How often do you backup your computer? Have you automated the process? Do you have a backup off-site, in case some tragic event wipes out everything in your home? Do you backup nothing, cross your fingers, and hope you never need a backup?

I used to be like most people who would answer those questions with the following answers: “Huh?”, “No”, “No”, “Yes!”

I also burned through several computers and even more hard drives in the last few years. Each time, I wished I’d had a backup, but I didn’t.

I am fairly certain all that is behind me now. I’m a stickler for backing up, but I don’t have to even think about it anymore. That’s a good thing, because my memory is terrible, so I would never remember it on my own.

What’s the very best way to backup your computer? Automatically and off-site. You don’t want to rely on your memory (because then it won’t happen), and you don’t want it in the same location as your computer. These days, that is now extremely simple to accomplish with Online Backup services.

There are a few million online backup services these days. Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit there, but really, there are tons of companies that are vying for your business in the online backup field.

I had planned to present a long list of online backup companies, with comparison data on each, to help you decide which to use. But I changed my mind. Why?

Any service designed for someone like me - someone who likes things easy and at the right price - needs to pass 3 tests. (Four actually, if you want to include the requirement of backing up off-site, but since all online services would automatically pass that test, I’ve skipped that).

The 3 tests are:

1. Unlimited (backup as much data as needed)
2. Automatic (no need to remember to do it)
3. Less than $5/month

Amazingly enough, I was only able to find 2 services that passed all 3 tests.

• Most passed the second requirement of being automated (although not all did).
• Very few passed the “I’m cheap” test, but there were a few more than 2.
• But only two provided unlimited backup at such a cheap price (that I could find).

Most services charge x dollars per x gigs backed up, and depending upon how much data you have, that could mean nickel and diming you to death. It’s certainly possible that I missed a company that fits the requirements when I did my researching, but that’s ok. The two that meet the requirements are really great and there’s no reason not to pick one of them for your online backup service.

Ok, enough blah blah blah. Which two online backup services are the winners?

Mozy has unlimited backup for $4.95/month (or you can even limit yourself to 2 GB for free, if you want). If you want to save a little more money, you can choose the 1 year payment plan, which gets you one month free, or the 2 year payment plan, which gets you three months free.

The first backup will take a while, but after the first full backup, only files that have been added or changed are backed up, making it lightning fast. Backups occur at scheduled times.

There are 4 ways to restore files with Mozy. The first restore option is to simply right-click on the file or folder in Windows Explorer that you want to restore and select “Restore Previous Version.” You can then select the version to restore, from the most recent version up to 30 days back. You can also restore from the web (mostly useful if you either don’t have Mozy installed or you need to restore less than 20 GB), or you can restore from a virtual drive on your computer. Finally, you can choose a DVD Restore for large restores (order a copy of all data on dvd. This costs extra, but the DVDs are shipped overnight via fedx).

Carbonite offers nonstop unlimited backup for 49.95/year, which is $4.16/month, so it’s a tad bit cheaper than Mozy. Unlike Mozy, it doesn’t schedule backups. Instead, the moment you add or modify files, Carbonite swings into action to back up your new or updated data.

As far as I can tell, there are 2 ways to restore files with Carbonite. You can either click on the Carbonite Backup Drive found in your “My Computer” directory, or you can restore from the web.

Both Mozy and Carbonite are simple to use. If I had to pick, I’d say Carbonite was slightly easier to use, but both are straightforward and easy. Both come pre-configured with “suggested” files to download such as your documents, music, and photos. Both allow you to manually adjust those suggestions, of course. Both are set and forget. Once you spend the few minutes it takes to configure the software, you pretty much never have to think about it again - unless, of course you need to restore files. Again, the process is fairly simple to restore for both Mozy and Carbonite.

I can easily recommend either service. Which do I use - and why? Well, because I live in a rural area and therefore am limited to using satellite service for “high-speed” Internet access, my access is actually limited on a daily basis due to some regulation that imposes usage thresholds (FAP - Fair Access Policy). My satellite service does not place restrictions on usage during a two hour period in the middle of the night, so they encourage all automated usage processes (such as remote backup of files) be scheduled during this time. If I schedule my remote backup during that 2-hour time frame, I don’t have to worry about the transfer counting towards my FAP usage, so I won’t be penalized for using too much bandwidth. For that reason, I cannot use Carbonite, since it isn’t a “scheduled” service. I can’t tell it to only backup to the remote server during that 2-hour time frame. For most of you, that limitation won’t apply, so Carbonite will work fine for you (and may even be preferable to have it upload as files change throughout the day). But for me, it’s just not a workable solution, so Mozy is my remote backup service of choice.

[slightly off-topic] BTW, satellite internet service is the worst choice you can make, so unless it’s your only choice, don’t even consider it. If you have no other choice, be sure to read up thoroughly on the subject of FAP. Oh, and if you want my advice on whether you should pick Wildblue or Hughesnet … Hughesnet is by far the better satellite service in my experience, and I’ve used both. [/slightly off-topic]

Mozy
Carbonite

(from Smash Mouth. "AllStar" Astro Lounge. Interscope Records, 1999.)

Posted on December 12th, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Tech Advice