Data Backup: The 3-2-1 Rule

[@MrRasgabriel]

im not understanding why people are downvoting this guys videos.. he seems pretty reasonable, knowledgeable and easy to understand. whats to not like??

[@robbieharley1480]

I think he’s fantastic. Very knowledgeable and a good way of departing it.

[@michaelhawthorne8696]

Ortiz 805 Because there are muppets everywhere, they wouldn't know quality Information if it bit them in the backside.

[@canwenot573]

@@michaelhawthorne8696 Precisely. It is a shame, but there will always be haters. Christopher is excellent and his videos are always entertaining and informative. Some people just can't appreciate the hard work he does to make them.

[@gs-nq6mw]

The video has 30 downvotes from 80k views...people who got recommmended this video and wasnt interesed downvoted it,completely normal at youtube

[@richardsorge-]

@@gs-nq6mw questo è semplicemente demenziale, ma non dubito che tu possa aver ragione. E' un mondo di pazzi.....

[@kneekoo]

One can never truly appreciate backups until they lose irreplaceable data.

[@ExplainingComputers]

So true.

[@Yayaloy9]

I didn't really care about my data until I lost my art....

[@encycl07pedia-]

I lost a ton of video backups and pictures when my HDD bay suffered a power failure and wiped the partition table on all my external HDDs.

[@benzflynn]

The projects can be rewritten but the photos can't be retaken: people no longer alive.

[@jamesedwards3923]

@@encycl07pedia- If the partition was intact. Data recovery would have been simple. I am rusty, it could have been recovered. Did you try taking it to professionals.

[@yt0097]

"Two is one, one is none." -sootch00 This is a survival quote but I believe that it also applies here.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, a very good quote that certainly applies here.

[@nilpo]

Sootch was also quoting someone, but still good advice.

[@diprosla592]

​​​@@ExplainingComputers comment too the 3.2.1 backup strategy video, do you think that its ok when i have my data stored on my laptop and on external harddisk or should i get another external HDD that i would have if the first external HDD fails? So that i would have two backup copies on two diferent hard drives + one allways kept in the notebook that has SSD?

[@Turbo614]

found this channel by complete randomness.i enjoy it because you get right too the point.no bs intros or long "filler" junk that no one cares about.

[@World_of_OSes]

I keep at least 8 copies of everything on Hard Drives, 3 of which are off site, 2 of those being in different countries at opposite ends of the globe. I also have copies on flash memory, standard CD, standard DVD, M-Disc DVD, M-Disc Blu-ray, floppy, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox and MediaFire.

[@knifedreamer]

OSFirstTimer NZ - What?? You don’t have back ups on cassette and vinyl?? What a noob

[@jamesedwards3923]

LOL, so which cloud service do you use?

[@thetravelingmerchant1]

You’ve minimized the risk of losing your data at the cost of it no longer being yours, and with tremendous financial and time costs.

[@Compusal]

I like the way he explain the topics, very easy to understand and he keeps posting new information ... thanks Christopher

[@AkshatAjeya]

My old WD HDD failed yesterday, All my data dating back to 2006 was lost. Fortunately I practice backing up data to a secondary drive on a weekly basis and that saved my life. Can't stress it enough people. BACK UP YOUR DATA.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Glad you had a backup. They always are worth it in the end!

[@jec_ecart]

I have been keeping 1 primary and 2 Backups all these years. But it's an uphill battle these days with ever bloating file sizes.

[@jazzochannel]

I find that the key is to separate out what I really need instead of backing up gigabytes of stuff that can be reproduced from a install dvd, for example. The ratio of data to stuff you really need is 10 or 30. So if 10% 30% of the data is really important, it's not as hard to follow the multiple-media, multiple-locations guideline.

[@OShackHennessy]

I had this very revelation today! I’m backing up so much crap I don’t even want but that’s just because I was too lazy to prune it. This weekend I am sitting down to delete everyone don’t need of of my primary SSD. Heck I even found 50g of iso files!

[@jazzochannel]

@@OShackHennessy I have ISO files :) .... but not thoroughly backed up, just on redundant media $ du -shc /R/library/operating-systems/* /R/os-files/mirror/* 1.2G /R/library/operating-systems/boot-discs 2.5G /R/library/operating-systems/bsd 93G /R/library/operating-systems/linux 163M /R/library/operating-systems/other 1.9G /R/library/operating-systems/_setup_gentoo 97G /R/library/operating-systems/windows 1.7G /R/os-files/mirror/cygwin 169G /R/os-files/mirror/gentoo 0 /R/os-files/mirror/lost+found 364G total

[@microdesigns2000]

Depending on the DVD, it might also need a backup. For example, software you can't replace because it is no longer available. And I've been in the habit of making VMs with licensed software titles because licensing methods and operations systems change over the years, compatibility etc. Another reason you back up DVDs is that you may have a day where you don't have a DVD drive. That is my condition. One reason I was watching this video again is that higher capacity drives have a mission time that is shorter than lower capacity drives.

[@izzieb]

How serendipitously relevant. I've been considering building a NAS server and using a RAID configuration. Haven't got round to it, but considering how often my father loses files, I think it'd be a sound investment. Trying to get him in the habit of using multiple copies on multiple storage.

[@slipknotboy555]

Yeah, a NAS would be a really useful thing to have

[@Thanoric]

I'd always be weary of raid. If your using a raid controller, that can take all of your data in one go. If your using raid 0 or 5, one drive in the stack can corrupt all of them. This also does not protect them from fire, or even a lightning strike.

