Free Online Storage Get It!!!!!

[SavedintheCity]

Hey gang here's a little sob story and some helpful advice from someone who just went through digital hell.

BACK UP YOUR DATA!!

Seems like obvious and painful advice. It no longer is. My entire life is now kept digitally (as many young and old folks alike are now doing). Needless to say, entropy took hold of my computer and sent my hard drive to hard drive hades. Of course ALL of our family fotos are now digital and only kept on the hard drive. This was not, of course, the first time this happened to me. Previously our dell laptop needed its hard drive replaced TWICE!. You would think thereafter that I would have learned my lesson. Well I did sort of. I started burning my documents to a CD. This proved difficult to maintain with any sort of regularity. However, due to the recent demise of my computer, I had to pay Best Buy $100 to recover all our beloved family fotos of the past two years. A stupid tax of $100.00! This compelled me to investigate a marvelous new web development, FREE ONLINE STORAGE! No not the email kind. New websites like http://www.streamload.com/ and http://www.diino.com/ and http://www.omnidrive.com all provide free online storage of at least 1 Gigabyte. All of the aforementioned sites are good. My favorite is Diino, my least favorite: Omnidrive. Streamload gives you a free 25 gig space, but they only allow you to download 1 gig per month free. Diino gives you 2 gigs free, the software is unobtrusive, easy to use, and has a lot of features (like web-sharing/publishing, and password protection). The only issue is that for these free storage site, you have to sign up to get monthly emails from the service provider, but they are easily discarded or junkmailed. The sites have top-notch encryption, so no one can steal your data. They all do not give your address to spammers (Horray!). What is more, these services will automatically synchronize any folder you want from your hard drive to your online storage account. You no longer have to be proactive about backup. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson: "Can't somebody else do it?" Yes they can. An ESSENTIAL tool for all digital folks like ourselves, plus IT'S FREE!!! I STRONGLY recommend everyone use one of these services.

[poundwise]

For certain things, possibly. Otherwise, I feel much better backing up my important stuff here at home. Get an external drive, burn your stuff to CD/DVD, etc. It's really quite simple.

[SavedintheCity]

I agree that some may feel uneasy about uploading important information to a third-party website that you have no control over, but for those of us who are not reliably anal enough to backup via burning cds/dvds etc., I think it is an excellent alternative. Just like automatic money transfers force you to do something painful for the disorganized (save money) automatic web synchonization allows us disorganized (read: lazy) folks to save our data. Imagine what would happen in the event of a Katrina-like disaster to your cds/dvds. They may be gone forever. However, I can access all of my important information from anywhere in the world.

[poundwise]

Originally Posted by SavedintheCity

I agree that some may feel uneasy about uploading important information to a third-party website that you have no control over, but for those of us who are not reliably anal enough to backup via burning cds/dvds etc., I think it is an excellent alternative. Just like automatic money transfers force you to do something painful for the disorganized (save money) automatic web synchonization allows us disorganized (read: lazy) folks to save our data. Imagine what would happen in the event of a Katrina-like disaster to your cds/dvds. They may be gone forever. However, I can access all of my important information from anywhere in the world.

Unless the Katrina-like disaster happens where the servers are.




Don't get me wrong, I think what you are recommending has merit, I just wouldn't upload anything vital and private.

[poundwise]

Partly, here's why:

Neither Streamload nor any User, or their respective agents, warrants that the service, Private Content or Public Content, or Your access thereto, will be uninterrupted or error free, and Streamload's services and both Public Content and Private Content are provided on an "as is, as available" basis. Streamload has the right to make changes to its services without notice to You.

Neither Streamload nor any User warrants that Public Content or Private Content will be free of viruses or similar contamination or destructive features. You expressly agree to assume any and all risk as to the use, quality, performance, accuracy or completeness of any Private Content, Public Content, or Streamload's services.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING (BUT NOT LIMITED TO) NEGLIGENCE, SHALL STREAMLOAD BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ACTUAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES) THAT RELATE TO OR RESULT FROM THE USE OF, THE INABILITY TO USE, OR THE CORRUPTION OF PRIVATE CONTENT, OR OTHER DATA STORED ON, STORED IN, RETRIEVED FROM, ACQUIRED, TRANSMITTED OR TRANSFERRED THROUGH STREAMLOAD'S SERVICES, EVEN IF STREAMLOAD OR ITS REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Indemnification. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold Streamload and its agents, employees, consultants, representatives and/or assignees harmless from and against any and all claims...

Termination at Will. Streamload reserves the right to change, suspend or discontinue all or any aspect of its services at any time...

[SavedintheCity]

Originally Posted by poundwise

Unless the Katrina-like disaster happens where the servers are.

Too true. That's why it may make sense to use more than one of the free services. Some have servers in the States and Europe (diino). Although, the likelihood that my personal house will suffer a disaster such as Katrina and the server farm for the online storage location will suffer similar destruction is not the same. These services offer paid services to companies in need of storage, although I have no idea if these storage providers took any risk assurance measures, it stands to reason that some sort of disaster risk assessment went into the design of the server farms. More so than I did when I moved into my apartment, or you did when you moved into your house.

