Online storage..

[gjtoth]

A while back there was some discussion concerning online storage. Picasa, Inbox.com, Flickr were but a few that were mentioned.

I came across one today that offers 50 Gigabytes of storage -- FREE. No strings. The largest uploadable file size that is allowed is 2 Gigs. I've uploaded a TON of stuff and I haven't begun to make a dent in it.

The place is http://www.adrive.com

I don't know about backups. It's free so I'm assuming there isn't any backup done. I could be wrong. Really. It happens. :D I've attempted to find out what the cost would be to back up my stuff. Nothing there. I've sent an email to them regarding this. I'll let you know what their response is.

[jerryph]

http://www.thebackupreview.com/reviews/permalink/adrive.htm

I think that I will feel better in my local hard drives. Yes it is more expensive (for example my 1 terrabyte... or 1024 gig hard drive was under $250), but I control my backups, its tons faster as well as tons bigger and I transfer at speeds hundreds of times faster.

For someone that has no other backup option and you are not putting anything there that you do not mind someone else potentially seeing/using... its fine.

[gjtoth]

http://www.thebackupreview.com/reviews/permalink/adrive.htm

I think that I will feel better in my local hard drives. Yes it is more expensive (for example my 1 terrabyte... or 1024 gig hard drive was under $250), but I control my backups, its tons faster as well as tons bigger and I transfer at speeds hundreds of times faster.

For someone that has no other backup option and you are not putting anything there that you do not mind someone else potentially seeing/using... its fine.

I think you missed the point. I never said anything about automatic backups. With the price of hard drive space being inexpensive, that's a first choice. However, as we all know, even the best hard drive crashes eventually. An off-site option - especially free - is a must. Several are better. For photos, documents, audio clips, and other files that you will eventually find indispensable or irreplaceable, off site is the way to fly. There are, as you note, places that do offer automatic backups... for a price. Most of us aren't into terabytes. But, 50 gigs is a great place to start. The online "reviews" are ok. But, quite frequently they nitpick things to death regarding the inconsequential making mountains out of molehills. They tend to cater to the corporate end, like Microsoft caters to the corporate end and is pulling away from the little guy. In the end, the little guy will read these "reviews" thinking they are aimed at him and take them at face value... missing what might turn out to be the very thing he needs. Not seeing the forest for the trees.

Sometimes, it's not such a good idea to look a gift horse in the mouth.

[LensBaby]

Gary thank you for your information. You can never have your photos in too many places just in case! The way my luck has been this past year, my computer and my external would crash the same day! Thanks I will check it out.

[jerryph]

Well said, Gary, and I agree for the most part, but it is important to consder the nature of the data that you are trying to preserve.

- if the content is not copyrighted
- if the content is not commercial
- if the content is not of a private or personal nature
- if you can accept that they may or may not backup your data
- if you can accept slow uploads and downloads (slow compared to local speeds)
- if you do not care who sees or potentially uses your data for their purposes with or without your permission

Free and remote solutions are viable options.

An important factor for me is the sense of control. I find it difficult to trust others to take the same precautions to protect my data as well as I would myself. It is at a little higher cost, but I still prefer to place my pictures and all my data on DVD and a local external hard drive that is never turned on except when backing up data (I now also have a SAN available to me at home thanks to my carreer and business connections, but that is far from average and I acknowledge that).

Part of making a good choice is being aware of the bad side as completely as the good sides.