Carbonite claims to support the Mac.
Posted on 07/30/2009 10:25:50 AM PDT by Maceman
I have an external hard-drive that backs up my data nicely. The problem is Microsoft Outlook, which I have found very difficult to back-up, I can export it to a .pst file, but that is very tedious and doesn't pick up everything.
I'm wondering whether I should just try Carbonite, but I am concerned about the wisdom of storing my data on an off-site online server.
Anyone have any experience with Carbonite? Would this be a good solution for me?
As always. relevant responses are welcome. Also funny response (but only if they are REALLY funny. No Mac snobs need apply. Void where prohibited. Consult a physician before taking.
And yes, I AM logged on. Also logged in, over, under, around, through and any other preposition you may prefer.
Use a drive image back up like Ghost, you’ll be far happier. If you lose your hard drive or get a virus you can’t get rid of and have to rebuild from scratch, how long does it take you? I can do it in about 20 minutes.
Much better than rebuilding a machine from scratch and then downloading your data. If you’ve got an external drive and backup often, it’s the ONLY way to recover...
So you ARE 'logged between'?
IMHO, I fail to see the reason why anyone individual or small business needs to use Carbonite or a similar service. Use an external or second internal hard drive with Norton Ghost or a similar program. Set the program to create a mirror image of your hard drive once a week and to back-up data files daily. I have never had an issue backing up .pst or any other file using this process.
I’m sure Carbonite and similar services are sufficient if they don’t have a security breach, go out of business, or file for bankruptcy — But these are very big “ifs” that I am not willing to chance.
That was kind of cute, but hardly worthy of the “REALLY funny” designation.
18 months ago I took advantage of their 15 day offer advertised by Rush. 13 days into the trial my hard drive failed. Replaced the drive and recovered my data, just as advertised. No problems, no lost files. Without Carbonite, color me screwed. I’m a believer.
Most definitely.
Storage space is so cheap these days I prefer to keep backup local, DIY. NAS units, USB drives, 2nd computer, whatever..., and you can use any number of backup programs, I like SyncBack... tell it what and when and it does the rest.
jw
The downside is, of course, that the backup drive will protect your data from system crashes, but will be subject to the same environmental hazards as your system (fire, flood, theft, etc). If those are real concerns, then store your backup offsite.
First issue you will run up againt is Carbbonite does NOT backup external drives. Because they are flat fee and they dont charge you by the megabyte they want to prevent anyone from attaching mutiple USB drives to their PC backing them up and them swapping them out for more.
The drive has to be attached via an IDE channel. So no Flash Drives, USB Drives, Firewire drives etc.
Other than that its pretty good. I use Mozy Pro at work. Its awesome. Saved my butt many times.
I’ve used it for about six months without problem. I like not having to remember to manually backup or schedule one - it continuously automatically backs up everything (except video files). I have over100 gb backed up.
Carbonite claims to support the Mac.
The main reason to use one of these services vs. your own external backup is that it is off premises. If your house burns down or a thief steals your computer (and external drive), you will be able to retrieve your data.
ROTFL...
Try using Thunderbird instead of Outlook. Easily backed up because it is just flat files. No dtabase files. Plus it can be enhanced with calendar and other functions like Outlook with the use of extensions or add-ons. Just like Firefox.
Ghost is pretty useful for those situations, but I think the OP is thinking of situations like a fire or tornado as well.
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