[@DiversEvent]

Good advise. The off line copy is probably the most important one and should be done once every week or so depending on how much date you transfer.

[@marccaselle8108]

Everything I backed up is on separate external hard drives because one external hard drive is not big enough lol

[@theshih-tzudad4068]

I learned the hard way to have redundant back ups of everything. Several external drives, CD, DVD, Flash Drives, several machines containing the exact same data as well! The main computer works all the time, if it fails, the back up takes over.

[@ARLGD]

Comment: Wow, this video really got me thinking about the importance of having a reliable backup power source, especially when it comes to family camping trips. The Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series seems like a fantastic option with its massive capacity, fast recharging, and waterproof technology. Definitely something to consider for anyone who values quality family time in the great outdoors.

[@ARLGD]

Reply: Wow, I completely agree! Having a reliable backup power source is crucial, especially during family camping trips. The Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series is definitely worth considering with its massive capacity, fast recharging, and waterproof technology. It would be perfect for keeping all our devices and appliances running smoothly in the great outdoors. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@TechnicallyLenard]

And I would recommend being very careful which online backup service you actually use as a backup - if you go that route. Try to pick one that has the longest record of stability according to user reviews. Trust me, although these data centers use a RAID array to keep their servers backed up, you can still lose stuff.

[@ej_tech]

I use SyncBack Free to make the process automated. I plug in my dedicated backup drive, set it up so that it mirrors any changes done on my PC (modified files, deleted files, new files) from select directories, and run it. So every time I plug it in, I just run SyncBack and let it do the rest. Same case when it comes to my offsite backup.

[@Thanoric]

raid 0 kills everything when it fails. But even raid 1 still can be taken out in one electrical surge.

[@menguardingtheirownwallets6791]

Here is another tip, probably one of the most important ones of all: Surf the Internet using something OTHER than your main computer, preferably a Chromebook as those don't get computer ransomware viruses. Most people surf the Net using their computer that they use for photos and other important documents. They surf over to some site on the Net and accidentally pick up a piece of ransomware virus onto their computer. That virus works behind the scenes for a few weeks, quietly encrypting all of your photos and documents. Then one day the thing activates and you are stuck; everything you have is now encrypted. The best way to avoid this risk is to use a cheaper Chromebook computer to do as much of your online surfing (and even Banking and purchases online) with a safe and trouble-free Chromebook as those things simply don't pick up any viruses or malware of any type. That dramatically reduces the risk of your precious files being messed up by malware/viruses.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good tip. :) I tend to surf on an Android tablet. :)

[@jamesedwards3923]

Or you can just use another login that is restricted. Or if you are using a modern laptop or even old desktop. Boot into another drive. There are consumer laptops that allow for two to four drives.

[@thetravelingmerchant1]

1. Chromebooks are spyware. 2. If you have good browsing habits and instincts you will never get a virus. 3. You can use an antivirus, and browser protections to minimize unsafe browsing. 4. The point of backups is not to directly protect data, but to allow copies of that data to be destroyed or become inaccessible without losing access.

[@naheeduddin1672]

Can't believe this channel is nearly at 100k subs been subbed since the beginning

[@ExplainingComputers]

We have been on a long journey together! :)

[@jacknetarchive]

Agreed

[@h3xknot]

its a channel that catches on because its full of great information

[@konohaa8253]

A channel that I called, "Direct to the Point" tutorial. Thank you Sir Barnatt.

[@MarkTuchinsky]

And we will be here until the end!

[@AdamBluntTech]

I cant not stress this enough backup all your data I lost a 1gb MySQL database yesterday due to a hard drive which died, had a copy of everything but the database

[@ExplainingComputers]

Now this is a sad story. :(

[@Hypernerdwithcam]

This happened to me last week too, but my database was (are) almost 60GB. I have automysqlbackup running every night, and also replicating the backups to two 2nd site servers.

[@Aaron-hg8jo]

ouch... that hurts just reading this

[@XSpImmaLion]

Good explainer, thanks Chris! It can look kinda daunting at first, but you'll thank yourself if the worst happens.... :P The 3 2 1 method is the very basics of backup strategy, anything bellow it is subject to catastrophic data loss. Let me just say that I wasn't following the rule properly, even though I had all my data on a NAS (RAID 1), most of my important stuff on my Desktop, and a copy of that distributed in different cloud storage services. What happened was that an OS update for the NAS drive caused a massive failure on both drives that were on RAID 1. It wasn't a complete disaster because like I said, most of my important data was backuped everywhere... but a part of it was on the NAS alone. Spent a good part of a couple of months finding a way to restore those drives. Luckly, I managed to do it, not before a whole lot of stress and panic, plus spending money on NAS data recovery software, but I was lucky this time.

[@fauxpastea4169]

Excellent. I was hoping M-Disk would get a mention.

[@dionkoffie]

maybe on other thing to note is that you should keep one backup offline from the internet or anyone else who has access to it. I have one drive sitting in a fireproof safe in my home and the other drive in a safe in my other house. If you have your backups online there is a small chance you get hacked and the chance of that data getting wiped is pretty big then. So, don't keep all your backups connected to the internet :P

[@jamesedwards3923]

For the common user. The threat is minimal. If you encrypt well enough. Your data is secure. This is why you support open source projects like VeraCrypt. The successor to TrueCrypt. Having layers of encryption and hash variants. Allows for more defense against advancements in encryption deciphering. As well as advancement in processing power. For many people cloud is essential for workflow. I know one person who insist on not using the cloud for backups. I asked them a question. "How many backups do you have off site? Or in a fire proof safe?" They do not. All their backups are local. So you traded one threat for another. You do not encrypt backup locally. You do not have your data off site. So I guess they are prepared for all that data collected to be lost.

