If you thought the wails of anguish that emanate from a gazelle being attacked by a lion were horrific, that’s nothing compared to the wails of anguish that will escape your lips if your computer dies and takes everything with it.
A lifetime of photos and videos, countless files, a music library that spans the decades. Gone. Caput. The solution to this worst case scenario is simple-- Carbonite.
Carbonite is a secure online backup system for your entire computer that, should disaster strike, can restore all your files onto your repaired, or new computer. We checked out a few services like this, but we think Carbonite is the best online backup system, because it has unlimited data storage for a flat rate of $59 per year. That’s right, no matter how many pictures of your daughter’s third birthday, complete with a pony-riding princess you may have Carbonite will store it all safely.
And, Carbonite backups are far from out of sight out of mind, you can access any of your files from your computer or Smartphone any time. So watch this Twirl to see how you can avoid distraught howls in favor of set-it-and-forget-it peace of mind.
34 Comments
liz says:
Carly,
What's the difference between Carbonite and the other twirl about dropbox?
CKnobloch says:
Liz— Good question! Dropbox is great for backing things up, but it's more like a storage folder for important files you want to have access to anywhere. And unless you pay, you won't have enough space to back up ALL your files. Carbonite is designed to backup your ENTIRE computer, without you having to remember to keep it updated. And for $59/year, you can save your entire computer, no matter how many gigabytes you've got! Does that make sense?
Peter Bockenhauer says:
Some things to note about Carbonite:
-Does not automatically backup any video files. You have to manually select these for backup every time. ( http://carbonite.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1336/kw/video%20files )
-If you have more than 200GB backed up, Carbonite will slow your upload speed. Last I heard was 0.5GB/day. ( http://carbonite.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1440/~/%5Bgeneral%5D-bandwidth-allocation )
-Cannot backup external drives ( http://carbonite.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1386/kw/external%20drives )
-Past file versions are only available for restore for up to 30 days. ( http://carbonite.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1402/kw/30%20days )
- No refund policy
Hence, I've moved onto CrashPlan ( http://crashplan.com ).
CKnobloch says:
Peter— Thanks for weighing in. When we choose a Twirl, we weigh lots of factors, and sometimes the service with the most amount of features DOESN'T win. Our audience looks to us to review dead-simple-to-use products that are simple to set up, have a great reputation, and provide a great service at a great price (or free)— Carbonite fits the bill, and we've been thrilled with the service so far.
Peter Bockenhauer says:
Understandable. However, no auto-backup of videos really ticks me off.. I can see mom setting this up and importing her video of junior to the computer, accidentally deleting the file weeks later only to find out that her "set-it-and-forget-it" parachute didn't back up the video.
After 3 years of using Carbonite, it worked great but this point alone made me look for better alternatives for myself and anyone in my family or friends.
randi says:
Just wondering, does Carbonite back up Applications (programs) as well? (so that restoring them actually puts them into user mode again?) Thanks!
ulysses says:
No program can restore applications.
randi says:
I use Time Machine external BU -- but when I change computers, I cannot restore my info
So I often wonder why I am so diligent with it?!
Ashli (Carbonite, Inc.) says:
@Peter: Thanks for using our service; we’re sorry to see you leave. Just to explain, we do not back up video files by default because they are often quite large and easily replaceable (e.g. every episode of Lost you downloaded from iTunes). We don't want the backing up of these files to slow down your initial backup and cause irreplaceable files to not get backed up. If you want to add videos to your automatic backup, you can easily do so. Right click on a video file and select "backup all files of this type." This short manual process will add all the video files stored in that folder to your automatic backup with one click. Repeat this process for each folder in which you store video. For more information on what is backed up by Carbonite: http://cbnt.it/lFv0lM.
@randi: No, we do not restore applications. This site will be useful to you, as well: http://cbnt.it/lFv0lM. When you change computers, we do restore PC to PC and Mac to Mac, but currently not across platforms. For more information: http://cbnt.it/mIQuro.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Ashli (Carbonite, Inc.)
randi says:
Thanks for the reply! What a nice surprise! I was not suggesting across platforms...I have a Mac & I use Time Machine to back up hourly onto an external HD -- But when I bought my newest Mac, my external HD with the previous Mac data could not be read or copied onto the new HD. Maybe that's a fluke then?! I will check it out. Thanks for paying attention to the questions! I have passed your Carbonite info onto others!
