Options for Data Backup

[Robert Caputo]

I currently have about 2 TB of data, pictures films etc. Currently I have about 1TB on OneDrive and 1 TB on an external hard drive. I'm interested in exploring what others in a similar situation do to protect their data, e.g. How do you do it? Is it working well for you? Pros and cons etc. Any comment/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Tx

 

[PA-WOODCHUCK]

I have western digital 8TB "my cloud home" cloud drive for PC backup and second copy of photos, documents, etc.

 

[BigFeet]

I backup my data to a 1tb external hard drive, and have a copy of my most important data backed up to my one drive account.

 

[Robert Caputo]

I remember reading articles that suggested OneDrive should not be relied upon for backup purposes because if data is accidentally deleted or lost by other means, the the data would be lost on the local HDD and the OneDrive cloud, assuming they are synced. I wonder whether other posters consider OneDrive as a backup or see it as a means of file sharing or corroboration with others. If you see it as a backup, is there anything else you do to avoid the issue mentioned above regarding losing data in both locations. Would appreciate your thoughts/comments/suggestions regarding the use of OneDrive for backup purposes. Tx

 

[BigFeet]

I'm sure that's a possibility. I've heard of odd things happening when syncing to OneDrive. I don't sync my PC to OneDrive. I manually upload my files there. I don't I don't tie my Microsoft account to any of my PC's. My external drive is my main backup source. OneDrive is just a safeguard for my important files, in case of disaster. I also have a 50 gb pCloud account that I use for important files too.

 

[Robert Caputo]

Thank you Bigfeet. I wonder what you mean by "I don't tie my Microsoft account to any of my PC's"? Do you mean you don't sync to OneDrive or something more than that? Tx

 

[Bastet]

I have a 6TB external hard drive & use Macrium Reflect to image my Laptop regularly.

 

[BigFeet]

Thank you Bigfeet. I wonder what you mean by "I don't tie my Microsoft account to any of my PC's"? Do you mean you don't sync to OneDrive or something more than that? Tx

I don't sync one drive, and I use a local account. When I installed Windows 10, I didn't sign in with a microsoft account.

 

[Grizzly]

I don't sync one drive, and I use a local account. When I installed Windows 10, I didn't sign in with a microsoft account.

So did I. Local account only. What I have on my 'onedrive' is gonna be backed up with my daily backups anyway, although I have nothing on there that I care about loosing. 'Onedrive' is for me just a tool to sync my work files with my Home PC....

 

[Robert Caputo]

If you don't sync your local PC to OneDrive, is there still a concern about the safety and security of files stored on OneDrive? If so, what are the concerns? Is it more a concern about losing files or unwanted access to the files? I sense that there is a concern among many regarding the use of OneDrive for backing up files. I'm just trying to understand what the reasons may be. Tx

 

[Grizzly]

If you don't sync your local PC to OneDrive, is there still a concern about the safety and security of files stored on OneDrive? If so, what are the concerns? Is it more a concern about losing files or unwanted access to the files? I sense that there is a concern among many regarding the use of OneDrive for backing up files. I'm just trying to understand what the reasons may be. Tx

My biggest concern is this: who in the world has access to my files as I do not know where the cloud server actually and physically is. For all I know, it could be somewhere in China or Russia or it could be somewhere in the dark basements of the CIA. I simply do not know. I feel more relieved to have a local backup drive like a PC just for storage or external hard drives. That way, I AM in control and no one that I do not want, can access MY data. It seems a little paranoid but I feel safer that way.