Paul.G

Right here's the problem

There are loads of old files on our network that people have forgot about/left the job/etc etc, clogging up the drives and forever requiring more space to save stuff.

Question
Is there any software that can either flag up when a file has not been modified for 3 years for example? or could track who saved what and where and notify them after a certain time to se if the file is still required?

Or is there any other ways of rooting out these old files

and no I am not an IT type (as you can tell from my tecnical jargon )

MrDeference

You can just use the normal window search (windows key + F) to root out files modified in a given window...

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

The other thing to do is that if they must be kept, change your Backup to only backup new or modified files - after having done at least one full system backup which you store off-site. Therefore, your backup time will be reduced but you will still be able to re-install the files if necessary.

[edit] Sorry, do a full backup once a week & the other backups can be incremental.

[Edited by Puff The Magic Wagon! - 11/16/2002 8:29:44 AM]

mark_h

Slightly better than incremental backups, but requiring a bit more tape space, is differential backups. These are the same as incremental except that the archive flag does not get reset, so the files get backed up each time.
The advantage comes during a restore - you only need the full backup and the most recent differential, rather than every incremental since the full.

ChrisB

You could look at something like Veritas NetBackup Storage Migrator

http://www.veritas.com/products/cate...05&baseId=2021

I don't think it's cheap.

Alternatively, get a DVD writer for £200 and dump anything that's not been used for two years or more onto DVDs.

druddle

Easier than that, just delete all the IT departments **** amd mp3s and a few hundred Gb will appear as if by magic

Dave

Foot_Tapper

This may be time consuming, but to keep backing up files no longer required is a waste anyway. Personally I would do as MrDeff said.
Pick a cut-off date, do the search, then move all the older files to an archived folder or whatever you want to call it.
No one takes ownership for a lot of old crap. Archive it off to cd or create a tape backup of it, check that it will restore if/when required; then delete the stuff from your server.
You could email the users to say you intend to archive all old data, and ask them to delete old stuff, or no longer required stuff. (everyone usually ignores this).Give them a 2 week window.
Archive it , test restore, then delete it. You will always get 1 or 2 idiots with excuses saying where's this n that gone despite warnings. They are usually the worst offenders for keeping crap.
Your servers will appreciate it, your backups will be quicker n smaller. etc etc. Thing is , no one else can be bothered, so make your life easier.

jbryant

Totally agree with foot_tapper.
Tell em you're going to archive all the old junk. Give them a couple of weeks and just do it.

Joolz