iMac Backup Importance

[NiroNavro]

How important is it to backup a new or refurbished iMac right away? Can it wait? Do I really need to backup my iMac at all? How likely is it that my iMac will crash or have hard disk issues? Any other advice you can give on backup would be great.

 

[Eidorian]

Always have a backup.

If you don't care about your data then that's another story.

 

[Sky Blue]

If you have no data you need then you don't need to back up. Once you have pictures, music, documents, etc. that are vital you should be backing up regularly. With Time machine there's really no excuse.

 

[~Shard~]

From a statistical point of view you are less likely to experience a hard drive failure the newer the hard drive is, however this doesn't mean it cannot happen. Some drives last for 10 years, others 10 days. Bottom line is, if you value your data, you should back it up.

Solutions? I recommend evaluating Time Machine, Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper. As for external drives, I have always been a fan of Seagate drives and their 5-year warranties, and Lacie makes a solid product as well (keeping in mind they do not actually manufacture drives themselves).

 

[NiroNavro]

Firewire or USB?

What are the differences between a Firewire external drive and a USB external drive?

 

[26139]

uh...

What are the differences between a Firewire external drive and a USB external drive?

One plugs into your Firewire port, the other into your USB port.

Firewire is faster for sustained data transfer. USB is more universal, as many PCs don't have full size Firewire ports.

 

[soberbrain]

Firewire also provides power to an external hard drive so you just have one cord for both data and power.

USB needs 2 wires. 1 USB for data and 1 AC Adapter for power.