Which Hard Drive Do You Use for Image Backups While at a Residential Clients Site

[allanc]

I am using a Western Digital My Passport (500 Gb, USB 3.0) drive to perform image backups at residential client's homes when necessary.
What are other members here using?

 

[PCSupportGlasgow]

If a clients PC requires a full backup it taken back to our workshop.

 

[allanc]

If a clients PC requires a full backup it taken back to our workshop.

For most of my clients that would mean about 1.5 hour of travel.

 

[PCSupportGlasgow]

Ouch

 

[Martyn]

For most of my clients that would mean about 1.5 hour of travel.

That's why I only cover a 15 mile radius of my house. I can get to any call in 25 minutes max. I don't think I could fully support a larger area and do a good job.

 

[allanc]

That's why I only cover a 15 mile radius of my house. I can get to any call in 25 minutes max. I don't think I could fully support a larger area and do a good job.

Well, most of our clients in one specific niche are downtown and we aren't .
I am not going to be giving up these clients.

 

[allanc]

That's why I only cover a 15 mile radius of my house. I can get to any call in 25 minutes max. I don't think I could fully support a larger area and do a good job.

And ....

That's why I only cover a 15 mile radius of my house. I can get to any call in 25 minutes max. I don't think I could fully support a larger area and do a good job.

And ... which drive, etc do you use for image backups while onsite?

 

[Martyn]

And ....

And ... which drive, etc do you use for image backups while onsite?

I don't, I take them back to my workshop

 

[phaZed]

Not a chance I would be performing backups at the clients location. Takes too long and I have other things to do. How long is a backup taking you to make on average? Then how long are you spending on-site taking care of the actual issue? Just some quick, likely faulty, math here:

3 hours drive time
~1 hour for full backup?
~2 hours for repairs?

If so, 5-6 hours per client? Practically the whole day for one client.. don't see how that could be profitable unless they're paying out the ying-yang for travel expense and hours billed. Not saying your business model is flawed, but it sure wouldn't work for me.

If I were to perform on-site backups.. in the interest of speed I would probably carry around a bare 2TB hard drive and go the SATA route direct to the MOBO, the next option would be going with a 2TB USB 3.0 Dual drive RAID 1 of some sort.

 

[MichaelBits]

Yea... don't do onsite backups.

If the PC is in a state that I think it needs that, I would tell them I need to take it back to the shop.
Basically if I get onsite and determine their issue will take longer than an hour, I recommend to them I take it to the shop and charge for pick up and delivery instead of on site service.

 

[allanc]

Not a chance I would be performing backups at the clients location. Takes too long and I have other things to do. How long is a backup taking you to make on average? Then how long are you spending on-site taking care of the actual issue? Just some quick, likely faulty, math here:

3 hours drive time
~1 hour for full backup?
~2 hours for repairs?

If so, 5-6 hours per client? Practically the whole day for one client.. don't see how that could be profitable unless they're paying out the ying-yang for travel expense and hours billed. Not saying your business model is flawed, but it sure wouldn't work for me.

If I were to perform on-site backups.. in the interest of speed I would probably carry around a bare 2TB hard drive and go the SATA route direct to the MOBO, the next option would be going with a 2TB USB 3.0 Dual drive RAID 1 of some sort.

Sorry - its 1.5 travel roundtrip to shop (not 3 hours).
Plus I might be visiting other clients near by.
I should have qualified my travel by saying that if the client was the only call-out in that general area it would be 1.5 hours roundtrip.
The backup is usually 20-30 minutes.
I don't perform a complete backup for every client to *my* hard drive - only under certain conditions.
Many have already purchased a backup solution from me.

 

[phaZed]

Gotcha, much more reasonable situation then, lol!

 

[gunslinger]

I don't do on site backups. If I see a reinstall is in order the computer comes back to the shop with me and I connect it to a 1TB WD desktop drive for its image. I'll also make a backup with fabs.

 

[allanc]

Yea... don't do onsite backups.

If the PC is in a state that I think it needs that, I would tell them I need to take it back to the shop.
Basically if I get onsite and determine their issue will take longer than an hour, I recommend to them I take it to the shop and charge for pick up and delivery instead of on site service.

I don't do on site backups. If I see a reinstall is in order the computer comes back to the shop with me and I connect it to a 1TB WD desktop drive for its image. I'll also make a backup with fabs.

Agreed, for a reinstall.
Some examples of when I would do a backup to my hard drive:
A client does not want the computer to leave his premises and he is far behind in his MS updates
Or, a virus removal that should require < 1 hour but he has expressed concern about losing his work.
Perhaps, I am being overly cautious or conservative?

 

[Ed_Zipper]

I sell the business their own external drive and bring a USB 3 card with me.

 

[gunslinger]

Agreed, for a reinstall.
Some examples of when I would do a backup to my hard drive:
A client does not want the computer to leave his premises and he is far behind in his MS updates
Or, a virus removal that should require < 1 hour but he has expressed concern about losing his work.
Perhaps, I am being overly cautious or conservative?

Nothing wrong with being cautious where a client's data is concerned. I have had a few to ask that I not take the computer off site. I agree and explain to them that if I do take it to the shop they will be charged a flat rate for the reinstall or virus removal. If I remain onsite it will be at my hourly rate and could take at least 3-4 hours. Normally they consent and allow their system to be taken.

 

[gikstar]

To answer the OP's question... I use whatever I have handy at the time. I have have 3Tb external USB 3.0 down to a 120GB SSD in my own case. I have about 10 external drives that I use. If the backup[ is something we want to save then we add it to our NAS afterwards.

Sometimes we have the small external drives come in that have gone bad, the customer replaces it with another unit and I reuse the old case by installing a good drive for ourselves to use.

 

[Markverhyden]

+10 on the USB 3 drives. What a difference they make when doing image backups and restores. I have clonezilla on a couple of thumb drives as well as the Zalman. And three 1TB USB 3 drives.

 

[allanc]

To answer the OP's question... I use whatever I have handy at the time. I have have 3Tb external USB 3.0 down to a 120GB SSD in my own case. I have about 10 external drives that I use. If the backup[ is something we want to save then we add it to our NAS afterwards.

Sometimes we have the small external drives come in that have gone bad, the customer replaces it with another unit and I reuse the old case by installing a good drive for ourselves to use.

Are the USB 3.0 drives 'portable' running at 5400 RPM?

 

[allanc]

+10 on the USB 3 drives. What a difference they make when doing image backups and restores. I have clonezilla on a couple of thumb drives as well as the Zalman. And three 1TB USB 3 drives.

Zalman 400 by any chance?
I am having a lot of difficulty with the touch screen and was wondering if anyone has the magic touch?