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    jabag11's Avatar
    jabag11 Posts: 105, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Dec 13, 2010, 01:19 PM
    What is the smartest, easiest, and best way to back up information on my computer?
    I'm one of those people where my LIFE is on the computer, as in, if I were to lose the information I have saved on this computer,(documents, videos, pictures, etc.) then I really, honestly do not know what I would do.

    I have a MacBook Pro Lap Top (Macintosh). I need something that will have my information backed up on something separate in case my lap top were to be stolen. What I do at the moment is send all the important information I have worked on to my email, I do this once a day at the end of the day, that way if my laptop breaks or something, I'll at least have it on my emial, but still that's not safe enough for me. Because email websites crash sometimes!

    So please I'm looking for the easiest, smartest, and cheapest way to do this. All inputs greatly apprecited! Thank you.
    Clemintine's Avatar
    Clemintine Posts: 105, Reputation: 30
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    #2

    Dec 13, 2010, 01:33 PM
    You remind me of me! My life is also on my computer hah... Though I have a desktop so I can have a second hard drive I save everything onto to protect all my stuff.
    In your case the first idea that pops into my head is external hard drive... but they can be expensive is all, but some can be 500GB of space and can hold every file video picture you want to save for a very very long time!
    You're on the right track though with sending important info to your email, one of the safest places to save your stuff is there since if your computer crashes it won't be affected at all...
    I wouldn't worry too much about the email server crashing though, I've used Hotmail for 10 years and haven't run into that problem before once, though I understand the need to have your stuff saved elsewhere!
    ITstudent2006's Avatar
    ITstudent2006 Posts: 2,243, Reputation: 329
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    #3

    Dec 13, 2010, 05:25 PM

    First off you never have to worry about a website crashing and you losing your email.

    Secondly, there are many options out there to backup data.

    Let me ask you a question first.

    Are you worried your laptop will die or more worried it will be stolen? Your answer influences my answer!
    jabag11's Avatar
    jabag11 Posts: 105, Reputation: 1
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    #4

    Dec 19, 2010, 06:48 PM
    Comment on ITstudent2006's post
    I'm worried it might be stolen, it might BREAK, or it might get LOSE, and anything else. And how are you so sure a website won't crash with my email?
    jabag11's Avatar
    jabag11 Posts: 105, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Dec 19, 2010, 06:49 PM
    Comment on Clemintine's post
    Yea someone suggest I get an exernal hard drive of 1 terabyte, do you really thing 500gb is enough space to hold EVERYTHING? I have a few movies and videos which I know take up a lot of room
    ITstudent2006's Avatar
    ITstudent2006 Posts: 2,243, Reputation: 329
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    #6

    Dec 19, 2010, 08:10 PM

    "and how are you so sure a website wont crash with my email?"
    Because webmails back up their stuff and have backups of backups. Gmail, hotmail, AOL etc... isn't going to lose your email!

    "yea someone suggest I get an exernal harddrive of 1 terabyte, do you really thing 500gb is enough space to hold EVERYTHING? I have a few movies and videos which i know take up a lot of room"
    When you click on MY COMPUTER how big is your C: Drive? (right click, go to properties)
    How much is free and how much is used? This will tell you if 500GB is enough!
    jabag11's Avatar
    jabag11 Posts: 105, Reputation: 1
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    #7

    Dec 19, 2010, 08:26 PM
    Comment on ITstudent2006's post
    I have a MacBook Pro, there is no "my computer" but I looked at the hard drive and it says capacity is 154.GB and the available is 50gb. I don't know what capacity and available are exactly saying. Like is capacity the amount of space altogether?
    ITstudent2006's Avatar
    ITstudent2006 Posts: 2,243, Reputation: 329
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    #8

    Dec 19, 2010, 08:33 PM

    I apologize for assuming you had a Windows PC. I appreciate you finding the cpacity for me though :)

    Yes Capacity means the drive is 160GB (it says 154 because 6 is used for the OS) availibility just means how much is left.

    So... a terabyte external would be way too much (unless you plan on backing up multiple PC's/Macs)
    If you only have one or plan on doing one then a 200GB will suffice! Now, if you ever plan on getting a new laptop down the road buying a bigger external now would be beneficial because most newer computers have hard drives bigger then 200GB. So you woulnd't have to buy a bigger one later.

    To be honest the prices don't vary that much for size so I would recommend getting a bigger one (500GB/1TB) so that you can use it now and for later whenever you decide to buy a new laptop!
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