online backups?

[k-joi studios]

Does anyone here use an online data backup service?

I was just about to buy another hard drive fore backup, but then I heard a Mozy ad on the radio and had second thoughts.

I looked at Carbonite and Mozy. Does anyone have any experience with either company?

Thanks in advance.

 

[wombat146]

Hey Kara, I use hard drives for my backups so I don't know about these ones. No doubt someone will be here in a moment with more information!! and welcome to the O!!

 

[clarabear]

I have both a back up EHD and i also use Crashplan. I have had to use Crashplan to get files back in the past and I love it. Highly recommend it.

 

[k-joi studios]

Ooooooo, thank you! I've not heard of that one, but I'll check it out.

and thanks for the welcome

 

[Ellen]

I have used both Mozy and Carbonite

Mozy's helpdesk was very slow and some of them not interested in your problems at all. Some of them were going out of their way to help though.
I found that both with Carbonite and Mozy it slowed the computer down.

In the end I decided to do a triple backup by dividing my hard disk into 2 , backing up my stuff on the hb computer too and everything on 2 external ones.
All I need to remember now is to back up-back up-back up

 

[VickiStegall]

My mom uses Carbonite.

I use a NAS here with redundant drives so other than knowing that Carbonite has saved my mom's bacon and how many customer service requests for resetting of links due to crashed drives, I don't have much more input

 

[lizj]

Another vote for Crashplan. One thing they do that is very smart is, for a nominal fee, they send you a "seed" EHD to which you can do your initial back up. Then you mail the EHD back to them, they load the initial back up from the EHD, connect your computer, and subsequent interim back ups are online.

I tried Mozy first, and you do the initial back up on line. After THREE weeks my initial back up was not finished, the customer service people were unhelpful, and I gave up and went to Crashplan. I only run it overnight, because any backing up does slow the computer down. HTH

 

[Heather Prins]

I am still thinking of Flickr Pro Plan. They connect right to iPhoto on the mac so uploading is super easy.

 

[lizj]

The Flickr pro plan doesn't automatically back up (as far as I know, and I have that too!). Only plans like Crashplan, Mozy or Carbonite back up without you having to actively tell the program to back up or uploading your photos or supplies. I like that I don't have to remember to initiate the back up.

 

[Heather Prins]

That's true but I think I can remember to upload each time I input photos. It's more if something happens to out home that I want them stored somewhere else. We backup to hard drives and have the time machine etc.

 

[CindaA]

I like Carbonite, don't feel it's slowed down my Mac. I haven't had to recover any files yet. I pulled my old photo CDs, temporarily put them on my hard drive and now they're on Carbonite. I really like being able to pull up any of those pictures or layouts - even on my iPhone.

 

[janedee]

I use Carbonite too and have been happy with it so far. I haven't found it slowed down my computer, although the initial back-up did take a couple of weeks. Since then it operates in the background and I don't even know its running. I've only had to restore a couple of files to date so no idea how long that would take. Carbonite does offer an option to get a DVD sent to you for faster restoration too.

 

[faerywings]

I have Carbonite as well. I have had to recover files that I accidentally deleted from y Recycle Bin, but not from a crash. I have the basic plan so it doesn't cover my EHD, but I only use that sporadically at this point anyway, all of my scrap files and photos are on my desktop. No issues with slowing down although I will pause it if I have PS, ACDSee and internet open to save a bit of memory.

I recetnly saw a good offer from Crashplan- and IIRC it does cover EHD's in the basic price. I meant to look into switching over, but I forgot.

 

[clarabear]

Crashplan covers EHDs and also deleted files. It costs a little more to cover multiple computers but I also have a networked ehd do I can save my stuff to the EHD from my laptop to the EHD and it gets backed up. I grab stuff I accidentally delete all the time. It's awesome. It is really easy to use on PC or Mac. Plus I can download stuff from my backup to my laptop up to a certain size since it isn't the covered computer. I back up my entire HD which includes a gazillion pics also. Hundreds of GBs. Love it.

 

[suezeeq12]

I use LiveDrive and have been really happy with it. I do nothing and it does it all. It even backs up my NAS (and any EHDs I want) whereas some online companies won't back up drives like that.

 

[k-joi studios]

Thank you all so much. I have a lot to look at!

For those of you who use EHDs to back-up, just beware. I used to use EHDs for backup until lightening struck our house and got all our computers and my EHDs. It was heartbreaking to loose all my stuff. (I tried to have the data recovered, but it was lost.)

 

[Heather Prins]

Thank you all so much. I have a lot to look at!

For those of you who use EHDs to back-up, just beware. I used to use EHDs for backup until lightening struck our house and got all our computers and my EHDs. It was heartbreaking to loose all my stuff. (I tried to have the data recovered, but it was lost.)

Oh that is awful!