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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 12:05 AM
Default How often do you backup?
How often do you backup? Have you ever had to restore from backup?

I backup my neighbourhood every time I finish a household rotation (which is 3 days at the moment, though I plan to increase that to seasonal later on). I only keep the last three backups though because they get big even when I zip them up and I rarely need any further back than that.

I never install hood-resetting hacks mid-rotation, so if I somehow break something, the most I ever have to go back is to the beginning of the rotation. Though if I break something and try to troubleshoot before restoring I'll make an extra backup.

I've restored some four or five times, either because I broke something or just regretted some decisions. I've also restored just a single lot before, though this is tricky (and something I made an extra backup for).

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
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Instructor
#2 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 12:34 AM
I usually create a new back up every two weeks, my game is quite stable and it crashes rarely... I know it doesn't mean anything, but with all the fixes/clean hoods/save frequently the only thing that can mess up my game is me using SimPE (and I use it a lot, although in general I don't even load the hoods).
However, I always back up before using the Hood Checker - it never gave me any problems, but it's a precaution I like to take.

On the other hand, I never go back if something goes wrong (that's why in this particular save I lost both Brandi and Cassandra lol) so I never have to put them back, unless is something technical.
Mad Poster
#3 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 12:44 AM
For my main game, I take backups when I see it's needed. Could be every 2-4 times I play - basically every time I've done big changes I want to keep. I don't save my games too often there, so it takes a lot ot lose game progression. Still, if I've built something, made a new 'hood, done some major decorating, or gone through my nightmare of a clothing catalog to buy clothes for several families it's really annoying having to do that all over again. On my laptop I don't bother too much - I only have my testing grounds there, so I take a backup when it's been a while since the last one.

I've been saved by backups several times, and it's always nice to have a recent one at hand (plus maybe some older ones, just in case the bug started before your most recent backup). Once, my game flashed pink when I got to the neighborhood view (it's never done that before - only happens after a long play session), and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. I had a recent enough backup, fortunately.

Doing backups in general is also very useful. Both my computers are seemingly at death's door at the moment (the desktop probably has a motherboard+RAM issue, and the laptop has been plagued with a dead battery, random bluescreens and other bugs since earlier this year), so having a recent backup of everything on both of them is probably the smartest thing I did when I noticed the first bugs. I have one of the entire desktop computer, plus I now take backups fairly regularly (trying to keep it at maximum 2 weeks in between, trying to do it once a week or mroe often) on the laptop. Just in case it dies before I can swich computers...

I have bugged out on backups before - my first computer dragged it out before it suddenly wouldn't turn on at all, and I lost some of the more recent files. I did have backups of most of the files, just not all. They may be recoverable, though I'm not entirely sure how.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#4 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 12:48 AM
If the hard drive isn't fried, you can get external cases for them.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Alchemist
#5 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 12:49 AM
I back up once a session. I've restored from backup a couple of times. Once for squiggly lines (back when I mistakenly thought that was a definite sign of corruption), and once after I accidentally moved a house into the lot bin.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 12:52 AM
Quote:
If it's not the hard drive that's fried, you can get an external casing and plug it into another computer.


I know that's possible with the laptop. I just don't know how to get the harddrive out of there and how to clean out Windows (I've head that's neccessary). Fairly sure it's the power supply (the laptop wouldn't even budge when plugging it in). If it's not, it may be the motherboard. The screen kept going black randomly when playing Sims, and the last time I played the game slowed to a crawl (took 5 minutes from I clicked to something happened on the screen - but everything else worked sort of normally for a short while later). Haven't turned it on since late 2010-2011-ish, I think, but it's been in a closed computer bag ever since, so it shouldn't be any more dusty inside now than it was. Probably should get that thing seen to sometime soon...

