Anyone ever heard of them —> http://carbonite.com/
and what do you think of this for fifty bucks a year?
Wondering how safe it is as well.
Seems almost worth it being I forget to back up my puter files for months on end and DVD’s aren’t particularly cheap either especially when you need three each time you do it several times a year….I’ve already lost ALL my pictures several months ago when my hard drive took a nose dive…ughhh.
I’ve been using CD’s to copy my photos every cpl of months since that happened.
Think its worth doing?
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I've been using Carbonite about 6 months. Love it. Tried others, didn't love 'em at all.
I use the program 'Second Copy'. It's $30.00. Set it up once and with just a click all my selected files are backed up. I backup to my wife's computer and she does to mine. Her office is on the second floor of a detached garage, so that ensures a backup in case of fire. So Carbonite might be an advantage for some people because they are backing up off site.
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I was backing up to DVD and not very often at that. Before that I wasn't backing up at all and my motherboard died on an old system.
Last week I installed a Maxtor OneTouch 500GB drive with their timed backup software. It's great. Completely unattended backup, you can do an incremental backup (i.e. only backup what you have changed in the time since your last backup) or a full backup, or only selected files or folders. So I'm backing up my work files every morning at 3 am, when I know I'm not gonna be near the computer, and Norton something-or-other does a complete scan of my system for virus nasties just before the backup.
I wouldn't go near an online backup service. Perfect opportunity for the rest of the world to have access to your computer data.
>>I wouldn't go near an online backup service. Perfect opportunity for the rest of the world to have access to your computer data.
None of the industry reviews of these services mention this as a concern. Everything uploaded is encrypted. If you don't have offsite backup you are at a major disadvantage.
I just read through their site, and several reviews. Sounds like just the ticket for me anyway. Signed up... thanks for the reminder Andy I've heard about them and meant to look into it.PaulB
Know nothing about that service. After trying a dozen other backup schemes, I finally just got a second hard drive and I use Ghost to back up the main drive to it -- since it's compressed can get 5-10 drive images onto a backup drive of the same size. This has twice allowed a recovery from a complete drive failure, with no reloading of the OS, etc, required, plus I've several times recovered individual files.
I also back up my Quicken stuff over the net to the other computer when it prompts me to do a backup (every 2nd-3rd time I quit).
At work we have a network backup scheme, but I've never used it to recover an complete system -- don't know how well it would do.
I've heard of Ghost before. Everything I've ever heard about it was good.But that cost ! 70 dollars. Whuf.
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(But for $50 a year you can't go very wrong. Most folks don't do backups at all, or only very, very rarely, and this scheme has to be better than nothing, especially since it requires no effort on the part of the user.)
(I do wonder if they won't hit folks up for more money, though, if they store tons of data.)
There was a discussion recently at JLC the computer forum page - on this .
Having dial up I donb't see it practical for me, otherwise I would. I just bought a removeable hard drive last weekend tho.
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I've been using it for as long as David M has been. I suspect he got if from Joe Stoddard's recommendation (JLC Computer Solutions moderator) as I did.
I have had absolutely zero issues with it. It's seamless the way it integrates with your file folders, it automatically adds new files to the back up queue, and I've never noticed a slowdown in computer performance due to it running.
A few times I've lost a network connection and it doesn't work (obviously). I can see that as the only flaw, but the fact that it is off-site is also it's greatest strength.
I tried X-drive and the prices were more and I couldn't get it to work correctly. Mozy is much cheaper than X-drive and works much better, but it's still not perfect. Carbonite performs and, per gb of storage, seems to provide the best bang for the buck.
I would absolutely recommend Carbonite.
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
BTW- two more things.I got my copy at Staples.com for $25 I think. There was a rebate offer. It may be worth watching for this offer again. I don't know if it was just an introductory price or if they do regular specials. I've got my copy so I haven't paid attention.Secondly, if you go to JLC's website and do a search (their search function actually works!) you will find a plethora of good information on backup protocol and Carbonite.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
I don't know how big your data set is for backup, but the only caveat I saw on that site was that they throttle you down after 50GB... so much so that if you actually have 100GB to store, it will take 100 days to upload it all. Taking nearly a third of a year for all your files to be protected seems a tad long.
