Do you use an online backup service (CrashPlan, Carbonite, etc.)


Online Backup Services  

47 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you use an online backup service?

    • Yep. It's wise to have an offsite backup plan.
      18
    • Nope. I like to live dangerously (Or I have an alternative backup plan)
      24
    • Nope. If I lose anything I will just contact the NSA & request my backup :D
      5


Recommended Posts

My SSD's are mostly occupied by system/program files and various forms of impersonal media (that can be re-downloaded.)

 

I back up the remaining select GB's of personal files on an external. IMO, the most efficient and cost effective strategy.

 

Online services are for individuals with very large personal catalogs and companies.

  • Like 2

Yes, but in conjunction with a physical backup as well.  Sh't happens, backup media can die, third party servers can die (or just disappear), not rolling the dice with important stuff that I can't afford to lose.

I utilize SkyDrive (onedrive), google drive, and drop box.  I then get free (included) unlimited online backup through my ISP (Cox Communications) and backup all of those folders.

As others have pointed out, I use a combination of on site backup (Crash Plan App + Synology Disk Station + various external drives over the years, and good old Data DVD's still believe it or not, can never be to safe) with mostly free online services.

 

I use Google a lot now for my photos, etc. since I am on Android and it works seamless, Apple for my iPad old iPhone photos, Google Music for my Music (is a monthly fee there, but also have all music backed up). I also made the switch to completely cloud based email a couple of years back, so no longer using Outlook or Mail for any local email on any of my computers. Has gone okay for the past few years.

 

When I was looking online services up, BackBlaze kept seeming like a good option. There is also always Carbonite which has been around for a long time now in this space, so they must be doing something right.

My SSD's are mostly occupied by system/program files and various forms of impersonal media (that can be re-downloaded.)

 

I back up the remaining select GB's of personal files on an external. IMO, the most efficient and cost effective strategy.

 

Online services are for individuals with very large personal catalogs and companies.

 

 

If you had a fire, flood, break-in etc. all of that data could be gone. I suppose it depends on how important that data is. Music could be re-downloaded but photos or work might never be retrievable.

 

 

3-2-1 of backup:

 

3 copies of the data

in 2 different formats

1 off-site

 

 

idk how many people do this, but it is the common standard. 

  • Like 1

I use Carbonite for about 29 gigs of data, not counting  ISO and Video / audio files

 

I also have 2 3TB drives which backs up all of my internal drives. 1 drive stays at home the other drive lives in a safety deposit box at the bank and both drives get rotated monthly!

I don't back up a dang thing! Nothing important kept on my computers. The ONLY way I'm losing anything is if the computer completely dies, which I don't forsee happening and even if it does, I didn't lose a thing!

 

Not worried about my Windows or Linux boxes getting messed up as that just doesn't happen anymore unless you're some moron who always fiddles with stuff or don't know how to protect your Windows/Linux system!

 

Anyone that doesn't have a hard copy of what they want to save is just asking for trouble, IMO.

 

Who knows how long what ever site you have something backed up on will be around or hacked and any external device can die at any given moment.

 

Anything that is really THAT important is in a fire proof safe!

Google Drive 50 GB plan - medium resolution photos and videos for viewing and sharing

Amazon Glacier - Archiving original photos, videos and iTunes purchases

  • 2 weeks later...

3-2-1 of backup:

 

3 copies of the data

in 2 different formats

1 off-site

I'm fine with the 3 copies of data and even the 1 off-site.

 

But what are the other formats?  Blu-Ray?  DVD?  Tape?

 

I shudder at the thought of burning 60 Blu-Ray discs to backup a single 3TB hard drive. And then cataloging it all.  And having to retrieve that data off of 60 Blu-Ray discs if anything did go wrong.

 

I'd rather have 3 hard drives with one of them off site.  What are the chances of all 3 failing at the same time?  Isn't having 3 copies good enough by itself?

 

I guess I'm not seeing the point of using different media... especially if it's a pain in the ass to create and/or access.

