Making the switch from PC to Mac and need opinions on online backup services...

[finnrose]

Right now I am typing on the worlds worst HP laptop while my brand new 27inch i7 iMac sits in China "Prepared for Shipment". I am beyond excited and I am counting the days. In the mean time though, I need to prepare for the switch. I have one 500GB external hard drive right now and it has many irreplaceable things on it. Sadly, all my eggs are in that one basket right now, and I fear it may be a bad one. I went from Vista to Windows 7 (ugh) and now when I plug that external it it prompts me to reformat it. I am still able to click no and read and wite to it but I am scared that could change at the worst possible moment and all my children's, and client photos (I'm a photographer), will be gone. I am now on the hunt for the best online backup solution I can find.

I have been looking at Mozy but have seen a few postings where it may not be possible to switch your files over without ordering DVD backups from Mozy. I'm not really looking for a backup of my complete system until after the switch, all I really want to do is upload the files and re-download them later. I cannot use traditional photo backup places like flickr because not only are there hundreds of gigabytes of them, but the majority are raw files. I also have photoshop actions, marketing materials, and general work things that are already compatible with mac.

So, i need some opinions on where to go from here. I am hoping to get the process started tonight or tomorrow. I am hoping to get the files off this computer as well as my external so i don't have to worry.

Thanks ahead of time! All your help is so greatly appreciated!

~ Amanda

 

[Raima]

Right now I am typing on the worlds worst HP laptop while my brand new 27inch i7 iMac sits in China "Prepared for Shipment". I am beyond excited and I am counting the days. In the mean time though, I need to prepare for the switch. I have one 500GB external hard drive right now and it has many irreplaceable things on it. Sadly, all my eggs are in that one basket right now, and I fear it may be a bad one. I went from Vista to Windows 7 (ugh) and now when I plug that external it it prompts me to reformat it. I am still able to click no and read and wite to it but I am scared that could change at the worst possible moment and all my children's, and client photos (I'm a photographer), will be gone. I am now on the hunt for the best online backup solution I can find.

I have been looking at Mozy but have seen a few postings where it may not be possible to switch your files over without ordering DVD backups from Mozy. I'm not really looking for a backup of my complete system until after the switch, all I really want to do is upload the files and re-download them later. I cannot use traditional photo backup places like flickr because not only are there hundreds of gigabytes of them, but the majority are raw files. I also have photoshop actions, marketing materials, and general work things that are already compatible with mac.

So, i need some opinions on where to go from here. I am hoping to get the process started tonight or tomorrow. I am hoping to get the files off this computer as well as my external so i don't have to worry.

Thanks ahead of time! All your help is so greatly appreciated!

~ Amanda

Get another external drive and copy it onto that if you're worried. Copying hundreds of Gbs of photos onto the internet is not a good idea. You may loose ownership of the photos and it would take days even to weeks to copy it up then back down.

 

[devils punchbow]

http://www.carbonite.com/
online back up service. I use this, and am very happy with it. I've used it twice to restore files now.

 

[logimech]

A good solution for you would be an offline backup solution such as Drobo, you'd have redundant backups of all your photos, and plenty of room to expand.

If you need the portability of an online solution, you might look into Dropbox or MobileMe. However, they probably won't have the size you're looking for.

Also, as a professional, you might look into setting up your own server to host your backups. Most web hosts will give you the space you're looking for and an FTP solution to keep your data copied and on the web.

--

Edit:
Since your external hard drive solution has fared well for you so far, why exactly are you looking for an online solution?

 

[finnrose]

Get another external drive and copy it onto that if you're worried. Copying hundreds of Gbs of photos onto the internet is not a good idea. You may loose ownership of the photos and it would take days even to weeks to copy it up then back down.

Most sites like carbonite and mozy use encryption right? I'm sure there are a lot of sensitive information they handle other than photos. I have a lot of publicly posted photos anyway though, so I'm not really concerned about that. I don't use public sites like flickr to backup files. That wouldn't be very efficient. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I really don't want to have to go with another external drive becasue I will just have to pull the files off again an reformat it for mac so it can write to it.

 

[logimech]

I really don't want to have to go with another external drive becasue I will just have to pull the files off again an reformat it for mac so it can write to it.

I don't believe this is true if you format with a FAT32 structure.

 

[finnrose]

A good solution for you would be an offline backup solution such as Drobo, you'd have redundant backups of all your photos, and plenty of room to expand.

If you need the portability of an online solution, you might look into Dropbox or MobileMe. However, they probably won't have the size you're looking for.

Also, as a professional, you might look into setting up your own server to host your backups. Most web hosts will give you the space you're looking for and an FTP solution to keep your data copied and on the web.

Would LOVE a Drobo, but after my $3000 iMac purchase I can't swallow the $500 cost plus the $200 a piece for the harddrives. I'm not sure how much having my own server would cost. I imagine it would be about the same, right? I might have to look into that.

 

[finnrose]

I don't believe this is true if you format with a FAT32 structure.

Doesn't that limit you to small files sizes (nothing over 3 or 4 GB)? I had formatted to FAT once and tried to store some training videos that were a little over 3GB and it wouldn't let me.

 

[jglass38]

I love Idrive. I have used it on the PC side for years and am going to switch to a Mac account tomorrow. $4.95/month for 150GB or $14.95/month for 500GB.

 

[logimech]

Looking at the cost of Mozy, it looks like something around 6.95 + .50/GB a month.

6.95 + 500 GB * .50 = $256.95/Month

Seems like a more expensive solution than Drobo if you plan on using it for the long term.

Pardon my ignorance if this is off the mark, I'm not familiar with this service.

PS. You are right about FAT32. File size is limited to 4GB.

Also, a web hosting solution would give you a no-frills online drive solution for a range of prices. If you look at HostGator, you can get unlimited space for about $5/month.
Edit: I glanced over HostGator's ToS, and they don't permit the use of the online server as a backup solution. Oops, sorry. Although, if your website had the appearance of a "showcase" of your work, it would probably fly.

 

[finnrose]

The business service is for large business with a multiple computer network. I have very few clients and wouldn't need to use the business service. I only have one computer an no employees so I i will be using The home version for 4.95 per month

Looking at the cost of Mozy, it looks like something around 6.95 + .50/GB a month.

6.95 + 500 GB * .50 = $256.95/Month

Seems like a more expensive solution than Drobo if you plan on using it for the long term.

Pardon my ignorance if this is off the mark, I'm not familiar with this service.

PS. You are right about FAT32. File size is limited to 4GB.

Also, a web hosting solution would give you a no-frills online drive solution for a range of prices. If you look at HostGator, you can get unlimited space for about $5/month.
Edit: I glanced over HostGator's ToS, and they don't permit the use of the online server as a backup solution. Oops, sorry.

 

[iMacThere4Iam]

I use and like Carbonite. The initial backup is painfully slow, but from then on the backups are strictly in the background and don't interfere with what you're working on. The interface is straightforward and easy to use. It's $54.95/yr.
Do the first backup at night, because it'll take all night, and probably part of the next morning.

 

[finnrose]

Thanks everyone for the info! I think i am going to go with Dropbox for the initial transfer of the most important info, photos, ect. The rest i can do through the juggling of externals ect once the Mac is actually here. I may then switch to something like Mozy. We'll just have to see.

i will keep this updated on how it goes. i'm sure lots of people switching platforms have similar issues.