[krishgayle]

Ok, the thing is, I have many important documents and contacts that I would like to backup (about 2 GB). But I do not know which method to use: Online Backup or a Hard Drive Backup? A hard drive backup may be the cheapest and fastest route, considering that the only cost would be for the hard drive itself and that the USB 2.0 data transfer rate is faster than my internet connection’s upload speed. I have thought about online backups as nothing beats the reliability of multiple server backups that most host sites advertise, but my upload speed may be an issue when backing up large files. Does anyone have any advice as to which Backup System provides the best bang for the buck?

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” –Lao Tzu

[Admin]

Hi,

The first thing with data is "always" have multiple copies on physically separate media to ensure redundancy.

Personally i don't like online backup solutions for my personal data. There's chances the site will vanish, get hacked, be offline when you need your data and there's also the issue of who's running the site and are they outsourcing server administration to some offshore company who will copy your files.

You can always encrypt your data to assist with security, but you can't do anything about the sites uptime and stability plus as you mentioned there's an ongoing price and transfer rates can be slow.

If i was you and had 2GB of data i wanted to protect, i would get an external Hard Drive plus get an 8GB USB Stick which are very cheap. This will give you 3 separate copies, one on your computers C Drive, a mirror on your external Hard Drive plus a third copy on a portable USB Stick you can password protect and carry on your keyring so it's available to you no matter where you are.

The good thing with the USB Stick is, you can put portable applications on it that you may need in order to use your data. Such as a portable version of Microsoft Office Word to view and edit your documents. This way you don't need to rely on whatever computer you use to have those apps installed.

[krishgayle]

those are good points about online data backups. Are there any specific external drives that people recommend which are the most reliable?