Using a USB thumb drive for backups?
in [Mac Systems]
|
From: BreadWithSpam on 19 Dec 2009 02:48 isw <isw(a)witzend.com> writes: > 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. There are plenty of USB-powered 2.5" external drives in enclosures. I had a problem with such a drive on an old powerbook, but I use a current-generation one with my MBP and it works just fine. -- Plain Bread alone for e-mail, thanks. The rest gets trashed. Are you posting responses that are easy for others to follow? http://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/2000/06/14/quoting
From: Nick Naym on 19 Dec 2009 03:48 In article isw-C0CD34.21281918122009@[216.168.3.50], isw at isw(a)witzend.com wrote on 12/19/09 12:28 AM: > 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 Been watching too many old Henny Youngman routines? ;) -- iMac (24", 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HDD) � OS X (10.5.8)
From: Nick Naym on 19 Dec 2009 04:01 In article isw-AC315E.10332418122009@[216.168.3.50], isw at isw(a)witzend.com wrote on 12/18/09 1:33 PM: > Not with Time Machine, but with "backuplist+", which does them once a > week. > > Pros/cons? > > Isaac BTW...I never heard of backuplist+. Upon perusing its manual, I got the impression that it's a nifty little program. And being a freebie certainly adds to its attraction. Any idea how it compares to other shareware backup apps (e.g., ChronoSync, SuperDuper!, etc.)? -- iMac (24", 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HDD) � OS X (10.5.8)
From: Warren Oates on 19 Dec 2009 08:25 In article <vilain-E6BE47.23245818122009(a)news.individual.net>, Michael Vilain <vilain(a)NOspamcop.net> wrote: > For someone who's not so sensitive to such things, Dropbox might be OK. > If this technically unsophisticated user can't be trained to take care > of themselves and their data, they need to hire someone to make sure it > gets done. It would be irresponsible to do anything else. .... and anyway, her machine can be set up with rsync and cron to back stuff up every couple of hours. Dropbox actually sounds scary. All your stuff are belong to us. -- Very old woody beets will never cook tender. -- Fannie Farmer
From: Jolly Roger on 19 Dec 2009 10:54
In article <yob8wcz4d5u.fsf(a)panix2.panix.com>, BreadWithSpam(a)fractious.net wrote: > isw <isw(a)witzend.com> writes: > > > 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. > > There are plenty of USB-powered 2.5" external drives in enclosures. > I had a problem with such a drive on an old powerbook, but I use > a current-generation one with my MBP and it works just fine. USB bus-powered enclosures have a design flaw: the power supplied by the USB bus is barely enough for todays faster, more power-hungry drives. To make matters worse, at certain times, the power delivered by USB ports can fluctuate. When a hard drive does not receive enough power during a write, unpredictable things may occur, including data corruption on the drive. Laptops are especially prone to USB bus power fluctuations. I have experienced data corruption several times with a USB bus-powered enclosure connected to my MacBook Pro used for Time Machine backups. I can tell you from experience that finding out your Time Machine backup is corrupt when you most need it is not a pleasant experience. I refuse to use a USB bus-powered enclosure anymore. For me it's Firewire-only, and no USB unless absolutely necessary - and then only with an external power source for backups. -- Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me. E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts. JR |