Why Backup? Here Are NINE Good Reasons (and ANSWERS to YOUR backup questions) - Comments Page 1

I have been making clones of my hard drive for a number of years. This not only backs up my data, but helps protect me from catastrophic system failures. I alternate between 2 cloned copies, alternating every 3 months or so. I have used Marcium reflect, but have settled on Aomei Backerupper. My issue with using the clone feature of windows, is that once completed, I cannot view individual files on the cloned copy, should I find the need. It is time consuming, but facing the alternative prospect of reinstalling windows and all the programs, settings, etc. it saves a huge headache.

First and fore most is to organized one's data. I have a tendency to clutter my desktop with all kinds of downloads, then when space is scarce I move files to directories. Still if I have to find a file or a photo, even though I have the best back up system it won't help much.
Even with back ups human error does make one loose files, I lost a friend's tax return for the year 2015 and of course, it was then this one that the IRS said was not filed...

I have Bob's Back up book and am using Macrium, however I cannot get my computer to Wake Up to do them. They are listed in the task scheduler but don't run. I have even created tasks there to do them but nothing works. I must be doing something wrong or my computer is too old do wake up.

Hello. I kinda disagree with you on use of the cloud. You say "I maintain that data stored in the cloud is MUCH safer than files stored on a local hard drive." This is probably true. You also say "Hard drives don't last forever." Well, neither do cloud providers. They have a nasty habit of suddenly going out of business, and this has happened to me several times over the years. You can use the cloud for global access to your files, but maintain your master copies on your own hardware, under your own control. Which of course makes backups all that more important.

I have used Macrium Reflect for a considerable time to make a daily image of my Windows drive. It takes about 20 minutes to run so I set it in motion when I sit down for my lunch. I am sure that most readers would be able to do the same so that it doesn't impact on any other task they may have to do.

A year or so ago you included a special offer for the I-drive One WIFI extender with a 1TB HD for backup. I tried, back when I received the unit to set it up in WIFI mode as well as to use for a backup without any success. Recently tried again. It will connect to my routers Guest access (but inconsistently ask for the password). When it does then you cannot get to the internet! I try to connect to my main WIFI but I get an excailmation with no way to find out why! Click on the exclaimation and the scan just starts over. It also causes a DLNA or DNLA which ever it is error and my router then could not access the internet. So I guess I will just hook it to my desktop via USB and backup its data, using it as an external HDD, disconnect and store it, until I back up the next time.

I used Macruim Reflect per Bob's suggestion. So how, it backed up my files on my Hard Drive thus using up 100 Gigs or more of my Computer Hard Drive. So I disabled it. My fault. Totally a non-geek person. Sure wish I had that space back. I down to less than 200 Gigs left on my Hard Drive.

I've got so many different backups I get confused. My Chromebook backs up personal files to the Cloud. Some other things may be there too. (Confusion?) I also have Dropbox for Windows. (It won't work on my Linux ones.) Two Linux Mint laptops use Timeshift to back up ON THE HARD DRIVE. (I know, not the best idea. I tried backing up one to an external drive, but they never recognize each other.) I use AOMEI Backupper to back up two dual-boot computers, but I don't know (??) if they back up anything but the Windows parts. (I haven't done a reinstall since I made the computers dual-boot.) For the Linux parts I also use Timeshift again. In other words, both Confidence and Hope play a part in my backups. (Do I need help? A lot?)

Dear Bob,
You tell WHY we need to backup but you never tell us exactly WHERE the stuff is that you need to backup.

Sincerely

Ron

Do the various back up programs languages evolve over time where, for example, a 10 year old backup may no longer be accessible, if you've not been diligent in keeping up with a products evolution?

I've been using the paid version of Macrium Reflect for years now. Version 7.2 has Image Guard protection that helps protect against ransomware. If attempting to access an image file outside of Macrium, Image Guard will prevent it. (I know, cuz I've tried).

Very good advice. I have tried each of the backup programs you recommend. My favorite was always Karen's Replicator. You can still get it but Karen passed away and I don't believe the program is being updated anymore. My new favorite, free backup program is Personal Backup. Very easy to use with many advanced features. I backup to a secondary local drive and also several different network locations. http://personal-backup.rathlev-home.de/index-e.html

It is a good idea to always have three copies of all important data. The original copy and two other copies in two completely separate physical locations. I also keep a 4th copy that I do every few months. I keep that copy is a locked, fireproof safe.
As for your comment about forgetting your password I recommend always using a password manager which I also include in the backup. My master password is written down locked in my safe so I am never at risk of loosing it. I use eWallet. It is an excellent program that allows me to use it on my desktop and laptop and also on my Android. The best part is I can sync across my home network as opposed to many password managers that require you to sync using a cloud service. I personally never store any private or personal information on the cloud. eWallet is not free but very inexpensive and worth every penny.
https://www.iliumsoft.com/ewallet/

I'm pretty good about doing a backup once a week. I use an external hard drive, which is only plugged in for the backup, and the Windows 7 backup facility which I haven't had any trouble with. I go on using my computer while the backup runs and haven't found it a problem. (The problems come with my weekly anti-virus scan which slows everything down.)

