File backup / storage

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Hi Janet, back with another question...well, anyone can feel free to answer! LOL!

I decided I'm going to try to exchange the new harddrive I just rec'd. (1 TB) for a larger one, maybe even a 3 TB like yours! I didn't know they come that large! BTW, the portable HD I set up DID come with its own software, just not "in the box".

My question, I can kind of figure out what a mirror image is, and you said I can do an additional "mirror image" of my computer on a different HD. So, just to make sure, I can back up my pc, backup my new HD, and get a mirror image of an additional EHD? What's the difference between a backup and a mirror image of an EHD? I would be able to retrieve my files from both, if necessary?

Thanks again!

A mirror image makes a copy of your system and files at that time. The next day, if you add another file it would not be included. A backup is either continuous (as in the case of Carbonite) or a manual effort (to include a "scheduled" time, i.e. if you have it automatically update once a week). Hope this helps.

Hi Janet, just me again! smiley

I did go ahead and return the 1 TB and I purchased (at another store because this one didn't have one in stock) a 3 TB...I'm so happy you shared that info. I really needed that larger size! Thanks!

Okay, I understand the mirror image, but do they update the mirror image on a regular basis? Well, hopefully, I won't have to worry about this with my one large HD. The only thing is, but since the backup is continuous, I guess it's okay, I became seriously ill during the past 1 1/2 years, and you can't imagine how unorganized all of my files became...and they were soooo organized. Ugh! I do work on this steadily a little (sometimes a lot) every day.

I believe that the mirror image is based on when you want to backup - every week, two or month. You have to attach an EHD when you want to do the backup. My problem is that my labtop is 1TB and unless I take my pending off my HD I don't have space on a 1TB EHC (passport). Still trying to get all my scrapping files organized so that they are all on my 3TB EHD. It is all a juggling act but it works for me!

Thanks again, Janet, for all of your help! And I can surely relate to the need to organize everything. I had everything beautifully organized, then illness and hospitalizations threw it all off...BIG TIME!

You know, I tried to use the backup program that comes with my Windows 7. It doesn't provide the opportunity to backup all of my harddrives, just one of my Seagate EHD's. Isn't this a bit strange?

This has been a useful, if old, discussion. I have always backed up my photos to CDs / DVDs / thumb drives (but now know those deteriorate - yikes!). My scrapbooking was done on Shutterfly, so that was backed up on their "cloud." Very recently I wanted more flexibility in scrapbooking and started downloading digital materials and creating my own pages in My Memories and Photoshop and worried about how to keep backups current and safe. With the expansion of cloud services and bigger external drives, I was wondering if anyone has more recent advice on ideal backup systems. And I have a question about timed backups on external drives. Is it bad to keep the external drive connected through the USB port and just back up daily? And will a timed external drive backup work if the computer is in sleep or hibernate mode? These are probably seriously novice questions, but that is what I am.

Hi! I use Back Blaze to back up all my files on my PC and all external drives connected. It's $5 a month and well worth it in my opinion. I have had EHD crash ( I like to use them on my PC and my Laptop) BB checks my computer all day long for new files and automatically backs them up. If you have a crash, a drive or PC you just order a drive with all your files from BB and if you return the drive within there time (I think it was 30 days) you get your money back. The only time BB can not check for files is if your computer is powered off.

Fantastic thread!

I have some answers to my own questions. The external drive backup does not work once your computer goes into hibernate mode. Even setting the timed backup specifically will not "wake up" the computer, and even Microsoft Help would not assist me in setting up some sort of script to get it to do that. Cloud services could be wonderful, but we have frequently interrupted internet service (between several times a week and several times a day despite our brand new modem/router). Given that circumstance, I would probably always worry that my cloud backup was corrupted, and I sure wouldn't want to be checking it every day. Our upload speed is also abysmal, so I think the initial upload would probably take potentially up to a week, given my photo storage. My solution was two external hard drives. One is backed up nightly on site and the other is stored at my husband's work, and he has a calendar note to bring it home once a month for an update. Not ideal, but not terrible either. The multiple warnings that one backup is not really a backup really stuck!

It's my biggest fear to loose my pictures...
So I use several external hard drives to make back ups.
BUT I don't do back ups regularly and that's the problem, if my laptop would crash I would loose many pictures.
So maybe a cloud system which does the back ups alone would be a good solution for me...

It's hard to compete with a good cloud backup system!

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