[@timnixon2889]

after 9/11 (NYC) there was a shortage of tape drive readers.. we learned the hard way that the "2" and 1 rules were important.. I fortunately had drives I could pull and even a few CD's I burned.. The backups were stored next-door (too close) and most tapes were lost.. thank goodness the hard disks survived, and the CDs were in an undamaged cabinet plus I had a copy at home

[@smashie2000]

Very relevant video, two weeks ago I lost a 2 TB drive on my main machine, through my NAS and could storage I have it all back

[@MikeRoePhonicsMusic]

My 3-2-1 rule is slightly different: - 3 backups at each location (where each one is on different media) - 2 locations you can access (home and an off-site safe deposit box) - 1 online backup (Google Drive, etc.)

[@ExplainingComputers]

Nice rule! :)

[@jamesedwards3923]

I have been playing with cloud storage to develop a workflow. My annoyance is two fold. One using the desktop applications allow for syncing. So given my connection. I can pause and resume uploads. The second more annoying problem is that most of these desktop apps force your to download your 'entire' archive. It is annoying. Two that I have tried, Drop Box and One Drive. Allow you to limit this greatly. In different ways, but at least they allow easier workflow. None of them allow for. Just upload a file. Pause and resume and that's it. The entire point of cloud storage is so I can do just that and be done with it. Companies I do not want to upgrade and pay yearly for might get my money. Yet the ones who I want to pay for in the near future refuse. Making it needlessly complicated.

[@jamesedwards3923]

I agree, nice rule. My only snag is that cloud storage is more expensive. Paying the monthly fee for faster internet.

[@380stroker]

Meth is one hell of a drug.

[@380stroker]

@@jamesedwards3923 No such thing as cloud storage. It's hard drive farms.

[@fidelaltamirano1326]

This is a very good explanation on back- up of computer data.

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

GREAT VIDEO! I TOTALLY agree! I keep my data backed up over 5, different external drives, Each computer has at least one HDD, and one SSD. I keep one external drive in my storage building, AWAY from the house!

[@ExplainingComputers]

We are clearly like-minded individuals. So few people do adequate backup.

[@ToxicwasteProductions]

This is so very true. Everything he said is spot on. I personally have a 8 drive raid 6 for my main storage auto backups to a local server. And every week or so I plug in a USB drive and run a script on the server that takes what is on the raid there and sends that to the USB drive. And the USB drive I have in a fireproof locked safety box ofc encrypted. As he says nothing is secure. And running encrypted drives is sertinly not secure. But... I have senative data så I have mirror in thst locker. Still makes it into a 3 step backup solution. But with more security.

[@k.chriscaldwell4141]

I use the D - M - L model for data surety. That is, *D* evice, *M* edia, and *L* ocation. Basic surety is 222 _(Triple-2):_ 2 devices, 2 medias, 2 locations. Too many people fail to take in to account the location of their files and/or data. A device is a computer, or external hard drive, memory stick, etc. A media is a hard drive, SSD drive, the memory on a USB memory stick, etc. A location is just that, a physical location. Locations are called _Here,_ and _There._ A file, data, saved to the hard drive in a laptop is 111: 1 device, the laptop; 1 media, the laptop's hard drive; And 1 location, _Here,_ where the media is. That data does not have surety. If either the device, media, or location is FaSDed (Fails, Stolen, Destroyed) lost, the data is gone forever. If that data is also copied to an external hard drive or memory stick, that file is 221: 2 devices, 2 medias, 1 location, _Here._ It has device and media surety, but is location vulnerable. If the memory stick is routinely taken off-site, especially when the originating device is inactive, that data now has surety of 222: 2 devices, 2 medias, 2 locations, _Here,_ and _There._ Data on 2 hard drives in 1 server is 121: 1 device, 2 media, and 1 location. That data is both device and location vulnerable. Data saved to a synced folder, like Dropbox, automatically has 222: 2 devices, the laptop and Dropbox'; 2 medias, the laptop and Dropbox'; And 2 locations, _Here,_ and _There,_ Dropbox. In practice, I may setup a client with his downloads saving to a Triple-1 folder, his documents to a Triple-2 folder, and business files to a Triple-3 folder (The laptop, an external backup rotated off-site, and a sync service).

[@edwin3928ohd]

I once had a computer in 2003. I removed all the components and nailed it to the wall. It ran that way for months. then, one day it fell 4 ft. mobo, HDD, etc. I left it on the floor held up by a chicken mcnugget box from then on. later, I spilled a drink completely on the bare mobo/CPU when it was on. it buzzed loudly and shut off. when it dried out, it worked fine. that computer was abused beyond any reason and was invincible. and then ive had brand new hard drives fail. hardware is very weird.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Great story! :)

[@ajaykoemar3979]

I thought I was the only one nailing computers to the wall.. :)

[@fpm1979]

I recently extended my RAM. It turned out the module was dead on arrival.

[@TechnicallyLenard]

Hardware failures are often caused by defects from the manufacturing process, and not physical damage caused after purchase. All hard drives have bad sectors, and all flash-based storage has bad blocks as well. Further more, all flash media that is used has bad blocks due to wear-leveling.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Yea, those were the days.

