't personally used it to backup onto DVD or CDR's before, but have heard of it being done successfully/easily by others.

Incredibly versatile tool. For my system backup I just use XXCOPY to clone my whole 'doze drive onto a spare HD loaded in a removable drive tray. When done, I have a complete, bootable backup sitting on the shelf for the next all-too-frequent catastrophe.

Oh yah, and it's free.

For those that need to work in a windows enviroment, I recommend xxcopy.

Print out the instructions for "disk cloning". Once you have done it once, it is very easy to do again. You can then make a "clone" of your harddrive install, so when Win98 turns to mush for one reason or another, you can reformat and re-clone. Best of all, you don't have to spend a dime for it and you get all the functionality of Norton's ghost.

I have found that W98 requires a re-install once a year, and that there is no way around it. For those that haven't moved to linux yet, I highly recommend Xandros. While it does not come with the firefox browser, it is easy eonough to install.

I have told my entire family (and all those that they send to my door with their various MS "windows problems") that I no longer support microsoft windows operating systems, and will stop supporting microsoft apps shortly as well.

By no means am I a linux fanboy. It's just a question of being practical. I can't spend all my time de-worming/reinstalling everybody's computer when a viable alternative is at hand now.