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Storage: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data?
- 8/1/08 10:29 AM
On line backup
by myoung1834 - 8/2/08 7:10 AM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use Carbonite
Carbonit?!
by dandds - 8/2/08 8:16 AM In reply to: On line backup by myoung1834Be very Careful with carbonite!! I got tired of the hassles of backup and went to carbonite (highly recommended on several tech radio shows--and the website testimonials were great) The promise of fast data recovery and ever running backup was hard to resist.
The first clue something may be amiss--my backup took a week (29 GB. I am a dentist and for the fist time in 12 years I had a full system crash. Of the 29 GB 19 were image files and the recovery took 1 week. I had no way to know what patients were coming in (I am fully paperless) What we were doing, or what their balances were. Luckily I had only been on carbonite for 45 days so I did get everything prior to the 45 days in a 1 hour recovery of 12 years of data from my external hard drive.
CARBONITE is not helpful. They said it was my download speed but even after paying for a T1 server it still took a week (Would have taken 2 weeks on my broadband system. I asked if they (carbonite) could make a backup and send it to me--no, they wouldn't or couldn't.
I lost thousands of dollars of production.
Oh and finally--have an expert check the integrity of the recovered data. As it came through there were some gaps and he (the expert had to do something--maybe resend certain files--that I would not have known to check) oh yeah--the expert cost me $1200--all this for $49 a year!! Thank you carbonite and the Radio gurus who steered me there!
Backup my Computer
by LynneM - 8/2/08 7:58 AM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have an external drive (Maxtor) that I bought and use for backups. I also have a Seagate external drive that I use to re-backup my stuff. All right I'm paranoid and I admit it but I hate to search for my stuff that has mysteriously disappeared off my computer and I am always expecting the worse to happen. I use Acronis at least once a month (if not more often) and then copy certain files to the Seagate to give me an added feeling of safety. My son says I worry too much, but he has had to rebuild his computer and lost a lot of data that he was using.
I have a 20 gig drive that I had removed from my old computer and I put it in an external case that I bought so that I could still access the data from the old machine. I am in IT and value the data that I have accumulated and hate to lose any bit in case I might need it one day.
I am an old lady (67 years to be exact) and don't have time to seek all the data to replace on my machine, nor the patience!
Yes -- Just back up to CDs, plus...
by MichieS - 8/2/08 8:13 AM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I also use/make at least two CDs (using a different manufacturer's CD for each, to lessen any potential writing problems). Then I read each (in another CD reader), and get copy of its contents (using CMD (or, COMMAND )DIR /s /s > filenameDateETC.xxx).
The contents file provides a neat way to search for a specific file, when I need to find it).
Windows SBS backup
by Myztry - 8/2/08 8:16 AM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Never trust Microsoft's inbuilt backup software as provided on Professional verions of XP of Windows 2003 Server line.
Firstly it requires you to have a floppy drive to store some the drive information data. A foolish requirement since most computers don't have one.
Hard Drives may fail occasionally, but 'floppy' disc should come with a 'guaranteed to fail' sticker. You can't use a USB key. Microsoft inexplicably won't let you.
Definitely don't use Microsoft backup if using Exchange as provided with the Windows 2003 Server line.
Although Microsoft Backup claims to be 'Exchange aware' it will often just fail to restore the Exchange Store. No error messages in typical Microsoft.
It just won't work requiring you to hit the command line in futile attempts to make your Exchange Store mount again.
If you take data protection seriously, go for a professional solution and leave amateur Microsoft out of the picture.
(Microsoft weren't even competent enough to write Microsoft Backup themselves - They got someone to do it and then just failed to update it)
Backing up your files
by Christine Wholeben - 8/2/08 8:20 AM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm a computer consultant, and when I go through my checklist of what my clients need to be doing to keep their computers in good working order, my #1 item is backups! I see so many horror stories... people losing their data and not having it backed up. It's really heart-breaking when someone calls me and says "uh, I think my hard drive crashed... can you see if you can find my documents?" There are some forensic data recovery places - if you're willing to spend $1500 to get your data back. But even that is not always possible.
Having learned the hard way myself, I like to have at least two backups. I use an online backup service (Carbonite), which, for $50/yr. - is well worth it. I actually have this service on both my "main" computer and my traveling laptop. In addition to that, I back up onto an external hard drive perhaps once every few weeks.
If you have data that you "couldn't live without" or your life would be miserable if you lost it - then you really MUST have a backup that is AWAY from your computer - such as an online backup. There are so many calamaties that could ruin both your computer AND the external hard drive at the same time: water, tornado, electrical surge, fire, theft, etc. - so you really must either keep your external drive in a different location or have a backup online. OK - I'm off my soap box!
Chris Sutton
Backup weekly
by jbr101 - 8/2/08 8:22 AM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I back up my c: drive weekly to an an external Mator One Touch 250G.
I also back up critital data on CD or DVD.
JBR101
Backup weekly
by brummpa - 2/2/09 1:09 AM In reply to: Backup weekly by jbr101I also have a Maxtor One Touch 250G external drive and would like to know do you turn it OFF between backup sessions? I would think that its logical to save wear and tear on the drive to turn it off when its not actually being used. Would appreciate your thoughts when you have a moment. Thanks again.
brummpa
Shadow Protect Desktop works for me.
by PackratBob - 8/2/08 9:38 AM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've tried many of the backup programs mentioned in this thread, but have been unhappy with all of them. Finally Brian Livingston recommended one and it really works. I warn you though, it's not cheap.
