how do i backup the SSD? SD card options

I was told at Future Shop that I have to buy a dvd to reinstall the software (this was regarding an xp SSD version with only a 2 hour battery which is almost useless to me). I have an xp disk from an old dead computer and only have to load the drivers from the acer website to install that if I decide to go that way. But this new aspire one comes with a 7 hour battery and I believe Linpus version of Linux which I'll try out and see if I like that OS first.

Can I install xp from the original cd (from a desktop) and install drivers from the website if I need to run xp? The reason I want a SSD version of Aspire One is that my iBook had both a hard drive and cd writer drive replaced because of vibrations from rough roads. The SSD won't have issues with rough handling like hard drives and cd drives do.

Knowing nothing about Linux, how do I backup the original 8 GB Solid State Drive to another usb stick (thumb drive) for use as a re-installation disk? The messages I read so far talk about Ubuntu so it may not relate to this version of linux that comes preinstalled. This is step one... backup original software to a usb so it will boot off the usb stick and reinstall everything if something goes terribly wrong.

I do have a 8 GB usb stick for use. I also wonder about formatting a 30gb usb drive (warranty replacement for my iBook). Will linpus recognize the usb hard drive for storage? Perhaps later I might try installing osx on it.

I can buy a $200 32 gb SD card. Can I just plug n'play or do I have to plug n'pray it will work?

 

I use Acronis True Image to backup my SSD & SD to an external USB drive. I have images of my Linpus, XP & Mandriva 2009 cloned. It's fast & simple to use. Highly recommended. Only downside, it's not free.

 

Hi

google "macles" and look at his blog, he has an excellent backup/restore program and it is FREE. There are also many other great tips for the Aspire One.
One point about his backup it will not cover the SD card.
Here is a link

http://macles.blogspot.com/search?updat ... results=12

 

Hey, thanks. Will check out that site.
I'd normally use carbon copy cloner or diskutil on my mac but that won't help with the SSD in the aspire.

 

Are you sure? I have a 16gb SSD, so I haven't needed to expand using the left hand SD slot yet.

However, I just did a full backup using aa1backup, and at the end of the process it reported that aufs was enabled, with rw privileges; this suggests to me that both the SDD and the SD expansion should be backed up/restored.

 

Hi lipssd

Interesting point you make.
I had made my statement on the basis of macles comment as follows;

There is however a limitation: it only makes a backup of the first physical drive and it does probably not work with non-SATA controllers.

As the SSD is the first physical drive the conclusion would be that the SD card would not be backed up.
However there is nothing like trying it for yourself so I added a file to my SD card and then restored my system. My thought being that if the SD card had been backed up previously the new file would not be there.

You are right about the message about Auf's but then they are more a software item and would be part of the restore.

Well after I re-booted the result was that the new file I had added was still there so that seems to me that the SD card is not backed up.
I know many people think that the LH Storage Expansion integrates with the SSD but that is not the case. What Auf's does is create a Virtual Directory containing the contents of the LH SD card (/media/disk) and the /home/user directory on the SSD.

Best wishes

 

http://aaobackup.blogspot.com/2008/10/purchase-just-software-2000-cad.html
Check out the above blog as it is the best answer for backing up and restoring an AAO with the SSD and an SD card. I use an earlier version of it to keep my 8Gb SSD and 16Gb SD card which I use for my home partition in Mandriva 2009 Gnome.

 

Went there and downloaded the file off the server. Now what do I do? I have no idea what all those linux commands mean. You say that this program will not cover the SD card? Explain please what you mean by cover. You mean I can't backup my SSD with aa1blinux to another SD card? What about copying to a partition on an external usb hard drive then?

Do I just open the file in my download box and it installs somewhere?

 

You have posted in a Linux thread so I assume you wish to backup a Linux system. If you read macles blog properly you will see for Linux there is no file to download. I assume therefore you have downloaded the file for Windows OS system.

 

the download is for linux. file is called aa1blinux.

 

"AA1BACKUP is a backup solution for the Acer Aspire One based on free and open source software. It makes an exact copy of the drive, bit for bit, and therefore works with any file system, partition table or operating system. And to emphasize its operating system independence it can be installed from either Linux or Windows.

In Windows just download the installer from here.
In Linux open a terminal and run the following commands.

wget -O aa1blinux http://sites.google.com/site/aa1backupi ... /aa1blinux
chmod 755 aa1blinux && sudo ./aa1blinux"

I copied the url from the above command and copied it into firefox 2 so that it downloaded the file into the downloads folder. The quote above is from the macles site. Hope that clears up any confusion.

 

You said

In Windows just download the installer from here.
In Linux open a terminal and run the following commands.

wget -O aa1blinux http://sites.google.com/site/aa1backupi ... /aa1blinux
chmod 755 aa1blinux && sudo ./aa1blinux"

I copied the url from the above command and copied it into firefox 2 so that it downloaded the file into the downloads folder. The quote above is from the macles site. Hope that clears up any confusion.

No wonder you are having problems, where does macles say "copy it into firefox2". What he says is in the second line of your quote from his site "In Linux open a terminal and run the following commands."

I suggest you insert a blank formatted USB drive of the size suggested then open mackles blog at the section where the 2 lines to be inserted in terminal are, then open Terminal "Alt + F2" together then click Run. Copy and paste line 1 and press enter, wait until it is finished. Then copy and paste line 2 and press enter. When that finishes you will see the LH picture in macles blog and you then select the USB drive (there probably is only one) and OK. That will copy the program to the USB. Then follow the rest of his instruction to Boot from the USB.

You may now understand what I said previously about downloading and reading instructions.

 

Yeah looked at that site. $20 isn't bad. Might just do that.
As far as backing up the expansion SDHC card, wouldn't any iso image backup software work for duping this card?
I'm thinking that Roxio Toast could make an iso image to a cd for backing up the expansion card. Since the format is windoze fat format just about any disk duping software could do that including diskutil on Leopard OS macs with the appropriate card reader installed.

What we need is some linux commands to format a 8gb usb stick, copy the master boot record and all the files (hidden included).Can't find the website for the commands.

 

I'm not5 sure but I do know that quite often partitioning software and backup software has trouble seeing SD cards.

 

Thanks for taking the time to make the experiment. I guess the left SD slot and aufs have been over-hyped a bit. Glad I have a real 16gb SSD and still have 8+ gb of free space. At the rate I'm going, this should last me just about forever, as I keep most working files on a "real" computer or in the cloud, so I don't have a tremendous need for filespace on the AA1.