Back up my Computer Files

[zeitgeist]

I've decided I need to back-up the files on my pc, is a removable hard drive the way to go? How much do they cost approx. (500GB would be enough).

[Ginjaninja]

yeah 500GB should be adequate if it's just files on your laptop. If you can afford a 1TB then go for that. I recommend Western Digital brands over cheaper versions. They have in Banana IT and the usual haunts.
GN.

[lomuamart]

Think I paid around 2,000 - 2,200 THB for a 500 gig external drive about a year ago. That was from the IT floor of the old shopping mall.

[ahandpatsy]

I would use a cloud based service that automatically saves changes every day i use carbonite

cheers

ah

[zeitgeist]

I'm not that computer literate so forgive me if this is a dumb question...cloud-based, wouldn't that mean I am reliant on an internet connection?

[Ginjaninja]

yes you would need an internet connection to synchronise your files. Also you would probably have to pay for the services but not necessarily a bad idea as you pay for the external H.D.D. anyway.
GN.

[zeitgeist]

Checked my current total file size, 14.7Gb, looking at PC Mag's top 10 (didn't know where else to look) I would be paying around 1000 baht per year.
Seems more cost effective to buy a HDD.

[Ginjaninja]

14.7GB is hardly anything. Do you have a DVD burner? Buy some DVDs and burn your back-up files to them.....
For that size you can probably find a free online storage server....
GN.

Edit:
'Google Drive' is 15GB free.
'Dropbox' is up to 18GB free.

[eden8]

sometimes, i wonder should i trust my data to be store on these big boys's server..
just another privacy concern.

[poosmate]

Flash drive 16gig less than 1000 Baht..........Done

[Dannie Boy]

On the basis that a 250 GB External HD would be more than sufficient I would go for one of them, these days they must be cheap as chips?

[zeitgeist]

Sorry I should explain, its 14.7Gb after approx. 6 months I would expect that to double within the next 6 months and continue from there.

Just seen Dannie's reply, yes I think I will do that.

[Chromeman]

You get 50 GB free storage with https://mega.co.nz


I personally use a NAS. I have a 4 disk NAS from Synology that has 4 disks of Western Digital 4 TB RED disks.

It is configured to "duplicate" data in a way that I can have 1 disk die on me, and I can replace it with a similar size disk and have the data rebuilt. This is called RAID, and I am running in RAID5 level.

The NAS was very easy to set up and configure. I have had it running now for almost 3 years, and only problems I have had is that a total of 2 disks has died, but I did not loose any data.

Using a NAS you basically have a local cloud storage service, and you have some security related to restoring data in case of harddisk failures.

BUT, in case of fire, or a break in, you are still in big problems. You end up losing all your data. So you still need a way to store your data offsite in a secure location. You can use an external disk and store it between uses in a fire resistant safe, or in a bank box.

Or you can use an external cloud service. If you end up with a NAS solution from Synology, probably the best solution then would be to automatically back up from the NAS to the Amazon Glacier service. I think they charge something like 1 US cent per GB per month.

So to recap, the best solution both in relation to costs and amount of hassle, in my eyes, would be a NAS solution combined with an automatic backup to Amazon Glazier.

[Ralfredo]

BUT, in case of fire, or a break in, you are still in big problems. You end up losing all your data. So you still need a way to store your data offsite in a secure location. You can use an external disk and store it between uses in a fire resistant safe, or in a bank box.

Very good advice!

You could also store an external portable hard drive at a friends house. Very little risk that both you and your friend has a break in or a fire at the same time.

[Homer]

You could also store an external portable hard drive at a friends house. Very little risk that both you and your friend has a break in or a fire at the same time.

But what are the odds he has your same taste in porn? =8-0