[@zonghui]

Love the videos. Keep up the great work. Always a pleasure! Looking forward to the M-Disk video.

[@mjdxp5688]

"If an airplane crashes" *notices upload date* ...oh

[@ExplainingComputers]

I am sorry about this, not intended.

[@harsht6583]

Yeahhhh

[@BlueGreyWolf]

Well that's a coincidence that I was not expecting after reading your comment.

[@okaro6595]

If you take photos wit a camera the first thing to do is to get large enough a memory card so it can act as the backup for the newest images. One important thing is that when something bad happens you think twice before you do anything. Lets say you have data on two flash drives and you see one not working. The worst thing you could do is to put the other drive on the same port. The port may be faulty and it might destroy the drives.

[@joseislanio8910]

Didn't bother much about backups until my daughters were born, and no way I'm losing any pictures or videos of them. I have their first steps in several different places.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Drives fail. You should be rotating the technology. They should not all be on your property. Drives are getting cheaper and cheaper. Portable platter drives are way cheaper than SSDs. SSDs are coming down in price. In my life a drive has failed on me. An average of every 5 to 7 years. Hence when it comes to backups. I tend to buy a new backup drive then. I intend to have a few platter drives. That I will use just to dump data on. Anything even remotely important. SSDs have more shock resistance.

[@seelensand]

I use an external drive (full backup) and OneDrive (for my most important stuff like pictures, documents etc.) as my Backup-Strategy. OneDrive is great because its offsite and has a feature where I can pick a point in time from yesterday to 30 days ago and it will restore the entire OneDrive to that point in time. Even if there are files that got infected by ransomware or got deleted from the trash bin, it will bring these files back no matter what. Its a great feature to have in case I need to do a disaster recovery although I hope I wont ever have to use this.

[@ALacunae]

I think I might want to donate to this guy's channel. Excellent advice as usual!

[@willowwhisper6575]

The methods I use are: 1. Flash drive backup 2. Cloud backup 3. E-mail backup

[@oilcitynews1133]

Good idea the email one for somethings!!

[@jamesedwards3923]

Hard drives are way cheaper than cloud storage. With the advent of USB-C being the new universal standard. It is much easier to interact with a portable drive. Or a drive enclosure with any device. Some enclosures come with all matters of interface. Before USB-C it was a pain to connect my cell phone to an external drive; no matter how it was housed. With M.2 SSD technology. You can chose your enclosure. The drives require much less energy due to fewer moving parts. Some higher end enclosures are water and pressure resistant. You can check out newegg.com, they have good stuff.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Emailing files to yourself leaves the data in a very exposed state. There are plenty of free cloud storage providers. If you have the income. Pay for them.

[@cinanajcler3920]

Yes indeed good Sir!! Absolutely spot on! I have been a victim of my own stupidity too many times.

[@billfusionenterprise]

Where i find this really sad is in the back office area of a company. In the front office area, IT has backup of windows, office and other such programs. But in the back area there is specialized programs which there may be a copy, but the DATA that is used in it may be another story. I remember I made a suggestion about floor backup 20 plus years ago at a place I worked. Strange thing is 6 months later a wave solder machine computer crashed. It was windows based so a new hard and windows installed, the operational program reinstalled . Then ot oh, there was no extra files to install, i was able to help get the 'recipe" files for the boards off the old hard drive, BUT the calibration file which everything is based was in the crashed area of the drive. It cost the company 7000 dollars to re-calibrate the machine. Lucky for them i got the recipe files or who knows how much it would have cost to adjust for each board. (let's see 2- 4 hours per board min and 5000 boards) How much room did that data take, i got the recipe files put on a single 1.44 mb floppy , it took 45 minutes to put on it, but had it for them.

[@freddyfredrickson]

I have a MyBook Duo set up on raid 1. That's my double long term back up of what's on my laptops. I also store my more valuable files in the cloud.

[@Lesterandsons]

Always true. My backup is no perfect, but it saved my data. Today i'm thinking about archival solutions, like M optical disk, printing is also a long term solution. Zfs and BTRFS are powerfull file systems that check data integrity, includes replication... Keeping our data is a big question.

[@HenriqueRaposoHenryClaro]

I think my only major data loss was during my teens, when my first desktop PC's HD failed shortly before I could finally transfer all my stuff to my next desktop PC (the first one was so old it was an oyster to connectivity, lol: no USB ports, no CD burning drives, no wireless transmitters; the only options I had and knew how to use were dial-up internet - but no popular cloud services yet - and floppy disks, which were taking ages and several trips to get the job done). Fortunately I was still just starting to be a file hoarder, hehe, so there weren't so many important things left behind; anyway, I still keep that old hard drive in a drawer hoping that some day I will afford some expert to possibly bring those files from the dead. Nowadays I've been very observant (maybe even paranoid) about the 3 and 2 - and, as the 1is still a risk I was not paying enough attention to, I'm really feeling like buying a fire/waterproof safe and an M-Disc drive to burn some permanent backups and lock them in the safe. (Am I the only one who's still in the M-Disc hype even after Milleniata itself apparently went bankrupt?)

[@maximtuller4583]

This is bizarre, my punch tape has never failed.

[@Zeric1]

Then you haven't actually used punch tape, I have, and yes it does fail, often. Sure, physical damage could usually be repaired (up to a point) with careful application of cellophane tape, but it certainly isn't perfect. It is susceptible to fire/flood/loss/time degradation media like other methods. Also a point not often discussed is the obsolescence of the technology: no way to retrieve the data. I may even have somewhere in my garage some paper tape from the early 1980's with small programs on them....just try to go an buy a new paper tape reader!

