How safe are you data? We often hear stories of friends or relatives who have lost a lot of photos or documents due to a computer crash. We always think that it only happens to others, while OUR data is safe. But is it? It seems like computer users fall into two groups: those who experienced computer failure, and those who will.
Systems for backup
You can do regular manual backups of your data, your documents, or your entire drive. If that is your solution, remember to be vigilant: don't postpone those backups. Don't wait until tomorrow because you are busy. Drive failures don't wait!
Automatic backup can be great if you tend to forget. Systems like Acronis can back up your data at regular intervals and you can schedule them to be in the middle of the night, when you are likely not going to be using your computer. You can save the back up to an external drive, or online. AmazonS3 can be a good location for that.
Continuous online backup like Crashplan can help you have the most updated backup possible. Instead of possibly loosing one day or one week of work and documents because of the schedule of backups, systems like Crashplan will update your backup continuously (there are others but I can't tell about them since i never used them)
Crashplan
Although i do NOT have an affiliate link for Crashplan, i still want to tell you how it saved my sanity.
When i realized that after having my Windows reinstalled by the shop, all my data were apparently missing (about 300GB), i felt sick to my stomach. All the files for the store were on a different drive, so those were safe, but everything related to the Campus, for the last 5 years, was missing! EVERYTHING! Since the shop was already closed for the weekend, what could i do?
I remembered that i had Acronis installed, but although i had just recently upgraded to a newer version, i had not set it yet. Yes, i was procrastinating, so restoring from that backup was not an option.
Then, i remembered that i also had Crashplan installed, and it was backing up all the time. Once i opened the application on my computer (yes, i had to reinstall it first), i was able to connect with the service. I just had to go in the settings, see what folders were backed up and select which one i wanted to restore (everything was in a single BIG folder). I chose the option to restore that whole huge folder in its original location (since that folder was completely missing from my drive), and click RESTORE. I knew that 300GB of stuff would take a long time, so i went to bed.
I am very lucky that we currently have a very good internet connection (i think we got an upgrade just a few weeks ago) so the whole download and restore took several hours, but everything was back on my computer, by the time i got up in the morning. EVERYTHING.
So, if you want to prevent a heart attack from a computer failure, check out Crashplan. You can backup 1 computer for $5/month, or the whole family (up to 10 computers) for $12.50/month. Once you live through a crash or get very close to loosing everything, you will see that it is definitely worth it.
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On a happier note, how about letting me know what is your favorite script in the store. Tell me in the comment below and i'll pick a winner to be announced in the newsletter next week. Not a subscriber yet? Not a problem. You can register here and it is free (and you only get one email per week).
Hi!
Never, and I really mean NEVER, keep your documents on C: drive (like in My documents folder)… I have everything important to me on my D: drive, so if I have to re-install Windows, D: drive is not going to be deleted… of course, I have back-up on external drive as well, but I have to update that every couple of months…
My favorite script is Tull Lace and Rubberband.
best regards
Silvia
I also had such a problem and have all files
stored on an external hard drive. 1.5 terabytes and then they fell off me and everything was gone. My brother was able to save 2Gigabyte,
but what really matters is lost forever.
Now I have several small external hard drives and lying in a drawer, so that they at least can no longer fall from the table. Such things are very annoying.:-(
Silva
I use BackBlaze to back up my hard drive and my external hard drive, because I have had external hard drives go bad. Nothing is certain…not even saving to the “cloud.” Yesterday MalWare got a hold of my browser (Firefox) and wouldn’t let go so I ended up having to uninstall it and all the personalizations I had made. Not as big a pain as losing a hard drive, I know, but still pesty. I’m using Opera right now. Haven’t decided if I want to reinstall Firefox or not….I am doing a scan of my hard drive first to try to find out if the MalWare has settled in for good.
As for my favorite script…so hard to determine. It’s always the last one I get, like the new toy for a birthday. I’m trying to think which ones I go back to, and I think it is the Button Maker, because I love being able to quickly create a little element that matches what I am doing without having to buy an entire kit for one Item.
I’m happy you could restore all your files. Me too I do not save on my C drive but a D drive. and I try to backup on a flashdrive every evening when I stop the computer. Then every week I save on my external hard disk too.
I use much of your scripts, but my favorites are the stray pixel script, quality check script and the preview maker script, great tools for every designer. Use them every day.
I am glad you were able to get your files back. I would still make a noise at the shop, since they missed such an important and huge folder.
I have 2 external drives, one is my current working drive and one is only plugged in for backup, more or less weekly. I still run the risk of total loss in fire or such disasters. I must seriously work on cloud backup for my photos, personal documents, and program files.
My very favorite script (so far) is the Alpha Separator 2. It saves a ton of time!!
I love the bow making scripts. My favorite would depend on the project I am doing. It saves so much time and I am able to use matching colors and patterns from other materials in my page.
Oh my! To pick a favorite script is such a hard job. I like all the scripts that I have and use them all the time. But if I have to pick just one it would be the preview maker or the cluster template maker. Thanks for the chance to win.