Peter Bockenhauer says:
You are better off using OS X's Migration Assistant when moving to a new Mac. It will move Users, files and applications.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4413
Otherwise to backup your entire system you'd be better off using SuperDuper!: http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html
Or Carbon Copy Cloner: http://www.bombich.com/
Ashli (Carbonite, Inc.) says:
@randi: You sound like a perfect Carbonite customer. Try us free for 15 days: http://cbnt.it/ljTOq4. Use offer code "TWFB" to start your free trial and receive two free months when you decide to buy.
@Peter: Thank you for being so helpful; sorry our service was not an exact fit for your needs.
-Ashli (Carbonite, Inc.)
The nerdy nurse says:
Carly,
We met at ces at the mom breakfast!
I totally can't beleive I haven't been staying glued to you since. Youre so charismatic and entertaining!
Been going through your videos and love them!
Ive read about carbonite but didn't think it was worth the investment. However it's amazing what 3 minutes from a competent and well spoken invidividual can convey. And it takes a lot to convince me to pay for anything that I can "get for free"
Your video editing quality is fantastic and I'm curious if you do it yourself.
Appologies for the lengthy comment, but I'm reaslly impressed with what you are doing here and think that credit should be given when due!
Beautiful thing you are doing here and I know you're helping tons of ladies. I love it.
CKnobloch says:
NerdyNurse— Hey there! I remember you from CES. So glad you're back in touch!
Yes, Carbonite is fantastic, and when you weigh the cost of hard drives against it, it's a good deal. Just be patient with the first backup— took almost a month for 120MB to back up to the server. But it's smooth sailing after that.
Thanks so much for the kind words. I hope to run into you again soon... at BlogHer? or CES next year!
The Nerdy Nurse says:
I should be at CES for sure. Blog Her, likely not, unless some fabulous sponsor wants to send me, lol.
IF you hear of any good groups at CES to go to, I'd love an invitation
CKnobloch says:
I will keep my android to the ground.
Debbie says:
I LOVE your website...thank you for doing this...plus, you're fun to watch!
Anyway, my question: Can you still use you're computer while its backing up the first time or do you have to leave it alone to do its stuff??
Thanks so much. Debbie
CKnobloch says:
Debbie— no need to wait... it will work in the background. Good idea to set your computer to NOT fall asleep over night... it will go a lot quicker that way.
c
Dean Holmes says:
I wanted to also add in one that I use, tested and like (after the long process of initial backup) which is BackBlaze http://www.backblaze.com/ - nice features and easy to use.
Let me know what you think. Great site-loving this community
CKnobloch says:
Dean— Thanks for sharing. Great to have lots of options. Glad you found us.
Barbi Walker says:
Hey Carley,
My question for you (or any of your fantastic followers!) is what if you have security sensitive information on your computer? In particular if you have documents, research or information you need to keep private from competitors or the like.
What kind of user should use a third party online back up service? I understand your readers want, "dead-simple-to-use products that are simple to set up, have a great reputation," as you said, but as a reporter/writer I need to know my information is secure from outsiders.
I currently use an external hard drive, but I travel a lot and it's just one more thing to lug around.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.
CKnobloch says:
Barbi— These are all great questions. I think a big misconception about all this cloud back-up stuff is that it's available to the public, like a website would be, when it's really more like the information you'd give to an e-commerce site— only visible if you know the name and password for the account. So if you craft your password carefully, your data is safe from prying eyes. That being said, there are definitely different backup solutions with different levels of security, so I would dig deeper into the security policy on a service that SEEMS perfect, and then decide for yourself.
Is your external hard drive encrypted or password-protected? If not, a lot of these solutions are a step up, security-wise.
Ashli (Carbonite, Inc.) says:
Hi Barbi and Carley,
Barbi, that is an excellent question. Carbonite uses 128-bit Blowfish encryption to keep your files secure. In other words, your files are encrypted the same as your personal information is when you make a credit card purchase online. Here is an article from our knowledge base: http://cbnt.it/oOpl4q.
If you're a PC user you also have the option on Carbonite to manage your own encryption key. Here is more information: http://cbnt.it/q4YNEa.
Best,
Ashli
Carbonite, Inc.
Mar says:
Do you want an automatic back up once a day??
