On-line Backups

[LadyJaine]

The new sob story making the rounds is that the person trusted that the on-line backup was complete and never actually checked it. When their 1T EHD failed, they discovered that they had only 2-3 GB of data backed up. They are now blaming Mozy for this. Mozy has no idea how much data anyone wants to back up. They don't check for their users. Users must check for themselves. This is true for any on-line backup company.

A message that the initial backup is complete is not proof that the data added to the drive in the year that followed has also been backed up. You need to log into your account and look at your files. Better yet, test that you can get your files back. You don't need to actually download all of your data, but testing by downloading one or two files would be a very good idea. Learning your restore process while stressed about a data loss is never the best way to learn. Think of a file you don't want to lose. A photo, a document, anything. Then, go see if you can get to that particular file using your backup system. Go all the way through opening your restored file on your computer. Restoring something that is corrupt, or that you can't unzip won't do you any good.

I was taught that you have a good/complete backup if and only if:

• All of the files are there.
• You can get to the files.
• You have tested your restore process and can put files back.

[nancine]

good reminder. I was able to get all of my stuff back via Carbonite this summer, what a relief it was!