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(Note to readers: This started out as a short post about computer backups and turned into almost a complete guide to computer backups. If you think this is something you will be undertaking in the next few months, I would bookmark this post for future reference. Even I didn’t know how complete it would ultimately become! Enjoy!) 

There is perhaps no other computer task that is more important that performing regular backups of your data. Sure, virus scanning and spyware scanning are important too, but what happens if those tasks fail you at some point? You’re going to need a backup of your important files, emails, photos and applications!

Here are some easy ways to backup your data. Some are free and some are nearly free but they are all easy and all offer a way to perform backups automatically once you have everything setup.

There are two basic ways to backup your website: you can backup to a local harddrive (such as a separate external harddrive) or to a remote location (such as a backup service or to a webserver).

Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but you should choose the method that works best for you and your needs.

Backup to a remote location (a service or server)

Mozy: Offers both a free and paid version of their service. The free version allows up to 2GB of free backup space on their servers. The service requires a quick download of their software after which you can schedule automatic full backups or incremental backups of just the data that has changed since your last backup.

The more robust paid version is still a steal at only $4.95/month and gives you unlimited backup space and bandwidth! You can pay monthly at the $4.95/month rate or pay one year in advance and get one month free or pay two years in advance and get three months free.

Whether you choose the free or paid version, your backups are encrypted for your security and stored on a secure server. Even big files larger than 3GB can be uploaded, so program files or bulky mp3’s are no problem for Mozy.

I’ve personally used Mozy and found it to be very easy to use. The fact that I can schedule backups to be performed any time I choose, means that I can set the service to do a backup at 3am if I want when I am away from my computer. I recommend choosing a time of day when you don’t need to use your computer for many tasks so that the backup will go faster and so your programs won’t be slowed down. The incremental backup option allows you to backup just the files that have changed or been added since the last backup, which means that after one BIG backup, you will have several little ones resulting in a full archive of everything.

Who is Mozy for? The computer user who needs something simple and cheap and doesn’t have access to a large external drive to do backups to or who doesn’t want to burn backups to CDs and DVDs. It’s fairly hands-off and doesn’t require purchasing additional equipment.

If you’re on the fence about using Mozy as your main backup solution, just give their free version of Mozy a try and see if it works for you.

Carbonite: Like Mozy, Carbonite offers encrypted secure backups to their own remote server. It works constantly in the background searching for new and changed data on your computer so that it can be uploaded and added to your storage as soon as it is available. In fact their tagline says, “Nonstop unlimited automatic backup over the Internet”.

Animated online tutorials explain how the backup process works and how to retrieve your files in the event that you need to restore your files to a repaired or new computer.

Carbonite offers a free 15-day trial so you can compare it with other services. The cost is a flat $49.95 per year, which breaks down to just a little over $4 per month. There is also a two-year option that results in your average monthly cost being just about $3.75/month.

I see Carbonite as slightly different from Mozy in that Carbonite touts itself as an unlimited and constant backup source. That said, I would make sure that if you choose Carbonite that you have a newer computer with a fair amount of memory so that it can run continuously in the background without slowing the rest of your computer down. Carbonite mentions that your computer will not suffer any slowdowns during the usage of the program, but I would make sure to expect a slight slowdown all the same. Like most applications that run in the system tray, a simple disabling of the program when you are using some heavier applications should do the trick. Just remember to turn it back on!

Options that let you backup locally or remotely:

Syncback and SyncbackSE: Syncback is the free version, and SyncBackSE is the paid version of this software that resides on your computer and allows you to schedule backups to either a local destination or a remote destination.

Where the two versions differ is in the amount of features available to you. If you want to be able to do incremental backups or be able to compress the files first before you back them up to your harddrive or to a server, you would need to upgrade to the SE version. But at just $30.00 for a one-time download, it’s still a very economical solution.

The company that created Syncback and SyncbackSE also offers a free 30-day trial of the more advanced SE version so that you can test it out and see if the extra features are worth the cost to you.

I have Syncback and like it very much, but it is definitely for the user who wants to have more specialized control over every aspect of their backups.

