Power Cut

[Tom Lawrence]

Originally Posted by dnanian

I'd probably suggest a full copy if you had a power failure, yes. But, more than that, I'd suggest an uninterruptible power supply!

Thanks David. As an individual I cannot afford to guarantee my power supply. Even 5 minutes guaranteed supply after a power cut would cost circa $400, time only to quit and close down which I believe is not possible with cloning.

To quote: while in the act of making/updating a clone you actually have NO backup! A power outage at that time or a large surge or a lightning strike *could* render both drives (source and target) useless – all data lost.

My original question which you did not answer was: is this true? ; and, secondly,would both drives be wiped out even with a Smart update?

I have assumed that the quote is indeed true and that for true peace of mind I will need a second clone on a separate and additional drive,disconnected during the cloning process.

in the meanwhile, Smart updates which take a fraction of the time reduce the risk considerably. Clearly, with the short time to do a Smart update, I can usually predict weather and avoid peak electricity demand periods.

I believe it is best to face up to the double jeopardy of cloning-the possibility of losing two drives-if a power cut hits during the process. In no way does this weaken, at least in my view, the case for cloning. My main reason for the clone is to have cover when doing a lengthly TTP defragmentation exercise, for example.

Your further comments would be appreciated.