What's are your back up strageties?

[Axel PC]

I'm considering leaving Carbonite and maybe going with just an external HD or another cloud backup service. But I'd really like to hear what other people's back up strategies are? I back up photos, documents, and videos. If you use a cloud back up can you tell me why you chose them? And if you back up with an external HD what software do you use to perform the backing up?

Thanks!

 

[ussnorway]

a nas is better than an external HD because it is independent of your system... same as a cloud backup but the key point is you own it

I use Acronis but I do this for a living and most personal users can get away with something free

new system;
step 1, lock down updates
step 2, run the system for at least two weeks (adding whatever software is needed) then make my first back up... after that I will allow updates and test for at least another week, rinse and repeat

 

[Neemobeer]

I have a ZFS Z3 10TB NAS running on a server that requires authentication and I disable credential saving. I only store data and I don't do system imaging.

 

[davehc]

I have most of my working data on it. I also use a smaller External, for backups. I use Acronis and Eusus. Not much difference between them if only used for backing up with images. The backup HD is normally disconnected, to improve security.
In answer to your query, and ussnorway comment, I am not too happy to use any cloud storage. I prefer to have such data under my exclusive control.

 

[Axel PC]

So I purchase a NAS off Newegg or Amazon (with HDs or w/o, put my own in) connect it to my router. Then with software, I connect all my devices to it?

 

[Axel PC]

Also what is your strategies if your home burns or floods or theft?

 

[ussnorway]

So I purchase a NAS off Newegg or Amazon (with HDs or w/o, put my own in) connect it to my router.

correct

Then with software, I connect all my devices to it?

a nas has a few options and there is software included if Windows doesn't detect it... W8 or above should just find it but I would at least give it a reserved ip address in your router as that speeds the network up and removes most errors people run into with Nas

1st the dlna... is basiclly for music | movies if you want to have a start tv (something like that) talk to your nas to play files

2nd the nas lives in network locations (give it a name that makes some sence to you) and any device [inside your network] can talk to it the same as any other Windows drive

3rd you can map a drive letter to all (or part) of the Nas so windows treats this like a temp drive... Windows 8 and above will turn this off by default when not used but a click will wake the drive path up

talking to your Nas from outside the network i.e, a school or coffee shop some place will be more advanced and the options change from brand | location so if you need remote access, do your homework but there are host servers like Seagate and WD that allow this

a nas is a drive like any other... take it with you | put it in a safe | set one up at mums home | backup data to a cloud if you need those options

 

[davehc]

Also what is your strategies if your home burns or floods or theft?

Two options. 1. Make sure all your devices are duplicated in another building!!
2. Cloud storage - but prepare for the problems of obtaining new equipment, reactivation etc etc...

Best option overall is not to be a fatalist and dont even consider the possibility!

 

[Mike]

I have never found Carbonite to be especially reliable, and I'm no longer confident in Dropbox for anything sensitive.

I use Acronis, but since my subscription recently expired I would very likely use Clonezilla. I would highly recommend Acronis however (not the cloud backup since this seems to take forever to upload). Clonezilla has worked for me, cloning even the most archaic filesystems. When all else fails, even whereas Acronis could not identify the filesystem and would not backup the drive, Clonezilla was able to do it. And its freeware. But for the incremental/storage saving backup, I'd buy a WD Passport external and just clone to disk there using Acronis. I also backup all of my documents to Google Drive.

This website just uses snapshots and database dumps to encrypted cloud storage whereas we can go back in time if some human (like me) were to damage something, or if there was database corruption that could not be fixed. This also allows us to shrink XFS partitions by recreating them when we have too much unused storage (although that hasn't been required in awhile)

 

[Axel PC]

Well, I think I'm going to just go with Microsoft OneDrive. I have an Office 365 subscription and have 1 TB just sitting there unused for a couple years now, SMH. My current Carbonite backup was approximately 230 GB. It's not that much (I'd be curious to hear the size of your backup) but enough that most cloud backups would charge and I have this 1 TB that I'm paying for yearly.

I do like the NAS idea. Maybe if I had a bunch of digital media like movies and music like I did back in the Windows XP that would be perfect! Perhaps as my family's digital needs expand a home NAS would be in order.

I just worry about natural disasters (without giving away my location) I'm not going to have time to grab a NAS box, and important items and my family. I know that might seem extreme but you think about stuff like where you live and family needs.

I think I'll also get an external HD. This way I'll have a local copy of files and don't have to rely on an internet connection to get to my files say if my laptop dies. But I have a question what's the difference with using Acronis and using the Windows 10 back up to external feature? Is the Acronis better?

 

[ussnorway]

just be aware that running files from one drive (or any snyc service) is a great way to corupt your data and having a backup that won't open is less than worthless... put your file on a d drive someplace and once a day | week or what ever place a copy of it in the one drive folder

 

[Axel PC]

Thanks for the tips about corrupt files. I didn't think about that! Yeah, part of my back up plan is to have OneDrive (cloud back up for emergencies, theft, fire, flood, random computer failure, and the always present sword of Damocles err kids lol) and external drive to have that local backup.

Now if anyone could offer some tips, suggestions, and experiences with using an external USB 3.0 HD (which is what I'm currently looking at on Amazon) please give them. I want to get in the habit of hooking it up and pressing "backup" on Sunday/Saturday mornings when I'm drinking coffee and surfing the news. So yeah any backup software or Windows 10 settings tips the community here can give would be much appreciated!

 

[RWB]

I use Backup4All for Full and Incrementals of specific folders and files. I use to use Genie but it faded away and they started pushing their New app which did not suit my needs.
Backup4all is a diverse app and has plenty of custom job configurations etc. I use it to external USBs (using two in case one fails) choosing the other drive every other backup. Once I get a Job configured (which can be a chore in some cases of diverse source selections) Backup4All makes it easy to Copy the job to a different Name for use on the alternate drive backup of same sources. I set these drives to permanet letters with windows disk management, with letters in the middle of the alphabet so as to always have the same drive letter destinations for a given job. Backup4All has Email confirmation support, shut down after, schedule etc.
I use EaseUs Backup for Image backups of my boot drive every now and again.

 

[ussnorway]

offer some tips, suggestions, and experiences with using an external USB 3.0 HD

same as one drive... unplug (eg, power goes out) a USB drive while software is open | being scanned | running in the background = corupt data

malware and share permissions is a small issue because (unlike a nas) it is controlled by the system but its the unplug that 80% people get in trouble with... most people that use USB have learnt to put in to do what they need i.e, back up a file or retrieve one then safely shut the USB and remove it from the system to a pocket | safe | desk