On the stationary the harddrive is separate, so it can probably be reused if I get a new stationary (but again with the Windows issue - I do have a backup of the files alone though, so it's not that big a problem.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#7 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 12:56 AM
You're best off looking up a YouTube tutorial or something - remove hard drive from laptop [manufacturer/model name here] should find you something.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Scholar
#8 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 4:17 AM
Only when I think a computer is on its way out, and then I just frantically copy everything to a thumb drive. I have saved versions of the game going way back, but I never use them when I install on a new machine; I just start over with new rules and backstories. My current computer has been making funny noises lately. Am I worried about my Sims? Nah, I'm just trying to decide whether to go for an uberhood next time round or try another BaCC!
Inventor
#9 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 4:27 AM
I just started the habit of backing up my hoods; my Pleasantview megahood and my legacy hood. I haven't played Pleasantview for a while but I backup my legacy hood every time I finish putting in a new lot (I'm still building it, no Sims yet). I also backup my Downloads and SavedSims folders to a separate folder on my computer every once and a while. I haven't gotten around to zipping them, but if they're not too big I would upload the zips to my OneDrive or Google account in case of a computer failure

what_makes_you_haha.mp3
SFS uploads
Mad Poster
#10 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 4:32 AM
I probably don't make backups often enough, but I've only had neighborhood corruption once (although that was my old hood, which wasn't backed up at all...). I probably should make them more often.

Quote:
I know that's possible with the laptop. I just don't know how to get the harddrive out of there and how to clean out Windows (I've head that's neccessary).


There should be no need to remove Windows. Remove the harddrive from the old computer, take the harddrive out of the new computer and put your old harddrive in there instead. Viola! As long as nothing really is wrong with your harddrive.

You should be able to look up instructions on how to remove the harddrive if you know your computer's make - for example, when I was looking up how to install RAM I found YouTube videos showing how to take out every part of the computer. After that, you just need a magnetized screwdriver, probably a jeweler's screwdriver or one of a similar size. You should be able to buy a doohickey to magnetize the screwdriver at a hardware store.
Mad Poster
#11 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 4:51 AM
Used to do it often, copy&pasting a neighborhood folder to the desktop after every play session. Over time, I stop (maybe because it got tedious and not bad had happened). One hood got imploded (for the very first and so far only one time this ever happened to me), so when I restore my backup it didn't help much as the backup was badly saved in the wrong time after corruption. Made me realize I should have made duplicates for each data instead of keeping one that will be overrided, but I didn't and continue on over the habit I had.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#12 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 6:17 AM
Quote: Originally posted by kestrellyn
There should be no need to remove Windows. Remove the harddrive from the old computer, take the harddrive out of the new computer and put your old harddrive in there instead. Viola! As long as nothing really is wrong with your harddrive.


No, don't do that! Your system configuration, including all the drivers and shit, is on the hard drive. If you just swap them out chances are you'll just end up not being able to boot. Attach it as a secondary instead.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Mad Poster
#13 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 6:35 AM
Ahh, yeah, that might be true. In any case, you still don't need to get rid of Windows to just load the hard drive as secondary - you will still be able to see the filesystem just fine. I've done that tons of times, I have a whole bunch of old hard drives that still have Windows + whatever linux distro I was using at the time and Windows can still read the NTFS partitions without any help. I've never tried to actually boot from them, though. Kinda interested what would happen, now.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#14 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 7:24 AM Last edited by Bulbizarre : 8th Aug 2018 at 7:44 AM.
If it's the operating system that's at fault, you can also get a Linux boot disc and use it to transfer stuff to a USB drive or an external hard drive. I had to do that to rescue some photos off my mother's computer after she used a "registry cleaner" that deleted half of the keys and rendered the computer unbootable. I got her an account on Dropbox after that. (Good thing, too. A few months later, she turned it on when I specifically told her not to turn it on. The power supply exploded.)

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Mad Poster
#15 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 10:04 AM
I back up the entire game very rarely-but I do have an external drive that I use for it. I suppose I better do that pretty soon after I get my new video card.
You never want to detach a main drive from the working computer-it is the functional drive of that computer with all the drivers and OS.

Receptacle Refugee & Resident Polar Bear
"Get out of my way, young'un, I'm a ninja!"
Grave Matters: The funeral podium is available here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/e6tj...albits.zip/file
My other downloads are here: https://app.mediafire.com/myfiles
Mad Poster
#16 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 2:24 PM
Quote: Originally posted by FranH
You never want to detach a main drive from the working computer-it is the functional drive of that computer with all the drivers and OS.


