Comments on: Technology Bytes

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:34:18 +0000

Just in time then! We installed the microwave last night - no hitches whatsoever.

The hard drive is installed and now all that's left is installing the operating system, which we intend to do today.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:36:51 +0000

Remember, Mercury goes retrograde on the 7th, so it all goes kaboom, so get it sorted before then.

Switched from desktop to PC to laptop Macbook -- much happier. The Macbook has about 20X more power than the PC, and, since I have to be able to file from the road, it works better.

Eventually, I'll add an Apple desktop.

Backups: Time Machine (the world's greatest invention to date, I'm convinced), Mobile Me iDisk, flashdrive, sometimes CD as well.

Yes, I'm paranoid. I've lost too many manuscripts and had the PC eat the backups not to.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:17:08 +0000

I lost all my recipes, Kirk! I can't cook a thing. Must order out. ;)

Tony, thanks. I've been fortunate so far and I'm very thankful the laptop was just my "get out of the study" tool. I never wanted to keep anything vital on it. Good thing, huh?

Michelle, time for me to come up with a plan. :)

By: Kirk Petersen

Kirk Petersen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:53:59 +0000

You turned me on to Mozy, Lori, and I sprung for the $4.95 monthly unlimited plan. Among other things, my iTunes files are backed up now, all 10+ gig of them.

Did you lose any data when your microwave crashed?

[ducking]

By: Michelle Miles

Michelle Miles — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:51:30 +0000

I have a desktop. I also have an external hard drive. I back everything up to the external hard drive AND CDs. Becuase I just don't have that much stuff and I'm rather lazy and the less I have to do to backup, the better. 😀 Of course, living with an IT man sort of beats the idea that you need to backup – and OFTEN – into your head. Especially when you work on things daily. *sigh* It's an awful cycle.

By: Tony Ratcliffe

Tony Ratcliffe — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:43:56 +0000

Hi Lori. I use Carbonite with unlimited storage in the price range as Mozy. I like to see the charge, as it MAY give some indication of the company's likelihood of staying in business (cash flow). The unlimited storage for such a nominal price was unheard of a few short years ago. I maintain my own key, so research has told me that encrypted storage is a very safe way to go. I encourage readers to make their own enquiries and satisfy their own security needs. Services such as Mozy and Carbonite provide you with offsite backup, an essential risk management approach.

However, with over 60 Gigs of upload (mine, mostly photos), recovery would be slow. An additional local backup source for quick recovery is needed. I like the idea of an external drive if you want to be able to switch between computers. You can use a program to keep files in synch, if need be. Please do not rely on a USB stick as the only backup, as I understand they are subject to failure. Multiple backups are the key.

Tony