Copy: Free Cloud Storage for a Limited Time

Checkout Copy... And do it now.  Copy is awesome.  Sure, it isn't a new concept.  Sites like Dropbox have been around for a while.  But if you want 5GB of free storage, why not take it right?   They have a working client for Android, iOS, and PC (Linux, Mac, & Windows).  And seeing as how I use Android, Linux, and Windows this is a very tempting offer.

But for a limited time, 5GB isn't the only free storage you can get from Copy.  If you sign up for copy using this link: https://copy.com?r=UfAoUE

You will get your 5GB of free storage for signing up (which everyone gets).  But once you sign in to any of the client apps (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android) you will get an extra 5GB of storage.  That's a total of 10GB of storage for doing nothing more than signing up and installing the app.

So far, I have used the app to sync pictures from my Android phone and my Nexus 7 tablet.  And once I installed the Windows client, any data within selected folders "automagically" syncs to my laptop too.  That means no more hooking my phone up to a USB cable to transfer pictures or data to/from my mobile devices.

The sign up process is extremely simple.  Basically, just your name, email address, and a password.  It takes less than a minute to sign up, a few moments to install the app and sign in.  That's less than 2 or 3 minutes for 10GB of free cloud storage.  It doesn't get any easier than that.

How sweet is that?

So drop by Copy using: https://copy.com?r=UfAoUE
Sign up and use the mobile app.  Worse case scenario, you get 10GB of free storage for future use.  Not too shaby!

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Ubuntu One Cloud Storage Now for Windows too!

Ubuntu One is Canonical's answer to cloud storage and has been included within the last several Ubuntu releases.  Simply put, you sign up for your free 5GB account (that was previously only for Ubuntu users) and start syncing your files to "the cloud".

You can stash pretty much any kind of file you'd like on your Ubuntu One "Cloud" and that grants you the ability to access your files on the go from literally any internet connect computer or mobile device in the world.

My previous solution to cloud storage was Dropbox.  However, seeing as how I have multiple Ubuntu installs working across several VirtualBox machines on my Windows host, this may very well keep me from even messing with VirtualBox shared folders between guest and host.  And simply use Ubuntu One instead.  Not to mention, with access to Ubuntu One on Windows and Ubuntu, it is also available on iOS and Android devices.

Every user gets 5GB's of data for free and can purchase additional space should you need it.
Check out Ubuntu One at:http://ubuntuone.com/

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The Importance of Backups...

Article 1: Online Backup Solutions
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

Another online backup service is Mozy.  Mozy also offers 2GB's of data for free for home users.  Should you need more than 2GB's of data storage, you can jump up to 50GB's of storage for only $5.99 a month for 1 computer.  Or you can pay $9.99 a month for 125GB's of combined storage for up to 3 computers.  With Mozy you can run automatic or scheduled backups as well.  Mozy's service is compatible with Windows and Mac.

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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Restoring Data with DriveImageXML v.2.14

Okay, the last post taught us how to make a clone image of our hard drive using DriveImage XML.  Now, I figured I'd show you how to restore data from that image.  This is actually very easy to do.

First up, run DriveImage XML.  And click on the 'Browse' button.
Keep in mind, you can restore individual files from your backup image only if you left 'Raw Mode' unchecked when creating the image file.

Once you have click the 'Browse' button, you should see a box pop up that says 'Select A Backup Image (XML file)' in it's title bar.  Simply navigate to the directory/drive you stored the backup image.  For me, it is my external hard drive.  Once you have found the image file, click the 'Open' button.

A status box will appear, and show the progress as it reads the image file.  Once it has completed, you should see a screen that resembles Windows Explorer.  This is where you will locate and extract the files you want.  Simply, navigate the file structure using this screen.  For this test, I wanted to locate my iTunes library so I can migrate my music over to my new Windows install.  So I navigated to: 'C:\Documents and Settings\*myusername\My Documents\My Music\iTunes' where I have located my music files.

Now, simply right click on the file you would like to extract and choose 'Extract'.  A box will appear asking where you'd like to extract the file to.  When you have chosen the file's destination folder simply click 'Ok'.  Now, DriveImage XML will do it's job and move the file.  When you are done, simply close the program.

When creating the image there was the 'Split Large Files' option.  If you left it checked, you can actually go into the directory where your image is saved, and burn each of those images to a DVD (or depending on size a series of DVD's) for future use.

Okay, that's it!  Happy computing!

Get DriveImage XML at: http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

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