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Pad Patter 1/6 - Backing Up Your Files

Karen

Karen

Wiggle it, just a little bit!
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So... it's a new year and people are making resolutions all around. How many of you have taken a look at your back up process? Your photos and digi supplies and probably a very important part of your life... do you take good care of them?

I want to know how you personally back up your files (I could probably use some improvement, so I'm looking for ideas). :)
 
Currently I do not have an online backup plan. I want one, but I don't want to spend the money and I keep hearing horror stories about how even that fails on occasion. I tried one a year or so ago... I think Mozy? and after a month it had only backed up 15% off my files and I didn't want to deal with it taking that long to get my files back if I had a crash.

So, I currently back everything up to DVD and then I store those DVDs in a safe deposit box at our bank. I also back up to a 2nd EHD, but I'm really lazy about that part. I have heard great things about Sync Toy by Microsoft (free DL) and need to take the time to figure that out to make that process a little easier.

I try to do my DVDs once a month, but more likely it's every two months. I also do not delete pictures off my SD cards until they've been burned to a DVD and they are on my 1st EHD.
 
It does take a while to get files uploaded and backed up via online service like Mozy or Carbonite. But once it's there it's instantaneous access to your backed up files, it does not take the same time to recover your files. I have been using Carbonite for 4 years and you see the backed up Carbonite files in Windows Explorer as if it's another drive. You see your files there immediately when it's backed up.

Besides online backup with Carbonite, I also have a 2 TB EHD that I use Sync Toy to back up my entire internal HD on my computer.

The thing about DVDs that didn't work for me is it's too time-consuming to manually backup to them. It also requires work on my part, which is not a good thing. I needed something that's pretty automatic. The other thing about DVDs is that it does degrade over time. I've had stuff copied to CDs and DVDs and after a few years it has degraded so much that the computer can't read it anymore. DVDs and CDs can be an effective backup if it's not your only source of backup.
 
Christine...last time I looked into Carbonite (maybe a few years ago) they didn't back up EHD's. Do they now? That was the main reason I went with Backblaze. It wasn't quite as easy retrieving my files after my crash as you say it is with Carbonite. It wasn't that big of a deal though and I did get everything I needed.

I just backup to my ehd and Backblaze. I used to do DVD's, but after burning hundreds of them, I said forget it!! Too much work!
 
I back my files up to my EHD, as well as Backblaze. I love knowing that my files are safe.
 
About four months ago I started using Crash Plan. I LOVE it! I signed up for their Crash Plan + Family Unlimited plan which lets you back up up to 10 computers! It lets you back up EHDs as well. My sister and I split the cost which is really great. By doing that it comes out to just $5 a month for each of us! Even if I didn't split it with someone, it would still have been worth it to me because I love that it is automatic and I don't have to do anything on my part. The initial back up does take time (months) but I felt it was worth it.

I also have a 1TB EHD that I back everything up to about once a month.
 
4noisyboys said:
Christine...last time I looked into Carbonite (maybe a few years ago) they didn't back up EHD's. Do they now? That was the main reason I went with Backblaze. It wasn't quite as easy retrieving my files after my crash as you say it is with Carbonite. It wasn't that big of a deal though and I did get everything I needed.

I just backup to my ehd and Backblaze. I used to do DVD's, but after burning hundreds of them, I said forget it!! Too much work!
Click to expand...

Debra - it looks like Carbonite does offer EHD backup now, but it's only with their $149 plan, which is pricey.
http://www.carbonite.com/en/home/online-backup-pricing

I have not worried about backing up my EHD because I use it as a backup for my computer HD and it's the same data. I know others use it to archive and move data from their computer to the EHD, so then it would be important to back that up as well.
 
Lynnette said:
About four months ago I started using Crash Plan. I LOVE it! I signed up for their Crash Plan + Family Unlimited plan which lets you back up up to 10 computers! It lets you back up EHDs as well. My sister and I split the cost which is really great. By doing that it comes out to just $5 a month for each of us! Even if I didn't split it with someone, it would still have been worth it to me because I love that it is automatic and I don't have to do anything on my part. The initial back up does take time (months) but I felt it was worth it.
Click to expand...
That's what we have too. We haven't needed it so far (knock on wood!), so I cannot offer feedback on the restoring process, but it's great to have everything backed up, including EHDs.
 
I back up all my files on EHDs - several of them! - and then I also burn everything to DVD. I don't trust the online backups and also don't want to pay for them. One of my EHDs recently died, but it was a backup of a backup so I didn't lose a thing! I really do need to store my DVDs somewhere else. Right now they're on the floor next to my laptop station.

I am looking for a new EHD - with 1 or 2 TBs - because the biggest one I have, a Toshiba, keeps shutting down! I'll be in the middle of scrapping something and I have to restart the EHD again! I'd love your recommendations!
 
I use backblaze. That's all. The initial back up on my computer took well over a month. I've still not backed up my EHD. I'm afraid to leave it plugged in and on for that long.
 
I use 2 EHD & Backblaze. I have a ton of pictures so I am paranoid about backing up. I have lost all my kits once before & had to start all over. Not fun at all! I don't want to chance losing my pictures.
 
I occasionally back up to an EHD, which is awful I know! I probably have thousands of photos that I'd loose in a second if my HD crashed. I really need to resolve to be better about backing them up. I could replace any other files if I lost them, but I'd be devastated if I lost all of my babies photos!
 
i use continuous backup w/ Blackblaze and then run backups to EHD and DVD (to send offsite) on occasion... probably run the full backups once every 3-4months.
 
In addition to two other EHDs, I have a Flickr Pro account that I post my layouts and photos to/on. I also have most of the important photos on both my mom's and MIL's computer hard drives.

Most of my kits are from working on various CTs (and I don't usually use a kit more than once), so it wouldn't really bother me if I lost those in a crash. Sure, it'd be a PITB, but I wouldn't be out thousands of dollars, so... *shrug*
 
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