Make free online backup part of your data-security plan

There's simply no reason for any computer user to lose important data.

My hat is off to the tech companies that provide the hardware, software, and services we rely on every day. From Microsoft's Shadow Copy feature in Windows Vista (though only partially implemented in the Home Edition), down to the smallest Web start-ups offering free and easy online storage (though you have to pay for unlimited storage capacity), they have made tremendous strides in helping to keep our valuable data safe. Now it's up to us to take advantage of these great products and services.

For full backups, image is everything
Start with a complete image backup of your hard drive using a program such as Acronis True Image Home. The program is so much easier to use than the backup utility built into Windows Vista and XP that it's worth spending $50 to keep it beyond the 15-day trial period. I create an image backup of the hard drives on three of the five PCs on my home network once or twice a year, depending on how much use they're getting. (The other two are test systems that are constantly reset to their defaults anyway.)

It can take five or more 4.7GB DVD discs to back up a big-capacity hard drive, so you may want to consider buying an external hard drive to simplify the process. Just remember to keep the external drive in a location other than next to your PC to prevent both being damaged or stolen at the same time.

Go casual for your day-to-day file backups
Over the years I have gotten into the habit of duplicating my important files on a regular basis: either by e-mailing them to myself and setting my mail server to save copies of all mail after it is downloaded to the PC; sending them in batches via ftp to the Web-server storage that's included in my ISP account; or burning a copy of the 1GB USB thumb drive I use as my primary file-storage location to a DVD. (Adding the storage folders on the thumb drive to my Save As dialog boxes in Office took only a couple of minutes.)

Online backup fills in the gaps
You might think that these occasional image backups and regular, informal file backups would have me covered. But recently I faced a situation where neither backup approach was appropriate. One of my three XP machines is showing signs of old age and may be ready to cash in its chips. I have gotten more than my money's worth out of this trusty, old hunk of metal, which served as my primary work system for three years before being converted to a test PC about three years ago. In that capacity it has been through the wringer: I've downloaded, installed, and uninstalled dozens of programs onto its 30GB hard drive.

Before I consign it to a shelf in the garage with the other PC wrecks, I need to get my personal files off its hard drive (which I'll probably pound a few nails through before I take it to our local electronics recycler). I've plugged at least two different digital cameras into this system, and several different audio players, all of which seem to use their own software. I've also used at least a dozen other applications at one time or another. Who knows where all these programs have put my images, audio files, and various documents and spreadsheets?

Instead of hunting down all these files before pulling the plug on the PC, I signed up for a free account at IDrive, which makes it easy to ferret out these files. The free version of the service gives you 2GB of storage with no limitations on the number of backups and restores. It also lets you perform continuous backups as frequently as every 10 minutes, and it doesn't delete your files on its servers after a period of time, as other free backup services do.

In the past, I have tried many online-backup services, including industry-leaders XDrive (now owned by AOL) and Mozy, both of which offer free limited-storage versions. But IDrive is the most straightforward of the three to sign up for and use.

Getting started with IDrive requires only a name, an e-mail address, and a password. You're given the option to use IDrive's encryption key, or to create your own based on a separate password of your own devising. After you download the client program used for your backups, you select the file locations and types you want to back up, or choose the service's automatic option, which includes the usual file-storage folders on your system.

Choose IDrive's default encryption for your backup files, or devise a key (password) of your own.

(Credit: IDrive)

Backing up the personal files on my old XP PC went smoothly, though it took just over five hours to transmit 450MB of files to the service. Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to use more than the 2GB available for the free account, so I upgraded to the IDrive Pro service, which costs $5 a month or $50 a year. The Pro account lets you manage several accounts with a single log-in and from one console, though each PC has to have its own account. The exception to this is if you need to restore the backup of a crashed PC to another (the scenario I'm anticipating I'll have to use someday).

View the progress of your IDrive online backup as it proceeds, including the estimated time remaining.

(Credit: IDrive)

While the initial IDrive backup can take several hours if you're saving hundreds of megabytes of data, subsequent backups are much faster, and the service's automatic-backup settings make them nearly transparent. You can also sync online files with your local PC, and view your files and other account information from any Internet-connected PC via its Web interface.

Tomorrow: registry freeware you shouldn't compute without.

[vanillacokehead]

I use Mozy Home - and while it isn't free I feel it's some of the best $4.95 I spend each month. You pretty much set it and forget it.

[zwr2009]

You can use <a href="http://www.datanumen.com/aor/ ">Advanced Outlook Repair</a> to solve the problem, by either converting it into Outlook 2003 format , or splitting it into smaller pieces.

[goorsha]

Online backup is becoming common these days. It is estimated that 70-75% of all PC's will be connected to online backup services with in the next decade.

Thousands of online backup companies exist, from one guy operating in his apartment to fortune 500 companies.

Choosing the best online backup company will be very confusing and difficult. One website I find very helpful in making a decision to pick an online backup company is:

http://www.BackupReview.info

Have a look here, too:
http://www.backupreview.info/index.php?pid=read_article&article_id=9

This site lists more than 400 online backup companies in its directory and ranks the top 25 on a monthly basis.

[paranoid.one]

@ Goorsha

It looks like the Backup Review site is a great resource, but I can't tell how they actually determine who the "top 25" providers are. Any ideas?

I'm using ElephantDrive which has been great so far. It operates a lot like the program that Duncan describes but the interface was a lot simpler.

