Using a USB thumb drive for backups?
in [Mac Systems]
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From: isw on 19 Dec 2009 00:28 In article <C751B545.4DDAD%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>, Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote: > In article 181220091422276843%nospam(a)nospam.invalid, nospam at > nospam(a)nospam.invalid wrote on 12/18/09 2:22 PM: > > > In article <isw-AC315E.10332418122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw > > <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > >> Not with Time Machine, but with "backuplist+", which does them once a > >> week. > >> > >> Pros/cons? > > > > maybe for a few files, but when i think of backups, i think of where to > > put several hundred gigabytes. > > > I wonder why no one has addressed this. And if one is only talking about a > handful of files (especially infrequently), what's the advantage of using > "backup" software over simply drag-and-dropping copies? It's on the Mac of a barely-capable user who works with critical (financial) data (she understands the finances; just not the computer), and so absolutely cannot be trusted to do any backing up in a reliable fashion. The backup app launches at login, and runs continuously, waking up once a week to copy the folders I told it to copy. To be clear, her method for dealing with technology is just like her method for dealing with children: shake a finger and sternly say "you'd better not do that!" Which, of course, works just as well for one as for the other. Isaac
From: isw on 19 Dec 2009 00:31 In article <tph-C2EC62.17585518122009(a)localhost>, Tom Harrington <tph(a)pcisys.no.spam.dammit.net> wrote: > In article <isw-AC315E.10332418122009@[216.168.3.50]>, > isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > Not with Time Machine, but with "backuplist+", which does them once a > > week. > > > > Pros/cons? > > Others have discussed the potential cons. I'll just suggest that most > of these can be avoided by using multiple drives for redundant backups. > It's unlikely they'd all fail at once, so even if one was to wear out or > get zapped or go through the laundry or something you'd still have > others to fall back on. Get 2 or 3 (they're cheap these days) and > rotate them. It goes on a mini, so it has to be external (the mini is replacing a blue & white, where the B/U drive was internal). I'm trying to avoid an external disk that needs a separate power cord and all that stuff. Isaac
From: isw on 19 Dec 2009 00:32 In article <000b14b8$0$2133$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com>, JF Mezei <jfmezei.spamnot(a)vaxination.ca> wrote: > For a real backup solution, rent the movie Johnny Mnemonic. :-) :-) :-) Best idea yet... Isaac
From: nospam on 19 Dec 2009 00:51 In article <isw-C0CD34.21281918122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > I wonder why no one has addressed this. And if one is only talking about a > > handful of files (especially infrequently), what's the advantage of using > > "backup" software over simply drag-and-dropping copies? > > It's on the Mac of a barely-capable user who works with critical > (financial) data (she understands the finances; just not the computer), > and so absolutely cannot be trusted to do any backing up in a reliable > fashion. The backup app launches at login, and runs continuously, waking > up once a week to copy the folders I told it to copy. the perfect candidate for time machine.
From: Tom Harrington on 19 Dec 2009 01:57
In article <isw-C0CD34.21281918122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > It's on the Mac of a barely-capable user who works with critical > (financial) data (she understands the finances; just not the computer), > and so absolutely cannot be trusted to do any backing up in a reliable > fashion. The backup app launches at login, and runs continuously, waking > up once a week to copy the folders I told it to copy. Sounds like a candidate for Dropbox, <http://www.dropbox.com/>. Have her put the files in the Dropbox folder, and the software will silently mirror it to a Dropbox account (and optionally to other computers) whenever it changes. She doesn't need to "do" backups, they'll just happen, and if/when disaster strikes the files are easily recoverable. -- Tom "Tom" Harrington Independent Mac OS X developer since 2002 http://www.atomicbird.com/ |