How do you backup your stuff ?

[Fif23]

So how do you back up your stuff ?
In your answer please state what type of info is backed up, the size of the main hard drives and backups, and the different methods of data archival you use.

 

[Fourstaff]

Backup1 Western Digital My Book 500GB, backups mostly pictures, some music and anime and installers (utlilty stuff like open office etc)
Backup2 Samsung 2.5" 160Gb (can't remember which model), same things less anime and installers.

Just copy and paste the file so if I lose my original, I have something to fall back on.

 

[twilyth]

I use my own ftp site and gfi backup (freeware) to create encrypted backups of docs, pics, data, old backups, disk images and anything else it would be difficult or impossible for me to get back.

my hosting service gives me unlimited storage and bandwidth for about $140/year.

 

[digibucc]

the only thing i currently back up is my work directories. containing source files and current/past projects. everything i need to do my job. it is about 10-15gb on an average day, and gets duplicated daily (changes only) on 1 additional internal harddrive, as well as on an eSata drive for backup purposes solely.

it also backs up on an on site windows file server. simply a windows 7 install with shares set. firewalled, no internet connection but on network. this has 4 500gb and 1tb hdd that holds all my old stuff. videos, music, work/school docs. about once a week i will turn it on and do a back up to that. the software on my main working machine is set to automatically try every few hours, so all i have to do is turn the machine on and before too long it will be backed up again.

anything super important and small i email to myself, as well as upload to a remote ftp site. rarely am i that worried. good surge protectors and solid power... the server is off 99% of the time so even a giant surge would do nothing...

i feel safe

 

[erocker]

Two different 16gb USB flash drives and an esata HDD enclosure for the bigger stuff.

 

[Hockster]

I use the Win7 backup utility. System stuff goes to a 1TB drive in an USB enclosure. Anything critical gets burned to two different dvd's.

 

[v12dock]

I have 50GB of music that I just keep on a few different computers. So when I reformat I just get it from one of the other computers

 

[Soylent Joe]

I have a second 640GB Black that I manually copy over music and pictures to. I have my Steam games backed up on there along with a bunch of essential links, information, programs, etc. I also have my downloads set to go there and I just make a shortcut to the folder and put it on my desktop. For filing older pictures or other media, I have a Maxtor OneTouch 640GB (USB) and a WD MyBook 320GB (Firewire) that I can put stuff on. I don't use any programs or utilities to back my stuff up with, just drag and drop it all. Though, I just saw this Win7 backup utility mentioned and I think I'm going to use that on my second computer. I think the 320GB might be going bad so I'll have to clone it to the 80GB in there (yuck) or to a new 500GB Blue.

 

[Hockster]

The built in one is nice. It will also make disk images and if you make the recovery disc you can restore from that image. I set it to run every Monday morning at 3AM.

 

[sneekypeet]

sorry I cant resist any longer....here is a utube tutorial... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nWOTap20pw



Seriously I just keep a copy of important info on another drive.

 

[Radical_Edward]

I keep backups of stuff on my external. Although I'm going to need another one in the future that's bigger.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

I either have Hard copies on DVD or my stuff is available for download where I bought em...
The only thing I really backup anymore is "My Documents" and "my Pics" which are stored on CD or DVD

 

[Mussels]

So how do you back up your stuff ?
In your answer please state what type of info is backed up, the size of the main hard drives and backups, and the different methods of data archival you use.

11 external hard drives on E-sata that are powered off 95% of the time. they never fail, since they're never running to suffer wear 'n tear, virus attacks, overheating, etc.


i've got like... 10TB of data, so backups really dont work without tons of extra cost. i just reduce the risk of data loss instead.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

All user data is on a 4x320 GB RAID5 array (1 is hot spare) on my server (HighPoint RockeRAID 2300 card). There are no backups beyond the RAID5 but I would really like to get a tape drive to perform backups. If not tapes, BD-DVDs.


If the data is persistent (required after formatting), it goes there.

 

[Tau]

Workstation has a 4 disk Raid10, and important data from it is replicated to the 15TB Fileserver, and then certain folders on that server are replicated over to another server that is configured in a massive mirror for redundancy

The really important stuff is only a couple hundred GB so it replicates to my mirror rack pretty fast.

 

[Frick]

USB stick for the most imortant things.

 

[Fif23]

I have 400GB of ultra-quality-can't-be-lost information that I just backed up on 2(!!) Green western Digital 500gb internal drives.
I keep one connected, and another in a different location.

Also 25gb of documents and books is on Verbatim AZO DVD-R's, that will be checked for integrity once a year.

you think thats overkill ?

 

[Frick]

I have 400GB of ultra-quality-can't-be-lost information that I just backed up on 2(!!) Green western Digital 500gb internal drives.
I keep one connected, and another in a different location.

Also 25gb of documents and books is on Verbatim AZO DVD-R's, that will be checked for integrity once a year.

you think thats overkill ?

Depends on how important it is. Probably not.

BTW, 400GB of ultra important stuff? I have like ... 100 MB ultra important stuff.

 

[Fif23]

Well, 400gb professional materials related to work.. (medical dvd's, books etc)
Average price of a book is 20-30 dollars, some are 300 dollars.
400GB of this stuff adds up to a lot of money.

 

[dieselcat18]

I keep a 500GB external that I use between two PC's to back-up documents, pictures, etc. using either a USB or eSATA connection. It's kept turned off when not in use to back-up something important.

*+

 

[Bundy]

I manually back up my user directory and Steam to a 1.5 TB drive located separately on my home network.

 

[twilyth]

I keep a 500GB external that I use between two PC's to back-up documents, pictures, etc. using either a USB or eSATA connection. It's kept turned off when not in use to back-up something important.

*+

then you might be interested in this guy. I will be the afternoon shellshocker at newegg on tuesday, 6/1.

Kensington 33903 ShareCentral 1 Share USB Device

It lets 2 computers share the same usb device without unplugging - basically a switch.

 

[dieselcat18]

then you might be interested in this guy. I will be the afternoon shellshocker at newegg on tuesday, 6/1.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/17-120-009-S01?$S180W$
Kensington 33903 ShareCentral 1 Share USB Device

It lets 2 computers share the same usb device without unplugging - basically a switch.

Yes, I did see that offer at Newegg. It looked interesting but I gave it a pass. I'll most likely end up getting another external HHD for a backup on the second PC....thxxx for the FYI though....

*+

 

[Super Sarge]

I backup to one of my 4 internal hard drives weekly using macrium reflect and also weekly using the Windows & backup utility, One back up is done on a Saturday and the Other on a Wednesday they are both full backups

 

[newtekie1]

My 3TB RAID5 array, which is already redundant, is backed up twice daily to my 3TB RAID0 array in my server. This is where most of my data is stored.

My user data is backed up twice daily from my main Rig's primary drive to the servers Primary drive. This data(about 60GB) is also backed up every weekend to an off site FTP server located at my work.

All of this, except the FTP backup, is done by automated Robocopy scripts that run from a batch file on the server at 8AM and 8PM. The FTP backup is done by myself manually.