Disaster-Proof Your PC
External Storage (cont.)External hard drives, in contrast, are wanting as an option for offsite backups, but they're exceptionally easy to employ for regular, scheduled backup of critical data onsite and offer the best value in ongoing data security. Plus, they offer nearly unlimited storage potential. Options include external drives for use with a single PC via USB, FireWire and eSATA connections; NAS (Network Attached Storage) drives that connect to a network via a router and provide backup capabilities for multiple PCs; and dedicated file servers, computers devoted to network-based data storage duties. Your choice ultimately depends on your needs. If you have a single PC, an external hard drive will serve nicely. Great options are available from LaCie, Maxtor, Newer Technology, Seagate and Western Digital, and consist, usually, of a single drive mounted in an external enclosure. Two such examples are Seagate's FreeAgent series of external drives and Newer Technology's miniStack v3 drives.
FreeAgent drives offer sleek looks, a small footprint, whisper-quiet operation and capacities of 250GB, 320GB and 500GB, and connect via a USB 2.0 interface. A step up, Seagate's FreeAgent Pro comes in 320GB, 500GB and 750GB capacities and offers FireWire 400, USB 2.0 and eSATA interfaces. Included Data Mover software automatically duplicates and/or moves selected content to multiple locations such as contacts and email to an iPod, photos to a Shutterfly account, files and folders to the FreeAgent itself or, if you prefer, to an online space with access from any browser 24/7. While the drives are PC and Mac compatible, the software is Windows only. Newer Technology's compact miniStack v3 is available starting at $170 in capacities from 160GB to 1TB (terabyte, 1024 gigabytes), as well as a "barebones" add-your-own-hard-drive kit ($120). Acting as a hub in addition to an external drive, it offers four interfaces - one eSATA, two FireWire 800, one FireWire 400 and three USB 2.0 ports. And, in a tip-of-the-hat to Apple, it features a form factor and design that's a perfect match for the Mac mini. Included software handles backup duties under Windows with NovaStor NovaBACKUP, and on the Mac with Prosoft Engineering's Data Backup 3 and Intech's SpeedTools Utilities. The unit auto-powers on and off with your computer, is quiet in operation, features intelligent thermal monitoring and ships with FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 connection cables. Plus, as your needs grow, the units are easily stackable. When it comes to NAS drives, you have options, as well. Iomega, LaCie, Maxtor, Micronet, Newer Technology, Western Digital and others offer capable NAS units. These devices usually contain one or more hard drives and are frequently configured as RAID arrays (RAID 0 or 1 depending on specific needs, i.e. capacity and speed or redundancy). They attach via your network router and are accessed via a web interface and/or custom backup software.  Maxtor's Shared Storage II 1TB A good example of a NAS device is Maxtor's Shared Storage II 1TB. Packing 1TB of storage, this device offers plenty of room at a relatively affordable cost, $390 approximately. It automatically configures itself to your network, enables you to store and backup data on all connected PCs, permits media streaming sans a dedicated computer host, provides a simple user interface for backup scheduling and data restoration, and allows for drag and drop operations (with automatic sorting into pre-defined folders). It features Gigabit Ethernet and two USB ports for printer sharing or automatic backup to additional hard drives (for expanded storage), and is both PC and Mac compatible. Should 1TB of storage be outside your budget, Maxtor's Shared Storage II is also available in 320GB and 500GB versions that sell on the street for as low as $150 and $225 respectively. However, if you’re looking for even greater storage space, LaCie's [ 2big two-disk RAID NAS is available in 1.5GB and 2GB capacities. But, expect to pay for it at $570 and $820 respectively. With regard to dedicated file servers, buying or building one is a more costly choice than most folks need. However, if you have an old system that you can re-purpose for server duties (a previous game rig, for instance), it's an option. Linux, Windows 2000 and Microsoft's new Windows Home Server are valid operating system alternatives, with the latter offering the most user-friendly potential for the beginner. Data redundancy, in summary, is an important part of securing your computing investment. Whether important documents or family photos, an extensive music collection or your most recent game saves, it doesn't pay to leave your data unprotected when so many options exist. If you must choose between alternatives, rather than employing a more broad-base redundancy plan, external hard drives, in tandem with drive imaging, are your best bet.
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