How To Backup Securely

Posted by ttblogger on 04/10 at 12:48 PM Discuss in Forums • Permalink
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This Tech Tip addresses some frequently asked questions about how to safeguard your computer data on a personal and business level. It assumes that you DO NOT have gigabytes of music and movies that require extensive security measures to protect.

1.) How should I begin to secure important data on my desktop computer or laptop?

First, it makes sense to designate 1 or 2 specific folders on your computer as the main folder for confidential file back-ups for several reasons. If you have to do a quick back-up, all you do is copy that folder to an external drive for an instant back-up....

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    Posted by Doxydad  on  04/10  at  04:48 AM

  1. Thanks for an indispensable column. I look forward to every time I see it in my e mail box. Kudos on well explained and layman friendly instructional tips.

    2. Posted by Steve Dempsey  on  04/10  at  05:57 AM

  2. But what about music and pictures, the stuff that everyone wants to back up. Is there software out there that will push everything to an external drive, then do it again in a week, but only copy new or changed files? This would be very helpful.

    Thanks,
    Steve D

    3. Posted by Phil Howell  on  04/10  at  12:51 PM

  3. Regarding CD/DVD:  You did not mention the degredation, over time, of this media.  Is it still a concern?  What is the safest long term media to use?

    4. Posted by Jim  on  04/10  at  02:03 PM

  4. Can no longer recommend Mozy as they are hardly inexpensive with their new pricing structure.  I now point people towards Crashplan+

    5. Posted by John  on  04/10  at  08:54 PM

  5. While you do cover security fairly well in the article I don’t think you put enough emphasis on off-site storage of the backups. Flash drives, external storage, CDs, etc. that are kept near the originals are susceptible to fire/theft/natural disaster, you name it.  It doesn’t do much good to have a backup if you lose it in the same event that destroys your original.

    6. Posted by paul scott  on  04/10  at  10:10 PM

  6. WELL, I HAVE A BAD MOTHER COARD I GOT FROM YOU AN THE NEW ONE I GOT IS BAD ALSO AN I HAVENT HERD NOTHING ABOUT HOW TO RETURN IT TO YOU,

    7. Posted by steve peterson  on  04/11  at  02:23 AM

  7. I would never recommend Mosy or suggest it is equivalant to a tool like carbonite.  If you research a bit more the reviews on Mozy, you will learn that it is pretty much a scam.  Folks that have relied on it without testing it’s data recovery function will be sorely disappointed!

    8. Posted by Bruce Epper  on  04/11  at  03:46 AM

  8. You didn’t even mention off-site backups.  What good is saving all of your important data to a flash drive, a portable drive, your home NAS device and a set of DVDs if they are all inside of your house when it goes up in smoke?  All of your backups can be encrypted and stored SOMEWHERE ELSE!

    9. Posted by Kader  on  04/11  at  12:00 PM

  9. Very nice topic for me thank you.

    10. Posted by William Keeley  on  04/17  at  08:14 AM

  10. One thing that I always do is make a dual purpose back up.  Not only do I back up my important files, but I also back up my operating system and applications.  Even though people may have a copy of their most important documents, pictures, etc. they will still have headaches should their hard drive go belly up.

    They will have to install (or have installed) a new hard drive, re-install their operating system, device drivers, each and every one of their applications, and all of their software updates.  This can take from hours to several days, and their computer will still perform differently than what they are used to.

    In order to have one’s computer working exactly the same as before a hard drive crash, they will have to have an image backup of their hard drive.

    A ready and free image back up solution is a free bootable CD called. Clonezilla.  Clonezilla allows a person to back up their entire hard drive in a way that it can be restored to behave exactly the same as it did before the crash.  With an image backup, one is not able to access individual files, but must restore everything at once, so it is also important to do an individual file backup as well.

    One can back up their hard drive to an inexpensive usb based hard drive using disk imaging.  In addition, one can also copy their important documents to the same drive.  Doing both allows important files to be accessed right away on a different computer and also allows a computer to be restored to previous functioning levels when a replacement hard drive arrives.
    More tips and secrets can be found in my book, “Tech Tactics - Money Saving Secrets.” “Tech Tactics - Money Saving Secrets” is available in the Kindle and Nook editions and will soon be available in paperback.

    11. Posted by Mark T  on  04/21  at  01:16 PM

  11. Thanks everyone for the feedback and input!

    - Steve D - The main theme of this article was SECURITY when backing up important files. If you’re looking for a simple dumping ground back-up solution, many external hard drives feature OTB (One-Touch Back-up) so it’s hassle free.

    - Phil Howell - Media such as CD/DVD’s theoretically have an indefinite life given favorable archiving conditions such as stable room temperature, etc. 

    - John - This article specifically covers SECURITY with REDUNDANCE.  It’s not about simply using off-site storage solutions, but rather having a secure back-up strategy in case the original or copied info is lost/compromised.  For example, it’s important to use a combination such as an encrypted flash drive and an encrypted cloud-based back-up service such as Backblaze.  The idea isn’t just about redundancy in back-ups, but both solutions are secured. (via True Crypt & AES)

    - Steve Peterson - I’ve heard Backblaze is actually a very good back-up service; it not only auto-backs up your system but does it securely whether you’re at home or on on a coffee wi-fi network. 

    - Bruce Epper - Just like I told John, this article specifically covers SECURITY and REDUNDANCE.  Please read above. 

    -

    12. Posted by Kai Zhong Lee  on  04/22  at  12:52 AM

  12. My ASUS of three years recently blue-screened and died on me...I’m really regretting not having taken precautions to have avoided my data being lost in the first place. Fortunately, I was able to run it via Safe Mode for a brief period and transfer most of my files to another computer.

    Nevertheless, this was really helpful! Thanks!

    13. Posted by Steve Dempsey  on  04/25  at  02:51 PM

  13. Yes, I understand the main theme was secure backup. My question was a tangent and still stands unless One Touch Backup does what I want which is push data to an external drive, AND keep track of what files have been added or changed. Then I want to do or schedule a weekly backup that only copies the added/changed files. Also I want to do this from more than one computer, but use the same external USB drive.
    I think that this kind of backup info would help the most people.

    14. Posted by Christopher P  on  04/28  at  06:55 AM

  14. Really good tip.  Little do people know is that at some point they will need this.

    15. Posted by Francis Bonto  on  07/06  at  09:56 PM

  15. Thanks for the tips. it’s really important to back up files in order to avoid data loses.

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