Hotsync vs. Other Backup - Treo Forums

loby21 · 10-19-2006, 12:34 AM

I hotsync my 650 at least 3-4 times a week. If I were to need to do a Hard Reset in the future, would I still lose all my contacts/appts/media? Basically, is hotsyncing backing up my treo at all or do I need a third party app.

FYI - I don't have an SD card (yet), so everything is stored directly on my treo.

Sorry if this question has been answered before. I had a hard time making sense of previous threads about "backing up". Thanks

Stillrockin · 10-19-2006, 05:23 AM

Hey Loby21! Welcome to ET Forums! So disaster strikes and you end up performing a hard reset! Your Palm boots back and all that is on it is the apps that it came to you from the factory. None of YOUR data is there any longer. If your at your PC, sync the Treo and it will ask if you want to use your current userID or a new one. You will want to use your current one, because that is where all your previous data is stored.

But what if your not close to your PC when this happens? That is where a good back up program will shine! From your SD card, you can restore all or even parts of your data while on the go. Another fine aspect of a back up with an SD card is that you can create restore points. Anytime I install a new applications, I start by creating a restore point. I install the new app, and if it doesn't play nice, I use that previous restore point to return to the settings I had just before installing the new app.

Hope this helps . .

kabeyun · 10-19-2006, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loby21

Basically, is hotsyncing backing up my treo at all or do I need a third party app,

As Stillrockin said, HotSyncing does perform a backup, so you should be fine until your SD card arrives (you did order one, didn't you?

).

However, the problem I've run into in the past is that a HotSync restore sometimes doesn't quite recreate my handheld exactly as it was before. An app registration data is missing, the categories are bollixed up... something isn't quite right. On the other hand, most current backup apps will backup your Treo precisely as it was when it was backed up. A restore will give you a clone of your prior state. For this reason (among others), I recommend using a backup app. I use BadkupBuddy VFS, but there are many that are well thought of.

Welcome to the forums.

-K

loby21 · 10-20-2006, 12:03 AM

Thanks for the answers! No, I still haven't ordered a SD card as I am happy with how it works right now. I've still got some room left in the memory on the phone and haven't had any problems with it yet. Kind of a "if it's not broke, don't fix it" type thing.

Thanks again.

benjie · 10-20-2006, 02:28 AM

Now, no one brought up the subject of what backup programs to use. We all have favorites. I have licenses for both BackupManager and Resco Backup and use Resco Backup exclusively. It was recently updated to cope with the file system used in the 650/700 series. In addition, Resco Backup restores Java files; BackupManager does not.

There are two other applications that are in use, BackupBuddy VFS and NV Backup. BackupBuddy is commercial and NV Backup is freeware.

Ben