Backup For Hard Drive

What is the best way to back up the data saved in your hard drive?

mgkelson...

I have two computers in my home that are networked together. Each one
of them has two hard drives and my data is stored on the second hard of
both computers. Occasionally, whenever I get around to it, I also store
the data on DVDs.

Islander...

Not a solution for everyone, but it works well for us; since my wife and
I each have our own computer, I simply created a "briefcase" on each
computer containing the contents of the other. Just open the briefcase
periodically and ask it to update anything that has changed.

Being a belt and suspenders kind of guy, I also do a monthly save of our
most important files onto CDs which are stored at a separate location.

Rita...

I read something the other day in the NY Times about free services on
the web which allow you to backup data. One was called XDrive and I
downloaded the desk top application and installed it. When I tried to
back up some files to the web storage it provides, it failed to
complete. The author of the article had recommended this program
highly -- I had to fiddle with my fire wall to give it access, etc.
So I tried to uninstall it and it wouldn't uninstall either. Perhaps
I did something wrong, but I don't think so. I was going to use it to
back up documents and photos. I think the service gives you 5 gigs
of storage and I had nothing like that in the files I chose.

There are other web based backup services that charge a yearly
fee. Then there many other means to backup which you can explore
by searching the web.

Since XDrive is still on my computer, I may give it another try.
Perhaps I had not had enough coffee yet the A.M. I fiddled with it.
It would be a good solution for less than 5 gigs of data if it worked.

Ross Jones...

I continue to think the best backup is old-fashioned tape. Unfortunately
tape backup for PCs is too expensive nowadays. In the early days of PCs
it was cheap and convenient. Alas, no more. CDW sells tape drives for
fortunes nowadays.

So, I use CDs. Yes they are pain. But I don't feel easy backing up from
one medium to a similar medium, such as a huge external hard drive.

That's for system backup.

But personal data backup is a little different. For this, memory sticks
are good. A couple of 1 GB sticks should let you save everything you
have. Of course, you don't get version saving, but you probably don't
need versioning.

El Castor...

DVD writers are cheap, and so is the blank media. A single density DVD
holds as much as six CDs, and a dual layer DVD holds as much as a
dozen CDs. That should be enough for most data. No point in backing up
programs and the OS.

Jerry Okamura...

Hmmm. I have a pretty new computer, and I just noticed that above my CD
drive, there are logos that say "compact disk rewritable", RW DVD R DL, DVD
R/RW....don't know exactly what that all means, but when my children wake
up, I will ask them to tell me....that may be the solution I am looking for.

Islander...

Not completely true unless you figure out where the application
developers hid things like your bookmarks, address book, mail files,
preferences, and all the other misc stuff that you don't want to lose.
I don't know why they cannot put that stuff in your documents file.
Some of them don't even put that kind of data in the application file,
but hide it somewhere in the system files. Grrrr!

"It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of what he was never reasoned into."
Jonathan Swift

Ron Peterson...

Copy to another hard drive. If you use a Firewire or USB drive, the
information will be easily portable to another computer.

California Poppy...

I strongly recommend a flash drive. These are proved to last longer
than either CD's, DVD's or hard drives. In fact the trend is to
eliminate CD's and move entirely to flash drives (Jump drives, thumb
drives) so CD's & DVD's are likely to go the way of floppy disks.

California Poppy...

Here is the technical explanation for why flash drives last longer, for
those who want to know how things work.

Rubaiyat of Omar Bradley...

When I recently went in to purchase my 2006 tax return software, I
noticed that you can buy it loaded onto a flash drive instead of the
usual CD. The idea is that once you are finished with it, you can
delete the software and use the flash drive for other purposes.

John Cowart

jimstevens...

Solution 1. Do you have an old computer with a hard drive sitting
around? Many of us do. Get one of the clamshell type systems that
will accept an old hard drive. I have one and slide the old C: Drive
into it when I upgrade computers.

Jerry Okamura...

No got rid of them all....

Solution 2. I recommend you visit Circuit City, Best Buy and such
stores in your area and see what big hard drive they have on sale. I
bought a 300gig jobbie a year ago for about 160. There are always
sales and rebates.

Simple to install and just back up all data there. I don't like DVD's
and all that trash since it is more bothersome and I can back up
anytime with this arrangement.

Get the biggest you can find for the money.

Jerry Okamura...

Thanks, but that sounds like too much work....