What backup solution is right for me?

Question

I have a desktop PC running Windows XP SP2. I have around 100 gigs (and steadily growing) of data that I'd like to back up.

Until now, I've been manually copying the data to an external 80gig hard drive. As I've outgrown that drive, I thought that it would be a good time to reevaluate my storage strategy.

Here are the options as I understand them:
1. Burn to archival DVD and store offsite (I'd like to avoid this because of the time and expense involved -- I also don't really trust CDs/DVDs).
2. Buy a bigger external drive and install some or other backup utility -- hopefully there's an open source Win32 progam that'd work well.
3. Buy/make an external RAID array. (Is this necessary? I'm not looking for performance, just for reliable data storage. I also have no idea what's involved in making a RAID array, beyond getting a couple of identical drives).
4. Network storage? Wouldn't this be prohibitively expensive (not to mention time-consuming)?

Feedback?

Re "Data":

It's the usual already-compressed digital media stuff: mp3s, jpegs, mpegs. I haven't found it worth the effort to compress anything.

Follow up:
The pricing on the online storage sites that some of you have suggested is prohibitive; ~ $100/month for 200 gigs (the $15/month is for 2 gigs or so).

Answer 1

You can choose between these solutions:
1. Use an online backup service like Carbonite. But in my opinion it is unsafe and rather expensive compared with the second variant.
2. Purchase 3rd party software like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image. With this software you can store you data on DVDs (I think it is the best solution in your case). I prefer True Image because it is cheaper than Ghost and it has many advantages over Ghost. Here you can read a discussion about that: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,17375409~days=9999
And here you can see a full list of True Image features: http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

Answer 2

My thoughts by point.

1. I agree with the time involved. In comparison it would be the cheap method.

2. Thre are plenty of programs to backup to an external drive, but if it's your ownly backup and it fails, you're in trouble. If you choose this, I recommend a 300-500 GB drive on firewire.

3. Raid is a prevention method. If on drive crashes and you have a raid 5, you're OK, but if 2 drives crash or the computer is wasted in a fire, etc. All data is gone. Raid is still a good option and maybe combined with option 2.

4. Not time consuming because you would scedule it for when you weren't there. Expensive, yes. Truthfully your amount of data justifies it. If you can't afford

Another idea is online storage. You could get 200 GB online storage and have the system create a backup file on a local drive, then send it to the remote drive.

There are actually online backup services available.
Try these sources:

http://www.buyerzone.com/computers/backup-remote/qz_questions_7z.jhtml?_requestid=432243

http://www.ibackup.com/

and keep looking, I am not affiliated with these services.

Answer 3

I'm guessing you had a server crash? Because a network would be a series of computers and I think it's unlikely a bunch of computers crashed. The cheapest option I would suggest is you back up the files yourself. Norton Ghost is great backup software and fairly simple to use. You can install the program on a computer and have it automatically back up a hard drive to another specified location and at a specified time. Use external hard drive(s) and schedule back ups nightly(or when ever the slowest use on the system would be) Restoring the files are fairly simple as well. If the system crash's you just do a clean install of the operating system, install Norton ghost back onto the crashed computer, hook it up to the external hard drive that has the back ups and click restore. Depending on the size will determine the length of time it takes to restore everything. The way the program works (as many backup software’s do) it takes a "image" of your hard drive.

Answer 4

Another option is online storage/backup. Maybe MediaMax or Box.net. On the plus side, with online backup you have access to your files wherever you are, and you don't have to worry about disasters like fires and flooding.

Alternatively, I think a bigger external hard drive might be the best option. It is probably the simplest and most cost-effective.

Why not try a combination of these options and see which you like the best?

Answer 5

If you have a fast Internet connection, you should consider Online Backup or hosting solutions - GoDaddy offers 200gigs for like 15$/month. I wouldn't presume to know anything about your business needs and budget, but those are usually the cheapest and are considered very secure.

The other option you should consider is tape backup - tapes can reach 80gb per tape. The tapes themselves are much cheaper than HDs (the tape drives can get a little costly) and purchasing more tapes will allow you to grow with your data.

Answer 6

You can purchase a USB 2.0 external hard drive that supports up to a 1000GB hard drive. That would be about $50. Adaptec is a good one. If you look around you can purchase a 200 GB hard drive for about $120. That should solve your storage problems. Good luck

Answer 7

the term "data" is to ambiguous. different file types can be compressed to different degrees. Is it file data or transaction data that needs to be warehoused ?