[@henntendo]

Zeric E wooooooosssshhhhhh

[@MuzikBike]

Deepixel You're so funny and trendy, you just destroyed that dude

[@ArchieHalliwell]

if you wanted more protection you could engrave your data on stone tablets

[@APBinVTA]

Guys got some serious attic space...

[@jamesedwards3923]

I was performing a backup from my primary drive to backups. Some data on my main drive was corrupted. Fortunately it was old data. Not the new data. I used one of my backups to restore the older data. 3 2 1 Rule. It works. Not even the first time something like that has happened.

[@michaelprox1172]

a really important video and a must watch, i wish i saw this video in 2016 - 2017 and that i could backup our family photos and videos from my old lenovo laptop, it is had a 100gb partition of family photos and videos that i accidentally got foramted when i tried to do something in the disk managmant with the hard drive in windows, and it is happend in 2017 but sadly most of this pictures and videos are gone and overwriting but i did manage to save some when they were overwriting when that happend in 2017, but almost all of it was copys of pictures and videos that we already have in our 2 external hard drives so it is not really that big of a lose but still hurts sometimes and i still regrat it, the 3 - 2 - 1 rule is so impoprtant.

[@heavyd9949]

I once completely, physically broke a laptop computer and was able to salvage the hard-disk drive. Installed it in my desktop PC and it was working and is working ever since. Installed Windows 7 on it to test the waters but then i decided upgrading to a newer version of Windows wasn't worth it since my motherboard is locked out of modern processors.

[@6DADADA]

"if a plane hits the building" quite an example but some could probably see it as offensive considering today's date. Probably in the back of your head when you recorded great video! i only have files backed up to external harddrive so I should probably that backed on to other things

[@Alex1891]

Last year, Google Drive lost some data for a significant subset of users. This made me think of your video.

[@g.johnson930]

Simple question?? I have a full 24 TB NAS (sloppy management) and now a mother board failure. With 4 computers, 2 laptops and 2 desktops, I have become VERY interested in 4 "bare metal" clone backups. I have formatted and partitioned an 8 TB WD Red into 4 partitions, one for each computer. Can I clone each computer into "its" partition and then create a bootable flash drive for each one. For the life of me, I cannot for the life of me find an answer as to whether I can clone to just a partition without erasing the entire disk. Perhaps I should just try it and stop if it wants to use 8 TB to clone 1 TB... Thanks

[@ceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]

I keep Terabytes of movies, music and TV shows on a RAID 0 with no backup. I like to live dangerously

[@tjeulink]

but technically those are backed up to the peer to peer cloud :^)

[@ej_tech]

Yea those files are easily* replaceable and I personally don't include those in my backups. *But downloading all of those again...

[@TheBertjeT]

Backing up my 10TB-15TB is just too expensive..... ;(

[@tjeulink]

TheBertjeT you can always try tapebackups. there are company's that give you the ability to make like a time capsule for digital data for a one time big payment and then very low costs until you want to recall that data for a big payment again.

[@TheBertjeT]

Too much hassle, too expensive, not enough privacy, too dependent. Also, hate the way they do it. They basically hold your data hostage. Thanks for the advice though ;)

[@rachelwolfe9151]

You're pretty close to 100,000 subscribers, Chris!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, getting there now . . . :)

[@zephyfoxy]

All I have as far as backup is that I use a file server where I store a duplicate of any files I want to keep in case of failure, or in case I want to install a new OS. Not the most sound strategy, but I do plan on eventually getting a large USB drive (2TB or more) to use as an offline archival storage. I don't have any place to store it "off-site" however, other than my car, which isn't really the safest place to store expensive electronics.

[@96blocks]

i promise you the last place you want a 2TB usb flash drive with anything important is a car, as the heat will kill the flash memory

[@terryh.9238]

Very good point about the ransomware, google backup and sync will not protect against that.

[@diarykeeper]

Also let's not forget that Online Storage is cute and all, but access is not always guranteed. As for Harddrive, just use Robocopy and mirror each few weeks.

[@awesomefacepalm]

3:37 Did you say that just because it's 9/11?

[@ExplainingComputers]

I had not make that link in my head at the time. This video was recorded several weeks ago. Sorry if I have offended.

[@awesomefacepalm]

ExplainingComputers No worries for me :) But maybe some people may take offence Love your videos by the way

[@John-Laird]

What a coincidence. It's ok we now you didn't mean anything bad by it.

[@matthewmorciglio]

U gotta remember he is in UK So...

[@zephyfoxy]

Honestly that didn't even occur to me, it just came off as a silly idea. Oddly enough though that could happen to me because I live close to the airport and planes fly over my apartment all the time.

[@ben5oaks1]

"one of the biggest threats to data nowadays is a ransomware attack" How prophetic. Let's hope that this latest attack will shock people into backing up their files.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, sometimes it is not good to be proved right! :) As you say, hopefully now more people will backup their data -- and not to devices they leave constantly connected to their computers.

[@numbr6]

Lack of OS upgrade strategy lead to WannyCry vulnerability. A backup strategy should help mitigate that, as you would likely have a slightly stale but not encrypted copy of your data, which is better than nothing. Running Windows? Keep it up-to-date. One day Linux will be a prime target for cyber attacks, but that time has yet to arrive..

