Backup / cloud storage chat.

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
I know it's not the first time we've discussed this, but I'm reaching a point where I'm considering cloud storage options again myself for a few reasons - but the main one being that I get so busy I sometimes forget to run my manual backups often enough. I've had many customers lose everything due to hard drive failure (including one forumite only yesterday who thankfully had backed up) so it's got my head ticking again.

So.....
How do you go about backing up?
If you use a cloud service - which? how much? what you get.... etc.
If you don't back up at all, be honest. You will not be alone. I even know businesses without backups!

I currently have only manual backups in place which I intended to run weekly, but more often than not it's turned into monthly or even longer. (yep - I should practice what I preach a bit more!)
I'm considering Livedrive again, but only as a personal user as I know I can't make the reseller platform pay for itself. Of course I'd still keep my manual backups in place on a "when I remember" basis too.
 

prof beard

A few posts under my belt
I'm a Mac user and have a continuous backup running to an external drive using Time Machine. I also keep backups of all (non financial) documents in Dropbox.
 

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
The problem with online storage is that you don't own the store . Ultimately the business that you rely on for distant storage will either get taken over by another or go bust, so relying solely on the Internet guarantees you nothing

The flip side is external hard drives will with some certainty fail at some point .

DVD storage is limiting and disc drive is becoming extinct

Solid State cards modules and drives

NANDOs flash chips - two per cell - don't last very long

MLC is becoming more popular

Avoid spinning discs for they shall cease to spin

John Marwood is away
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Other than pictures, I have very little electronic storage that I would be concerned about losing. The pictures are in two machines and the camera still holds recent ones. Every now and then, I make a disc which is kept elsewhere.

Accounts-wise, I am still a paper person, it would generally have been entered on paper anyway, before I was to type it in, so I don't bother with the extra step.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
All our office equipment backs up to Onedrive accounts continuously with a scheduled backup to an on-site harddrive and an offsite hard drive once a day.

Laptops and tablets both work and personal back up to Onedrive.

I'm sure there are probably better ways of doing things but this just works without anyone having to think about it which, I think, is the whole point of backup.
 

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
I'm a Mac user and have a continuous backup running to an external drive using Time Machine. I also keep backups of all (non financial) documents in Dropbox.
My only bit of advise here is that I've once or twice seen computers internal AND usb connected drives fried by mains surges or similar. Not highly likely but possible nevertheless. If you have pictures etc that you'd be distraught to lose then I'd still consider an option 3. Also (heaven forbid it ever happens) but supposing your mac & external were stolen or a house fire damaged both - then you'd be left with only what is on Dropbox.
Just thinking points of course, there's no right or wrong. :up:
 

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
Other than pictures, I have very little electronic storage that I would be concerned about losing. The pictures are in two machines and the camera still holds recent ones. Every now and then, I make a disc which is kept elsewhere.
This is what I love to read. Not just a 2nd copy of data but you have even archived older pictures to disc and stored elsewhere. :up: :up: for effort

I'm sure there are probably better ways of doing things but this just works without anyone having to think about it which, I think, is the whole point of backup.
The important thing is that you've planned ahead and covered all scenarios. Offsite as well as onsite. I've never personally used onedrive but if it works for you and your happy with how it does it, then that's all that matters. :up: :up:

The problem with online storage is that you don't own the store . Ultimately the business that you rely on for distant storage will either get taken over by another or go bust, so relying solely on the Internet guarantees you nothing.
John Marwood continued and said:
more words about the negatives of different storage mediums
Your post is actually all quite true. There is no such thing as a failproof storage medium. This is why I myself like to have my own local backup as well as something offsite. Even the storage at the data centres used for cloud storage can't be relied on. They themselves make a backup of our backup at multiple data centres in different locations, and as you say they could go bust at any time.

For important data you'd never want to lose I always say that two questions must be answered.
1. Is your data stored on more than one device or sevice?
2. Are those devices kept in two different physical locations (ie. a house and a workplace, or a house and a cloud service)?

A "no" to question one frightfully applies to a HUGE percentage of computer users - the majority infact!.
"Yes" to both questions is the only point at which people genuinely value their data and have considered all scenarios.
A "yes" to only question 1 is what many computer users consider a backup, but there are situations when it might not be. Of course it's still MUCH better than no backup at all.

I've also lost count of how many customers I've seen keeping their backup drive permanently connected to their PC. Hit by a ransomware their "backups" also become encrypted.
 

Jonah

Spouting nonsense since the day I learned to talk
I'm a Mac user and have a continuous backup running to an external drive using Time Machine. I also keep backups of all (non financial) documents in Dropbox.
Buy an external hard drive big enough for all your internal to fit on and then get Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper and do an exact, bootable clone. Not only is it a back up but it means that you can boot up from any Mac and see your own complete Mac.

I do two copies for my iMac (main computer) and one copy for my MacBook Pro.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Not sure I have much I care about that much. My photos automagically go from my phone to the server in the loft via Google drive so I have 3 copies of those, the odd document I feel the need to keep takes the opposite route so is also in 3 places (pc / server / cloud). I probably have the reverse problem to most people as I have full backups from the last 7 years of pc reinstalls, many containing the same files!
 

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
Not sure I have much I care about that much. My photos automagically go from my phone to the server in the loft via Google drive so I have 3 copies of those, the odd document I feel the need to keep takes the opposite route so is also in 3 places (pc / server / cloud). I probably have the reverse problem to most people as I have full backups from the last 7 years of pc reinstalls, many containing the same files!

Tip

Print out each bank or utility statement and frame them on the wall.



Never rifle your drawers again
 

Alee

Well-Known Forumite
I store all all stuff on cloud and data disks. There's not really anything Id be bothered too much about loosing except photos , which is why I put them on disks as well as cloud and ssd.
 

highguyuk

Well-Known Forumite
I didn't realise a new thread was created, I've just searched the forum for the old thread on backups!

I'm like you @wmrcomputers, want a solution that is going to automatically (or automagically - like it!) just do backups for the computers in the house because if it is left to a manual solution I'm just not going to get around to it. My wife has a really high requirement for a storage/backup, whilst I have a few things but not too much on the whole.

I've been considering purchasing something like this, but I know so very little in this area so no idea if is the best way to go.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-Personal-Network-Attached-Storage/dp/B00FOKN7FG?th=1

I'd really love some advice from those of you who have an automatic system that works...
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
I didn't realise a new thread was created, I've just searched the forum for the old thread on backups!

I'm like you @wmrcomputers, want a solution that is going to automatically (or automagically - like it!) just do backups for the computers in the house because if it is left to a manual solution I'm just not going to get around to it. My wife has a really high requirement for a storage/backup, whilst I have a few things but not too much on the whole.

I've been considering purchasing something like this, but I know so very little in this area so no idea if is the best way to go.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-Personal-Network-Attached-Storage/dp/B00FOKN7FG?th=1

I'd really love some advice from those of you who have an automatic system that works...
The only thing that would concern me with this is that your backup would be stored in the same location as the original so in the event of fire/burglary you could lose the lot.

Have this and then an offsite backup (to the cloud for instance) and you'd be fine IMO.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
For a single folder something like Google drive works well, and is free for 15gb. I need something that can manage multiple drives though.
 

highguyuk

Well-Known Forumite
Have this and then an offsite backup (to the cloud for instance) and you'd be fine IMO.

So by doing this, I'd have 3 copies of the data which seems overkill. I might as well just have the cloud backup.

@wmrcomputers - there is a LiveDrive reseller on eBay offering it for £1,99 a year, can these still be trusted given what's been going on at LiveDrive?
 
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