I'm fine with the 3 copies of data and even the 1 off-site.

 

But what are the other formats?  Blu-Ray?  DVD?  Tape?

 

I shudder at the thought of burning 60 Blu-Ray discs to backup a single 3TB hard drive. And then cataloging it all.  And having to retrieve that data off of 60 Blu-Ray discs if anything did go wrong.

 

I'd rather have 3 hard drives with one of them off site.  What are the chances of all 3 failing at the same time?  Isn't having 3 copies good enough by itself?

 

I guess I'm not seeing the point of using different media... especially if it's a pain in the ass to create and/or access.

 

 

For a complete back-up I would entirely agree with you. However, if you have family photos or documents then you could probably get away with 1 or 2 discs.

I juggle cloud storage providers currently for my stuff: OneDrive (68.5GB atm) & BitLocker for important stuff, Box for non-important stuff (50GB free with my phone) & Ubuntu One (5GB) for anything Linux/Raspberry Pi related.

I've tried the BT 50GB backup service for Infinity customers and found it to be quite a mess, even for just backing up family photos.

  • 4 months later...

I know this is a few months old, but i didn't wanna create a new topic.

 

I've been debating online back up for years, and finally decided on doing it. What really stopped me were the prices, the time it would take for me to back up my 250GB photo collection.

 

 

Ever exploring many options for online backup, i decided to settle with CrashPlan.

 

Reason why I like Crashplan are the low Monthly payments. $5.99 for unlimited space? heck yea! (even cheaper if you subscribe for yearly, 3 year, etc).
 

Also it lets you select the folders you want to back up. Other similar services such as BlackBlaze (even cheaper per month), back up nearly everything on your hard drive. Great if you want something simple, and want everything backed up.

 

I'm glad i finally decided on doing this. I'd feel like such a fool if i lost my personal photo collection after i've been debating this for so long. All the memories.

currently i have 3 copies of each picture. I have the original on my local drive, a copy on my external, and then a static copy on data DVDs. But if my house caught on fire, or something crazy happened, i'd probably lose all 3 copies.

Online is best.

 

