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Best online PC backup program?

by jan roos
18 replies
Last week my laptop stopped working and I never backed it up and I thought I had lost all of my stuff, Pictures and WSO's etc. Yesterday I tried turning it on again and it worked so I want to make sure to back it up real fast before it goes again.

Which online program is the best to use for this and I am also looking for simplicity?.

Thanks
#backup #online #program
  • Profile picture of the author Jason K. Thomas
    Originally Posted by jan roos View Post

    Last week my laptop stopped working and I never backed it up and I thought I had lost all of my stuff, Pictures and WSO's etc. Yesterday I tried turning it on again and it worked so I want to make sure to back it up real fast before it goes again.

    Which online program is the best to use for this and I am also looking for simplicity?.

    Thanks
    Online Backup, Data Backup & Remote Backup Solutions from Mozy.com ? Welcome
    Up to 2GB for free, $5 / month unlimited storage.

    Online Backup: Easy, Completely Automatic. Secure. Carbonite.
    They offer a similar service.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jassa
      I use a backup harddrive - actually I use 2 for safety (I reckon if both of those go wrong as well as my computer then it was meant to be... although I sure hope that never happens!)

      I used to copy everything onto backups 'manually' until, about 6 months ago I found a free, really good software from '2 Bright Sparks' which does it fast and efficiently + once you've programmed the backups you can just open the software each time and one click gets them moving.

      There is a paid-for version, but I haven't bought it yet. This is the link: (it's not an aff. link)

      2BrightSparks | Downloads
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  • Profile picture of the author Tek Scavenger
    +1 @Jassa on the hard drive.

    Having a local backup is not just for the convenience, it's much faster and more secure than doing it to an online service. Plus when it comes to doing a full restore, many computers can boot right off an external hard drive (or CD or USB key to access the hard drive) where you will need to get at least a certain level of functioning going before you can restore from an online service.
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  • Profile picture of the author InternetBusinessVelocity
    I've heard Carbonite is awesome and I plan on using this soon myself.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ralph Moore
      Hi Jan,

      For a quick temporary backup, you can use a service like DropBox for up to 2Gb and to quickly get it off of your hard drive. Just zip it and encrypt it with at least a password first.

      You can also get a Corsair (or other waterproof) flash drive. I carry a 64Gb drive on a key chain with anything I want quick access to.

      The thing with Carbonite, or any other online backup service, is you have to absolutely sure you understand how it works as some things are not backed up by default. You have to specifically back up some things.

      And it can take a LOT of time to restore a complete drive if it is large.

      I do, in fact, use Carbonite and I love the fact that I can access files directly from my Android phone.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ralph Moore
        And I meant to "second" what Tek Scavenger said.

        One trick that you can do if you own a pc that has a restore disk or if you can create restore disks using a built-in utility for that purpose is this:

        Buy a second hard drive and an external drive enclosure and restore the pc to the new hard drive and then put the drive in the enclosure and back things up to that.

        If the first drive fails, you can be back up and running in minutes.

        You just have to remember to periodically back things up to keep current.
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    • Profile picture of the author ClarkKent
      Originally Posted by InternetBusinessVelocity View Post

      I've heard Carbonite is awesome and I plan on using this soon myself.
      I use CrashPlan + an external.
      Slightly cheaper than Carbonite for cloud backups while still having a hard copy on hand if needed.
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  • Profile picture of the author KarimPPC
    carebonite has some pretty bad reviews with speed and other stuff, which is hardly surprising because they offer unlimited storage which invariably leads to users clogging servers with incessent uplading

    I personally use sugarsync, some say dropbox is better, but sugarsync provides super fast synchronisation between computers and works with yor exisiting libraries. Dropbox requires you to create a dropbox folder in your MyComputer, which is annoying.

    Verified Online Backup Reviews and Ratings
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    • Profile picture of the author losvre
      Originally Posted by KarimPPC View Post

      carebonite has some pretty bad reviews with speed and other stuff, which is hardly surprising because they offer unlimited storage which invariably leads to users clogging servers with incessent uplading

      I personally use sugarsync, some say dropbox is better, but sugarsync provides super fast synchronisation between computers and works with yor exisiting libraries. Dropbox requires you to create a dropbox folder in your MyComputer, which is annoying.