Unless the laptop won't turn on, or the stationary can't be easily updated because the motherboard and RAM is what needs replacing (plus all the old parts that probably won't go with a new motherboard, because that computer is over 9 years old, and practically a fossile by now - as far as I understood, the only parts I can transfer to a new computer is the chassis, harddrive (without the OS), possibly the DVD drive, keyboard, maybe the screeen although it's got some "ghost image" problems, and... that's about it)
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#17 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 2:26 PM
After big changes and fairly regularly (say once a week) if I'm playing. I haven't actually played Little Carping for about 3 months so the last back up is three months old.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Scholar
#18 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 2:26 PM
I very rarely backup my neighborhoods with my hard drive space as low as it is.
Alchemist
#19 Old 8th Aug 2018 at 2:57 PM
I backup in SimPE whenever I'm about to do something weird, which is pretty often. Like Drew, the only thing really likely to mess up my game is me. I make a harddrive-zip-the-EA folder thingy only once in a few months maybe. I keep backups of archived downloads on an external but rarely use it.
Alchemist
#20 Old 9th Aug 2018 at 7:53 PM
last time I backed up I think was before installing University & Nightlife.
Mad Poster
#21 Old 9th Aug 2018 at 11:22 PM
Probably not enough.

If I am not playing the game as much, every three months.

If I am trying a mod or fix, right before I install it. Ditto for any new eye sets; especially geneticized.

If I am futzing with terrain, adding a new subhood or vacation hood, or doing anything that could potentially corrupt a hood, I back up just the hood in question.

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Scholar
#22 Old 10th Aug 2018 at 8:51 AM
Kicking my self, Hood just corrupted and the last backup is about a month old.

Not often enough it seems.
Scholar
#23 Old 10th Aug 2018 at 9:20 AM
I backup after every rotation.
(My rotations are: 2 days in each college household, 1 day in each household in any other subhood and the main hood.)

I backup, run the HoodChecker and then go into SimPE and edit whatever I feel the need to edit (usually household names, because I don't like having half a dozen households with the same name).
It's also my preferred time to add any CC, specially mods. Just in case.


But to be honest I don't think I use those backups very often. Only if a mod does something obviously weird.
If the hood crashes (for some corruption seeminly crept into it despite my loving care) I usually see it as a sign to say goodbye (because you never know if the recent backups are damned anyway) and start a new hood.
Meet Me In My Next Life
#24 Old 11th Aug 2018 at 1:08 AM
Back up your game is extremely a must, Like member FranH I have an external drive about the size of a book that sat on my desk top computer.
I just turn it on whenever I want to backup my Sims game, so there is an extra copy of my game always there.
I only backup my game if there is a major change within a Sims household like a new baby, Sims get married, or if my Sims reach their career goal things like that.
I also keep text as to the last time I updated my game with Month and day.

"Nothing in life is a Surprise it just happen to come your way at the time".
Top Secret Researcher
#25 Old 11th Aug 2018 at 10:34 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Simonut
Back up your game is extremely a must, Like member FranH I have an external drive about the size of a book that sat on my desk top computer.
I just turn it on whenever I want to backup my Sims game, so there is an extra copy of my game always there.
I only backup my game if there is a major change within a Sims household like a new baby, Sims get married, or if my Sims reach their career goal things like that.
I also keep text as to the last time I updated my game with Month and day.


I back up every time I quit playing, and at this point it is probably once per day.

I keep two back ups on an external drive that is also the source for my automatic backups using Time Machine. I most recently reverted to my most recent back up sometime last week I think it was, and it was because I accidentally put an occupied house in the Bin.

I have had to restart from the beginning before and I don't intend to do that again for some time yet, so I make lots of back ups.

for info on changing the Mac Open File Limit check out my post here http://www.insimenator.org/index.ph...html#msg1628939
Curiosity killed the cat,
but satisfaction brought it back.
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