good free online data storage?

[crazypop]

Hi,
Hope I'm posting this in the right place...
I backup my computer on an external hard drive, but I'm thinking it would be smart to also store the data somewhere online. Is there are service that anyone recommends that is secure, reliable, and free?
Or would gmail attachments be a good idea?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

[IanS]

E-mail providers aren't going to be keen if you're using them for 'storage' or even 'backup'. You can't use your 'unlimited disk space' here for that either as it is against the TOS.

There are some places you can do as you suggest, but my inclination is to stick with external hard drives - and maybe more than one of them if the data is actually valuable, with the disk stored off site in case of a great catastrophe (earthquake/fire or worse!).

[crazypop]

hi Ian,
Thanks again. I agree that it shouldn't be on a website account, and not on an email account either. I'm pretty sure I've heard of paid services, but with free browsers and free email services, I thought there might be a free online data storage service too.
I'll keep looking!

[Dbrazzell]

Yes, please do not store backups on your shared hosting account.

Personally Ive been using http://www.getdropbox.com/ and couldn't be happier.
The first 2gb are free and then you can pay for a bigger account.

If your computer ever goes south just reinstall dropbox on the new pc and instantly all your files are back.

Also you can do what I do which is have drop box installed on multiple computers. This way when I save a file on one computer its instantly available on all the other computers. Very very handy.

[tpoynton]

I'll second dropbox; I also used syncplicity for a while, and I like dropbox better. simple (mindless) backup and synchronization among multiple computers - mac, linux, and windows.

[kathyjohn2]

there are a few good sites out there right now offering both free trials as well as memory space, including:

* carbonite
* box.net
* elephant drive
* idrive
* mozy
* sugarsync

normally it's for a certain period of time or up to 2GB. if you want more information, here's a good resource:

http://www.techwizbackup.com/best-free-backup-software/

and good for you for backing up - more people need to do that!

[KitBear]

Crazypop - how much space are you looking for?

[Doc C]

Per the ToS, you can't use your account space for storage. It violates the terms.

Try the ones give you in the posts above and you should be good.

Just remember, a file doesn't exist if you don't have at least 3 copies of it. I'll raise Ian one better. With as cheap as external drives are nowadays, get a couple of them. Back the data up once a week and take a drive to work and leave it there. Rotate back and forth between the two.

For stuff you really want to keep, burn it to DVD and send it to a friend out of state. Ship it with a return postage label so you can get it back easy from them.

[IanS]

I read somewhere recently that burnt CD's have a 'good data' life of somewhere around 5yrs - I presume that DVD's will have a similar limitation as they use similar technology. The same 'life' doesn't apply to pressed CD's.

[Doc C]

Then every so often you'd have to rotate them and/or store them properly. A Google search answers that question.

[snowmaker]

I read somewhere recently that burnt CD's have a 'good data' life of somewhere around 5yrs - I presume that DVD's will have a similar limitation as they use similar technology. The same 'life' doesn't apply to pressed CD's.

I read an article years ago about data at the National Archive in Wash. DC being stored on CDs or DVDs being 'good' for 20-30 years.. Of course, since it is something I read quite awhile ago, I could be as mistaken as I usually am..

[IanS]

This article from 2006 (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/107607/Storage_expert_warns_of_short_life_span_for_burned _CDs) shows MY memory isn't failing (just yet!).
(click through the ad to get to the article).

Probably the CD's in the US National Archive aren't the type you buy at a regular store selling writeble CD's. They will have a larger budget that the average individual, or even many companies.

[Doc C]

You're relying on a 3 year old article, Ian? Get with the times, buddy. :D Things in the IT field change almost daily.

[IanS]

That article is 3 yrs old, I've seen a similar report recently as well.

[Doc C]

Here (http://www.pctrainingspain.com/MH_Datasheets/MH_CD_DVD_Life.html) is one from earlier this year.

[crazypop]

Thanks all,
This is just the info I was looking for. I'm going to check out dropbox first.
I've burned some photos on DVD, and checked they were all ok, and then a year later I couldn't read the DVD, so that makes me a bit nervous...
I went online to Costco yesterday and looked at getting an additional external drive. Seems you can get a terabyte now. :) I've got a 250mb. Only thing that bummed me out was that it seemed almost every drive had a few negative customer reviews about the drive failing....
Ugghhhh....
Anyway, the info above was just what I was looking for. Thanks!

[tpoynton]

Excellent! Problem solved, thread closed? :)

[Dbrazzell]

Yea those external drives aren't really the best deal in the world.

I suspect cramming a hard drive in a plastic enclosure with little to no ventilation isnt great for them. Plus with an external drive your dragging it around to interesting places and moving it around while its running and I'm sure it will get a couple of hard knocks while you have it.

It just will not ever live the same life as the hard drive that's tucked safely away inside your computer, which is also probably in a cabinet in your desk. Also since its so big means it rarely gets shaken or bumped around.

[Doc C]

I use a USB drive at work and carry apps and needed files on it. I can't tell you how many times it's been dropped and accidently kicked across the floor. :) It seems to be holding up.

The larger and better brands have air holes.

(I'd closed this but re-opened it because there are a few laughs left here.)

[IanS]

I've used bought external enclosures on ordinary 3.5" drives. I've had both 3.5" and 5.25" enclosures and many of them do indeed cause overheating and eventual drive failure. I've also purchased ready built external drives and they seem to hold up better, which is why I've just ordered a 1Tb external drive.

[satis]

I carry a 350GB external drive back and forth to work to hold virtual machines since my IT department refuses to put a larger drive in either of my computers. It's been good to me so far. For backup purposes I backup to DVD and also across multiple PCs on my network. None of this would be especially effective for critical/irreplaceable files. Flash drives would probably be a good option... a 16GB thumb drive should hold up for a long time, unlike DVDs and mechanical drives. In fact, that's a good idea...maybe I'll buy a 3 pack and just store them in various places. With truecrypt containers so the contents can't be accessed.