I was reminded on Friday of how flimsy computer data really is and how much a potent online backup system is really needed. I came into the office like any other day when I noticed a very frustrated and upset co-worker stressing over her laptop. She began to explain how she was using it fine last night after a supposed “windows update” took place. She told me about the update, how she closed the lid and went to bed like she normally does. This morning, however, she was confused that her laptop no longer loaded anything, not even the OS. There was a recovery program that popped up, but still had no luck in the actual recovery of her system. She was incredibly upset. All of her photos, her personal works and website content, a lot of email and music was all gone… lost forever. She tried to see if taking it to a specialist would work, but a $100 to just do a diagnostic, she passed and started to think about how to rebuild her lost data.
As a person who is constantly on his computer and has a TON of information, jobs, photos, music, projects, websites etc., on his system, it seemed like a drastic wake-up call to get on the ball and start backing up my system on a regular basis. I began a while ago with basic back up on an external hard drive. I picked up a Western Digital 500 gig for pretty cheap. I think you can get them now for about $100 or so. The great thing I love about my external is that its a simple plug-n-play and typically all I have to do is plug it in and start moving files. The problem however is that I have to lug the thing around if I want to consistently and effectively back up my computer. With this in mind, and another little nudge from my girlfriend to back up the computer, I decided to look into a product I have been hearing about on Sirius satellite radio.
Carbonite is an online backup system that offers unlimited backup storage for a low price of about $50 per year. So far, Carbonite has backed up over 3 billion files and more importantly, restored over 200 million files that would have been lost forever. Carbonite automatically and securely backs up the irreplaceable contents of their computers for only $49.95 per year ($89.95 for 2 years) – no matter how much stuff they need to backup. Restoring lost files takes just a few clicks. Carbonite offers a risk-free trial so users can see how simple it is to securely back up their photos, emails, music, financial records and other important documents. More than 60% of people who download the free trial end up subscribing to Carbonite and I can understand why!
Very shortly after filling out my information and downloading the Carbonite client to my PC, I noticed it working in the background without any pop-ups or delays from the system itself. The program told me that the initial backup of files could take up to a few days depending on how large your hard drive is. So the bigger your HD, the longer it will take initially for Carbonite to set itself up. After the initial backup Carbonite’s automatic back ups take only minutes to achieve. You will know the back up is complete when the Carbonite lock turns green in your dock. You’ll also notice that your desktop files and internal files will now have a small circle next to them. An orange/yellow circle means that that file is scheduled to be backed up, while the green circle means that your files has been successfully backed up in Carbonite’s system.
Carbonite runs continuously in the background while you work on your computer so the need to plug and unplug external devices is now eliminated! Lug around those external hard drives and CDs no more! Have you ever deleted a file by mistake? I have, like a billion times! Okay maybe not a billion, but do it once and it sure feels like it! Carbonite’s system is so easy to use that you can simply download that file back from Carbonite’s Online back up without hesitation. Since you’re always updating and backing up files while you work, it’s almost like having a carbon copy of your computer somewhere else to access whenever you need it.
For the $49.95 a year its a deal that no one should pass up. Consider the loss of your computer alone… anywhere from $500 to $5000! Now imagine the big project for work, all those baby pictures you haven’t printed out yet, your tax and business papers! Priceless materials that you cannot afford to lose. Don’t become one of the 43% of computer users who lose their irreplaceable files! Why Risk It? Protect your files with Carbonite Online Backup. Easy set-up, automatic backup, simple restore. Start your free trial!