Been uploading for a few days now. 40gb out of 250gb done! WOOT. lol Only a year left in uploading.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Calibre 9.10 by Razvan Serea  Calibre is an open source e-book library management application that enables you to manage your e-book collection, convert e-books between different formats, synchronize with popular e-book reader devices, and read your e-books with the included viewer. It acts as an e-library and also allows for format conversion, news feeds to e-book conversion, as well as e-book reader sync features and an integrated e-book viewer. Calibre's features include: library management; format conversion (all major ebook formats); syncing to e-book reader devices; fetching news from the Web and converting it into ebook form; viewing many different e-book formats, giving you access to your book collection over the internet using just a browser. Calibre 9.10 changelog: New features Content server: A new "modern" interface with a sidebar to ease navigation Content server: When used with HTTPS allow installation as a PWA (Progressive Web App) Edit book: Saved searches: When filtering the list of saved searches match by keywords CSS parsing: Add support for CSS Level 4 selectors Cover grid: When using an image larger than the viewport as a texture scale it to fit the viewport Annotations browser: Allow restricting displayed annotations by custom annotation styles as well Edit book: Compress images: Add option to convert PNG images to JPEG or WEBP Bug fixes E-book viewer: Fix IME on Windows not working when typing in notes for highlights Conversion: Heuristics: Improve performance in some pathological cases SNB Input: Fix error on some input files Windows: fix rare crash when too many notifications are displayed at once Fix duplicating of books not duplicating value from enumerated columns when the column has a default value defined Fix a regression in 9.8 that caused errors from AI plugin providers to be silently swallowed and not displayed to user Fix CSV export invalid when exporting comments field Disallow Python templates when reading book metadata (CVE-2026-53511) Improved news sources The Week Economist Espresso Horizons Download: Calibre 9.10 | Portable | ~200.0 MB (Open Source) Download: Calibre for MacOS | 327.0 MB Download: Calibre for Linux View: Calibre Home Page | Calibre Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 5.6.1.257 by Razvan Serea Malwarebytes is a high performance anti-malware application that thoroughly removes even the most advanced malware and spyware. Malwarebytes version 5.**** brings comprehensive protection against today’s threat landscape so that you can finally replace your traditional antivirus. You can finally replace your traditional antivirus, thanks to a innovative and layered approach to prevent malware infections using a healthy combination of proactive and signature-less technologies. While signatures are still effective against threats like potentially unwanted programs, the majority of malware detection events already come from signature-less technologies like Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit and Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware; that trend will only continue to grow. For many of you, this is something you already know, since over 50% of the users already run Malwarebytes as their sole security software, without any third-party antivirus. What's new in Malwarebytes 5.****: Unified user experience - For the first time, Malwarebytes now provides a consistent experience across all of our desktop and mobile products courtesy of an all new and reimagined user experience powered by a faster and more responsive UI all managed through an intuitive dashboard. Modern security and privacy integrations - Antivirus and ultra-fast VPN come together seamlessly in one easy-to-use solution. Whether you’re looking for a next-gen VPN to secure your online activity, or harnessing the power of Browser Guard to block ad trackers and scam sites, taking charge of your privacy is simple. Trusted Advisor - Empowers you with real-time insights, easy-to-read protection score and expert guidance that puts you in control over your security and privacy. Malwarebytes 5.6.1.257 changelog: Features and improvements Updated the sign-in section of the My Subscription page to clarify that users can activate their subscription by signing in with their Malwarebytes account. Updated the uninstall flow to collect more meaningful insights and address customer concerns. Refreshed the app's tutorial layout for a better look and feel. Issues fixed Fixed an outdated link when clicking Take action after running a Digital Footprint Scan. Miscellaneous bug fixes. Download: Malwarebytes 5.6.1.257 | 472.0 MB (Free, paid upgrade available) Links: Malwarebytes Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Yep, not sure where the surprise is here. They release a new model for every phone, every year
    • AI would probably be better utilised replacing Executives than Engineers.
    • RapidRAW 1.5.8 by Razvan Serea RapidRAW is a beautiful, non-destructive, GPU‑accelerated RAW image editor designed for speed and simplicity. It uses a lightweight (~30 MB), efficient code base built with Rust, React and Tauri. Ideal for Lightroom workflows, it offers rich editing tools—exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites/blacks, tone curves, HSL mixer, dehaze, vignetting, film grain, sharpening, clarity and noise reduction—processed in real-time on the GPU. Features include intuitive masking (brush, linear, radial, AI-powered subject and foreground detection), generative edit layers (via ComfyUI), 32‑bit precision, and full RAW format support through rawler. RapidRAW also provides library management (folder navigation, ratings, metadata, EXIF viewer), batch operations, export presets (JPEG/PNG/TIFF), sidecar editing (.rrdata), undo/redo history, customizable UI themes, smooth animations, resizable panels, and preset copy/paste. A modern high-performance Lightroom alternative with polished UX and creative tools, RapidRAW brings powerful photo editing to photographers seeking speed, responsive GPU feedback, and streamlined workflows. RapidRAW v1.5.8 release notes: This release introduces several new editing tools and workflow refinements designed to improve both photo editing and library management. It expands creative flexibility with the addition of a preset intensity slider and a global hue adjustment, while also introducing convenient navigation features such as quick bottom bar filters and folder sorting. Behind the scenes, the update addresses background indexing issues and ensures folder image counts are updated correctly. It also broadens accessibility by adding support for Korean and Traditional Chinese. [full changelog] Download: RapidRAW 1.5.8 | ARM64 | ~20.0 MB (Open Source) View: RapidRAW Home Page | Screenshot | Other operating systems Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      xvvxcvv earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Enthusiast
      Xonos went up a rank
      Enthusiast
    • Conversation Starter
      Admir earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      The_Focal_Point earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      405
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      168
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      129
    4. 4
      neufuse
      69
    5. 5
      Xenon
      68
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!