Back up your computer, quick, right now

Published on 28 March 2016

Every year I write an article about backing up your data, every year you read it, and every year you tell yourself "I need to fucking do it." But since you don't have a brain, you don't do it, you move on to something else, and a good chunk of you lose all of your documents, photos, and so on. Why? Because you're idiots.

In a few days it's "World Backup Day." It's funny, but above all it's a chance to recall a few figures, which I'll sum up in a single one: 100% of people who have lost their data are losers. There you go, that's all. You don't want to be a loser? Then follow to the letter what I'm telling you here. If you don't, tough luck for you, and I'll laugh very hard the day your hard drive crashes.

Usually I offer tons of different solutions for backing up your data, and every year I vaguely update the thing. This year I'm going to keep it simple and stick to just one option: Google Drive.

HOW DO I DO IT?!

• Create a Google or Gmail account. Usually you already have one, otherwise, this is the occasion to do it, click here. Plus it'll let you have an email address that's a bit more modern than your hotmail or Free/Orange inbox.

• Increase your Google Drive space. Log in to your Google account, click here, and choose the plan that suits the size of the data you want to back up. You have less than 100 GB of data to back up? That's not much, but good for you, it'll cost you less than 2€ per month. You have between 100 GB and 1 TB to back up? Then it'll cost you less than 9€ per month. So count on between less than 24€ and less than 108€ per year to be safe.

• Install the Google Drive app on your computers. It's simple, you click here, you can install it on your Mac and/or your Windows, and if you have several computers, you can install it on all of them, it'll sync all your data between them.

• Put ALL your data in the Google Drive folder. Once installed on your computer, Google Drive will create a folder of the same name on that computer, and well it's simple, you move EVERYTHING into it, and from now on whenever you create a file, empty a memory card, or whatever, you do it in that folder. Everything will be backed up in real time. You can obviously organize it however you like, create folders, etc.

WELL DONE CHAMPION, THAT'S IT. It took you 5 minutes. Spread the word to your friends, your family, etc. Kiss, goodbye. Oh, and if thanks to me your data was saved, quickly get me a gift via my Wishlist.

Frequently asked questions:

1- Why Google Drive and not Dropbox? It doesn't really matter, but Google Drive is more widespread than Dropbox, and for sharing your files/folders with your friends and family, it's cooler. But if you prefer Dropbox, go for it.

2- You don't recommend Crashplan, Backblaze and co at all anymore? No, they lack flexibility, they're slow, unstable, in the long run they've become a pain.

3- But my connection is slow, it's going to take forever to back up! Yes, if you have somewhat slow ADSL, it's going to take time, maybe several weeks, but once it's done you're all set.

4- I already have a backup on an external hard drive/NAS/Time Machine. Great, well when it crashes, when burglars come and steal everything from your place, or a fire ravages it all, you won't come crying. As an example, my Synology NAS decided to wipe itself entirely of all its data a few days ago at my place, a bug during an update. Thank God I had my Google Drive backup.

5- But wait, that means Google is going to have all my data?! Yes, but if you have the intelligence and psychological strength to worry about what Google is going to do with your data, you surely also have the intelligence and strength to have an alternative, secure backup system. Congratulations. Personally I've chosen not to care, I have little sensitive data and I believe that apart from a few boob photos, Google won't care much.

6- 9€ per month is outrageously expensive! No, it's insurance, and it costs the price of a backup hard drive of equivalent capacity (roughly). Otherwise you can look for free or cheaper solutions, but when you're in trouble, don't come crying.

7- What extra will Google Drive bring me? Besides backing up your data, it'll let you sync it across all your computers (Windows, Mac, home, office, etc.), but also have access to all your data, your photos, your documents, from your iPhone or your Android, you just have to install the iOS or Android app. So handy.

8- Why do you call us idiots and losers in this article? Because I'm sad and exasperated by people who lose their data, their photos, their videos. I personally have hundreds of scanned family photos, thousands of photos taken with all my digital cameras over more than 10 years, digitized Super-8 films of my family, all my photo shoots, etc. If I lose that, I lose something priceless, far more valuable than 108€ per year. So yeah I'm calling you an idiot because the day it happens to you, you'll clearly be the worst of idiots. I can't take the Twitter messages anymore from guys who work with their computers, and who post ads trying to recover them after a theft, because ALL their work is on there. It's no longer acceptable.

9- But I have more than 1 TB of data! Take your pick, sort it, it's not possible to be an average user and have more than 1 TB of vital data to back up (backing up the entire Friends series or all the MKVs of Matrix isn't vital, that can be found again). Or you just have to pay even more and go to 10 TB on Google Drive (if you're a pro, that's quite feasible, it's my case). If neither of these two solutions is possible, then multiply your local backups, one at home, and one at the office or at grandma's. Otherwise look into Crashplan or Backblaze, which are unlimited in disk space, but hey, I recommend these solutions less and less. Not very modern, slow, unstable...

10- And if I lose my data is it complicated to recover it with Google Drive? No, you just reinstall Google Drive on your new computer, put in your account, and it'll re-download everything nice and easy, while continuing to back up your new data.

11- I have lots of data on an external hard drive 🙁 See point 9.

12- And why not Hubic? Because by general opinion, and mine too, Hubic lacks stability, and is less functional than Google Drive. Basically, too slow, unreliable apps, I say meh, see point 6. If you have other questions or comments, the comments are open. Hugs and kisses.

Photo credit: AI-generated illustration

By Paingout