So far, I haven't had to use the backup.

I use two different programs for backing up my computers. I have my OS and programs on their own drive or partition (which depends on the computer) and my data (music, movies, documents, photos, etc.) on their own drives or partition.

I use Macrium Reflect for imaging my C:\ drive (OS and programs only). I do not recommend incremental or differential imaging. Whole images are safer and easier to keep track of. I only make an image right after running antivirus and anti-malware scans plus just before making any changes to my System, such as running OS or program updates, adding or removing programs, or making changes to settings. Anymore often than that is just overkill.

While imaging is necessary for backing up and restoring System files, it is too time consuming and eats up too much space to be practical for backing up data. I backup my data drives (or partition) with a folder/file syncing program called FreeFileSync. It's much faster than imaging and requires far less space.

For backup drives to be true backup drives, them MUST be kept disconnected from the computer and powered down, then stored away from the computer except while updating a backup (this eliminates automatic backups other than ones using a good clond backup service). Backups should be updated as frequently as practical. Onsite and offsite backup drives should be swapped out

Ideally, for data to be reasonably safe, it must exist in at least three separate places. For most people, this is on the computer, on an onsite backup, and on an offsite backup. Since I have a lot of data that would be expensive to replace or is irreplaceable, I carry backups even farther. Since any drive, no matter its age or price, can irrecoverably fail at anytime without warning, including backup drives, in addition to the copy of data on the computer, I keep a set of four backup drives for every drive (five of them) on my desktop computer (the data on my notebooks are duplicates of some of the data on my desktop so my backups for them are far simpler): two of each set are kept onsite and the other two are kept offsite in my safe deposit box at my credit union. I swap out the onsite and offsite backups no less than once a month.

A good paid cloud backup service is the one exception to my no automatic backup rule. Most cloud storage sites, especially the freebies, are notorious for being insecure and disappearing (along with your data) with insufficient to no warning. Good, paid, cloud backup services can be used in place of HDDs or SSDs for an offsite backup but should never be the sole backup in case the site goes down (it has happened, Mozy's and Crashplan's home plans being examples).

The upsides of cloud backups include being fully automatic and simpler to use and more up to date than than offsite backup drives. Downsides include cost, the need for a broadband internet connection with a high enough data cap to avoid data overcharges on new and changed data you generate every month, and slow initial uploads and slow recovery downloads.

The only two paid cloud backup services I recommend for Windows and Mac are Backblaze, followed by Carbonite.

Sadly, there are no cost effective paid cloud backup services I can recommend for Linux. Crashplan Small Business Plan (which Crashplan pushes to replace their now discontinued home plan at twice the cost) claims to meet those needs but in actual practice, their software is buggy as a flophouse bed, they have frequent, extended outages, and their tech help reps are idiots (I found out all this last year when I gave them a try; that's money I'll never see again).

One comment I forgot to make for those who think backups are too expensive is that backups are one heck of a lot less expensive more reliable than professional data recovery which can easily run into the thousands of dollars with no guarantee of success.

Also, despite popular opinion to the contrary, RAID is NOT a backup. In case you missed it the first time, RAID IS NOT A BACKUP! RAID is redundancy and redundancy will protect you only from drive failure (up to a point). Drive failure is not the only way to lose data, something Bob has already explained.

