Posts Tagged ‘Key Chains’

Computer Backup Made Easy

Monday, June 29th, 2009

Walter Stevens is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the popular Amazon S3 based tool for online remote backup — Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/computer-backup-made-easy.html

What is Computer Backup?

Computer backup is the storing copies of your files on a medium other than your hard disk. The reason that we make computer backups is to protect against the event that something happens to damage our files so they are no longer usable. If we have backups of our files, then we can restore these files to our computer through our backups.

What is Involved in Computer Backup?

Computer backups can be made in very different formats. The traditional method of backing up computer files was the floppy disk. However, floppy disks are becoming increasingly obsolete. It is already not uncommon to not even see a new computer that includes a floppy disk drive when you go to the computer store, and it is becoming almost impossible to actually get a new computer that includes such a drive. Floppy disks can only hold 1.4 megabytes of data, and there are formats which can hold much more.

CD-Rs are CD-ROMs that you can actually write onto, and hold up to 800 megabytes of storage. You can also use CD-RWs, which can be written onto more than once, unlike a CD-R. DVD burners are also becoming increasingly common, and a typical DVD-R can hold up to 4700 megabytes, or 4.7 gigabytes.

Another new technology which is becoming common for computer backup is the key drive. These are removable drives which are very small, the size of a key chain, and many in fact are designed to operate as key chains. They can hold up to gigabytes worth of data, not as much as a typical DVD-R but still a sizeable amount of data.

You can also make backups of your files online. Online backup involves putting your computer files onto an online server, which you can access from any computer that is connected to the internet. This allows you to not have to bother with physical media such as key drives or CD-ROMs while still backing up your data in a secure location.

What is the Best Form of Computer Backup For Me?

Only you can decide which form of computer backup is best for you. CD-Rs and DVD-Rs both hold a lot of data, but they have the drawback of only being usable once. Even CD-RWs and DVD-RWs, which can be rewritten, are not as manipulable as the old floppy disks. Although you can rewrite the CD or DVD, you must still complete the rewrite all at once. You cannot simply take a file from the CD-RW, modify it then re-save it onto the CD-RW, you must rewrite all of the data on the entire disk. This can be a great drawback to using them for your storage use.

A key drive does not have such limitations. While they are not as large as a DVD-ROM, they are still sizable, and you can work on them just as you would any drive on your computer. This makes them very powerful for your computer backup needs.

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Options in Data Backup for Today’s Users

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

James Fohl is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the popular Amazon S3 based Online Backup software — Back2zip. This resources is also available at http://free-backup.info/options-in-data-backup-for-todays-users.html

Data Backup options for today’s computer users.

Lately is seems that companies are releasing new computer data backup products every other day. It seems that only a decade ago the only option a user had for creating a backup of his personal data was to go purchase a large box of floppy disks, and spend an evening swapping disks.

Both floppy disks and Iomega Zip disks are useless backup tools because a user’s data today far exceeds the limitations of these devices.

Today though there are several options a user can utilize in order to backup their data. While floppy disks are still used today, their capacity of 1.44 megabytes is not going to backup much. The same goes for the old famous Zip 100 disks made by Iomega. They may be able to store one hundred megabytes of data per disk, but the transfer speed is incredibly slow, not to mention that one hundred megabytes is considered peanuts to today’s computer user.

CDs and DVDs are excellent choices for users wishing to create read only backups of their data.

Next we have optical media; CDs and DVDs. A CD can typically backup 700 megabytes of data, while a DVD can backup 4.7 gigabytes of data. Both of these options are perfect for the user who wants to make a read only backup of their data.

But what about the users who wish to make a backup copy of their data, and later on modify the same data made within the backup? Once CDs and DVDs are written, they must be completely erased and all data must be rewritten (only rewritable media) which isn’t every computer user’s cup of tea.

One solution are these neat little key chains which come embedded with flash memory. They plug into the USB port of any computer and require no drivers to be detected in an operating system. There small size isn’t mated with a small size of memory; devices holding several gigabytes of data can be purchased.

These key chain devices are being manufactured by literally hundreds of companies under hundreds of different names. Each company has their own personal design, but all of the devices work in the same manner. The devices allow you to easily backup your data, and even make savable modifications with the data.

Not only are the key chains small, and big in memory size, but they are also very affordable. At the time of this writing, a 512 megabyte key chain could be purchased for $40. That two inch key chain does the same as 355 floppy disks. Which would you rather have?

Companies are creating devices with multiple flash chips to allow bigger and better personal backup devices for your data.

