• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Online backup programs

linsj

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
2,208
Reaction score
440
Points
443
Location
Chicagoland
Resorts Owned
HGVC
I'm currently using CrashPlan, but this past week it has slowed my computer so much I've had to quit using it. (Nothing else has changed, and there are no malware or viruses on the computer.) I've read reviews and comparisons, and iDrive is exactly what I'm looking for. But the comments beneath the reviews are primarily negative. Does anyone have experience with this program that includes restoring?

Other recommendations? Minimum requirements: synch two computers, maximum of $75/year, doesn't throttle my computer (Win 7, soon to be Win 10), responsive support, uncomplicated interface, keeps data online until I delete it, email notifications of backups.
 

TUGBrian

Administrator
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
22,091
Reaction score
7,675
Points
1,099
Location
Florida
I use sugarsync and have for many years.

I however have not had to contact support in that time (knock on wood)
 

isisdave

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
2,762
Reaction score
1,284
Points
548
Location
Evansville IN
Resorts Owned
Marriott Waiohai
I finally set up Google Drive to sync to all my computers, and bought the lowest level of upgrade ... 100 Gb for $20/year (I only use about 23 Gb). Pictures are on Amazon Drive, free due to having Amazon Prime. I keep everything that needs to be backed up in one or the other of these.

I used to have Sugarsync and liked that, but they raised the minimum size, and the price to about $100 a year for 100Gb. Way more than Google, plus I didn't like being forced to buy 4 times as much as I need.
 

linsj

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
2,208
Reaction score
440
Points
443
Location
Chicagoland
Resorts Owned
HGVC
I checked SugarSync, but it's pricey compared to other options. No way am I putting sensitive documents in Google Drive. Am leaning toward Backblaze, but research is on hold for a deadline.
 

SmithOp

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
7,609
Reaction score
3,403
Points
499
Location
Huntington Beach, CA
Resorts Owned
HGVC King's Land 2BR Premier 23.040K Points.
I just use an external drive, they are so cheap now, 4TB for under $100.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

TUGBrian

Administrator
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
22,091
Reaction score
7,675
Points
1,099
Location
Florida
yes, i also use both a thumb drive and an external hard drive for at home backups...with the cloud backups being another tier should a fire happen or something catastrophic that wipes out the hardware at home etc.

thumb drives are so cheap and easy, i even replace them every year or so with new ones as I think I read somehwere that they eventually wear out given how they write/overwrite the data on that sort of memory.
 

isisdave

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
2,762
Reaction score
1,284
Points
548
Location
Evansville IN
Resorts Owned
Marriott Waiohai
Local drives are fine for resolution of mistakes and failures of your internal drive, but they don't help much in case of fire or flood or satellite crashing through roof. Also, the cloud-based systems permit you to retrieve from any device anywhere. It depends on what you need.

When I had an office, I FTP'd a lot of directories (folders to Windows folk) from one location to another nightly.
 

PigsDad

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
10,072
Reaction score
7,076
Points
898
Location
Colorado and SW Florida
Resorts Owned
HGVC Elite: SeaWorld, Surf Club, Charter Club, Valdoro
Local drives are fine for resolution of mistakes and failures of your internal drive, but they don't help much in case of fire or flood or satellite crashing through roof.
Well, there is a simple solution: keep the backup offsite. Personally, I keep one of mine at my work office. However, it is not a replacement for an online backup, just in addition to one, since the full backup to my Passport drive is done occasionally, not nightly.

Kurt
 

klpca

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2006
Messages
8,273
Reaction score
7,280
Points
749
Location
CA
Resorts Owned
SDO, Quarter House, Seapointe, Coronado Beach, Carlsbad Inn, Worldmark
I've been using OneDrive for years. Of course it used to be free but now is $69.99 per year for one computer, ($99.99 for 5). It is included with Office365 which also gives you the latest versions of Excel and Word which I use extensively, essentially making the cloud storage a freebie for me. 1TB of storage is included per computer, so 5TB if you use the premium plan. Here is the link to the plans: https://onedrive.live.com/about/en-US/plans/
 

TUGBrian

Administrator
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
22,091
Reaction score
7,675
Points
1,099
Location
Florida
its even easier when you configure your detached hard drive (or thumb drive) as a mounted drive on your computer...and configure THAT (or the folders within it) as a folder to be synched with your cloud backup device.

thus you are copying your files to a backup hard drive, which will then automatically upload them to the cloud (or whatever software you choose) for yet another level of backup protection.
 

mdurette

Sighting Expert & TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
7,693
Reaction score
5,289
Points
748
Location
New England
I was thinking of posting a similar question so thanks for posting. But....I would need the kindergarten explanation of what I need. (sorry not incredibly tech savvy).

