The Most Important Thing You Probably Don't Do
First of all, I want to say sorry for the big break between posts... I've been busy with work and haven't had time to write. Now work has slowed down a little bit, and I'm feeling relaxed and ready for some blogging. And what better topic to write about but something that anyone who uses a computer should do, but way too many people ignore. Of course I am talking about backing up your data.
I was recently reminded of how important backing up is when a friend contacted me about PC issues. They had a laptop that, after running trouble-free for about 2 years, suddenly just stopped working. As in wouldn't even POST (Power On Self Test) or make it to the manufacturer splash screen. He brought it over and I took look. When you hit the power button, the HDD would make a slight sound (like it was trying to spin up) then stop. Other than that, nothing at all happened. I asked if he had a backup because it looked like he would have to send the system for repairs (and/or his HDD had potentially failed). He hadn't. He mentioned that he had a lot of important data and hoped it wasn't lost. Luckily for him, the HDD turned out to be good, and I was able to pull the drive from the dead machine and make a copy of his data before he took it in for servicing. He ended up getting a new PC (the problem was too expensive to fix compared to costs for new machines), and now regularly backs up his important data.
Keeping your important files in the cloud. This isn't a back-up method per-se, but it does serve to protect important files. It simply involves using a cloud-based service such as Box.com, SkyDrive, or UbuntuOne as your main document repository, and accessing and saving the files to the service rather than your local hard drive. Many cloud services have a desktop application that will automatically sync the cloud data to local folders to allow offline access, so it even does technically keep a back-up copy (however the file syncs when connected, so restoring old versions of files is not necessarily possible without some additional work).
Copying Files. This entails physically copying your important files to a different PC, external drive, CD/DVD, or cloud-based storage on a regular basis. This is a labor-intensive way to backup data, as you need to decide what files to copy, actively copy them, potentially manage media, etc. It can work as a quick way to ensure important data doesn't get lost because you will always have a copy somewhere, but most of the other backup methods are simpler to use (once they are setup) and more robust.
Using local backup software. This can cover a large number of options from built-in OS solutions to enterprise-level software packages costing several thousand dollars. There are several things that most software backup solutions have in common, including compression to save space on your backup media, the ability to select what you want to backup and/or exclude from backup, backup scheduling, and support for different types of backup (full, incremental, differential, Copy, Daily - see http://www.symantec.com/connect/node/1592701 for descriptions). Generally, backups are made to some kind of external media such as portable hard drives, DVDs, a network location, or tape drives. This is one of the most common methods of backing up a system, and, once set up, can work with minimal user intervention if scheduling is turned on. Some software provides partition backups - copying an entire drive or partition rather than individual files (sometimes called a mirror image), which can be convenient for restoring systems that crash (however it may be harder to restore individual files). Software costs range from free to thousands of dollars for the software, and there also may be hardware/media costs (external drives, tapes, DVDs, etc.). I personally use backup software (EASEUS Todo Backup Free - I'm planning on writing a review of it soon), and find it works very well for me.
Cloud-based backup services. The past few years have seen the introduction of reasonably-priced cloud-based solutions for backing up files. These are basically a combination of dedicated backup software with cloud-based storage. Users purchase a plan that includes cloud-based storage and the software needed to perform backups and restores. The software automatically runs backups according to a pre-set schedule (in some cases monitoring Internet usage and uploading during down times. Files can be restored to a computer from any Internet connection, which is very convenient for laptop users. In some cases, space on the basic plans may be inadequate, and extra space can drive the costs up, but there are some companies that offer a per-computer home plan.
The best way to adhere to your schedule is to use backup software or a cloud-based service that allows scheduling. Once you select your backup files, you can go ahead and "set-it-and-forget-it", letting your computer handle backing up. This allows you to get backups with minimal work - for local backups you may need to occasionally change media, but in general you don't need to be too aware of the process (this assumes a home system - business backups are a whole different world). If you simply copy files, or use software that doesn't allow scheduling, you'll need to be more involved, actually sitting down and making the copies or starting the backup (unless you're good at writing batch files, that is). Even if you don't set an automatic schedule, you should mark days to do your backups in your calendar to ensure that you have regular copies of your data. I choose to run my backups manually because I feel it gives me more control of storage space, but I make sure that I do it monthly.
I was recently reminded of how important backing up is when a friend contacted me about PC issues. They had a laptop that, after running trouble-free for about 2 years, suddenly just stopped working. As in wouldn't even POST (Power On Self Test) or make it to the manufacturer splash screen. He brought it over and I took look. When you hit the power button, the HDD would make a slight sound (like it was trying to spin up) then stop. Other than that, nothing at all happened. I asked if he had a backup because it looked like he would have to send the system for repairs (and/or his HDD had potentially failed). He hadn't. He mentioned that he had a lot of important data and hoped it wasn't lost. Luckily for him, the HDD turned out to be good, and I was able to pull the drive from the dead machine and make a copy of his data before he took it in for servicing. He ended up getting a new PC (the problem was too expensive to fix compared to costs for new machines), and now regularly backs up his important data.