      Verified Online Backup Reviews and Ratings
      I also recommend Sugarsync. I have used lots of free providers including wuala, dropbox, skydrive, adrive etc but Sugarsync is soooo fast. I actually want to test crashplan and backblaze to see how they compete. So far best is Sugarsync!!!

      cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author Joel
    Here's a site with functionality comparisons of a few popular ones:
    Compare Online Backup and Storage Services

    Amazon S3 is a possible cheap option & you can read details on that page..
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    "Without data or facts, you are just another person with an opinion"

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  • Profile picture of the author jacktackett
    I use carbonite and it does what I need it too. I have it backup in the background so speed is not really an issue for me. Plus they are 'offsite' to me - I have a NAS device attached to the network where 'near line' updates are made.

    Then every so often I use redoit to make a full metal restore image. I can use it to get the OS back, then the last full from the hard drive or carbonite, and then the last incrementals. Redoit is opensource - Redo Backup and Recovery | Free Security & Utilities software downloads at SourceForge.net

    I have used other online backups - like from Dell - but have not been happy with them.

    best,
    --Jack
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  • Profile picture of the author iamabdus
    I use iDrive and this is helping me backup all my important files at free of cost!
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  • Profile picture of the author RylanClayne
    I would seriously suggest you use a 3 part system to back up your work. This is what I do:

    1. Use a partition on my HD and back up my entire work folder once per month in zip format to the partition on my computer.

    2. I back up my entire work folder to 2 external hard drives (2 is maybe overkill but I take this seriously) and I store those 2 external hard drives in separate locations in the house.

    3. Finally I have online back up of my work folder (and the entire contents of my hard drive). I used to use Mozy but they started charging per GB and the personal plan only has a maximum 120GB when I last checked. I am backing up way over 200GB so for me this was not an option plus the software for back up tended to be slow and freeze for me. I ended up researching and now use CrashPlan from codefortytwo. I have found their support and service to be amazing, and their software really does the job seamlessly in the background. I have also heard good things about carbonite but I would seriously suggest you check out crashplan if you intend to go down the offsite backup route (which I really feel you should do).

    Since speed of backup is a requirement your first port of call will be to back up your work to an external hard drive and then think of getting the offsite online back up sorted out. I know how scary it is when you feel you may have lost all your work which is why now I never take a chance with something so important. Best of Luck to you in sorting it out!
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Irvine
    Backing up your stuff is essential, that goes without saying.
    For my setup, I work fulltime online so I have a very robust setup.

    I have a 2TB NAS drive (basically its a stand alone hard drive, but it's accessible over the network making it MUCH faster than the standard USB drives)

    This 2TB drive is mirrored with an identical drive, so if one drive fails I still have all my data intact. Remove the faulty drive, pop in a new drive and everything "mirrors".

    This effectively means that I have 2 backup copies of my work stored in my home office

    Also, I have a cloud backup solution where ALL of the data is stored online as a backup to my backup.

    This may seem overkill, but it ensures there is a copy of my data should (heaven forbid) there is a fire or problem in the house, then my crucial business data can still be accessed.

    Finally, I take a copy of my "absolutely critical" data onto an external USB Hard drive.

    This may seem like total overkill, but for a relatively small investment (about $500 in total) I know that no matter what happens, my business will continue!

    The cloud solution is a lesser known one, however there is a "loophole" that gives you unlimited storage for a VERY marginal fee (stumbled upon it by accident)

    I'm not one for posting unsolicited links, so if you want to know how to get it, drop me a PM.

    Bottom Line: Keep your business data safe at all times, regardless of whether you're just starting out or not...it could be the difference between success and failure online!

    Paul.
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    • Profile picture of the author glennshep
      Having a local backup, whether it be on hard drive or removable media, is a must. But for online backup I use and recommend Spideroak. You can get up to 10GB free with referrals, encryption is done user-side before it gets to their servers, as is password creation. You just select what folder(s) you want backing up and then as soon as there are any changes the client uploads them automatically. I use this for backing up all my IM stuff

      Again, the best form of backup is local, but for convenience and security in an online solution I haven't found anything better than Spideroak
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  • Profile picture of the author mook
    Don't backup your data on the same physical hard drive as some people suggest. That is the whole point: to have your stuff in another safe spot when your local drive/computer dies.

    Best practice is to have redundancy:
    -find an online provider (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) and...
    -use *external* storage. If you want to get really serious, use 2 or more USB or hard drives, etc. and store them in different locations (garage, safe deposit box, etc). Encrypt it if you need.

    Set a backup schedule and follow it. Paul's post is spot-on...
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  • Profile picture of the author davegarcia939
    You can utilize cloud services like DropBox, SkyDrive or similar services.
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  • Profile picture of the author mikeac
    I reccomend Backblaze. You get Unlimited Storage for a low fee. I got a coupon from AppSumo for $25 for one year of backups, so you may want to check there.
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