I have started to here my desktop motor surging. Like powering up and then powering down. The PC is about 10 years old so I assume this could be a sign that it is slowly dying and I want to ensure whatever I have on the PC is saved.

I have an external drive, I plugged that in and started a backup of the computer (googled how to do that) but it filled up the hard drive. I then started to think if there are personal "clouds" out there for such backup. Is this what the programs are that you mention? Sugarsync...One drive?

I really just looking to back up pictures and maybe a few docs.
 

SmithOp

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
7,609
Reaction score
3,403
Points
499
Location
Huntington Beach, CA
Resorts Owned
HGVC King's Land 2BR Premier 23.040K Points.
I was thinking of posting a similar question so thanks for posting. But....I would need the kindergarten explanation of what I need. (sorry not incredibly tech savvy).

I have started to here my desktop motor surging. Like powering up and then powering down. The PC is about 10 years old so I assume this could be a sign that it is slowly dying and I want to ensure whatever I have on the PC is saved.

I have an external drive, I plugged that in and started a backup of the computer (googled how to do that) but it filled up the hard drive. I then started to think if there are personal "clouds" out there for such backup. Is this what the programs are that you mention? Sugarsync...One drive?

I really just looking to back up pictures and maybe a few docs.

I would first delete everything off that external hard drive and then manually copy what you want to save.

If you are using the backup program on a 10 yr old computer its probably saving a lot of useless files you wont need when you eventually get a new computer. What is it, Windows Vista?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

puppymommo

TUG Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Messages
1,182
Reaction score
151
Points
273
I have used Carbonite for years and am very happy with it. It is automatic and I don't have to even think about it. The website says it is $24/month for multiple computers but I don't think I pay that much. I'll have to check. Like I said, I don't even think about it. We have lost many pictures over the years pre-Carbonite due to hard drive crashes. We have used Carbonite several times to move data from an old computer to a new one; very easy. That being said, there are many cheaper options out there.
 

linsj

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
2,208
Reaction score
440
Points
443
Location
Chicagoland
Resorts Owned
HGVC
I tried Carbonite a few years ago, but it slowed my computer so much I could barely use it. Plus a friend uses it and files she needed from backup were missing.
 

PigsDad

TUG Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
10,072
Reaction score
7,076
Points
898
Location
Colorado and SW Florida
Resorts Owned
HGVC Elite: SeaWorld, Surf Club, Charter Club, Valdoro
I have started to here my desktop motor surging. Like powering up and then powering down. The PC is about 10 years old so I assume this could be a sign that it is slowly dying and I want to ensure whatever I have on the PC is saved.
I agree that you probably need a new computer soon, but what you are hearing is the fan(s) going up to high speed at times. Computers have variable-speed fans, and when it detects that it is overheating, it ramps up the fan speed. The overheating is usually caused by dust accumulating on the heat sinks in the computer.

A short-term fix that may protect your computer for a bit is to clean it. While shut down, vacuum as much as you can from every vent. Also, buy a can of compressed air and use that to blow out and dislodge the monster dust bunnies in the computer. If it is a desktop, you can usually easily open up the case and clean it more thoroughly. Cleaning may buy you a bit more time before you have a major system failure.

Kurt
 
Last edited:

Steve Fatula

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2017
Messages
3,723
Reaction score
2,718
Points
349
Location
Calera, OK
Since the demise of CrashPlan for personal use a year or so ago, been using BackBlaze and it works at least as well if not better. It just seems to work without issues, and, the auto throttling even functions well for the most part. I have about 2TB data there. It's cheap and unlimited space. They also have IOS apps for accessing backed up data like Crashplan did.

I did try iDrive around a year ago and found way too many bugs and limitations. So, it could be better now.

When I back up my second computer, due to the type and volume of data, it was not worth paying for 2 computers. So, I simply auto copy the key stuff I want over to the computer with backup service and let it backup up to Backblaze from there.

For me, thumb drives and removable drives are not an option, too much data to mess with them and too much time.
 
