Paragon's backup software for use with external USB hard drives. Free software for personal use:
https://www.paragon-software.com/free/br-free/#
My suggestion, get three external hard drives each of which is sufficient for at least one backup of your entire hard drive, including any future capacity increase required by any upgrades to your system. Then take a backup as often as you feel necessary (depends on how much you change the data and how frequently) and rotate the backup drives, so you've got not only the most recent, but the two next-most-recent as well. When you want to take a new backup, use your oldest backup copy, reformat the external drive, and write the new backup on that drive, rotating, as I said, so that you're always over-writing the oldest copy. Keep in mind that all electrical and mechanical devices WILL fail, it's just a matter of when.

I strongly recommend against any "cloud-based" solutions. If there's any problem with the servers or the internet connection, you're screwed (not even considering any business problems the provider may encounter, bankruptcy, federal investigations, etc.).

---------- Post added 2021-02-18 at 04:02 AM ----------

32 GB is too small. I believe you have now ~70GB occupied.

That's just so funny to me... in my first job out of college, I was asked to write software to keep track of survey responses for the U.S. Dept. of Educ., using a computer that had an external floppy disk drive that used 5.25" single-sided floppies that held 118 Kilobytes each. Later, I wrote the five-year automation plan for the U.S. Weather Service for 1990 in which I suggested storing every day's weather analysis data on media accessible to researchers and commercial users on a real-time basis, arguing that storage was getting bigger and cheaper all the time. The government guy ("contracting officer's technical representative") screamed bloody murder: "Do you know how much data we generate every day??? Forty Gigabytes!!! Every Day!!! There's no way that's going to happen!!!". They stuck with their 9-track EBCDiC tape drives. Reminds me of Doc Brown's line in "Back to the Future": "Forty Gigawatts!!!" ("jiggawatts"). And you say 32GB on a 3x4" USB device may be too small so blithely! Cracks me right up. And devices just as small now hold like 8TB fairly routinely! You can rule the world with 8TB, right?

[3by2]

Having had numerous hardware failures over the years, hard disks, NAS, tape drives, then more than one solution is the way to go. Have your data on more than one hard drive and use more than one cloud backup. I've used all of them for restores at some point. So far I've not had an SSD fail but there's always a first time and this thread is a timely reminder to do another manual snapshot.

[MarkJerling]

I strongly recommend against any "cloud-based" solutions. If there's any problem with the servers......

Redundancy, plus, of course, their physical security is far, far greater than mine, which consist of 2 budgies, 2 cats and a sleeping greyhound. They (Onedrive), on the other hand, have strictly controlled access to their datacenters and every entry and exit are monitored. Within these datacenters, the critical Azure AD services that store customer data are located in special locked racks—their physical access is highly restricted and camera-monitored 24 hours a day. Furthermore, if one of these servers is decommissioned, all disks are logically and physically destroyed to avoid data leakage.

.... or the internet connection, you're screwed.....

No, it simply means that, if your internet is down (which last happened for us about 3 years ago for an hour or so) you can't access your secure data from your home computer. You'd still be able to access your data from your phone or from any other computer where the internet is not down.

....(not even considering any business problems the provider may encounter, bankruptcy, federal investigations, etc.).

To quote Microsoft's financial report for 2020:
Amid this rapid change, we delivered strong results: Our commercial cloud surpassed $50 billion in revenue for the first time—up 36 percent year-over-year. All-up, we delivered $143 billion in revenue, $53 billion in operating income, and more than $60 billion in operating cash flow—and returned $35 billion to shareholders. See Microsoft 2020 Annual Report

Fact is, they look after my data better than I can.

[tncowdaddy]

I strongly recommend against any "cloud-based" solutions. If there's any problem with the servers or the internet connection, you're screwed (not even considering any business problems the provider may encounter, bankruptcy, federal investigations, etc.).

If you are talking about using ONLY a cloud-based solution, then maybe I understand your point to a certain extent, but ....