Check this software:Syncback (it's free)
http://www.2brightsparks.com/download-syncback.html
Tips here: http://blogs.lanacion.com.ar/freeware/packs/syncback/
richard says:
I have used Carbonite for two years .. then I moved to Crashplan: there were a lot of reasons, but the main reasons:
Crashplan also lets you backup external harddisks
Crashplan is a lot faster when you want to start your backup
Crashplan is a lot more userfriendly
Crashplan has a top notch Customer Support team, something that Carbonite definitely does not have!
So I moved to Crashplan about 9 months ago and I love it!!!
Stephanie says:
Hey Carly!
Great Twirl - I've been looking for something all-encompassing like this. I love DropBox, but I'm quickly out of space (even with paying).
I'll check out Carbonite for sure!
Here's my question though - in your mind, is there any risk with relying on a 3rd party site to store your most important data?
I love the idea of using a cloud tool for back-up (I mean - what if there was a fire and your external hard drive went bye-bye too) - but I just wonder about the risk of any of these back-up sites going MIA and taking my data with it.
Thoughts? (I'm probably being overly paranoid - lol).
Steph
CKnobloch says:
Stephanie— One of the things we look for when we review services on Digitwirl is whether or not the company looks like it has longevity. There are far too many "flash in the pan" web companies out there, and we're not interested in every new gimmick or brand new company. Of course, we can't guarantee that any of these companies will be around forever, but Dropbox, Carbonite, and Evernote are positioning to be around a LONG while, and if they fold, I'm sure they'll give you ample time to make other arrangements/get your data out. Not an iron-clad guarantee, but hope it helps!
Jenna says:
We had Carbonite earlier this year. We have a 400GB hard drive that we needed to back up with a fair amount of photos and documents. We started the back up in JANUARY and by JUNE (after keeping the computer on for 24 hours a day that entire time and ensuring the backup was in "high priority mode" in order to aid in the backup) the backup STILL wasn't done. It was completely ridiculous. At the rate the back up was going, it would have just about have finished backing up at the same time our subscription expired. What kind of service is that?
Additionally, the back up process slowed our computer and internet connection WAY down. We could not have been more unhappy with their service.
I understand and respect the criteria on which you select the companies you profile but really disagree with you on the recommendation of Carbonite. I spoke with an Apple support person about an unrelated issue and told him we had Carbonite and responded that he has heard nothing but negative things (and a lot of them) from Carbonite users.
I think Carbonite has a great advertising/media campaign going so they are (fairly) well known but they really fail to deliver what they promise. I highly encourage others to avoid, avoid, avoid Carbonite. Go with another backup service or go without a back up service entirely. You'll be better off. I promise.
CKnobloch says:
Jeanna— That sounds terrible. Rest assured that we would NEVER recommend a product that we ALL didn't try and found that it delivered on its promises. It did take a few weeks (as I mentioned in the video) to backup some 200MB on my hard drive, but now that the backup is complete, it keeps it current in the background, and I've not had any noticable dip in internet connection.
As with any service, there are always happy and unhappy customers. I only hope that Carbonite did what they could to make it right for you.
I can't say I agree with your thoughts, but thank you for sharing them here.
Stew says:
Carly,
You said 200 MB, megabytes or 200 million bytes, which isn't that much. I *think* you meant to say that you backed up 200 GB (gigabytes, 1000 megabytes)) from your hard drive in a few weeks? At least I hope so. When I used Carbonite a few years back, it did a great job for me, rarely used up our limited DSL bandwidth and I could restore lost files.
I only switched to Mozy because they seemed to offer easier access to files remotely (when I'm away from home). Now that Mozy has dropped their inexpensive unlimited backup plan, I'm considering switching back to Carbonite. My only hesitation is the long initial backup time (I have 125 GB of photos).
Thanks for the review and running commentary.
CKnobloch says:
Stew— Yes, you're totally right. I meant 200GB.
Tinisha says:
I use a software program to handle my business inventory & customer info. Would this backup also?
CKnobloch says:
Tinisha— Yes, anything on your computer gets backed up into the cloud with Carbonite. So that would work! If you didn't want it backed up, for security purposes, you could remove it from the backup manually, however, so you have a lot of control. Hope that's helpful!
Laura says:
Hi Everyone!
I thought I would mention my experience to try and help someone out..
I used Crash Plan for a while and had backup failures often. I live in Canada and wanted my backups to stay in the country anyway so I went with ebackup - http://www.globalworx.com
Super easy full system backup and works all the time!