[@byonbill9499]

EC Yeah, I turn my backup drives off after backing up. I use Macrium and they claim there software now prevents encrypting their files. Problem is it is a little harder to delete image files. No one said life is easy.

[@dumdum7786]

3:37 considering the date that this video was uploaded, it makes sense

[@jamesedwards3923]

Some advice is timeless. You can go a thousand years into the future. It will still make sense even then.

[@siipy]

ALost one mill subs keep up the great work!

[@blueispog]

I feel like im the only one who cares when it comes to data and im the only one who know a little bit about this stuff, with anyone i have ever met so far.

[@elenaportillo5460]

This video was super helpful, thank you so much!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Great to hear. :)

[@edrymes3653]

Please don't apologize for mentioning that an aircraft could hit a building because it does happen, 9/11 being the most graphic example. 3-2-1 is good advice. I keep backups of all of my photography on a dustproof, waterproof, hardened stand alone HD unit. Haven't checked to see if it is ESD proof.

[@AlexanderAntonopoulos]

Can't wait for the M-disc episode!

[@KevAlberta]

I realize I only have backup copies of my unedited photos. Is it really necessary for my to make copies of the edited photos? I could just edit the original copy again if I somehow lose the edited version right ?😅

[@Solderwire]

Why does this channel remind me of those early TV days of the open university here in the UK, all you nee now is a beard! Great stuff, loving the format...keep it up.

[@EVRLYNMedia]

i picked up like 50 dvd-rs from goodwill for 3 bucks are they are good for backups.

[@Chrai0n]

Thank you for this info and tips. It's just what I need. Short and to the point. Subscribed!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for the sub -- welcome aboard! :)

[@danielrubio2746]

Excellent advice 👍

[@tobi3038]

Very nice video. Looking forward to the next one!

[@admiralalcatraz6080]

I have a 2-1 rule :) think i need to keep a backup off site. Thanks this was helpful :)

[@fpm1979]

I have never lost data because of a drive failure. I only lost data because of my own mistakes. Still, I do not have much confidence in high-tech electronics. It amazes me that it works in the first place.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Both have happened to me more than once.

[@AgnostosGnostos]

I am using computers for more than 20 years. From my experience the optical disks are the safest and more affordable method. I nearly always use Verbatim disks and I am very satisfied with this brand. I have stored my recorded optical disks in home. In an environment without excessive heat or cold and very little humidity or dust. Until now I have no issues with 20 year old CD-Rs. My most important data is written on two optical media. In the past on two CD-Rs and DVD-Rs, nowadays on two BD-Rs. One BD-R in my home and another one BD-R copy in my parents home. With optical disks the data is on many many different disks. That is not convenient of course. However with a disk catalog software like the open-source VVV Virtual Volumes View the contents of each optical disk can archived and can be later searched very fast. I write with a special pen on each of my recordable optical disk a serial number which i enter on the VVV program too. When I search for a file on VVV, the program indicates on which disk with a specific serial number, the file is. I had many serious problems with rotational hard drives in the past. Nowadays I use rotational hard drivers with disk mirroring RAID 1. The same data is written in two physical drives at the same time. It is extremely rare for both of disks to fail at the same moment. In case a disk has problem the data is still safely stored on the other disk. The disk with a problem is removed and a new one is inserted. The OS X Disk Utility automatically rebuild the RAID 1 on both disks. That usually takes a long time. Mac computers permit easily the Raid 1 with external USB rotational hard drives. I never had any problem with SSD drives or flash USB or SD cards. However all of them are a very expensive way to make backups and for this reason only I avoid them.

[@jamesedwards3923]

I have worn out SSDs. If you read up on the technology. For lack of better words. SSD cells need occasional charging. All data storage fail and degrade. Hence why I buy new drives for backup. At least every five to seven years. Also, I will upgrade if a storage medium is full. If the drive is good, a delegate it for other purposes. I use SSDs and Platter drives because of the strengths and weaknesses of both technology.

[@jamesedwards3923]

I assume you use M-Disk as well?

[@AgnostosGnostos]

James Edwards Very rarely I use m-discs (Millennial Disc). As long the common optical writable disks are stored in a dry environment at home temperature there is no problem. I own many written 25 years old CD-R disks without any visible problem or working issue inside the PC. However if the optical writable disks are stored in areas with humidity, and very warm or very cool temperatures problems may occur. The m-disks is a solution but a very expensive one.

[@jamesedwards3923]

@@AgnostosGnostos The inherent nature of the technology says it will fail sooner. I respect your frugalness. I myself am fairly frugal. However, sometimes the best option is often the more expensive option. You are grown, but I would suggest that if you want this data to last. That transitioning to M-Disk. Is your best option. Given the data and size limits. I respectfully disagree.

[@AgnostosGnostos]

James Edwards With the drop of SSD prices, in five years the backup in any kind of optical storage media will be totally futile. I prefer optical disks for romantic reasons too. My experience with computers started with Windows 95 and the multimedia revolution of CD-ROMs and recordable CDs. In 1996 I had bought a CD-R drive and the storage of a 650 MB CD recordable disk was massive in comparison to the common 1 GB hard disks of that time. Nowadays the 25 GB or 50 GB of affordable BD-R disk is very very little in comparison to common 8 TB hard disks and even to common 2TB SSDs. The future of optical drives and disk is doomed and in the near future it will be vet hard to buy any new DVD or blu-ray drive for computers but I just resist. The optical storage technology is an obsolete technology.

