[ColColt]

I will decide on that when Windows 10 gets released next month.

Windows 10? Good grief, it never ends does it? Bill Gates must be beaming with joy.

[kadajawi]

Be optimistic: a drive crash is an opportunity for a fresh start!

Keep original copies of all your software (impossible for you pirates I suppose),
and backup your important data files only. Simple as pie for the average user...

Chris

Pirates will just get whatever the latest version is. I feel like it is easier being a pirate than a paying customer, with the hoops companies make you jump through. My licensed Windows 7 on my mother's netbook keeps insisting it is pirated... but I have occasionally installed pirated Windows copies (a license exists, but the sticker was unreadable) who totally believe they are 100% legal.

Haven't read the whole thread.

I don't backup my system drive... losing the installations would suck, but I can recover from that. More important to me is files I can't get back. My photos and videos for example. I also backup the AppData folder, so I can restore settings if necessary.

I use CrashPlan (paid plan with unlimited storage in the cloud) to backup all these files, and it works.

Word of warning about WD: I like WD too, but recent WD drives (the small 2.5" ones) seem to only have a USB port internally... if something is wrong with the USB port (like the socket gets loose) you are royally screwed. With other drives you open the enclosure and connect the drive to your computer's SATA port or another external casing, and you can continue to use the drive or recover the data. Not possible anymore with those newer WD drives.

AFAIK those big ones that require a power supply are fine, I have a MyBook 3 TB that died after a few months, WD gave me permission to open it up to see if it is just the casing/USB controller that died. Sadly it wasn't, but that was clearly a standard drive with SATA interface.

Also keep in mind that HDDs usually die either within a couple of months or after many years. So don't keep important files on new drives... not as sole copy (not that you should do that anyway).