MetaChat - Ask MeCha - dumb computer shit.

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27 January 2006

Ask MeCha - dumb computer shit. In which I reveal the depths of my computer ignorance. →[More:]So I use my laptop for work and play. My work stuff I back up weekly onto our networked computer in the lab, but everything else I... just don't. Lappy is getting a little old, and I realised that a lot of previous job stuff, as well as all my photos and music could all be gone in one bad accident.

Insert comments here on how dumb I am.

OK so should I just get a back up hard drive? Is that the best way to back shit up? I don't have a hell of a lot of stuff - and the most important is all the files from my previous job and PhD (which are backed up at the respective labs, but it would be a pain in the ass to get the data if I needed it). Also, with all the music swapping on MeCha, I have a lot of music now that I don't want to lose!

If so, any hard drive recommendations? Or should I be doing this a different way?

post by: gaspode at: 15:19 | 19 comments

Go to a computer store, and pick up an external hard drive. It's the easiest way to handle that.

posted by cmonkey 27 January | 15:22

Have a look at a product by Maxtor called the "OneTouch II". It is a harddrive in an external enclosure that connects to Lappy via USB. Install the included backup software, click the button on the case, and Voila!

Do take a moment to find out if your laptop A) has USB ports and B) if the USB ports are "1.1" or "2.0". If you've only got 1.1, everything will be painfully slow, but that's better than painfully gone forever.

Tell me Lappy's make & model and I can answer the USB questions.

posted by Triode 27 January | 15:24

It is the easiest? OK good. that's what I was hoping.

lappy is a dell inspiron 700m. (I know, I know, but I got it cheap). It has 2.0 USB ports.

(thank you for humoring me, lovely people)

posted by gaspode 27 January | 15:27

Easiest? Yes, IMO. You pay a slight premium for the "One-Touchness" over a plain-old HD, but it makes it stone-axe simple, and you can call Maxtor for how-to help if you need. The 2.0 usb will be speedy. That's good.

Do yourself a favor: Find a small philips screwdriver and make certain that all the small screws on the underside of Lappy are present and snug. IME this is very important for a happy Dell laptop.

posted by Triode 27 January | 15:39

I'd be screwed and I have external hard drives to back up to. I just don't do it often enough.

But gaspode scared me so I'm going to make it a priority over the weekend.

posted by fenriq 27 January | 15:55

Me too!

posted by omiewise 27 January | 16:06

awwww I did a good thing! Thanks again, triode and cmonkey.

*heads to computer store*

posted by gaspode 27 January | 16:16

I picked up a seagate 160GB one touch external drive for $95 from the evil empire (walmart).

posted by arse_hat 27 January | 16:24

I love those little external HDs (I have the Maxtor but I was going to get my next one a little cheaper by just buying a standard HDD and an enclosure). Don't know what we did before them.

posted by matildaben 27 January | 16:42

But how will you backup the backup?

posted by brainwidth 27 January | 16:42

Maxtors up to the ceiling! With turtles!

posted by matildaben 27 January | 17:26

Brainwidth: Buy 5 external drives. On Sunday night, make a backup on HD1. Monday, bring HD1 to the office. Monday night, make a backup on HD2. Tuesday, bring HD2 to the office. Tuesday night, make a backup on HD3 ... Friday night, bring HD1 home...Monday night, bring HD2 home.

repeat.

Isn't IT fun?

posted by Triode 27 January | 17:27

Thumb drive. 500Mb is about $25 now. Handy to keep on your keychain for the odd data theft from CIA HQ, stealth transmission (aka sneakernet) or just the odd offer of hot files.

posted by warbaby 27 January | 17:28

(geeky derail)

Triode: your procedure fails to account for the office burning down during the working day. You need an off-site copy at all times.

Or if you do crazy-can't-ever-lose-data stuff, you need a few off-site copies, in different cities.

(end geeky derail)

I nineteenth the suggestion of the external hard drive (that you DO NOT STORE WITH YOUR LAPTOP). Nasty thieves should only get one or the other, never both.

posted by mosch 27 January | 19:41

Don't even store your computer and backups in the same house. Every few months I burn a backup DVD of our family pics and bring it to my office and toss it in a drawer there. In case of theft or fire at home, we'll still have our memories.

posted by LarryC 27 January | 22:27

Mosch: I thought we were talking about the home computer. Once the rotation gets into full swing, you'd have a 24-72 hour trailing copy, and either location could burn down with minor consequence. And yeah, if you were really, really serious you'd send continous block-level deltas to a datacenter on the far side of the continent via encrypted tunnel. IMO any scheme that depends on regular movement of physical media is problematic and subject to failure.

You wanna come consult for my company? I keep tryin' to 'splain all this to them, but they still aren't sure they need to replace their DDS4 drive.

/me cries in his beer

posted by Triode 27 January | 23:26

You wanna come consult for my company? I keep tryin' to 'splain all this to them, but they still aren't sure they need to replace their DDS4 drive.

A single DDS4 drive? wowzah.

I know it was said in jest, but anybody who thinks that's an adaquate backup system would never be willing to hire my consultants.

Your only hope (barring a change in management) is that a data-related disaster strikes your closest rival, and your sales team is able to steal away a large portion of the business.

posted by mosch 28 January | 01:27

Your only hope (barring a change in management) is that a data-related disaster strikes your closest rival, and your sales team is able to steal away a large portion of the business.

posted by mosch 28 January | 01:27

If you've got broadband and you're not a lot of stuff, then offsite backup is good. See Strongspace or Connected.

I use connected at work, and it's great. Easy, automated incremental backups. There's a price to pay, and if you're on a budget, I'd go for Strongspace or buy an external hard drive.

posted by seanyboy 28 January | 12:12

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