Backup

[zoid52]

I want to backup my music and pictures;about 25 GB. I already have an external HD that I have backed up but I am concerned if both my computer's HD and external HD crash there goes my stuff. I want to burn my documents to dvd to have another copy. Also what about adding another external HD that I can plug into a usb port ;drag & drop and then unplug. Any and all ideas appreciated

[sixniner]

You may want to look into Buffalo external drives. You can daisy chain USB drives to Buffalo and have it backup to those USB.

Buffalo offers RAID which mirrors data on 2 drives. This provides protection because if one drive of the pair failed, you have the other to fall back on. However, you lose 1/2 the capacity (getting 500GB usable from 1TB device)

Chances that both internal HD and external drive died at the same time are remote but possible: House burnt down or lightning induced surges. Burn to DVD has negative points such as spanning multiple DVD, prone to scratches, and Write-only ...

[XYZ]

I used to back up all my stuff on external hard drives, then to DVD-R's but doing that once a week got to be a pain and if anything was stolen or my place burned down, the backups were pretty useless. I've since switched to backing up my files online - it's cheap, secure, automatic and in another location that's well protected.

I first started using www.mozy.com but they charge X amount for every gig stored. I now use www.carbonite.com as they only charge $55/year for unlimited space. Good luck.

[Ricky-Ray]

I have my files backed up to an external hard drive and also online. I use carbonite also. If you wait till around the holiday's they will usually put out a coupon for something like almost 50% off. I was able to get a 3 year subscription to carbonite for 65 bucks.

The only thing I don't like about carbonite is that it does not automatically back up video files. I have to manually select those files for backup.