how do you guys back up your files?
i recently had a corrupt hard drive (virus related i think) but was lucky enough to be able to recover the files to another hard drive that i installed windows on to.
so i now have 2 500gb hard drives. I'm unsure if i should setup a raid 1 system or have the two drives showing in "my computer" and backup by drag n drop maybe.
if i were to get a virus on one drive when using a raid 1 system would the virus be mirrored on both drives?
I have been having this quandary for the past month and have found varying solutions I have decided to fork out for a nas Drive which will be run in raid and will be used as my primary storage.
I have bought this verses buying or creating a server due mainly power consumption as it will be on or sleeping and draws less power than a full blown server.
I was also interested in getting a slim server so I can stream music around the house without having the pc on.
Altho the Nas cannot be called my backup as there will be only one copy mirrored on the nas, so if you delete a file from the nas it will be gone.
I have decided as my current method of backup I am outsourcing this to an on line storage company called
mozzy this will give me piece of mind that all my important documents and images are safe if anything should happen to my pc or nas.......
I will be looking to acquire some more storage for a dedicated back up at home.
If you use the two drives in the same unit on your pc in raid,there could be a problem if the mother board dies.
I think it could be hard to recreate the raid set up with a new mother board/raid controller.
The drag n drop option is an idea however there is the virus/worm issue if one drive on your system got it the other might, beside there are automated programs you can set up to back up your drives.
The best option would be to get some external storage, stripe your two 500gb drive into raid 0 giving you some space within your pc.
Either buy a Nas which can be expensive depending on what features they come with and also how fast they are or USB external storage which would be the cheapest option a Maxtor 500gb drive will set you back £70 from pc world and automate your back up.
Plus investigate some on line space!
Hope this helps, I am sure other people will have some other ideas!!
Cheers
Richard