Backup methods
There are several schemes you can use to prevent data loss. They range from simply copying important files to a second location (such as an external drive or cloud-based storage) to installing a dedicated backup solution that uses media such as tapes (or the cloud) to back up your entire hard drive (or specific files). Each method has it's pros and cons, and the best choice depends on a few factors, such as how much data you have to back up, how critical the data is, and how much you want to spend. Here are descriptions of a few of them, in no particular order:Keeping your important files in the cloud. This isn't a back-up method per-se, but it does serve to protect important files. It simply involves using a cloud-based service such as Box.com, SkyDrive, or UbuntuOne as your main document repository, and accessing and saving the files to the service rather than your local hard drive. Many cloud services have a desktop application that will automatically sync the cloud data to local folders to allow offline access, so it even does technically keep a back-up copy (however the file syncs when connected, so restoring old versions of files is not necessarily possible without some additional work).
Copying Files. This entails physically copying your important files to a different PC, external drive, CD/DVD, or cloud-based storage on a regular basis. This is a labor-intensive way to backup data, as you need to decide what files to copy, actively copy them, potentially manage media, etc. It can work as a quick way to ensure important data doesn't get lost because you will always have a copy somewhere, but most of the other backup methods are simpler to use (once they are setup) and more robust.
Using local backup software. This can cover a large number of options from built-in OS solutions to enterprise-level software packages costing several thousand dollars. There are several things that most software backup solutions have in common, including compression to save space on your backup media, the ability to select what you want to backup and/or exclude from backup, backup scheduling, and support for different types of backup (full, incremental, differential, Copy, Daily - see http://www.symantec.com/connect/node/1592701 for descriptions). Generally, backups are made to some kind of external media such as portable hard drives, DVDs, a network location, or tape drives. This is one of the most common methods of backing up a system, and, once set up, can work with minimal user intervention if scheduling is turned on. Some software provides partition backups - copying an entire drive or partition rather than individual files (sometimes called a mirror image), which can be convenient for restoring systems that crash (however it may be harder to restore individual files). Software costs range from free to thousands of dollars for the software, and there also may be hardware/media costs (external drives, tapes, DVDs, etc.). I personally use backup software (EASEUS Todo Backup Free - I'm planning on writing a review of it soon), and find it works very well for me.
Cloud-based backup services. The past few years have seen the introduction of reasonably-priced cloud-based solutions for backing up files. These are basically a combination of dedicated backup software with cloud-based storage. Users purchase a plan that includes cloud-based storage and the software needed to perform backups and restores. The software automatically runs backups according to a pre-set schedule (in some cases monitoring Internet usage and uploading during down times. Files can be restored to a computer from any Internet connection, which is very convenient for laptop users. In some cases, space on the basic plans may be inadequate, and extra space can drive the costs up, but there are some companies that offer a per-computer home plan.
Scheduling
No matter what method you use for backups, you need to have a schedule (Unless you store and access all your important files in and from the cloud). If you don't keep to a regular schedule, you can still lose lots of data even if you have a backup depending on how often you add or change files. I back up my main systems at least once a month as part of my regular maintenance schedule - in general a month wouldn't be too big of a loss for me. My office backs up daily. You may only need to back up every couple of months. But, again, the important thing is ensuring you have a schedule and keeping to it.The best way to adhere to your schedule is to use backup software or a cloud-based service that allows scheduling. Once you select your backup files, you can go ahead and "set-it-and-forget-it", letting your computer handle backing up. This allows you to get backups with minimal work - for local backups you may need to occasionally change media, but in general you don't need to be too aware of the process (this assumes a home system - business backups are a whole different world). If you simply copy files, or use software that doesn't allow scheduling, you'll need to be more involved, actually sitting down and making the copies or starting the backup (unless you're good at writing batch files, that is). Even if you don't set an automatic schedule, you should mark days to do your backups in your calendar to ensure that you have regular copies of your data. I choose to run my backups manually because I feel it gives me more control of storage space, but I make sure that I do it monthly.
You might also comment on a particular backup failure mode that has occurred in some "home backup" USB connected hdd products ...
ReplyDeleteI refer to the failure of the backup hdd and the inability of the customer to retrieve data which has been encrypted on the failed drive without paying the OEM some relatively big bucks.
For many home users I"d recommend they write ASCII difference files to be able to retrieve their selected version of any given text file, and just keep a full copy of all binary file versions of interest by date. Memory is cheap these days. There are utilities that will do these tasks automatically at the directory level. Thus if the backup disk is readible it can be copied to a functional unit without involving the OEM vendor ... saving hundreds of bucks.
That's true - if the external HDD fails but you can pull the data, encrypted items may be unreadable. The best possible solution would be to use your method with a free cloud service for the most important files. I have 50GB of space on Box.com, and I could use WWebDAV to map it as a drive and use a utility like you mentioned. Then I wouldn't need to fear storage failure.
ReplyDeleteIt's frustrating that even if the data is unencrypted, data recovery from bad HDDs generally costs an arm and a leg - people see it as a cash cow. I had a friend with a drive that was acting up and they charged him almost $2,000 to retrieve the data. I bought SpinRite at one point to try and recover a disk. It actually seemed to be working, but it was taking so long, and the data was backed up so I cut the operation short. If I was smart, I would charge people 1000s of dollars to run spinrite on their drives for them.