Home backup solution

[snaw]

Cheers, I check them all out.

[IanM]

This may be too simple compared to some of the suggestions but Dropbox works well. It will automatically synchronise folders between different computers, including Macs, and does a backup at the same time. Its free up to 2Gbyte.

Ian

[administrator]

Have a look at SyncToy:
Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - SyncToy 2.1

Not used for a while but think it does incremental and differential backups - schedule via task manager. Worked well when I used in the past.

[Spacecadet]

This may be too simple compared to some of the suggestions but Dropbox works well. It will automatically synchronise folders between different computers, including Macs, and does a backup at the same time. Its free up to 2Gbyte.

Ian

I've got 4gb free thanks to referrals

[Spacecadet]

Have a look at SyncToy:
Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - SyncToy 2.1

Not used for a while but think it does incremental and differential backups - schedule via task manager. Worked well when I used in the past.

That's what I've gone for in then end, several smaller drives which I'll keep synched

[tenpin]

Crashplan

This may be too simple compared to some of the suggestions but Dropbox works well. It will automatically synchronise folders between different computers, including Macs, and does a backup at the same time. Its free up to 2Gbyte.

Ian

6 months ago a friend was burgled, they took two laptops, a server and his NAS holding his backup, plus a couple of external hard drives "hidden away". Lost all his photos, documents, work. Gone.

This is what prompted me to move all my backups to Crashplan. 4 years offsite backup for less than £2/month. Unlimited.

[Sysman]

6 months ago a friend was burgled, they took two laptops, a server and his NAS holding his backup, plus a couple of external hard drives "hidden away". Lost all his photos, documents, work. Gone.

This is what prompted me to move all my backups to Crashplan. 4 years offsite backup for less than £2/month. Unlimited.

With prices like that will they still be in business in a couple of years? Or will they jack the prices up once you are hooked?

Serious questions.

[TheFaQQer]

6 months ago a friend was burgled, they took two laptops, a server and his NAS holding his backup, plus a couple of external hard drives "hidden away". Lost all his photos, documents, work. Gone.

This is what prompted me to move all my backups to Crashplan. 4 years offsite backup for less than £2/month. Unlimited.

The danger of these cloud based things is that they don't like you storing your illegal downloads on their servers!!!

I'm tempted, wondered whether I could back everything up to the NAS and then have that as the "one computer" on the plan, rather than having to pay $6 a month.

[tenpin]

With prices like that will they still be in business in a couple of years? Or will they jack the prices up once you are hooked?

Serious questions.

Who knows?

Some offline backup suppliers have done the price thing, others have disappeared. The big boys are getting in on the game as well now (iCloud, Amazon etc.). Good thing?

Right now I am glad that my "precious things" are offsite, that the software works transparently and that I can get back stuff easily, plus onto my iPad as well (who needs dropbox?). And I can backup the other half's computer onto mine and backup that backup to the cloud. So right now this works for me. Should CrashPlan start playing silly buggers, I'll move it elsewhere if a cheaper-but-equivalent is available.

[Sysman]

Who knows?

Some offline backup suppliers have done the price thing, others have disappeared. The big boys are getting in on the game as well now (iCloud, Amazon etc.). Good thing?

Good thing as long as they don't drive the smaller suppliers out of business.

Right now I am glad that my "precious things" are offsite, that the software works transparently and that I can get back stuff easily, plus onto my iPad as well (who needs dropbox?). And I can backup the other half's computer onto mine and backup that backup to the cloud. So right now this works for me. Should CrashPlan start playing silly buggers, I'll move it elsewhere if a cheaper-but-equivalent is available.

I have been using a small 500GB drive to transport stuff between home and office to spread stuff around, but that failed last week. Still under guarantee, and now I wish I'd encrypted it...

Who needs Dropbox? It's a lazy way of transferring stuff I'll admit. As it happens I am just revisiting rsync and associated tools with a view to doing this stuff under my own steam.