No more excuses for not backing up
'I have to talk to you about buying a new computer," a friend recently said.
It turns out she'd lost everything when her machine crashed. Years of writing, documents related to several organizations she'd worked with, multimedia presentations, and all kinds of personal files were gone. And of course, she didn't have backups.
She's not alone. Backing up my computer's hard drive usually works like this: hear a horror story, back up to CDs for a while, then slack off. But, with the news full of stories about people losing everything to natural disasters and after hearing my friend's cautionary tale, I decided that it's time to break that cycle.
The goal: find the easiest, no-brainer, ''set it and forget it" method of automatically backing up my important files online. Why online? While backing up to CDs or a second hard drive are good, inexpensive options, that won't do you much good if everything's swept away in a storm surge.
Online backups have drawbacks, too, including monthly fees. Uploading large numbers of files can take hours over the Internet, even over a high-speed connection. Still, the idea of having my computer handle this dreaded chore with little or no intervention by me seemed like a good bet.
I limited my search to services that offer downloadable software that lets you select which files to back up and automatically runs at scheduled times.
Online backup services have been around for years, but over time they've tacked on lots of bells and whistles, including options for sharing files, photos, and other media, as well as Web-based access to your backups.
Companies generally charge monthly and/or annual fees, provide a block of storage space for your files, software to upload and restore your files, file compression for faster uploading and encryption for security. Some let you back up multiple computers, and they usually offer a trial account so you can check it out before you buy.
The more storage you need, the more you'll have to pay. Most services do not recommend that you back up your entire hard drive online, just those critical files that you'd be distraught to lose: digital photos, that draft of your novel, e-mail, address books, and so on. Companies may also store backups in multiple locations or states as an extra precaution.
I looked at some services that claim to be easy to use and reasonably priced for home users: Xdrive.com, Filesanywhere.com, eSureIT.com, Connected Data Protector software, and Iomega.com's iStorage. Here are some other options:
IBackup.com
Offers a bewildering number of pricing plans, options, and extras for backing up and sharing files. If you just want to keep it simple, download and install iBackup (available for Windows, Linux/Unix) or iDrive for Macs, which offers drag-and-drop backups and Mac-specific functionality.
IBackup for Windows offers a backup wizard, but it doesn't offer much guidance on what to back up. The program's interface is sparse and some buttons on the menu are cryptic. However, a pane on the left displays files and folders on your computer; a pane on the right shows your files and folders backed up online, making it easy to drag and drop between the two.
Scheduling automatic backups -- every Saturday at 5 a.m., for example -- was quick and easy. Economy plans run from $9.95 a month or $99.50 a year for 5GB to $49.95 a month or $499.50 a year for 25GB.
Sparebackup.com
Tries to make the backup process hands-off. After you download and run the program it automatically scans your computer for files and folders it thinks you should upload and then schedules a backup.
The program chose to back up my database files, Adobe Acrobat PDFs, AOL and MSN instant messenger settings, My Documents, My Pictures, My Music folders, and My Video folders, and Outlook e-mail and settings, among other files. Good guesses, but if you don't agree you can quickly modify the list or change the scheduled backup time by clicking on an icon. The program will also back up your files to a CD or DVD.
Priced at $15.99 a month for 5GB of storage, Spare is more expensive than other online backup services, but you'll barely have to lift a finger to get it going.
Backup.com
Delivers on its promise of simple, automatic backups. This no-frills service, around since the mid-'90s, lacks many of the bells and whistles offered by other online storage services, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The website and desktop software are refreshingly clutter-free. After installation of the desktop software, I consulted the program's help file, a Web page that walks you through setup and offers advice on which files to back up. A handy file selection guide shows you how to identify and back up critical files such as e-mail, financial program data files, and bookmarks.
The program automatically selected my computer's bookmarks, My Documents folder, MS Outlook, and desktop files for backup. Since those files totaled more than the 250MB of storage I'd signed up for, I tweaked that list down to about 75MB which took about half an hour to upload over a DSL connection. A bar graphic displays how much space you have available for uploads.
By default, the program is configured to run a backup daily. So you could just install it, accept the defaults, and not fuss with it again. That's truly a no-brainer. Monthly plans run from $4.95 (250MB) to $64.95 (10GB), with discounts for annual contracts. Like Spare Backup, storage is more costly than other services, but setup is simple and automated.
Michelle Johnson is a freelance writer. Her e-mail address is mijohn@mail-me.com. 