[@kazriko]

While my method satisfies the rule, it's probably not enough. (Raid Mirror and cloud backup.) I do have some optical backups, but there's not enough space on optical media these days to store all of it anymore. Have to pick and choose what I put on them now. The cloud backup I use keeps multiple copies of all files, it stores the history of changes back a certain number of weeks. I'm considering a second cloud backup solution using ZFS, if I can find somewhere with enough storage. Even with 25 gigabyte Bluray discs I can't save all my files to them. It would take dozens of bluray discs. The 128gig flash drive I keep in my wallet isn't enough etiher.

[@ZadakLeader]

The thing i hate about backup is: If i change something in my working copy i need to update the backups too... which really sucks

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, taking backups is a pain . . .

[@tjeulink]

thats why you can automate it

[@bluesillybeard]

I just backup every month, that way at worst case it's a month old that is, if I could actually remember to activate it...

[@edwinschaap5532]

I use the 3-2-1 Dropbox rule. 3 macs in sync, 2 SSD & cloud storage, 1 offside in the cloud.

[@TeChM4NuAloJuNkiE]

Hello Christopher. At on Oct 16 2011 you had made a video about SD cards. I want to ask: If i write on 4GB card data worth 2GB and only i connect to my computer for only to copy the files when is needed it will some day damaged and i must buy new one or only afect the writing cyclies ???

[@ExplainingComputers]

A card that has rarely been written to -- as here -- should last a very long time. With minimum write cycles, you should probaby find that it is good for ten years, maybe more. So it is probably a better long-term storage option than most optical media, and probably most hard drives. You may enjoy next week's video! :)

[@ExplainingComputers]

By the way, the SD card that was frozen in a block of ice in that video is still working fine about five years on . . .

[@TeChM4NuAloJuNkiE]

+ExplainingComputers Thanks for everything. :-0 Reeeeeeeealyyyy ?? Thanks again

[@donaldhobson8873]

It depends how important your data is, If it's data from a space probe then you really want to back up a lot. If all the data on your computer is software you downloaded free on-line then don't bother.

[@introidegumilang8603]

I do realize the importance of data backup. Make backup, and backup copies. It is like: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Thank you sir.

[@mrgigabyte754]

Love this video, I have 4 backups for some of my files

[@abeachristine5446]

To not damage the Video Files and Images... Archive it in Rar, Zip, 7z, and ISO if that drive used in normal basis multiple read and writes

[@FennecTECH]

My important data is sync'd to a file server and an offsite server with dropbox 2 copys in the same building and one in the cloud

[@danu91rox]

Maybe worth keeping in mind, it could be a good idea to encrypt your data before you backup them in some online server.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Totally, totally, totally! :)

[@jamesedwards3923]

You would think it would be common sense. You would be surprised at how lazy a lot of users are. I am not an IT expert or academic, my 'formal' education in this area is limite. However, I read and watch videos. So I am not totally ignorant in common uses of computers. All that being said, here is my point. Users are so lazy! I have grown greatly appreciative of what IT professionals have to go through. In my personal experience. Both online and offline. Is that everyday users are 'very ignorant' in the day to day use of their technology. Even when I provide users with reference data. Or explain the value in implementation of basic security and backup procedure. They simply do not want to do it. Here are some of the common areas users fall very short: 1) Some method of encryption for sensitive data. I often prefer open source projects. That I have donated to. One of favorite is VeraCrypt. There are a handful of retail products worth the effort and time to purchase. I have read news articles and had discussions. Online and offline. Of people understanding why to do it, but do not. 2) Backups: The topic of videos. I know people who make no effort of the 3 - 2 - 1 Rule. A few decades of images and video. No effort to have more than the cloud. "I backup on the cloud." Hmm, nothing against it. Just should not be the only method if you have a decent income. Hard Drives are becoming dirt cheap. Especially when compared to SSDs. I know people that will spend $700 a year on pure crap. Yet will not spend half that on drives to backup the stuff. They claim is valuable to them. Three different copies. Two different storage media. One offsite. Yes, we all have different workflows. We have security concerns for data. Again, a lot of stuff is open source. I always tell people to donate whatever they can to open source. However, there are a handful of retail products. In my experience a lot of users are simply lazy. Whom do not care until all their data is lost. "James, how do I recover my data?" Did you make multiple copies of those family videos and pictures? "No" Hmm, that $300 handbag that has no real utility looks nice. I mean you could spend $15 to $30 on a decent backpack that could have performed the exact same function. Or purchased a few hard drives. Which could have lasted you a decade each.

[@AD-ng4mz]

Thanks. I like your videos very much. Recently, I was looking for something that can automate this backup task and sync all my backup copies but couldn't find in that time duration. Manual backup sucks. Please make a video on how to automate this 3,2,1 rule. May be connecting backup devices one by one and syncing them to the latest versions of the data. By the way I use Windows File History and one manual backup copy. But I fail to sync many times. Thanks again.

[@g1fsh]

very good advice and very well put!

[@dlgang]

showed this to my family, thanks

[@nozyspy4967]

What would you think about keeping a ruggedized HDD with a backup in a car?

[@ExplainingComputers]

I think it would provide an off-site backup pretty well. As you imply, the drive would need some impact/vibration protection, and I would check it fairly regularly.

[@TheStriker0525]

a very british sense of humor :)

[@vicel7990]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 100 000 SUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks! I was asleep when this happened! :)

[@gealdbrisoce649]

thanks loved this rule I'm definitely going to follow it

[@wildbill23c]

Hmm, M-Disc. Been wanting some information on those discs. I have yet to use any but my DVD burner is M-Disc capable so it would be great to get information about those discs.

