The Pain of File Backups

This is one of those things that nobody wants to do, but if you don’t it will surely turn round and just like an untrained puppy, bite you when you least expect it.

The main pain, at least I think so, in performing backups is the question of what to back up and what to leave out? I have mine narrowed down to several layers.

OS (not including drivers) - Applications - Data - Other bits

The first two layers are easy, or should be. It’s a simple equation of how quick do I need to get back at my data if an application, or worse the OS, goes South? In my case the answer is not at all and I am happy to re-install where necessary any OS or application as required. For you this may be different and in which case I would point you at one of the imaging apps that are out there.

Beyond this simple decision is the data. The data can be broken down as well into ‘must keep can never get back’ right through to the ‘I can always grab that from the manufacturers website again’. Again with the latter category is the question of how much patience have you got in tracking down missing drivers? Also in this latter category are application settings - as in do you want to restart the customisation of your software? If not then you need to include these in your backups.

Once you’ve narrowed down the layers to what is essential there then comes the trickier part of how to backup and on to what medium? For me, the only ‘must keep can never get back’ data I have are my digital photographs of my three children. In fact after one incident, where I was backing up but that’s another story, I am now ultra paranoid about these bits of data.

I infrequently archive data off on to DAT tape which is put through a regular refresh cycle to ensure the data retention of the tape is at its peak condition - if you recall the days of regular floppy usage this was done by copying the date off, reformatting the floppy and then copying the data back. A standard piece of advice handed out to most folks I knew. Well I continue to heed this with CDs, DVDs and my DAT tapes - especially with the not-so-recent stories of CDs / DVDs not being the 100-year archive material we were told it would be. When I say infrequently for my DAT tapes this is probably once every other year, but then I don’t put them to great usage and they certainly don’t get continuously cycled as at one of my old work places.

Next I burn a copy of all the files in a compressed and encrypted form to CD or DVD and label accordingly. After this I also burn up to 3 or 4 non compressed or encrypted versions of the CD or DVD and store them in differing locations and differing materials, as well as differing brands of media. Finally I also do a straight copy the files to an external hard drive I infrequently use. This cycle is repeated after every major bout of picture taking and at a minimum every 3 to 4 months.

All of this still leaves gaps in my strategy and to counteract that I’ve been investigating offline and online file storage and came across a bargain I couldn’t miss out on. Mozy gives away (as in 100% totally free) 2Gb of online storage. The process is a simple one of signing up, downloading its software, and configuring it. If, like me, you leave your PC on 24×7, then configure the schedule to kick in during the small hours and I do this daily. This 2Gb for free gives me enough leeway to almost instantly back up every file I want to before I can get it into my cycle.

The other good thing about Mozy is that it automatically encrypts your data or will let you use your own key if you’re that paranoid. Like most things online you can hand out referrals and, rather than making you go through major hoops, it gives you an extra 1Gb for every 4 users who sign up and use its service. Should the 2Gb not be enough or you can’t sign up referrers quickly enough, then for +ACQ-5 per month, you can back up a whopping 50Gb.

Surely more than enough for any home user?

Oh, and if you fancy trying this out, then please use my referral link - https://mozy.com/?code=4786R0 - that way I get more Gbs to play with :)

[tags]backup, online[/tags]