I am not a real techie guy but I have learned to use Macrium and swapped my three computers to S.S.hard drives with no problems. Some of my friends have had me do the same for them. The program always works great for me.
Thanks for all you do. I would be a real flunky without your great teachings.
Geo

>> Q: "What exactly is 'The Cloud,' and how safe is it?"
What I am hearing here is that users should surrender their "TRUST" [whatever that self-serving word really means] to big server providers (AWS, DropBox, OneDrive, google) w/their precious data protection, rather than taking ownership/responsibility for security of one's own personal data.
The provided answer seems ONLY to be pitting a possible Surveillance-State (e.g. NSA) against the Surveillance-Capitalists (e.g. google).
I may have zero protection against the Surveillance-Capitalists. But, at least, I have a (modicum of) voice against our possible Surveillance-State. I am with stupid and I choose to keep my personal data secure AND private BUT w/o yielding to pressure from 'experts' that I can only select the lesser of these two evils.
I am inclined to believe that recommending and instilling extreme TLC for handling sensitive personal data would serve the readership better than creating a panacea about cloud-security.
There is an old adage in motorcycling which posits that "There are 2 types of motorcyclists: Those who have gone down; and those who are about to." A similar corollary can be made for breaches in security and encryption.
I would like to commend you for another great topic coverage about ‘backup solutions’ and I wish great success for your book. I just wish that this question (re: Cloud Safety) was not so je-ne-sais-quoi!
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TL&DR >> I assembled some counterpoints, in the form of relevant quotes which may better get my point across about my trust-phobia.
• Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes? [Who watches the watchers?]
• "Opportunities [as w/data security] multiplies as they are seized." ― Sun Tzu
• “If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.” ― Kahlil Gibran
• “Security is always excessive until it's not enough.” ― Robbie Sinclair, Head of Security, NSW Australia
• “The world is one big data problem.”- Andrew McAfee, MIT scientist
• “Data is the new oil.” — Clive Humby
• “There are only two types of companies: Those that have been hacked, and those that will be." ― Robert S. Mueller (2012@FBI)
• “No one can build his security upon the nobleness of another person.” ― Willa Cather
• “The way to be safe is never to be secure.” ― Benjamin Franklin
• “Security is the chief enemy of mortals.” ― William Shakespeare
• “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.” ― Helen Keller
• “If something is free, you’re not the customer; you’re the product.” ― Bruce Schneier
• “Most people are starting to realize that there are only two different types of companies in the world: those that have been breached and know it and those that have been breached and don’t know it.” – Ted Schlein
• “Companies just aren’t willing to admit vulnerability to themselves, or publicly to shareholders.” ― Ashton Carter
• “Relying on the government to protect your privacy is like asking a peeping tom to install your window blinds.” ― John Perry Barlow
• “Taking privacy cues from the federal government is – to say the least – ironic, considering today’s Orwellian level of surveillance. At virtually any given time outside of one’s own home, an American citizen can reasonably assume his movements and actions are being monitored by something, by somebody, somewhere.” – Bob Barr
• “The bigger the network, the harder it is to leave. Many users find it too daunting to start afresh on a new site, so they quietly consent to Facebook’s privacy bullying.” – Evgeny Morozov
• The user’s going to pick dancing pigs over security every time. – Bruce Schneier
• “Before Google, and long before Facebook, Bezos had realized that the greatest value of an online company lay in the consumer data it collected.” ― George Packer
• “Big data is at the foundation of all of the megatrends that are happening today, from social to mobile to the cloud to gaming.” – Chris Lynch“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ― Henry David Thoreau
• “It has always seemed that a fear of judgment is the mark of guilt and the burden of insecurity.” ― Criss Jami
• “Those of us who fought the crypto wars, as we call them, thought we had won them in the 1990s. What the Snowden documents have shown us is that instead of dropping the notion of getting backdoor government access, the NSA and FBI just kept doing it in secret.” ― Bruce Schneier
• “Any CEO who really understands risk knows that cyber is possibly the most unpredictable risk there is. It’s more unpredictable than a flood or tornado.” ― Malcolm Marshall
• “There are some good benefits with passwords that people often forget. If biometric [data] is hacked, compromised, what will you do?” ― T. Ehrensvard
• “The amount of control you have over somebody if you can monitor Internet activity is amazing. You get to know every detail; you get to know, in a way, more intimate details about their life than any person that they talk to because often people will confide in the Internet.” ― Tim Berners-Lee

I use Macrium Reflect (free edtion) to make a system image once a week, and a differential image on the other six days. I keep 28 days of images before overwriting on my 2TB external drive. Every two weeks, I copy the latest system image to a second drive in my computer. All images are done at 0 dark hundred. Overkill? Maybe, but I think my behind is covered.

Someone mentioned they make clone backups. I would suggest image backups instead. A clone copies everything, even empty space and takes forever. An image backup is much quicker. Also if you need to install the backup on a different hard drive a clone is likely to fail because it looks for the same space it was copied from. An image is more versatile.

Seems to me that many of your readers find it a complicated and difficult process no matter what solutions are offered. My sister would like a device that she can just plug into the computer, walk away, then return to find everything backed up!