Who is Syncback for? Syncback is for the user who has an external harddrive or webserver that they want to send backups to. Where this software comes in handy is if you want to do full or incremental backups while NOT online to an external harddrive. This means that you backups can be performed at any time regardless of your access to an Internet connection. Having the option to also backup to a webserver means that you can have a remote copy of your files that are away from your home in case of a fire or other disaster. I personally have done backups both ways with Syncback and recommend that you always have a second copy of your files somewhere other than your home, and Syncback does a nice job of making that possible.

Backing up everything, programs and all…..how to do it:

We’ve talked about ways to backup files like photos, emails, and other files but what if you want to create a complete COPY of your harddrive complete with your programs, settings and all the other goodies that you would lose if your harddrive died?

It can be done if you have the right tools available to you. I recently researched this option as I started to see that my laptop was acting funny. It’s one thing to transfer files, but after five years of having my laptop surgically attached to my fingers, I knew that transferring all of those programs and settings would be nearly impossible unless I found a solution before it became too late.

Acronis TrueImage

I purchased an external harddrive, the Seagate FreeAgent to be exact, and some really cool software that promised a perfect “image” of my harddrive that could be copied and archived on my external harddrive. The software is called Acronis TrueImage 10.0 and it works much like a program that copies a DVD movie would…..it takes a snapshot of what your entire harddrive looks like, programs and all, and copies that snapshot or “image” to your harddrive. What is really cool about the software is that once you have done a full backup of your harddrive, you can set the software to do subsequent incremental backups of just the files and programs that have changed since your first major backup.

In the event that you have to restore your harddrive or move everything to a completely new computer, you can pull those files off your external harddrive (or wherever you have stored them) and basically put them all together like a puzzle on your new computer or restored harddrive.

Luckily, I haven’t had to actually restore anything, so I can’t give any information on how well that feature works but it feels pretty good to know that there is a VERY large backup file sitting there ready to be used if needed.

The software is extremely affordable at only $49.99 and other than having a place to move your files to (like an external harddrive or a webserver) that would be your only one-time cost.

Who is Acronis for? This is for someone who is really concerned about the reliability of their computer system and worries that all files including programs could be lost. Realistically, this could happen to anyone, but if you have an older computer that is acting up and might be on it’s last legs, this is the solution for you. It’s also great if you have just purchased a new computer and you want the files and programs on your new computer to be exactly like your old one.

General tips and suggestions:

The key here, as with everything on AutomaticMoms.com is to make your life easier and the only way that you will be able to know which solution works best for you and your needs is to compare them yourself.

With all of these free trials available, I highly recommend signing up for all of them and testing them out side by side. After all, some people need a consistent backup that is always on and always working for them, while others who have less computer usage throughout a typical week may only need a one-weekly backup to an external drive.

I also recommend that you have a “backup for your backup” meaning that you utilize more than one backup solution. Obviously, having files on your external harddrive is convenient because you have the files right there on your desk, but what happens if your computer and all components are damaged in a lightning storm or a fire?

And yes, it’s great to know that your files are being hosted remotely somewhere, but wouldn’t you feel better knowing that your data, perhaps backed up to your server, also exists in a hard copy form at your home or in a safety deposit box?

Maybe the safety deposit box is a bit much for most people, but if you are running a business from home that pays the bills, you would be wise to have a REALLY safe place for your backups.

So I highly recommend finding your FAVORITE solution and implementing it immediately, and then use your next favorite as a backup to that just in case.

And about those external harddrives….they really are nice to have. I have the Seagate FreeAgent, which I bought at Best Buy for about $80 when it was on sale. The harddrive is a whopping 250GB of space (more than enough for most people, even those with videos and picture files) and it takes up no more room than the Comcast modem I have on my desk. TigerDirect.Com  sells the Seagate FreeAgent in a variety of disk sizes.

Whichever method you choose to backup your files, remember that the idea that AutomaticMoms.Com tries to promote is that your tasks, like backing up your computer, should be as automatic and seamless as possible. Once you have created a “system” for backing up your files, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without one before! And, you’ll enjoy the peace of mind that having regular backups provides you!

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