Backing up files

[Jo-Anne]

Hi Brian, I have just completed Damien's Bridge class and it discussed backups. I read in there that Damien uses Microsoft SyncToy program to help with backing up. I also recall recently reading in the forum or FB group not to copy and paste files to external hard drives to back up files. This is what I have always done as I didn't realise there are better options. I have two external hard drives which have all my files and photographs backed up on, one I keep at a family members house and only back up every six months or so and the other one I back up maybe once a month. My photography at the moment is only family photos but I am studying and like to backup my uni assessments regularly (especially as I have had a couple of computer problems this year), and usually back them up in Dropbox every day that I work on them. So my question is, is there a low cost program you can recommend that I should be using to help backup to my external hard drives? Or any other suggestions for backing up my files? Your help is appreciated.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Jo-Anne

[Brian]

2 hours ago, Jo-Anne said:

I also recall recently reading in the forum or FB group not to copy and paste files to external hard drives to back up files. 

This is complete Bullshit. SMDH. That's what --> I <-- do. LOL!! Yes, you always want to COPY & PASTE. Never-ever Cut & Paste. Why? Because if something were to screw-up with the data transfer, you always have the option to try and copy again. If you "Cut" aka "Move" the files, you are messing with the Master File and that on occasion can lead to bad things happening. I have personally experienced this once, where I lost irreplaceable files on a customer's computer.  I had "Cut & Pasted" for decades with no issues. Until that one time that I got burned. Now I always recommend Copying & Pasting. So far you are doing good!!
 

2 hours ago, Jo-Anne said:

I keep at a family members house and only back up every six months or so and the other one I back up maybe once a month. My photography at the moment is only family photos but I am studying and like to backup my uni assessments regularly (especially as I have had a couple of computer problems this year), and usually back them up in Dropbox every day that I work on them.

Having an off-site backup is key. Yes, keep doing this. That said, the amount of times that you do this needs to be at your comfort level of what you can lose if something happens. So if you create a hard drive that is a copy of another one, create this drive monthly, keeping it off-site, and you are comfortable with only doing it once a month, you are fine. In fact, you are so far ahead of the game it's not even funny. Most people don't even do this! Instead they fool themselves thinking that a Cloud Service will save their asses. To a certain degree they do, but most people don't read the fine print. Meaning, for the majority of the Cloud Backups out there, if you delete files off your computer that are also backed up on the Cloud, those files will also be deleted within 30 days or so. Unless you spend the extra $$$'s to get a Premium Plan/Subscription which most people do not purchase.

Keep doing what you are doing. The best backup methods follows the "3-2-1 Backup Strategy." Which is:

1. 3 Copies of your important files
2. On at least 2 different storage devices/mediums
3. 1 Copy kept off-site.

Different Mediums can be another HD, Thumbdrive, Cloud Backup, Tape, Archive Grade DVDs, etc. Three copies is kinda pushing it for Photographers, especially with image files, but if you have copies on two different destinations with one kept off-site, I'd call that good.

2 hours ago, Jo-Anne said:

So my question is, is there a low cost program you can recommend that I should be using to help backup to my external hard drives?

I'd recommend Synctoy for Windows Computers. There is another program that acts like a true backup program, but for the life of me, I can not remember it. I will think about it and let you know. (It's 3AM as I type this and need to go to bed.)

Anyway, keep doing what you are doing. Yes, I'm sure there are tweaks here and there we can do, but overall you are ahead of the curve.

[Jo-Anne]

Hi Brian,

That is a relief to know I have been doing the copying and pasting right! Thank you.

The 321 Backup Strategy sounds good. I'll go an put some more of my important files on Dropbox too, not just the two external hard drives. I'm not really sure what the Cloud really is, but hopefully Dropbox is just as good. Seems to be working well for me.

I'll check out Synctoy also.

Thanks so much for your advice. Appreciate being able to check I'm on the right track.

[Brian]

5 hours ago, Jo-Anne said:

I'm not really sure what the Cloud really is,

All the "Cloud" really is....

someone else's Server / Computer.

That's it.

No magic, no Voodoo, or Mystery, just great a Marketing Term. Dropbox is a Cloud Service. OneDrive is a Cloud Service. BackBlaze is a Cloud Service. Every single one of these that I have mentioned is just a Server Farm somewhere that your files reside in under your account. The difference between them is HOW they backup your files. OneDrive and Dropbox Act like a Thumbdrive more than a EHD. You copy files over to them, or directly store stuff on them, but you typically aren't doing any real-live work from them. Stuff like that is done on a local HD, whether it's internal or external. BackBlaze and the like are more like SyncToy or another backup program, like Veritas BackupExec. (We won't get into this one, it's really meant for Servers.) Basically BackBlaze backup your whole system if you tell it to, or automatically backup drives that you specify. They are meant to be used if something really bad happens to your computer and you need to restore files. They aren't meant to be used in a "Live" environment.

 

[Jo-Anne]

Thanks for explaining. My computer has had a couple of issues this year so it sounds like SyncToy is a good idea.