Backup your Files Online for Free
Posted by Vincent | Filed under Linux, Mac OS X, Software, Windows
As a grad student, I have a lot of important files on my computer. For that reason, I do regular backups (and you should too!) of all my files to an external hard drive using Time Machine. While such a backup solution is fine for mp3s, some files require more than that. I cannot imagine losing files from my research projects or my working papers (I’m shivering just by writing about it). Countless hours of work would be lost, which would surely result in a large financial loss if it delays my studies.
To protect me against that catastrophic scenario, I use an online backup solution from Mozy [if you signup following that link, I get 0.25GB more for free and so do you!]. All I had to do is install the MozyClient software (available Windows and Mac) on my computer and now my files get backed up regularly, automatically. Best of all, since my most important files are rather small (text and code), the free service of 2GB is quite enough for my needs (for now at least). If the worst ever happens, I can restore my files using the MoxyClient software, via a web interface or have them ship me my files on DVD (that last option isn’t free, obviously). If the 2 GB isn’t enough for you, the unlimited plan is $4.95/month, one of the cheapest on the market.
Here is a quick list of online backup solutions with free plans:
- Mozy: My favorite, this is the one I use. Mac and Windows, 2GB for free.
- Dropbox: Mac, Windows and Linux, 2GB for free.
- Box.net: Web-based, 1GB for free. Offers collaboration features.
- humyo.com: Windows only, 10GB for free.
February 2, 2009 at 10:45 pm
CloudBerry Drive is an online backup product based on Amazon S3 will offer free licenses for students and some educational institution, but you will still have to pay Amazon S3 fees. For 2GB you will pay only $0.3/month
April 22, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Another couple of online backups I found are Elephant Drive and My Other Drive. I like them both, but so far My Other Drive at http://www.myotherdrive.com seems to upload faster.
October 25, 2009 at 11:33 am
Cool, I’ll use your reference link for MOZY. Thanks!