When it comes to backups the rule I recommend is the 3-2-1 rule:
3 backup copies of the data
2 different mediums
1 copy off site

This is the way to go. You have multiple copies of your data on hand, and an extra copy somewhere else. If you are really concerned that cloud services are going to go kaput and take your data with them, at least take a copy to your neighbor's, relative's, safety deposit, mayo jar buried in the woods, etc.

[normhead]

I currently use Seagate 6T 3T and 2T drives. The 6 T has everything , the 3T is mine, the 2T is Tess's, I also have a couple USB3 flash drives, for when I actually want to work on the files .The hard drives are archive only.

[AstroDave]

They stuck with their 9-track EBCDiC tape drives.

Wow - haven't seen that acronym in a long time!

Forty Gigabytes!!! Every Day!!!

In our VLBI systems, we now can record ~8 Gbps! Here's an intro: http://www.oso.chalmers.se/evga/vlbi_school_2013/VLBI-school-2013_L03b_Whitney.pdf

Our systems actually record pure noise! Absolutely random data, until you cross-compare what arrives at more than one antenna. Back in the late 60s, we started doing experiments between US and USSR antennas. This took some diplomacy, since you could use the data to refine the distance between the antennas, which would have been valuable in those pre-GPS days when it came to launching ICBMs. We (the scientists) agreed not to do that, so we were allowed to proceed. Ever since, I have had this vision of the folks at NSA getting their hands on one of our (old 9 track) data tapes full of completely random bits and going nuts trying to figure out what fancy encoding scheme we were using!

[MarkJerling]

I currently use Seagate 6T 3T and 2T drives. The 6 T has everything , the 3T is mine, the 2T is Tess's, I also have a couple USB3 flash drives, for when I actually want to work on the files .The hard drives are archive only.

So long as you can store off-site, you're good.

All this talk about backups has reminded me that I've not done a full Macrium backup for some time. Done! :
The nice thing about Macrium Reflect (even the free version) is that you can keep working while doing a backup. How that works, I have no idea, but it does.
Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

[Not a Number]

With the cost of 1-3 TB USB drives your best bang for the buck is to go that way. The drive may even come with backup software on it. Not the best but will do the job as does Windows included backup and recovery apps.

Macrum Reflect is an excellent choice. The free version is more than sufficient unless you need data encryption. Fast and simple to use with a disk cloning function as well. The free version only backups entire volumes/disks but you can attach the backup image as a drive and copy off individual files that way.

Another option would be a SATA to USB 3.x dock. Just slip in a bare 3.5 or 2.5 inch SATA drive and it will mount as a removable USB drive. Speeds are limited USB transfer speeds. You can use SATA interface SSDs but since USB presents a bottle neck why spend the money.

On my desktop I have a SATA docking tray that takes 3.5" SATA drives. Full SATA III speeds since it just plugs into the SATA controller.

[Michail_P]

I have a 3TB and a 6TB WD My Books, I have had the 6 TB for two years, I don't remember for sure how old the 2 TB is, but I think it is 7 to 9 years.

I’ll agree with the WD choice. I have two drives, for at least six years. They’re quite durable and I had no problems whatsoever. I also have a 1Tb MyPassport. Portable, fits in my smallest backpack and it only needs the usb3 cable.

[jpzk]

Firstly I'd recommend that you run Macrium Reflect on your machine when you do run a backup as that backs up everything, including the operating system. Next, I'd advise against an external harddrive as your only backup solution which is only ever going to be as good as where you store it or where you've left it, assuming it does not fail and assuming it's not destroyed in a fire. By all means, use Macrium and an external harddrive to back up your machine, but also set up your machine to back op to the cloud to something like Microsoft Onedrive. If you already have a Microsoft 365 account then you will find that comes with generous storage on Onedrive.

1 and 2 Tb drives are cheap now, so I'd go that route for the external harddrive option.

