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More Mac Backup Options?
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Sep 2015
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I am backing up 2 Macs which I received from a relative. My Time Machine backup is uptodate. Do I need another option as well?
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hilbert space
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I recommend you also use an online backup service such as Backblaze. It costs $5/month for unlimited data. The only thing you cannot do is back up network volumes (otherwise you could use one computer to back up all others in your house). I'm using their service for several years and am very happy. (The only thing they are missing is allow me to back up my Synology NAS to their service.)
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Managing Editor
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
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Fire is the commonest reason for an off-site backup. Backblaze is convenient and cheap. If you don't trust cloud-based backups, and have a fire safe, you can get another external HD. Periodically (first day of each month perhaps) swap external backup HDs, so one is in the safe and the other is live.
Notes: doesn't protect against flooding unless the safe is also flood-proof. Burglars might take the main system and the safe, if the safe isn't bolted down good enough. Using a bank safe deposit box instead of a local safe is probably safer, but more expensive and a lot more hassle to swap backup drives.
Cloud-based is the logical off-site backup option. Use an encryption key. Technically, the NSA will do another backup for you free of charge, in case your cloud service fails. That's nice of them. But they're unreliable about coughing up the backup if you need it.
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Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Jose, CA
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Any pros/cons to Backblaze compared to Carbonite? I've been using it since Leo Laporte started recommending it. I don't like with the Mac version that it does not backup external drives.
Steve
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Celebrating 10 years and 4000 posts on MacNN!
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hilbert space
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Backblaze was founded by former Apple engineers, and I switched away from Crashplan to Backblaze because of the quality of the client (Crashplan relies on Java). I cannot comment on Carbonite, though.
Ironically enough, Crashplan's strategy allows me to run their software on my Synology NAS (something I haven't configured yet), and they also do allow you to back up networked volumes.
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Sep 2015
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Originally Posted by OreoCookie
I recommend you also use an online backup service such as Backblaze. It costs $5/month for unlimited data. The only thing you cannot do is back up network volumes (otherwise you could use one computer to back up all others in your house). I'm using their service for several years and am very happy. (The only thing they are missing is allow me to back up my Synology NAS to their service.)
Hi OreoCookie,
That sounds reasonable. So Backblaze will back up every file lying on Macintosh HD? Will it cover external drives too?
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Sep 2015
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Originally Posted by Mike Wuerthele
Hi Mike Wuerthele,
Thanks Mike. That was helpful.
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Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
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Originally Posted by ChristopherMassey
So Backblaze will back up every file lying on Macintosh HD? Will it cover external drives too?
Backblaze doesn't back up system files or the applications folder. Since you can reinstall OS and apps. External drives are backed up, but must be connected at regular intervals. If an external isn't seen for 30 days, Backblaze deletes that drive from the backup.
details
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hilbert space
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Originally Posted by ChristopherMassey
That sounds reasonable. So Backblaze will back up every file lying on Macintosh HD? Will it cover external drives too?
As long as the external drive is connected via USB or FireWire, yes. Networked drive, no. All essential files will be backed up, so Backblaze doesn't bother with files that are part of the standard OS X install. If you want to be sure you can install OS X, you should get a USB stick (8 GB or larger) and use these instructions to make it into a bootable USB stick which allows you to install OS X (you should have one anyway).
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
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If you want TimeMachine-like backups in the cloud, but not having to pay for storage, Arq is an excellent solution if you BYOS (bring your own storage).
Among others, you can back up to GoogleDrive, Dropbox, any SFTP server etc...
If you're cheap frugal, get multiple Google accounts, eahc giving you 15GB in storage space. Et voila... Enough for most documents (but maybe not your music and video library).
-t
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
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Originally Posted by ChristopherMassey
I am backing up 2 Macs which I received from a relative. My Time Machine backup is uptodate. Do I need another option as well?
Hi Christopher Massey,
Does you Mac have BootCamp partition? There are couples of utilities which you can use for BootCamp backup.
1. Stellar Drive Clone- This software clones Mac HD to HFS and BootCamp partitions to ExFAT volume.
2. WinClone- WinClone creates a backup of your BootCamp partition and also migrate a partition from one Mac to another Mac via a network.
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