There are a lot of different kinds of these flash based key chains coming onto the market. Some companies have realized that a user sometimes values memory over space, and have created larger ‘key chains’ which are comprised of several of the flash memory chips. By using several flash memory chips instead of just one, the companies are able to deliver portable backup storage solutions that are not only big on specifications, but also easy on the wallet.

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What Exactly are Online Backup Services?

Friday, June 5th, 2009

James Fohl is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the popular Amazon S3 based tool for online remote backup — Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/what-exactly-are-online-backup-services.html

An Overview of Online Backup Services

Online backup services are perfect for users who are answer yes to the following questions. Do you have several small files that you need to always have access to? Perhaps you have important documents from your work, or school assignments that you need to have accessible on every computer?

Online backup services are better than traditional backup media such as CDs, because you always have access to them.

Several options exist, as you can put the files on a CD, floppy disk, or one of those little flash drive key chains. But what happens when you forget your CD, floppy disk, or key chain at home?

Enter the world of online backup. Thanks to the internet, there are now several online services that offer free or low cost backup services. With these such services you can easily upload your files to a server, and later access the same files from literally any computer that has internet access.

Online backup service providers offer users the ability to gain access to their files from literally any computer, anywhere.

Most online backup providers have really simple yet powerful services. Not only are the services simple, and powerful, but they are also easily accessible in any web browser window. What this means is that you can do all of your sending and receiving of your files through a web browser. You do not need any special software, or drivers installed.

What’s more is that several online backup services have some really nifty features for their users. Features such as the ability to email anyone a copy of your files can really come in handy in a work environment. Other really nice features include the ability to password protect your files, and the ability to share your files with anyone.

Online backup is not for everyone. It is made primarily for small files, unless you are going to be connected to the internet with a really fast connection. Also many online backup service providers also give their users a limit on the amount of space they may use. So even if you have a really fast internet connection, you still won’t be able to use the services to create an online backup of your three gigabyte file.

Remember to consider all of this information when you use a online backup service. Each service provider has their own policies, along with their own amount of space given to users, as well as their own pricing plans.

Be sure to shop around to find the best bang for your buck service. Also make sure that each service you look into offers a service which fully fits your needs. It’s not a wise move to use an online backup service to store digital video, when the service provider only gives you fifty megabytes of storage space.

Free trials often exist for many online backup services.

Be sure to try them out to see if they meet your needs. Finally see if the online backup services that you are interested in offer a free trial. Some services will offer a seven day trial, while others (such as .mac) will offer you a sixty day trial. Be sure to use the trial to see if ordering a subscription to the service would be worthwhile.

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Key Drives and Data Backup

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Walter Stevens is a contributor at Free-backup.info — the home of the best online backup software — Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/key-drives-and-data-backup.html

Data Backup Key Drives

Key drives are one of the most exciting new inventions in the world of data backup. Floppy disks have essentially become obsolete, replaced by CD-Rs and DVD-Rs, but now a new force has come on to the data backup market. Key drives are tiny external drives which are only the size of a key-chain. Many in fact actually are key chains, and you can carry them in your pocket wherever you go.

The smallest holds several times more than a traditional 3 and half inch floppy disk, and larger ones can hold as much data as a CD-ROM or even more. Considering the size and power of these drives, it is no wonder that they are becoming a powerful force in the data backup market.

How Exactly Does a Key Drive Work for my Data Backup?

A key drive is a tiny drive which connects to your computer via a USB connection. On most newer operating systems, USB will be automatically recognized by your computer and you will not even have to install any device drivers for instant plug and play capability. This is very powerful and far easier to operating than having to go through the business of installing a new drive in order to burn CD-Rs or DVD-Rs for your data backup.

The key drive requires no external power source, and is only on when it is actually plugged into your machine. It is very versatile, and will not experience the problems with scratches or warping that is common with CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMS and floppy disks. This means that not only is your data safe from harm done to your computer, but having a backup key drive will have far less chance of failing on you than the old CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs and floppy disks. This is how you can carry them around on your key-chain or in your pocket and there will still be no damage to them.

How do I Get a Key Drive for my Data Backup?

There are many companies offering data backup key drives. The best way to find out more about particular key drives is to go to your local computer store and ask them what key drives they have available. All key drives will be similar in size and quality, and it will be up to you to decide which you think is best. Smaller key drives generally hold about 16 megabytes of storage, but there are key drives that can hold far more data, meaning that you have all the more data backup on a single device.

Prices are generally between $20 and $30 for smaller drives, and can cost up to hundreds of dollars for larger ones which contain a gigabyte or more of data storage space. However, as is always the case with new technology these prices will continue to drop as they become more and more common. However, they are very useful and there is no reason not to start using a key drive now for your data backup.

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