What's so good about that Macrium Reflect? I've just checked it with the link you provided. Seems like an overkill.
I am running Cobian Backup on my PC and it works fine.
As a summary: it is for my laptop and I need something reliable.
Also, I don't have a Microsoft 365 account nor Onedrive. I see that you have to pay for the MSft 365 ?
By the way, I am a bit scared with those "online" solutions. (read: cloud)

Not that I'm cheap, but I am now on a very tight budget, so the less I spend the better it will be for me.
Once I get a device to backup to, i'll be happy with that.

[MarkJerling]

What's so good about that Macrium Reflect? I've just checked it with the link you provided. Seems like an overkill.
I am running Cobian Backup on my PC and it works fine.
As a summary: it is for my laptop and I need something reliable.
Also, I don't have a Microsoft 365 account nor Onedrive. I see that you have to pay for the MSft 365 ?
By the way, I am a bit scared with those "online" solutions. (read: cloud)

Not that I'm cheap, but I am now on a very tight budget, so the less I spend the better it will be for me.
Once I get a device to backup to, i'll be happy with that.

The two products are not compatible. Cobian was last updated a fairly long time ago as far as I can tell (correct me if I'm wrong) and, if the website description is correct, it's a file and folder backup system while Macrium Reflect is a complete backup in that it mirrors the entire system, all drives, all files and folders and the operating system. It can be set up to do this while you're working on the same machine and it even backs up files you're working on, like magic.

If you have some catastrophic machine failure then all you need to do is get the same or a new machine up and running and once you restore the backup, you're back where you were before. This means that not only all files and folders are where they are supposed to be but all your software, including the entire operating system (in my case Windows 10) drivers, etc will be restored too. So, no days long process to re-install all your software and fiddling around with your mail settings and trying to get all your e-mails back etc etc. It's all back, so you can carry on working where you left off, usually less than a half a day from when the you know what hit the fan.

If you're "scared" of cloud solutions, then best you have multiple backup drives and best that you always ensure that you rotate those backups and update those backups regularly. Most importantly, make sure that one backup copy is always kept off-site and when I say off-site, you need to make sure that it is so off-site that it will not be affected by a catastrophic failure taking out your machine such as fire, earthquake, flood or theft etc. Of course, it needs to be accessible but securely stored. I always say: You need to backup as regularly as you need to. So, if you're happy to have to re-do a week's work, then back up once a week. If losing a day's work will be a disaster for you, then backup once a day. If you can live with losing a month of your time, then back up monthly.

I don't trust myself to do all this lugging and backing up as effectively as needed, so I rely on Onedrive to constantly backup my files and folders to the cloud. That way, in the unlikely event of the aforementioned catastrophic failure, I need only get a similar arrangement of hardware from any vendor up and running and once I've restored the Macrium backup it's like I have my old machine back. Complete with all my icons, backgrounds, system tweaks, emails etc. Once I hook back into Onedrive the system can go and grab all the latest versions of all my files that I've been working on on my phone or on a spare machine and bring those over to my new machine.

As an aside, thanks to cloud computing solutions I can be sitting next to the lake, sipping a cold one and waiting for the fish to bite while Xero accounting software sends my clients statements and invoices due reminders and I can even send an invoice, purchase order or check my tax liability from my phone, anywhere that I have an internet connection or phone connection. I can see who's paid and who has not, who's overdue by how much time and I know, at any given moment, who I owe money to and what bills are due when. At the drop of a hat, I can tell if I'm running at a loss or making a profit and at the push of a button or two, I can compare this week/month/year with any relevant corresponding period in the past. My accountant downloads the Xero reports once a year and checks over the reports and supplies those reports to the tax office once checked. Because it's all good to go, my accounting bill is tiny as the reconciliations etc has all been done, basically the accountant is only checking things, rather than entering and manipulating data.

In short, life's too short to do the same work twice, so I like to make my life as easy as I can.

[jpzk]

Macrium Reflect is a complete backup in that it mirrors the entire system, all drives, all files and folders and the operating system. It can be set up to do this while you're working on the same machine and it even backs up files you're working on, like magic.

Hi Mark.

