Free Headache Relief I'm one of those "flirt with danger, laugh at hard drive loss" kinda guys. However, with the amount of photos, videos, and receipts I have been accumulating, I've got that little tingle that says I am just 1 Hard Drive crash away from saying, "if only I had backed up..."

Yeah, backups. The ultimate unsexy topic. Might as well talk about actuarial tables. Why, oh why, with this age of broadband and cheap hard drive space, is there not an easy way to automatically back up your files? I'm talking, no paying attention, all security handled, personal-slave-that-does-my-bidding backup here.

Um. There is. And, oh yes...one more thing? It's free.

Yep, say it loud, say it proud: I love Web 2.0. Presenting Mozy, the online backup service, that will back up as much as 2 GB for FREE. Need more than that? How about Mozy Unlimited? $5 bucks a month, and no more concern.

Ok, here's the scoop: you download a little program, choose the files you want to backup, and whenever your computer isn't busy, it backs them up. That's it. Automatic, as high security as you can handle, and great privacy. Freaked about choosing what files to backup? No worries: the wizard will actually scan your HD and suggest files to backup: it even groups them in types. What happens if you need to restore? Download the client, and go to it. No restrictions.

What's the catch? Well, you can't share the files, just back them up. That's fair. For the free product, you agree to be emailed; also fair.

I just installed it, and we'll see how it goes, but if it works well, I'm so plunking down my monthly Lincoln for this ultimate insurance.

Labels: free, Software, Web 2.0

  ¶ 7:14 PM