[poundwise]

Originally Posted by SavedintheCity

Too true. That's why it may make sense to use more than one of the free services. Some have servers in the States and Europe (diino). Although, the likelihood that my personal house will suffer a disaster such as Katrina and the server farm for the online storage location will suffer similar destruction is not the same. These services offer paid services to companies in need of storage, although I have no idea if these storage providers took any risk assurance measures, it stands to reason that some sort of disaster risk assessment went into the design of the server farms. More so than I did when I moved into my apartment, or you did when you moved into your house.

Sure. You are right about the nature of having the backup off-site, of course. However, a quick look at the terms and conditions of services like these will reveal that not only are they completely not liable for the loss, damage, or theft of your data, they also may suspend service at any time for any reason without notification. Check out the terms for the first one you listed in your original post and tell me if that sounds like a good place to put your financial information, etc.

[threebeansalad]

Online storage is great for those of us that work at multiple locations (work in an office, work at home, work while travelling) you can always access your documents, and for better or worse, always be able to access your work!

[tinapbeana]

personally, i'll stick to good old fashioned repeatative redundancy! harddrive at home, harddrive at work, external harddrive, flash drive, and burn a copy to CD if need be.

and there is lovely synchronization freeware that keeps track of it all for me, so no real effort on my part. woohoo!

[vsjhoc]

Originally Posted by tinapbeana

and there is lovely synchronization freeware that keeps track of it all for me, so no real effort on my part. woohoo!

Tina - please tell us more about this. Thanks with gratitude from the Department of Redundancy Department.

[SavedintheCity]

Originally Posted by poundwise

Sure. You are right about the nature of having the backup off-site, of course. However, a quick look at the terms and conditions of services like these will reveal that not only are they completely not liable for the loss, damage, or theft of your data, they also may suspend service at any time for any reason without notification. Check out the terms for the first one you listed in your original post and tell me if that sounds like a good place to put your financial information, etc.

Yup, I read before signing up (having the attorney nerd gene I read all contracts before entering them). It seemed like reasonable trade-off. Many of the terms are aimed at preventing lawsuits from companies using/paying for the services (hence the consequential/business interruption damages exclusion). Also, the company's ability to enforce these provisions is certainly doubtful. Courts recently have been very reticent to enforce (or construe against) many contract provisions that are too one-sided. I find it extremely difficult to believe that a court would not hold a Secure Online Storage Company liable for negligently/or intentionally failing to secure data stored with it. Sure, you use these services at your own peril. No one wants their financial information spread about the internet and certainly no one would want to sue to recover damages in that event. But, for those of us too lazy/stupid to back up to flashdrives, workdrives (also a dangerous place to keep personal information) CD/DVD drives, etc. it is a valuable solution.

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by vsjhoc

Tina - please tell us more about this. Thanks with gratitude from the Department of Redundancy Department.

SyncBack 3.2.10, freeware available from download.com

DH loves it because it allowas you to create profiles (like 'work' and 'home') and therefore let's you selectively synchronize folders in different locations based on which profile you choose.

[sweeps]

For those who are nervous about uploading files to an offsite location, you could (and should) encrypt those files first before uploading. That way if they fall into evil hands, they would be of little use.

This is what companies who have had tapes with sensitive customer information should have done before loading them on the back of a UPS truck.

[SavedintheCity]

Excellent idea! Here are some freeware encryption programs with great reviews:

http://www.download.com/Cryptainer-L...ml?tag=tab_rev

http://www.download.com/TrueCrypt/30...ml?tag=lst-0-1

[poundwise]

Cryptainer is a very good program.

Also, check out AxCrypt.

[Hypersion]

I use gdrive. Which uses gmail to simulate an on-line harddrive.

[PRICEPLUS]

I am leery of storing my data anywhere but with me. I will check into encryption as it sounds very interesting. Anyting of real value I would back up myself. I am just a privacy freak that way!

[SavedintheCity]

After some lengthy investigation, I think that poundwise has really hit on a great solution for those of you who are leery about placing personal info on an online backup service. AxCrypt is the perfect program to quell these concerns. Even if the online storage site gets cracked, your uploaded and encrypted files are impossible to crack. Although AxCrypt doesn't let you use Blowfish or Twofish encryption (448 and 256 bit respectively), it does permit true 128 bit AES encryption (with use of a keyfile) (If all of that blew over everyone's head, that means that even the cryptologists at NSA consider it essentially uncrackable). So for anyone concerned about data safety this seems like an ideal solution. Again, not everyone feels comfortable putting private info out into "cyberspace", but for those who might consider this but are on the fence, this software is ideal.

[vsjhoc]

Is anyone familiar with Carbonite or Mozy? I read about these online backup services (with unlimited capacity) in the WSJ today. It says that both encrypt the backed-up files. They cost about $50/year but Mozy has a free version that is limited to 2 GB. It has that Blowfish 448 stuff -- like Jessica Simpson says in that commercial "I totally don't know what that means, but I want it."

[poundwise]

Originally Posted by vsjhoc

Is anyone familiar with Carbonite or Mozy? I read about these online backup services (with unlimited capacity) in the WSJ today. It says that both encrypt the backed-up files. They cost about $50/year but Mozy has a free version that is limited to 2 GB. It has that Blowfish 448 stuff -- like Jessica Simpson says in that commercial "I totally don't know what that means, but I want it."

Mozy Free looks very cool if 2GB storage will do the job for you.