[@ExplainingComputers]

I think that you will find my test results very -- shocking! :) I did. More next week.

[@wildbill23c]

ExplainingComputers Can't wait for your video. Thank you for taking the time to make all the videos you make. I learn something from each video. Thanks to you I have been experimenting with Linux now as well, and may soon migrate 100% to Linux and show Microsoft the door.

[@md.moyejuddin7753]

Is it possible to damage an HDD / SSD itself, when I keep my data in it and remove it from my PC and not using for a long time?

[@ExplainingComputers]

The drive should be fine, unless you drop it, get it wet, freeze it, leave an HDD next to a large magnet, etc. And be careful with anti-static handling too. But in general, removed drives will be absolutely fine.

[@joshuareynolds5219]

Now i'm paranoid, I keep terabytes of videos that I record on 2 different hard drives, but they are always in the same computer meaning that it is nearly pointless aside from a isolated hard drive crash, I have way too much data to backup online over a satellite internet connection (i live in the woods) so maybe taking the hard drive out would be a good idea at the very least.

[@jamesedwards3923]

Hard drive storage is getting cheaper and cheaper. I purchased a terabytes worth of storage for under $100. In seven more years it will be the smallest storage amount I own. I remember when I had only a few gigabytes and thought that was enough. LOL.

[@MrAgentEcho]

Film photos make this easy. Original, Imported photo, backup copy. 2 physical copies. Then the backup copy is stored offsite.

[@writerpatrick]

You don't learn to backup until you've lost enough data.

[@theneroliveira]

I have spent days upon days trying to help people set up cloud services, recovering crappy sd cards and other kinds of faulty devices from their phones and pcs, regular users dont understand backups, and it is sad, quite a few family members and friends have lost precious memories because of this oversight. I save all my important files on two different hard drives and cloud, they are compressed and encrypted by 7zip. I think it is enough since I have nothing to hide. and my pictures are in google photos, and another cloud storage. my contacts are also saved and sorted trough google contacts and I have a backup spreadsheet I import from contacts from time to time. So... I am pretty set even if google explodes for some reason. i guess....

[@jamesedwards3923]

Dude you are an expert. I am a casual user. We both have the same problem. Most of them do not. I am pretty much done trying.

[@konohaa8253]

Hello Sir Barnatt, Thank you for this very informative video. Can you please make some video regarding the NAS. NAS is already been around for so many years, but only few are aware of its existence, specially now in this mobile technology era of smartphone and tablets and laptop. I will appreciate if you will give me the best of ideas and info about NAS. Thank you Sir. -A fan of yours, #1

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for being a fan. :) A NAS video is an excellent idea; noted.

[@konohaa8253]

Thank you Sir Barnatt.

[@SkipFloyd]

I have a simple backup plan using the old DOS batch file using the XCOPY command. I use the task scheduler and setup a job everyday at 4:30 PM to a mapped server drive that gets bit copied each night to a off site DR location. Here is a example of the DOS batch file. xcopy "C:\Visual Studio 2013\Projects\*.*" E:\SourceCodeBackup\ /s /e /d /y xcopy "C:\Visual Studio 2015\Projects\*.*" E:\SourceCodeBackup\ /s /e /d /y xcopy "C:\Documents\*.*" E:\MyDocumentsBackup\ /s /e /d /y the switches at the end "/s /e /d /y" allow only documents that have been changed since the last copy saving time. Search for "Task Scheduler" in the control panel or windows search to bring up the Task Scheduler and create a new task that launches the BATCH File you create with as many source locations as you wish to add. Works great and very easy

[@tjnickles4782]

I got tapes that are 30 years old I’ve got cassettes that are 30 years old they all still work at some DVDs that are 14 to 15 years old and they still play fine people say DVDs will deteriorate and exactly a couple years that’s not the truth at all I got DVDs that are 10 to 15 years old and these are recordable ones and they still work you need to store your media doesn’t matter if it’s on a hard drive or DVD or a VHS it does not matter you need to take care of your media you need to store your media because if you don’t take care of it and you do not store it that well it will not last people need to take care of their stuff in order for it to last

[@ExplainingComputers]

It will depend on the quality of the DVD media, and also how fast it was written.

[@tjnickles4782]

ExplainingComputers Thank you for understanding but yes I do agree but like I said it really depends on how you store your media and if you take care of your media should last a pretty long time

[@JWVisuals]

Congrats on 100K!!!!

[@zboy303]

I think Google Drive keeps a 30 day history of your files, which should offer some protection against ransomware. I personally use a combination of a few local backups using Syncback Pro, Google Drive backup and an infrequently updated off-site backup. (And I still feel paranoid about vulnerability!)

[@jamesedwards3923]

I try to tell people most cloud storage services do not keep indefinite backups. I ask them, what if your cloud account is compromised. Then they steal and delete everything? The, "I backup everything on the cloud." Does not impress me.

[@giovannipagliocca1821]

With media you mean to Type of hardware or type of file? , thank you!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Media here means type of hardware. So "copies on two different media" means copies on two different drives.

[@aureliaharrison5345]

This sounds like a ridiculous question but would you consider the physical copy of data a legitimate copy of the data?

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, I would consider it a legitimate copy if it can be used to "restore" the data. So a hardcopy of a document or photo certainly counts.