This past week I had been working on a computer for some friends. They had managed to get some form of virus/malware infection which rendered their computer useless when booting. It would simply restart every time it attempted to actually boot into Windows. One of their first concerns was whether or not they have lost all of their files. Their files included office documents, school work, and digital pictures from their camera (about 9GB's worth). My first question was whether or not they had any backups of any of their personal data/files. Their answer was no. And as much as it pains me to say this, just about everyone I help gives me the same answer when I ask about their backups. This has led me to want to cover different methods of backing up your personal data, so in the event something compromises your computing situation, you'll not be left out in the cold.
First and foremost, I am just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to backing up my data. I do make backups, but not as often as I probably should. If something were to happen, I'd be set back a week or two at best. However, not everyone is as lucky. In the earlier days of the home computer backing up was a big deal. I remember my Mom running a backup on our first computer and it took several boxes of 3.5inch Floppy Disks (remember those?).
Nowadays, it has gotten to be almost a mindless task. And with some many options out there and within an affordable (if not free price range), it is almost ridiculous not to setup some method of backup. There are several types of backup options available, and the option you should choose should be based upon your situation.
The first backup I will cover (and probably one of the easiest) is an online backup solution. There are numerous online backup solutions available and many of them offer a designated amount of storage for free. One such service is DropBox. DropBox is actually more of a file sync service. You simply upload your files to their site, and they will store them in the cloud allowing you to access your data from any computer with an internet connection. This can be done manually or you can run their client which will setup a "shared folder" that will happily shoot any file you stick in it out to your storage space on the web. They also enable some basic sharing capabilities that allow you to share certain files or folders with friends and family.
DropBox gives you 2GB's of free storage (there is also small bonus' granted when you refer friends to sign up). They also have a 50GB plan ($9.99 a month) and a 100GB plan ($19.99 a month). DropBox also works pretty much cross-platform providing access to Windows/Linux/and Mac users. http://www.dropbox.com
If you need something a little more heavy duty, then you might want to check into a service like Carbonite. Which offers unlimited storage space for $59 per year per computer. This may sound costly, but it breaks down to a little less than $5 a month. Basically, you run the Carbonite client and let it backup your data in the background while you use your computer. In event something happens to your computer, simply reinstall the client on a new computer (or your old computer with a reloaded OS) and let it bring all of your data back down the line to your new install/computer.
Another services like Carbonite is BackBlaze which also offers unlimited storage for $5 a month. In event you need to restore data, simply restore from the web or they will send you a DVD or even a USB Flash Drive with your data on it. Not a bad deal.
I know this doesn't cover all of the different online backup solutions available. But this article is more of a thought provoker. It's aim is to get you thinking about backing up your important data. If you know of another service that works great, feel free to link it in the comments section.
The next article on local backup solutions should go live on Thursday.
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