Back up query - could my desktop be too old?

watchingthepennies_2

Reposted from backing up sticky - wrong place I think....
Hi,

I have put backing up off for far too long and want to get started. It will bemainly for photos, music and a few documents over time.
I am going to buy an external hard drive and want to plug this into my desktoppc. I have seen this deal on hotuk today and wondered if someone IT savvy can answer thisfor me:
I have usb port on desktop, the HDD has USB 3? Will it still work or is my usbport on the desktop too outdated? And is it just a case of plugging cable intoboth machines and leaving there and setting up a regular back up of new files?

Also would it be feasible to not store photo's or music on my laptop because Iwould be able to view them via the HDD through some sort of sharing. Have I gotthat right?

Thanks in advance for replies.

closed

it's backwards compatible.

if you don't keep the data in at least 2 places, it's not a backup, external hard drives can fail too.

If you've got a laptop, desktop, and usb hd, you can store photos in any place and share them, however, it will mean you would have to have the sharing machine switched on, imo pointless if you have space on the laptop drive.

How much data are you backing up, a 4.7GB dvd costs pennies.

watchingthepennies_2

Thanks closed. I have saved some photos to CD R but taking ages as they aren't really big enough. So sounds like I do need dvd and I think I could get the lot on 1 disc. I have got some on a data stick as well, and now on the laptop.

For music and film, these are saved in itunes mostly so not sure what I should be doing with these. Some are downloaded, some are ripped from cds which I am still adding to and wouldn't want to have to do this again. WHat would you recommend for this?

closed

It really depends how much data you have, how, and how often you are going to backup, and do you want to keep old copies (if using disk imaging)

If you have a dvd writer, each disc holds 4.7GB.

a 2TB disk for that price is a good deal, or there are smaller capacity portable drives around for a similar price, which do away with the need for mains power.

Don't rely on any one disk or medium, they can all fail. Many people make the mistake of moving data onto external drives, and when they fail, it's invariably lost.

gonzo127

the other one would be if you have a reasonable intertnet connection and bandwidth limit do online back ups (as well) there are plenty of options for this from free - 25 gb free with a hotmail email address using a drag and drop system to unlimited with auto back up for a set fee

watchingthepennies_2

Thanks, good ideas.