Warning: Incoming rant.
So... I will start by referencing this article I posted not all that long ago:
https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=39036.msg2748301#msg2748301As you read downthread there, you will see that some expressed skepticism. I noted that some still might get messed over by it through no fault of their own.
And just last week, fellow comes over with a computer that will boot but won't load Windows. The message from Microsoft says that loading the encryption failed. He needed to use a second computer to retrieve his Bitlocker key, then get his (daughter's school) data using DOS (easier than getting the drive out and plugging it in elsewhere). Lenovo tech support was no help, saying he should just reinstall Windows. There is no indication of what had gone wrong.
Another fellow comes over a few days later. He had a cheap laptop with an eMMC that I had upgraded with the empty SSD slot. Neither drive would boot - from the BIOS, they were not showing Windows installs at all, and Windows recovery came up with 'No Windows on the drive' for both. (It did boot Windows from the recovery flash drive I carry. Fwiw I tried this on the first drive, too.) I told him to call me at night so I would remember to bring my M2 to USB converter and see if the data was readable from other computers, but I haven't heard from him. (This may or may not be an encryption problem - I have no idea why this should have happened to him.)
Which brings me to this thread. Chevra, there is no excuse. If the data on your computer changes every day, you should have a backup solution that is convenient enough to use EVERY DAY. You should have a physical copy, not just use the cloud - you do realize that it isn't so strange to lose physical access to your computer and to your recovery device at the same time (you know, the device you use to certify your identity from a new device because your old one broke/melted/dropped in a lake/was stolen). You want to back your data up less often? Fine, if you don't mind losing your work from that time.
The data that doesn't change (think family photos) should be in two places but needn't be backed up as often. I'm a control freak so have a three-tiered solution that doesn't rely on the internet. But your data should be in two places. Storage is cheap - there's no excuse.
My ridiculous backup solution, for any who care, follows. There should be a few good ideas that will help you with your own implementation.
I use two computers, one for work and one for relaxation. My work computer has a micro-SD slot. A sync program run at the end of a workday checks to see what files have changed and copies anything that has. I also run the same program to any of the flash drives I keep in my pocket.
I use one folder on my desktop (labeled 'active') - everything that I may possibly work on is stored in there. Subfolders organize it by my needs (ie one for my government stuff, one for money, one for my gift delivery business, one for my editing, one relating to the shul kitchen ... you get the idea). I then make use of shortcuts for anything I really touch often, but the sync program need deal with a single folder.
A second entry in the sync program is run whenever I plug in my massive external hard drive. This entry syncs everything - desktop, downloads, and anywhere else that something personal may be stored - but only what is different from last time. I will run this about once a month.
Lastly, I have a recovery drive for resetting the computer to factory settings (sort of - from the day after I was done customizing the computer to my liking). That sits at home.
My second computer has two drives inside, one larger than the other. (There's no SD slot on this one, so that option is out.)
The first entry on my sync program is for the 'active' folder. (Another version does it in reverse.) The next backs files from the Windows drive to an identical section on the second. (I used to make them both bootable, but why I stopped is a story for another day.) This is a simple setting - I simply back the entire User folder. (Again, the only stuff that get copied are what changed from before. Scan takes about twenty seconds; copies are almost always under three minutes. Because they are both fast SSDs, I often have data copying at more than a GB a second.)
There are, of course, files on the second drive that are not on the first. Another sync entry deals with the entire computer - both the first drive and the second - to the aforementioned massive hard drive. This happens on average every six weeks. (The copy for this often takes a longer while - even close to an hour.)
Hence - three (or more) copies of files that matter and those that change often. Two copies for everything else.
A bit on reliability: hard drives will die. Replace them every three years unless you use them constantly (and then more often). SSDs are more reliable UNLESS you are using them constantly (ie but as backups they are better). The cheapest external SSD is a 2.5" internal SSD and an enclosure. You should not be using external hard drives unless you needs exceed 2TB - SSDs are cheaper or close to the same price at that capacity. Strongly consider SSDs even for 4TB because they are close. The cheapest 8TB SSD is a Samsung that sells from Amazon directly for $400, so consider that too over a 8TB hard drive. (You get a 2.5" drive enclosure and you are all set. See my storage drive master thread for details.)
SAMSUNG 870 QVO SATA III SSD 8TB 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive, Upgrade Desktop PC or Laptop Memory and Storage for IT Pros, Creators, Everyday Users, MZ-77Q8T0B ($382.00[/s] )Happy to help if anyone needs advice of this sort.
Less happy to help you with data recovery - it should never be necessary. (Consider that a beracha and a threat all in one.)
Have a great day!
