on line backup?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Todd
  • Start date Start date
J. P. Gilliver (John) said:
I wasn't quite sure what it _is_. So I watched their "what is it"
video. And I'm still not any wiser.
Click to expand...

?? Mouse-over the Products link in the menu bar on the web page, and
click the products listed.... it's pretty explanatory from there.
Clickfree is an external hard drive with its own backup software built
in... you plug it into the computer and it automatically backs up the
designated files. There are a few types of drives and backup types.
Alternately, they sell an adapter with the software on it, so you can
use it with your own external drive instead.
 
J. P. Gilliver (John) said:
Bruce Hagen:


I wasn't quite sure what it _is_. So I watched their "what is it" video.
And I'm still not any wiser.
Click to expand...

"No software to install."
That's what the video claims.
Oh yes, those magical non-existing processes that can do marvels.

If it isn't in memory (as a process) then it doesn't run. SOMETHING
runs on your host.

"Just plug it in."
Oh oh. Looks like dongleware. Plug in a dongle and a program runs from
there. So there is something running in memory. It's just ran from a
dongle.

My guess is it is a USB-attached removable storage device that can store
onto an SD flash memory card or can upload files via network to an
online account (so much for "no setup").

They show a software-only version (so much for "no software to install")
that uploads your files to either USB-attached media or via Internet to
an account ("cloud" storage).

Apparently the "easy" part is not having to configure their program as
to what it will backup. "... by automatically searching for and backing
up all the content stored on your computer ..." It scans for all files
and uploads all files. Hope you don't have any monster-sized but
temporary video files or huge .vhd files for VirtualPC (or any other
virtualized OS).

Now go to http://www.clickfree.com/index.php/buy_now and figure out just
what to buy that they are advertising on their home page and in the
video.

http://www.clickfree.com/index.php/product_grouping_matrix/matrix_view/id/Traveler
Their "Traveller" version. Looks to be a pocket-sized USB-attached
flash-based storage device. You know, it's what everyone else calls a
USB thumb or USB flash drive. My guess is they are hoping you haven't
blocked the security hole in Windows that allows autorun.inf to load a
program upon discovery of the device. If you've disable AutoRun on your
computer so some program, perhaps malware, can't automatically start
when you plug in the USB-attached device then their automatic scan and
backup program isn't going to load automatically. Capacity is 16GB to
64GB but they don't reveal any prices plus their Buy Now page for this
product says "Out of stock".

http://www.clickfree.com/index.php/product_grouping_matrix/matrix_view/id/Traveler
Yeah, just another USB-attached external hard disk. Again, if you've
disabled AutoRun then their automatic backup program won't be loading
when you plug this in. If their "patented AutoRun" program is a process
running on your host waiting to discover their device then you did have
to install software on your host so it is always running in the
background to check if it can discover their device. How much does it
cost? They don't tell you. What's its storage capacity? They don't
tell you. You have to leave their "buy" page to read their product
description to see capacity ranges from 500GB to 2TB. Their Buy Now
page doesn't have a link to actually buy.

Maybe you have to create an account there and signin before they reveal
prices. No thanks. I'm pretty sure I can find better priced deals for
USB-attached hard disks and USB-attached flash drives than from this
place and use free backup software with them. There's also no mention
for the cost of using their cloud storage service.
 
Not an issue, with the right encryption.

BTW - isn't there a danger this person is going to be
upset by the amount of time the backup is going to take
to run over a network ? How many Gigabytes will be
transferred regularly ? My upload speed on ADSL is
so pathetic, I could never contemplate network (cloud)
backup as a viable solution. I don't even have enough
"upload" to run a webcam in low-res.

Paul
Click to expand...

Once the initial backup is complete, her backup
load should be minor. One or two documents a day.

With her, out of sight, out of mind is the rule.
It is this or nothing at all. She has a 2 MB/sec
upload speed.

I don't like the situation, but ...
 
Todd said:
She has a 2 MB/sec upload speed.
Click to expand...

More likely she has 2 Mbps, not 2 MBps. There's a factor of 8 between
those two. Is she really paying for 16 Mbps on the upstream side?
 
Todd said:
correct
Click to expand...

And that would a response to my first sentence or last one?

My ISP makes me pay incrementally more as I increase the upstream speed.
There's no plan for 16 Mbps upstream; however, their plan with 20 Mbps
costs more than twice what I pay now. Too pricey for me since I don't
upload often and don't run a publicly accessible server (which would
violate my ISP's TOS for a non-business account).

Maybe she's richer or decided to spend more on Internet (to get higher
upstream speed). I've seen some folks spend more money in a month on a
subscription cell phone plan than I prepay for 2 year's worth of service
- and I still end up rolling minutes over into the next subscription!
 
J. P. Gilliver (John) said:
snip
Thanks, that's quite clear. (Though as VanguardLH says, saying it
doesn't install anything is pushing things a bit. OK, it doesn't put
anything _on your hard disc_ - at least, it _probably_ doesn't...
snip
Click to expand...

Well, "installing" means installing executables, drivers and/or dll's on
your drive, adding to your system. By that definition, it doen't
install. Even if it puts something into memory, that isn't "installing"
on your system.... there is a difference.
 
I use www.gotabackup.com for my online back up and I also have a 'backpack' so I can share with other people. However if you are looking for a straight backup I can't fault them. Inexpensive pricing and their customer service is brilliant.
 
I have to recommend Gotabackup. I have been using them for over 6 months and have absolutely no problems at all. Their customer service is excellent and most importantly of all it doesn't take up all the bandwidth when doing the initial backup. Also since it only backs up files that have changed once the initial backup has completed. They offer a free 1 month trial so give them a try. You have nothing to lose :thumb:
 
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