Even the most basic types of back ups can be worth their weight in gold when disaster strikes.
For example just plugging in a usb flash drive and copying over your pictures, music and docs can mean you will still have these irreplaceable things if your pc breaks.
Dropbox, SkyDrive (now called OneDrive) can also be used to keep copies of your pics and documents in the cloud which means if disaster strikes and you have to get a new pc all those things can be copied back to your new machine.
Microsoft File History on Win 7 and Win 8 works well to keep backup of your data onto another drive such as a portable external drive.
The Disk Station you linked to is another way.
The ultimate way is of course a system image.
Anyone reading this who hasn't got any backups at all, even just copying your docs/data over to a little flash drive is better than nothing. Don't use the little drive for anything else and put it in a safe place.You will be so glad you did it.
For the past 10 years I've used ViceVersa and love its capabilities, it's a paid-for product (about $60AUD from memory) but in reality any backup software is better than no backup software.
I backup my data drive D:\ nightly to the NAS, weekly to 2 USB drives and monthly to a drive kept offsite using VV.
I also use Macrium Reflect weekly to make a system image of C:\ drive.
Then I also copy my data to 2 other rigs in the house at end of month.
So I consider myself anal when it comes to backups but I’ve used them enough to know with 100% certainty that all I need is covered and the PC can die whenever it damn well pleases and I’ll lose no data and have minimal down time.
It also means that if I ever have to leave the house in a hurry in the dead of night, I can simply grab a choice of external, portable drives and have all my data at hand.
I guess I'm slightly the slacker. All I use is a portable hard drive to backup pics, music, etc. Once I can get my hands on another portable hard drive, I'll back up the first portable drive. lol
(and for the observant amongst us, the last line in my signature I made fit the constraints of a Japanese Haiku)
LuLu, I'm just glad you backup - full stop!
It really is disappointing the number of people who don't. They've heard about it, they know what's required, they know it's important - they just haven't taken the last, most important step.
It is sheer laziness, it has to be.
And they are the first to whine when it hits the fan !!!
I guess I'm slightly the slacker. All I use is a portable hard drive to backup pics, music, etc. Once I can get my hands on another portable hard drive, I'll back up the first portable drive. lol
lulu what you are doing is great! You are no slacker that's for sure
This means if your machine breaks you'll always have the stuff that's important to you ready to go on a new machine (should you be lucky enough to get one )
LuLu, sounds like the same procedure I use for files, pictures, software, etc. Just a simple copy to an external drive.
OS backups are another matter, use Acronis for win xp, still need something for win 7, leaning toward Macrium.
If win 7 crashes, I plan to use the factory disks to just reinstall it.
The BIOS for the win 7 machine is UEFI, GPT, etc etc, that complicates backup procedures.
The built in win 7 imager is apparently disabled by Hewlett Packard, replaced by their proprietary package which only allows restoring back to factory original.
I'm using a Seagate GoFlex Home. I do not recommend it. At some point I intend to replace it with a Netgear drive bay, similar to the one mta has described. Unfortunately that requires cash, and I sadly spent all of mine
I'm using a Seagate GoFlex Home. I do not recommend it. At some point I intend to replace it with a Netgear drive bay, similar to the one mta has described. Unfortunately that requires cash, and I sadly spent all of mine
I only heard bad news about the Seagate and some of D-Links NAS rang, that why I am looking at the Synology mentioned in my original post.
(and for the observant amongst us, the last line in my signature I made fit the constraints of a Japanese Haiku)
LuLu, I'm just glad you backup - full stop!
It really is disappointing the number of people who don't. They've heard about it, they know what's required, they know it's important - they just haven't taken the last, most important step.
It is sheer laziness, it has to be.
And they are the first to whine when it hits the fan !!!
I still empathise but my sympathy is long gone.
lulu what you are doing is great! You are no slacker that's for sure
This means if your machine breaks you'll always have the stuff that's important to you ready to go on a new machine (should you be lucky enough to get one )
I'll be honest. I NEVER used to back up anything. I never had the extra $$$ to buy extra drives for my old computer, and backing up on floppy disks was definitely not going to happen. But after that computer crashed and I lost EVERYTHING, I told myself come hell or high water I was always going to backup my stuff. I ended up making friends with a guy who built computers and he gave me a couple of empty hard drives, so I installed them and used those as backups. Then my brother bought me the portable drive and I moved everything over to that. And good thing too since that system is now kaput (for the time being anyway). I keep nothing on this new laptop so if windows has to be reinstalled or whatever, I don't care. I backup what's necessary (including my tablet and cell phone) and tell others to do so as well. Though some friends are so darn hardheaded about it.
I backup what's necessary (including my tablet and cell phone) and tell others to do so as well. Though some friends are so darn hardheaded about it.
All they have to do is lose everything once or twice to quickly realize they need a backup solution, I learned that the hardway back in the Win98 days when the Win98 OS would commit suicide every now and then - usually every few months. Just installing or uninstalling some software can nuke a system, and I'm not talking about malware infected software.
All they have to do is lose everything once or twice to quickly realize they need a backup solution, I learned that the hardway back in the Win98 days when the Win98 OS would commit suicide every now and then - usually every few months. Just installing or uninstalling some software can nuke a system, and I'm not talking about malware infected software.
Oh I have a friend that's gone through 3 or 4 laptops. She still won't back up anything. Says it's too much trouble. I tell her she's crazy.
And I totally remember those days. I think I reinstalled Win98 about 10 times in the 3 years I had it. I remember updating Java and Win98 not liking that at all. I cried that day.
of course the amount of data would be a factor, but even Cloud backups are viable now.
free space allowance on Dropbox is 2gig, OneDrive is 5gig and Google Drive is 15gigs. (I think I have those right)
Movies and Music, if need be, can always be (painfully) resurrected from the original source but those Cloud services should offer enough space for those important financial records, address book, Pictures and the like.
the bottom line is, no one cares how you backup, just as long as you do.
because as long as your bum points to the ground, data loss is inevitable.
hard drive failure is measured in when's not if's.