The Importance of Backups

[MacBytes]

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Category: Tips and How To's
Link: The Importance of Backups (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20070304171432)
Description:: As a bit of a public service, I'm outlining potential ways that you can approach your backup strategy based upon my own (admittedly extreme) backup strategies. It'd be equally devastating for you to lose some of your music and other work, let alone confidential financial data and what not.

Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)
Approved by Mudbug

[jonharris200]

Whoa.... how many backups?!! :eek:

[nagromme]

3 step plan:

1. Head in sand for a few more months. Critical files to iPod weekly.

2. Time Machine + homebuilt external HD.

3. Head back in sand.

[DMann]

Been using Time Machine in Leopard Preview. All Phone data, USB flash date, Media, Recordings, iTunes, etc. are backed up effortlessly. For the truly compulsive, you can use two external HD with Time Machine (Time Machine x 2) by running it twice per day, one onto each HD.;)

[Rocketman]

Been using Time Machine in Leopard Preview. All Phone data, USB flash date, Media, Recordings, iTunes, etc. are backed up effortlessly. For the truly compulsive, you can use two external HD with Time Machine (Time Machine x 2) by running it twice per day, one onto each HD.;)

Leave it to Steve to save us from ourselves. So how are we going to VIEW all those backed up Visicalc, Lotus 1-2-3 and Wordstar files?

It's a fair question!

Rocketman

[DMann]

Leave it to Steve to save us from ourselves. So how are we going to VIEW all those backed up Visicalc, Lotus 1-2-3 and Wordstar files?

It's a fair question!

Rocketman

Yes, it is........ In addition to my Mac Pro Duo, iMac (C2Duo), and MBP, I've got a G4 Tower running OS 9.2.2 to view files such as those.......I've even got a spare 603 PPC Tower if you need one......:)

[Legolamb]

Yeah, when I was collecting data and writing my thesis, I was pretty paranoid.
USB Flash Drive(s) - daily
External HD - weekly
Mail Account - daily
Servers - weekly
Optical (DVD and CD) (2 copies, stored in 2 different places, including a safe) - for large video files - as soon as they were captured, other files - monthly
Older Macs - for large video files - as soon as they were captured
MANY HARD COPIES

[lamina]

I usually backup my school notes about 2x per week, because if I lost those, I'd be screwed for exams and papers. I do an iPhoto backup on my PB and iMac about once a month onto my Lacie Brick 160.

I'll sometimes FTP over important files to my xbox's 200gb hard drive too, it's amazing how useful an xbox is beyond gaming.

[TomSmithMacEd]

yeah, I just learned my lesson

I have most of my files backed up on an external harddrive, but I did not update it often. My harddrive crashed.. no macbook... no notes for the whole semester... two midterms this week. I'm on macbytes instead of studying. :(

[DMann]

yeah, I just learned my lesson

I have most of my files backed up on an external harddrive, but I did not update it often. My harddrive crashed.. no macbook... no notes for the whole semester... two midterms this week. I'm on macbytes instead of studying. :(

Sorry to hear that....... have you tried disk recovery, either Disk Warrior or professional HD recovery? You just might be able to get it all back...and if the drive is mechanically sound, it won't be expensive either....

[Analog Kid]

As more and more of our lives get digitized, backup is the killer app. It's amazing to me that more companies haven't caught on to this and how few user-friendly solutions there are-- and the ones that do exist leave so many holes.

I back up to external hard drive, and it's worked reasonably well for me. This is fine protection against a drive failure, and the chance of simultaneous drive crashes is reasonably small, but it leaves a few significant holes:


Data corruption passes seamlessly and undetected into the backup system leaving me vulnerable to bit rot.
Once the backup is done, the version before is gone so if I don't catch a mistake or lost file before the backup it's permanent.
It doesn't protect me from larger problems like fire or lightning strike because everything is co-located.


I'm looking forward to TimeMachine to help with the first two (I assume I can go back in time to before the time of corruption?) but that third is tough. I don't like online backups for privacy reasons and cost. I should shuttle a disk back and forth to work to protect it but I'm fundamentally lazy. What I'd like is a way to permit encrypted network backups to a trusted friend's machine.

If TimeMachine evolves into a broader pushbutton solution to these problems, Apple will have a huge leg up when people learn the importance of protecting their digital images and data.

[checkflag]

I just backed up 27,650 digi photos on to Dua Layer DVD's (7). Its a good idea
to do this often.

[TomSmithMacEd]

Sorry to hear that....... have you tried disk recovery, either Disk Warrior or professional HD recovery? You just might be able to get it all back...and if the drive is mechanically sound, it won't be expensive either....

I've already sent it into Apple for a repair.