[HowardParr]

Unless you have the bandwidth and speed to shuffle that much data across your internet connection - then go ahead. I have satellite Internet access with sever speed and usage limitations. So, I use the WIndows Home Server and back up all the PCs on my home network every night. And it's smart enough to only keep one copy of any duplicate files - like the OS files - for each PC.

I was using the trial beta edition - and after accidentally deleting a critical video project file I was working on, succesfully recovered it from the back up the Home Server had taken the night before. I bought the program as soon as I could.

[ikyooocool]

I personally like DriveClone better than Acronis. DriveClone has Snapshot technology which allows me to literally "undo" virus by restoring to a previous snapshot taken when the computer was at working conditions. Basically, it's continous, non-stop protection that takes snapshot incrementally of my entire system. I set it at incremental of every day but you're allowed to choose other intervals as well. Set it in seconds then forget it till your system inevitably goes wrong. As oppose to its competitors, DriveClone restores in not minutes, but seconds. I highly recommend DriveClone to all backup users out there


more visit: http://www.farstone.com/software/driveclone-pro.htm
30 days free trail: http://www.farstone.us/download/driveclone-pro/DriveClone-Pro-5.0.exe

[ikyooocool]

Most people don't realize how important backup and recovery software is until it's too late and their computer has already crashed and burned.

[ikyooocool]

"The exception to this is if you need to restore the backup of a crashed PC to another"

In response, no. Technically, other than already backing up in your localized hard drive, it's just more secure to back up externally to another PC via CD/DVD.
But DriveClone allows entire system to be back up and clone to an USB drive. When my computer crashed from a virus attack, all i did was simply 1. plug USB in 2. view from the USB as it were my actual local hard drive
all the while I wait for my computer to recover using other features of DriveClone.

[XDMOlson]

Listen up Xdrive Consumers....! XDMOlson is going to hook you all up with the easiest way to transfer your Xdrive digital assets to another provider.

I know there are a lot of other providers out there, check out my previous post about the Ultimate Review List of Best Free Online Storage and Backup Application Services...

http://tomuse.com/ultimate-review-list-of-best-free-online-storage-and-backup-application-services/

However XDMOlson is going to recommend selecting ElephantDrive for current Xdrive consumers. They have worked out an agreement with Xdrive to make transferring those digital assets over as easy as possible.

Xdrive to ElephantDrive Migration Page: http://www.elephantdrive.com/m/ct.aspx?ici=267

-XDMOlson

[ajiabraham]

The market of online backup services is definitely going to be crowded. Right now most of online backup services are faceless distant companies. We see more and more local companies like MSPs and local hosting companies starting their own branded online backup service similar to the big boys . There are online backup platforms which are released under open source similar to iScripts Backuper is going to increase teh players, as we are crossing the tipping point in the consumer market.

More info at http://www.iscripts.com/backuper

[XDMOlson]

The Twelve days of Xdrive...

$86,609 that's this year's cost for the twelve days of Xmas, according to the annual "Christmas Price Index" compiled by PNC Wealth Management, which tallies the single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, purchased repeatedly as the song suggests. The price is up $8,508 or 10.9 percent, from $78,100 last year.

The Xdrive service will be shutting down on January 12 2009. What will the last twelve days of Xdrive cost you? Get your music, your pictures, your documents. I would not recommend waiting until the last day. Get it done today...!

I recommend choosing ElephantDrive and to make transferring those digital assets over as easy as possible just click the link http://www.elephantdrive.com/m/ct.aspx?ici=267 ...this is the Xdrive to ElephantDrive migration page.

ElephantDrive is the only solution provider working in cooperation with Xdrive using their Open Xdrive API. While competitors of ElephantDrive may offer discounts on their subscription plans you'll have to do all the work of transferring your digital assets. ElephantDrive is committed to helping every Xdrive account holder make transitioning their digital assets seamless and transparent by using the Xdrive to ElephantDrive migration page.

ElephantDrive offers packages that are designed to protect the digital assets of individuals, SMBs, and large organizations.

Xdrive consumers with questions about transferring their digital assets over to ElephantDrive can check our Common Questions page.

https://www.elephantdrive.com/online_backup/xdrive_elephantdrive_migration.aspx#Learn

Matt K. Olson
Consultant @ ElephantDrive

[jdereg]

Instead of XDrive, look at MyOtherDrive.com (http://www.MyOtherDrive.com). They have advanced online backup and file sharing. Free accounts start at 5GB and their paid subscriptions are better priced than box.net, adrive.com, elephantdrive.

One really cool feature I like at MyOtherDrive, is the ability to copy files between accounts. This allows me to get content into my account without download or uploading anything, and I can do this at the folder or file level - amazingly powerful.

Couple this with their private file sharing support (control who can view your links), and you'll see why they are the hottest free online storage available.

[vosidotbiz]

It is so interesting to note that many of the service providers are already gone, e.g. XDrive, MediaMax / Streamload, OmniDrive, and recently, HP's Upline, Yahoo's briefcase, etc; With today's business environment, it is expected about 80% of online storage or online backup companies cannot survive because they never had a profit model other than offering cheaper or even free service!

A company in such a crowded market space must be able to really compete, but not just by offering cheaper / free service. VOSI.biz is a different company, we focus on product quality and service quality, we are keen to develop better products, more features than any of our competitors. We target premium users and business users who are more willing to pay for our services. We create value and save money for our customers.

Please visit us at: http://www.vosi.biz/. We offer a lot more than Online Storage. Our services include Remote File Server, FTP Server, Email Server, Automatic Online Backup and Email Address Book backup services.