Comments on: Crashes, Backups, and Metadata – Oh My!

By: Backblaze Online Backup Service | TheAppleBlog

Backblaze Online Backup Service | TheAppleBlog — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:00:40 +0000

[...] everything. I’ve written about the importance of backups before — illustrated by my own dead drive experience – so don’t write this off as something that can’t happen to [...]

By: The Metadata Screencast: Part Three at The Apple Blog

The Metadata Screencast: Part Three at The Apple Blog — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 20:58:04 +0000

[...] dead drive created a minor slow-down in getting this out, but an extra drive and a quickly restored backup and I’m back in action. [...]

By: Kenny

Kenny — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 02:10:15 +0000

I have a TiBook 867 with a 120gb drive in it now. I use SuperDuper to make a nightly (bootable) clone of my laptop drive over to an identical 120gb drive in a FW mini enclosure.

Should the main drive ever fail, I could just insert the exact copy drive and replace the external one. ($139 WD Caviar 120GB)

I also have a 250GB Glyph drive that I keep locally with all of my big media files, and once per week I copy it to another 250GB drive that I keep in the safe deposit box in my bank’s vault. In fact, I have three archival drives in the bank vault as well.

It’s the most thorough back up scenario I have ever used, and I sleep well at night because of it.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 20:50:23 +0000

As far as backup utilities that are out right now you guys should check out:

http://www.lacie.com/silverkeeper/

It’s freeware and super easy to use. Works on both intel and power pc based macs.

Enjoy!

By: Prion

Prion — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 08:59:38 +0000

With all the talk about Leopard’s Time Machine, does anyone know if it will feature an incremental backup (or better yet differential)? Because if it is a complete backup of whole files it will consume disk space so quickly that people might switch it off to squeeze more digital photos and mp3 onto their HDDs in which case TM is as good as any backup strategy that is not put into practice….

Prion

By: christian

christian — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 08:05:17 +0000

Those backup solutions are good.
As a recent switcher back to mac (12 yrs. of windows diaspora) i recommend buying leopard as soon as available.
The integrate time machine will probably change everything for this cause! :-))

I do (almost) daily sync with chronosync from my MBP to my iMac and backups of my documents to my iPod (encrypted disck image just in case i loose it) when on the road.

I can very heavy recommend also to use the iPod (if you have one) as a backup drive for documents and work!

By: luke

luke — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:17:47 +0000

Exact same thing happened to my powerbook and I hadn’t back anything up!

Here’s a tip for anyone who this happened to, put the dead drive in the Fridge overnight and in the morning it should work long enough for you to get your data off of.

By: Steve Simitzis

Steve Simitzis — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:01:27 +0000

The problem with the “backups backups backups” mantra is there’s no good, easy, reliable way to regularly backup your data. Even with 12+ years experience as a sysadmin, I still haven’t found a tolerable solution for my desktop that I don’t eventually abandon (or that goes on autopilot only to fail silently one day). I can only imagine how screwed regular users are.

Hopefully with Time Machine coming in Leopard, I’ll be able to send my mom a USB drive and tell her to plug it in, click “apply” in System Preferences, and she’ll have instant backups. Until then, the state of backups for those without the budget for tape robots is grim.

By: Matt J

Matt J — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:24:34 +0000

ChronoSync! Documents every day, home folder once a week. Easy.

By: Quix

Quix — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:23:25 +0000

Another vote for ChronoSync. For me it’s every night around bedtime, automatic backup. To TWO different external drives, no less. Yes, like Christian, I’ve embraced my inner paranoid.