When using Microsoft 365 tools, how do you backup your data?

[RvR2s]

Any other options on this or easy way to backup my lost files and data? Thank you and Godbless.

[LensofNature]

What about an external hard drive like Passport (although I had trouble with that particular brand).  I transfer my photos to USB (memory sticks), and am also looking at different ways to back them up, especially given these arbitrary updates that tend to mess up previously functioning settings.

[paddler4]

If you want to be safe, you should have two backups, one local and one not local, presumably online.

For an online backup, I use Backblaze.

For a local backup, I actually do a mirror rather than a backup, using an external drive plugged into my computer. If you aren't familiar with the terminology, a mirror is a simple exact copy of the material you want backed up. I create it by synchronizing the relevant stuff on my hard drive to the external drive. I keep all of the photos that need backing up in subdirectories of a single directory, so I just tell the software to sync that directory. There are lots of sync programs, including the free sync toys included in Windows, but I use the sync function in the file manager software I use, Directory Opus.

The nice thing about a  mirror is that restoring is simple: you just drag the file(s) from the mirror to the original hard drive.

[Tony Parsons]

I purchased a new 2 TB drive for backups.

I decided to format it prior to using it.

I selected the wrong disk.

I formatted my data drive.

I am now running recovery software.

I am an idiot.

[John Seaman]

1 hour ago, Tony Parsons said:

I formatted my data drive.

Hope you have a backup. Good luck.

[Tony Parsons]

5 minutes ago, John Seaman said:

Hope you have a backup. Good luck.

ER - no. That was the purpose of the new drive !

[rconey]

Just bought #2 18 tb hard drives for my on site backup. I keep duplicate here and have filled #2 five terrabyte discs. I keep another copy off sight, so after I transfer to the new drives, the old filled two will go off site. 

I haven't wanted to do cloud backup.

Tony Parsons- I'm so sorry. We are all just one mistake away from being idiots......

[Tony Parsons]

On 4/27/2024 at 5:56 PM, rconey said:

<snip>

Tony Parsons- I'm so sorry. We are all just one mistake away from being idiots......

Thanks - in my case, a very short step ! Luckily, a friend had some recovery software, and for the price of a couple of pints (never knew whiskey was so expensive !) he recovered a great deal of it onto a spare drive, and what he didn't recover was unimportant, so I am now a happy Wombat (my daughter's name for me !).

So, you have not escaped my bizarre images for long, I'm pleased (or sorry) to say.