I just sent a DVD of digital pictures and movies we've taken of the family so far this year to each of our families. It averaged out to be more that 1 to 2 GB of digital data per month!
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
A few thoughts...
1. The quality/longevity of a backup is directly related to the quality of the media. If you use 'no-name' media expect to have 'no-backup' over time. If the cost of media is an issue for you then consider the cost to you and your business if the backup fails. Regardless of media type or quality none of it will last forever. All media (whether optical disks, tape, hard drive) will fail; it is not a question of 'if' but 'when'.
2. Related to the media quality issue (if optical media is your method of choice) is the backup method. Packet writing is, imo, a disaster waiting to happen; I urge you to make optical-media backups using another strategy. While packet writing software has improved its reliability it remains quirky. Supposedly there are standards; however, in my personal experience I have never read data created by program 'a' using program 'b'. Even different versions of the same packet writing software (make the backup files using one version and then trying to read it with another version) can create no end of grief. I am not crusading against all optical-media strategies, only packet writers.
3. You do not want an isolated 'backup' - a few cds/dvds or whatever created at a single point in time; instead you need a comprehensive backup strategy that will provide security through depth and redundancy. A backup exists to protect against the worst-case scenario: you will need to rebuild your system and the data. I won't get into the various algorithms; suffice to say that there are any number of books out there with viable approaches or you could obtain some pro advice (I'm not looking for a job!).
4. Funny thing, when I used to perform IT duties, a lot of people /businesses had all kinds of backups but they never got around to testing their validity. Sure, the software says 'successful' and the 'verify data' says no problems but the bottom line is if it won't restore a functional system then it is pretty much useless. Be cautious when you upgrade your operating system (OS) and/or the version of your backup software. Sometimes a newer OS/backup software will not recognize/restore data backups performed using earlier versions.
5. Of the backup strategies out there I remain a fan of tape. There are some great setups available and good software backup programs to support it. Tape-based systems have been around for a long time and name-brand hardware/software packages have had the bugs worked out long ago. While the necessities are expensive and tape does not last forever I feel that it is the 'way to go' - at least, for a business.
6. Backups require depth of protection as well as redundancy. A backup on your workstation plus a copy of it on your server is a great start but it is inadequate! Ideally, your backups - or, at least, a copy of them - should be stored off-site. If your office has a fire/flood/theft or whatever, recovering the data (if, indeed, it is even possible) may be, at the very least, time-consuming - I guarantee that it will be very expensive. Meanwhile, how do you run your business? The annual rental cost of a bank safety deposit box (or other off-site storage charges) will seem like small change in comparison.
7. A related thread that I will merely mention is the security of your data and its backups. A break-in that results in the loss of your confidential business data (or personal information) even though you have backups has serious implications.
I have been using iomega's iStorage for years. Free software comes with the service and you are able to pre-select which files are backed up and schedule regular backups. You have total control of your files. You are also able to share your folders with others on the Design and Building Team. You can send emails (whalemail) directly from your account containing a link so that the recipient can download the files just by clicking on the link. This way you don't get returned emails because the file attachment is too large and the recipient's inbox is full. Anyway, I feel good knowing that my current projects are being backed up somewhere off site where I am able to access my files from anywhere that there is an internet connection.
Check it out yourself:
http://www.iomega.com/na/products/istorage.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=63229&bmUID=1179443740408
Paul
I like the Mozy service (http://www.mozy.com), but am not sure if there's much difference between it and Carbonite. When I signed up I was running Vista and Mozy was the only service that worked with Vista.
Whichever one you choose, you can't beat the price and security of these new offsite backup solutions.
I tried Mozy and while I was using it they issued a couple of 'updates'. At least one of them completely bombed and they told to me reinstall from scratch. Another one had problems so I deleted the whole thing and went to Carbonite.