Last edited:

TUGBrian

Administrator
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
22,091
Reaction score
7,675
Points
1,099
Location
Florida
absolutely you are hearing your fans cycle up and down in RPM, most modern computers have temperature probes inside the computer on the various important areas on the motherboard (cpu for instance) and will crank up the fans if those temperature readings start to climb to levels that they normally shouldnt etc.

the NUMBER 1 killer of home computers is dust...especially if your computer is on the ground and or you own pets! most computers dont have any sort of useful filters for the intake grills where the fans pull cool air into the chassis itself and thus everything in your house gets sucked thru your computer to deposit itself on all sorts of internal parts!

heck I keep two computers in a server rack, and both are covered with filter material over the intake vents and you would be sickened to see how much dust collects on the outside of those filters i clean off every few weeks. yack!

even taking the end of a shop vac to the seams of your computer (especially the back) will suck off tons of collected dust, but wont do much for the inside.

there are likely shops in your area that will open up your computer and "blow out" the inside with compressed air!

not that the dust actually causes problems with anything inside the computer, but as the air vents get clogged, and everything gets coated with dust...the cooling fins and heat sinks inside the computer stop working like they should, and everything just keeps getting hotter and hotter and heat kills!

this is more than likely the reason you hear your fans speed changing!
 

TUGBrian

Administrator
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
22,091
Reaction score
7,675
Points
1,099
Location
Florida
Since the demise of CrashPlan for personal use a year or so ago, been using BackBlaze and it works at least as well if not better. It just seems to work without issues, and, the auto throttling even functions well for the most part. I have about 2TB data there. It's cheap and unlimited space. They also have IOS apps for accessing backed up data like Crashplan did.

I did try iDrive around a year ago and found way too many bugs and limitations. So, it could be better now.

When I back up my second computer, due to the type if in and volume of data, it was not worth paying for 2 computers. So, I simply auto copy the key stuff I want over to the computer with backup service and let it backup up to Backblaze from there.

For me, thumb drives and removable drives are not an option, too much data to mess with them and too much time.

I cant tell hte difference in backup speed/time when copying files to my thumb drive vs an external backup drive.

USB data speeds these days are pretty impressive.
 

Steve Fatula

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2017
Messages
3,723
Reaction score
2,718
Points
349
Location
Calera, OK
I cant tell hte difference in backup speed/time when copying files to my thumb drive vs an external backup drive.

USB data speeds these days are pretty impressive.

I think you misunderstand, I was not saying thumb drives are slow. Just vastly too small. There is no way I am manually messing around with 2TB, growing weekly, of data and thumb drives or external drives, shuffling them around off site, etc. I know it's not hundreds of hours of work, but $4.16 a month for BackBlaze and zero time is just a lot easier was my point. That and the ease of restoring things, infinite versions of files, accessing from off site, etc.
 

TUGBrian

Administrator
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
22,091
Reaction score
7,675
Points
1,099
Location
Florida
ahh..that makes sense.

yea im only copying perhaps 5gb worth of data to those drives nightly where i just overwrite the same folders over and over.
 

mdurette

Sighting Expert & TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
7,693
Reaction score
5,289
Points
748
Location
New England
I would first delete everything off that external hard drive and then manually copy what you want to save.

If you are using the backup program on a 10 yr old computer its probably saving a lot of useless files you wont need when you eventually get a new computer. What is it, Windows Vista?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


It is running Windows 10 home. I will spend some time cleaning out the files on the hard drive and the desktop.

I did take the vacuum to it a couple of months ago (cat likes to sleep near it). And it is in a cabinet (open door) with router and wifi so it does get warm in there.

But, it is old and I'm hoping it hangs on long enough for me to hit a good black Friday special to replace.

To my question - these places you are all referring to, are they like personal clouds to store pics, docs, etc?
 
Last edited:

SmithOp

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
7,609
Reaction score
3,403
Points
499
Location
Huntington Beach, CA
Resorts Owned
HGVC King's Land 2BR Premier 23.040K Points.
It is running Windows 10 home. I will spend some time cleaning out the files on the hard drive and the desktop.

I did take the vacuum to it a couple of months ago (cat likes to sleep near it). And it is in a cabinet (open door) with router and wifi so it does get warm in there.

But, it is old and I'm hoping it hangs on long enough for me to hit a good black Friday special to replace.

To my question - these places you are all referring to, are they like personal clouds to store pics, docs, etc?

Yes, the online backup programs are all considered cloud storage now. If you have email accounts with the popular systems like GMail(Google), Yahoo or Live(Microsoft) they come with a free amount of cloud storage and sync apps that can be configured to automatically back up documents and photos.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

TUGBrian

Administrator
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
22,091
Reaction score
7,675
Points
1,099
Location
Florida
for programs like sugarsync...you basically identify folders within your computer that you want "backed up" and it constantly uploads all the files and such inside those folders to the cloud so you can access them anywhere (or recover them to a new computer etc).
 
Top