The name of the program is "ShadowProtect Desktop." It does everything pretty much automatically. Their URL is http://store.storagecraft.com/acb/stores/1/ShadowProtect-Desktop-Edition-32-P55C8.aspx . It costs $80 a seat, but does an outstanding and easy job. This is professional level software that's easy to use. They have 30 day trials available. They guarantee to restore from even "bare metal". This product has made it possible for me to keep a complete backup at all times. I can't begin to elucidate all of the program's features, but I would advise you to check them out at the above URL.
PS. I am not an employee of this or any related company.
Yes, I am for real!
by martyro - 8/2/08 10:10 AM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Yes, I am for real! I do back up my DOS programs on floppy, and yes, I still like DOS and use it for some things. I am a dinosaur that dates back to CPM days with 5-1/4" floppies.
I back up my photos and graphics on CDs as well as my correspondence that I need to keep.
I am considering getting an additional computer and formatting the HD with DOS as the OS. DOS and XP do not play well together and I am tired of jumping through hoops and/or using DosBox.
Backups
by erade - 8/2/08 1:38 PM In reply to: Yes, I am for real! by martyroI did backup everything but when I needed something from the backup disk, I could not retrieve it. So I quit backups. Windows Vista does not seem to be backup friendly.
Ever since a fatal crash on a 12-14 month old HD.
by vanmandt - 8/2/08 1:23 PM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Ever since Iomega came out with the super floppies (Zip 100 & later 250MB Disks) I have been very good at backing up important data. I have never had even a hiccup with a Zip Disk, but once I started putting photo and video files on the computer, I had to get new computers with faster & bigger HD's and all the associated processing power, etc. that we need now, and the 250MB Disks were now too small for backing up photo/video files (I still use the Zip Disks religiously for financial and other important "papers," etc.).
After my new, giant (I think it was 20GB), top of the line HD failed catastrophically, I have ever since backed up these large files on 3 separate computers' HD's; and after 1st level editing, back the files up also on Archival Gold CD's and DVD's (I don't trust most of the other CD/DVD media to be around past 3 to 12 years - and this is family history we are backing up - and the ArchivalGold Disks are expected to last as long or longer than a properly stored photo). Recently (4 or 5 months ago) I got a 500GB External HD that takes the place of 1 of the separate computer's HD. So far it has worked flawlessly, and it has become the 1st repository of new photo/video files; but I Do Not erase the camera's or other media for reuse until I have at least a 2nd backup. Naturally (or the inverse of Murphey's Law perhaps), since I've taken these steps to ensure my data I have not had any failures from the now-many devices I use - but I feel that I could guarantee you that if you don't take these kinds of steps (i.e., you instead rely on only one computer HD and cheap CD's & DVD's) you will have a heartbreaking crash that no amount of time spent trying will see you recover everything you lost. For those wanting to know, the Archival Gold Disks are made by Delkin Devices, and the External HD that I am (so far) very happy with is made by Cavalry. I hope this is helpful information even if it is nothing new to many of you.
Be honest: do you back up your important data?
by Domingos - 8/2/08 1:42 PM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Yes, I do back up my data.
I use the method of one external drive for each of the different types of data; one for Pictures, another for Music, another for Office and the like documents and so on. Then I have two more 500GB External HDs where I store the sum of them all, everything together.
If one goes south I will have the other to rely on, HOPEFULLY.
On top of that all, the 500GBs on my computers keep the OS and everything together too; OS, programs, data, everything (TODO).
The thing is... BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP and don't forget of course, BACK UP.
I lost all my precious pictures and other data once, when my one and only external back-up Hard Drive suddenly and without notice, passed away. It was only months old.
I was rejuvenating my computer and trusted that drive, the problem was that when I tried to get that data back to the newly rejuvenated computer, the external drive died, everything was gone; Years of pictures and documents, all gone.
The moral of the story is?
Do I have to say it again?
Domingos
Back-Up
by Clyde Hunter - 8/2/08 3:02 PM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have 2 hard drives. All Downloads, copies of important E-Mail, music, and photos go on the second HD. I should have, but do not have
a plan. I copy the second drive (4 partitions) to an external hard drive (4 folders), which is only connected when I do a back-up. I try to do a backup every 2 to 4 weeks.
I may be doing a lot of extra work, but I format the folder I am copying to. I do not know if copying say the "D" drive to a folder called "D" will correctly add the new data to the old data and do the same thing without the format.
Clyde Hunter
Nightly to external hard drive
by BillSamuel - 8/2/08 4:36 PM In reply to: Poll: Be honest: do you back up your important data? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have automated nightly backup to an external hard drive. This covers essentially all the data (documents, spreadsheets, databases, email, etc.) I create. I really appreciated that a few months ago when my PC hard drive failed. I lost virtually nothing.
I think the likelihood of both the PC and the external hard drive failing at the same time is extremely remote. The reasons for having a third backup would be fire, flood or theft. The additional backup should almost certainly be online. I haven't done that yet.
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