Online backup

[cred65]

I have been backing up to an external drive for years since Carbonite was useless.  Any recommendations on a new vendor.

TIA

[Catherine]

I have been pretty happy with iDrive.  It will either backup continually *or* on a schedule that you set and control.  It will even power down your machine when the backup ends so you can set it to start at your usual leaving time.  Reasonably quick.  I have retrieved files with no issue.  They even now have a full disk image (cold-metal restore backup) option although I use Acronis and an external drive (that then comes home with me) for that purpose.

[Abby Normal]

We're very happy with CrashPlan Pro but idrive looks good too.

[rfassett]

We use Crash Plan Pro at the office as well as at home. We are also happy with it.

[overseastax]

I had issues with Carbonite as well and now use CrashPlan. It lets you back up to external drive(s) and to the cloud simultaneously. Haven't had a crash (knock wood) since I started using it, but I've used it to access files on the road and it's been good.

[David W Ristau CPA]

I use CrashPlan Pro and Backblaze. 

Both are easy to use and restore data.

Have had great success for past 4 years using both.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

In addition to local, remote, removable, and commercial backups, I backup onto a reliable web server I control.  You can get a cheap shared web server for $5 a month.  Just don't use it for public hosting!  My backups are compressed (with password) and encrypted (more than once).  A program such as Cobian can upload backups automatically.

[Janitor Bob]

I also use idrive...but I've never had to restore, so can't say how easy/difficult that is with them

[Abby Normal]

14 minutes ago, Janitor Bob said:

I also use idrive...but I've never had to restore, so can't say how easy/difficult that is with them

You should do a test restore of a few files. The rule is you don't have a backup until you're tried to do a restore.

[Roberts]

I have a laptop at home as my backup. With Bittorrent Sync  - it automatically backs up the folders I want backed up and all transmissions are encrypted.

And it's 100% free.

I also backup everything weekly onto a flash drive. When I go to lunch - just move the folders onto the drive and when I return it's all done. Also encrypted - for free.

I don't backup actual programs - just the data / backup files.

 

 

[Catherine]

28 minutes ago, Roberts said:

I don't backup actual programs

That's something that can be really useful but that doesn't have to be done too often.  Think how long it takes to install all those programs and configure them.  One "cold metal restore" backup every half-year or so gives you a way to restore to a new machine *with* all your programs intact.  Then a data restore, and you're back in business.  One colleague some years ago came in one day to find his office had been broken into and all equipment gone.  Data was secure because it was all encrypted.  They got new machines, did the cold-metal restore, and only lost a day (and the cost of a case of hair dye, post-trauma).

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

Very few [programs can be "restored" (generally only specialized utilities distributed as a single exe file).  Programs install files in more than one location, and some of those files have to go in specific locations, and be "registered" into Windows.  For instance, for us, we install a font, which has to go into the Windows font folder...  If you were to be wise enough to copy the program files you fins, you probably would not have thought about the font file.

Good programs save your settings/configuration in a manner which can be backed up as part of the data.  Programs which store settings in the windows registry may not offer that ability.

[Abby Normal]

The only way you can restore programs is if you have a disk image, but that only works if your disk just has the OS and programs on it because otherwise you lose your data. ATX made the choice to put your data and backups on the C drive. You can change that but it was not recommended to do so in ATX 2013.

[Randall]

On ‎1‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 3:01 PM, Medlin Software said:

Very few [programs can be "restored" (generally only specialized utilities distributed as a single exe file).  Programs install files in more than one location, and some of those files have to go in specific locations, and be "registered" into Windows.  For instance, for us, we install a font, which has to go into the Windows font folder...  If you were to be wise enough to copy the program files you fins, you probably would not have thought about the font file.

Good programs save your settings/configuration in a manner which can be backed up as part of the data.  Programs which store settings in the windows registry may not offer that ability.

I don't know enough of the technical stuff to do this.  But I've suspected a lot of this doesn't get you back to where you were.  I copy all my data and files on external HDs.  In the case of a computer meltdown, my plan has always been to buy a new system, install my programs and copy my files onto the new system.

[Randall]

On ‎1‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 4:11 PM, Abby Normal said:

The only way you can restore programs is if you have a disk image, but that only works if your disk just has the OS and programs on it because otherwise you lose your data. ATX made the choice to put your data and backups on the C drive. You can change that but it was not recommended to do so in ATX 2013.

Definitely not recommended.  Since I started getting computers with two HDs (a SSD and regular HD), I changed the ATX to D drive the first year.  But ATX was putting things in the C drive anyway and I learned the hard way it was not good.  After that first year, I put ATX on C drive and kept everything to do with ATX on C drive.  I put my PDFs on the other drive and copy the ATX backup files to my other drive and also onto my external HDs.  Same thing for QB and other programs, all on C drive.  The software just has too many things going on interfacing that I will never be able to follow.  Let the software do its thing all on the one drive.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

Software vendors have a vested interest in making sure their software works.  For assistance, unless the vendor is careful, you could choose an install or data folder which causes the software NOT to work.  (Such as trying to use one of the folders Windows protects.)  Default or required install and data folders are suggested//required for a reason... you will have less trouble operating the software and getting assistance if you use the defaults.

Same for backup.  If you trust a vendor enough to use their software for critical data, trust them to know the best way to backup said critical data.

If I had a PENNY for every customer who contacts me with an issue caused by someone (not always the customer, sometimes a computer "expert" who is helping them) thinking they made a backup of all important data, and did not actually do so...

Also, ALWAYS make your own backups before letting anyone service your computer.  The service folks will likely do some sort of image, then hand you a CD/DVD.  They are not likely going to actually restore anything, and in many cases, will not even give much instruction on how to undo whatever they are calling a "backup".