So, I downloaded and installed Macrium (Reflect 7) on my laptop today.

Unsurprisingly, once I run the program, I am welcomed with this page which I have absolutely no clue about what to do next.
(Of course, and stupid me, I have downloaded the program before even have acquired an external drive for backing up !!!
I have included a screen capture of that Macrium "page" below.
I guess I will have to uninstall it and start all over once I have the external device?

Anyway, I will go to the local store, possibly by th end of the week, and get a SSD 2 or 3 TB -- some say not to use that and go for a HDD instead? Not sure anymore.
I thought just plugging an external SSD would be better (I have a USB3 connection on the laptop) vs having to deal with cables.

Thanks for the help.

---------- Post added 02-21-21 at 04:56 PM ----------

Again, thanks to ALL for the help here.
I thought I knew something about computers and software but, as they say, I know just enough to get in deep trouble!

---------- Post added 02-21-21 at 05:54 PM ----------

Paragon's backup software for use with external USB hard drives. Free software for personal use:
https://www.paragon-software.com/free/br-free/#
My suggestion, get three external hard drives each of which is sufficient for at least one backup of your entire hard drive, including any future capacity increase required by any upgrades to your system. Then take a backup as often as you feel necessary (depends on how much you change the data and how frequently) and rotate the backup drives, so you've got not only the most recent, but the two next-most-recent as well. When you want to take a new backup, use your oldest backup copy, reformat the external drive, and write the new backup on that drive, rotating, as I said, so that you're always over-writing the oldest copy. Keep in mind that all electrical and mechanical devices WILL fail, it's just a matter of when.

I strongly recommend against any "cloud-based" solutions. If there's any problem with the servers or the internet connection, you're screwed (not even considering any business problems the provider may encounter, bankruptcy, federal investigations, etc.).

---------- Post added 2021-02-18 at 04:02 AM ----------

I've just checked this software and it looks good too !
I have already installed Macrium Reflect but this looks easier to use.
Now again, I still have to get the "device" !

[MarkJerling]

Hi Mark.

So, I downloaded and installed Macrium (Reflect 7) on my laptop today.

Unsurprisingly, once I run the program, I am welcomed with this page which I have absolutely no clue about what to do next.
(Of course, and stupid me, I have downloaded the program before even have acquired an external drive for backing up !!!
I have included a screen capture of that Macrium "page" below.
I guess I will have to uninstall it and start all over once I have the external device?

Anyway, I will go to the local store, possibly by th end of the week, and get a SSD 2 or 3 TB -- some say not to use that and go for a HDD instead? Not sure anymore.
I thought just plugging an external SSD would be better (I have a USB3 connection on the laptop) vs having to deal with cables.

Thanks for the help.

---------- Post added 02-21-21 at 04:56 PM ----------

Again, thanks to ALL for the help here.
I thought I knew something about computers and software but, as they say, I know just enough to get in deep trouble!

---------- Post added 02-21-21 at 05:54 PM ----------



I've just checked this software and it looks good too !
I have already installed Macrium Reflect but this looks easier to use.
Now again, I still have to get the "device" !

No need to uninstall anything!

Once you have your external harddrive I'll run you through the process (which is easy) to do the backup using Macrium.
I don't have time right now, but I'll do step-by-step screenshots for what you need to do. So, relax, get your external harddrive, and I'll be in touch tomorrow.

[Not a Number]

Operation is simple. All three "drives" (partitions) are checked. Uncheck the ones you don't want to image/backup. For disaster recovery all should be checked. Then click on "Image this disk". It will guide you through the rest - target drive - save job - regular schedule etc.

[jpzk]

Update

So, I got the external drive.
I chose a 500GB USB3 "mechanical" drive; it's all I could afford for the moment. It is "cheap" and I hope it will be reliable. Couln't go with a Seagate nor a WD ... too much $$$.
"Mechanical because I was told it is "safer" ?

Now, I have all of this as shown on a screen capture and I pointed to the new drive with a red arrow: