How many backups do you have?

Sydney's Mom · 03-30-2010, 10:24 PM

We all have a number of ebooks, and worry about providers going out of business, ereaders failing, computer crashes. So how many backups do you have?

I am up to nine. I have three computers (laptop, netbook, desktop, in that order of use) and I have my ebooks in Calibre on each machine. I also back-up each computer. I also have my library in dropbox, so that makes 7. I also backup to an SD card, and backup just the library on a portable hard drive.

Now that I have listed all of this, it sounds kind of excessive.

How about you? How many backups do you have?

FizzyWater · 03-30-2010, 10:50 PM

I've had to re-create my computer from "new build" four times since mid-December.

I have a single set of backups at the moment, but have been recently trying to come up with an organized backup schedule (including making a complete "image" of my computer so I don't have to start over from new the next time some d@mn worm makes it onto my computer!)

So right now, my answer is one. But I expect that to change in the next month or so as I figure out my official backup schedule.

Katti's Cat · 03-30-2010, 10:54 PM

I have the books on the reader, on my hard drive (twice, once as downloaded the other as Calibre backup). And I backup the lot on an external drive.

ChrisC333 · 03-31-2010, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Now that I have listed all of this, it sounds kind of excessive.

How about you? How many backups do you have?

Yes, nine copies does sound like the road to Weirdsville may not be too far down the track...

Just kidding.

I have one extra copy - a regular backup of the main computer - which is stored separately. Any more seems unnecessary, but that's just a personal choice.

All the books that are on my hard drive could be downloaded again from the place I got them from. In the event that the site had gone or the book been deleted, then I could retrieve it from the backup.

As I also have more than one portable reading device I do temporarily end up with more than one copy, while they're actively being read. But my focus is on keeping the number of multiples down, not up. I see the clutter as a nuisance rather than an asset.

To put it into perspective, I have over 2,000 printed books and not one of them are "backed up". They're all just single volumes. I could lose any or all of those books through fire, theft, or plain old carelessness. It's a possibility, but I don't lose sleep over it.

The worst thing that could happen to me is that an ebook could go missing. In my case, this would be more likely to happen because I had lost track of some overly cluttered and complicated system than because a book simultaneously vanished from both the Internet and my computer. I also only re-read a fairly small percentage of books, so it mostly wouldn't bother me if I couldn't retrieve one that I'd already read anyway.

But if push came to shove, and I managed to lose both on and off-line copies, then I'd be prepared to buy a favourite book again. To me that would cost a lot less than the value of the time I would waste managing multi-layer backups, let alone the cost of the extra hardware or on-line backup space.

It really depends on what floats your boat. If you're a worrier, or if you actually enjoy the procedures involved in making elaborate backups - and some people clearly do - then that's cool too.

Cheers,

Chris

Marcy · 03-31-2010, 01:35 AM

I have the copy on my computer, a copy on my external hard drive and a cloud back-up. How much more do you need? If either my computer or my hard drive fails I have the other. If my house burns to the ground I have my cloud copy. If I wanted to be really secure I suppose I could cloud copy to two different locations. One of the many great things about ebooks is how small they are. My library of over 1300 books is only 1.1GB.

-Marcy

astra · 03-31-2010, 04:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

I am up to nine

9 backups of the same staff?

Do you have at least 1 backup of your ebooks outside of the house? In case of fire or flooding? Is it the dropbox backup?

I have 2 backups.
The mains storage is on my desktop + 2 backups.
The first backup is on my portable HD.
The second backup is on external HD at work that is basically a mirror of my portable HD.
That's it

P.S. the same applies to my pics.

carlobee · 03-31-2010, 05:38 AM

wow. that sure is a lot.

i only have 3. My laptop, an external HDD and Dropbox.

kovidgoyal · 03-31-2010, 06:11 AM

I have daily, weekly and monthly backups going back three months on a network server in a datacentre which is itself backed up on another server in another datacentre.

In addition all my data is synced between three different computers

So I think you're doing just fine

Stitchawl · 03-31-2010, 06:49 AM

My entire book collection (as well as all my data, Calibre and Sony Library, all software, photos, music, etc., etc.,) is backed up onto two separate 1.5 terabyte external hard drives that are always connected to my main computer and synced weekly. Then I have another 1.5 terabyte external that gets connected once a month to get an updated sync.

"I promise I'll never go hungry again" ... nor lose important stuff!

Stitchawl

ficbot · 03-31-2010, 07:28 AM

1) Dropbox folder on my computer
2) 'In the cloud' backup to Dropbox of the folder
3) Once a week, backup of same to USB key on my keychain
4) Backup to disk drive using time machine when I remember

I don't create many 'documents' at home so my ebooks are the one thing which would take me the longest to restore to a satisfactory level in case of computer accident. I could re-download most of them from the vendors, but it would take a long time to put back the cover art, tags etc. and to liberate again those books which need liberation.

GhostHawk · 03-31-2010, 07:49 AM

I have the majority of my collection burned to DVD (2 copys) a copy on my computer, another on a 16gig SD card, and 2 more 4 gig sd cards, one in my wifes Jetbook, and one in my Jetbook lite.
(Just switched to the light last week.)

I have a lot of unsorted, uncoverted Data which has been liberated, with a lot of duplications, both in books and in folders. (ie Stephen King, King, Steven, King S, etc)
Its a long slow process sorting it all out. As it gets sorted, file names fixed, etc it gets added to my master backup which is sorted by Genre.

So I have 6 backups.

abookreader · 03-31-2010, 09:14 AM

I have my eReader devices, my Calibre database and my computer gets backed up to Mozy.com daily...

rcuadro · 03-31-2010, 12:06 PM

All I have is the library in Calibre on my iMac and a back up on an extrernal drive using Time Machine.

DawnFalcon · 03-31-2010, 12:20 PM

Let's see...

I have my "active data" mirrored daily between two hard disks on my PC. Then there's the weekly copy to a hard disk in a USB bay attached to my router*, and the monthly backup of important changed files onto DVD-R. Plus the "deep storage" on hard disks of older stuff for archive, which I do every year or so onto two hard disks (I have a stack of 20GB hard disks I use for this, heh).

I've also been known to keep a copy of a lot of the important stuff on the laptop, and there's a bunch of irreplaceable stuff which I update every year or so on DVD-R which is held for me at my parents house.

And quite a bit of my work is stored online on wiki's anyway, which come with backups..

(*ASUS WL500g. They're nifty.)

MaMiller · 03-31-2010, 06:59 PM

When I saw this thread, I thought it was ironic as I had just posted a similar topic on my blog. I had a horror story to share regarding backups

I lost books that I had written.

yes BOOKS..multiple.

The poor world. Think of the loss! hahahaha

If you get a chance, take a peak at it. http://maureenamiller.blogspot.com/

03-30-2010, 10:24 PM	#1
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,895 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	How many backups do you have? We all have a number of ebooks, and worry about providers going out of business, ereaders failing, computer crashes. So how many backups do you have? I am up to nine. I have three computers (laptop, netbook, desktop, in that order of use) and I have my ebooks in Calibre on each machine. I also back-up each computer. I also have my library in dropbox, so that makes 7. I also backup to an SD card, and backup just the library on a portable hard drive. Now that I have listed all of this, it sounds kind of excessive. How about you? How many backups do you have?

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03-30-2010, 10:50 PM	#2
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	I've had to re-create my computer from "new build" four times since mid-December. I have a single set of backups at the moment, but have been recently trying to come up with an organized backup schedule (including making a complete "image" of my computer so I don't have to start over from new the next time some d@mn worm makes it onto my computer!) So right now, my answer is one. But I expect that to change in the next month or so as I figure out my official backup schedule.

03-30-2010, 10:54 PM	#3
Katti's Cat Wizard Posts: 2,259 Karma: 175640 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane Australia Device: Sony PRS-600	I have the books on the reader, on my hard drive (twice, once as downloaded the other as Calibre backup). And I backup the lot on an external drive.

03-31-2010, 01:35 AM	#5
Marcy Guru Posts: 893 Karma: 950683 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kobo Libra2	I have the copy on my computer, a copy on my external hard drive and a cloud back-up. How much more do you need? If either my computer or my hard drive fails I have the other. If my house burns to the ground I have my cloud copy. If I wanted to be really secure I suppose I could cloud copy to two different locations. One of the many great things about ebooks is how small they are. My library of over 1300 books is only 1.1GB. -Marcy

03-31-2010, 05:38 AM	#7
carlobee Fanatic Posts: 535 Karma: 972 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: The new iPad	wow. that sure is a lot. i only have 3. My laptop, an external HDD and Dropbox.

03-31-2010, 06:11 AM	#8
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,839 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	I have daily, weekly and monthly backups going back three months on a network server in a datacentre which is itself backed up on another server in another datacentre. In addition all my data is synced between three different computers So I think you're doing just fine

03-31-2010, 06:49 AM	#9
Stitchawl Opsimath Posts: 12,344 Karma: 187123287 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand Device: Sony PRS-650, iPhone 5, Kobo Glo, Sony PRS-350, iPad, Samsung Galaxy	My entire book collection (as well as all my data, Calibre and Sony Library, all software, photos, music, etc., etc.,) is backed up onto two separate 1.5 terabyte external hard drives that are always connected to my main computer and synced weekly. Then I have another 1.5 terabyte external that gets connected once a month to get an updated sync. "I promise I'll never go hungry again" ... nor lose important stuff! Stitchawl

03-31-2010, 07:28 AM	#10
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	1) Dropbox folder on my computer 2) 'In the cloud' backup to Dropbox of the folder 3) Once a week, backup of same to USB key on my keychain 4) Backup to disk drive using time machine when I remember I don't create many 'documents' at home so my ebooks are the one thing which would take me the longest to restore to a satisfactory level in case of computer accident. I could re-download most of them from the vendors, but it would take a long time to put back the cover art, tags etc. and to liberate again those books which need liberation.

03-31-2010, 07:49 AM	#11
GhostHawk Data Privateer! Posts: 586 Karma: 62887 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fargo ND Device: Ectaco Jetbook& Jetbook Lite	I have the majority of my collection burned to DVD (2 copys) a copy on my computer, another on a 16gig SD card, and 2 more 4 gig sd cards, one in my wifes Jetbook, and one in my Jetbook lite. (Just switched to the light last week.) I have a lot of unsorted, uncoverted Data which has been liberated, with a lot of duplications, both in books and in folders. (ie Stephen King, King, Steven, King S, etc) Its a long slow process sorting it all out. As it gets sorted, file names fixed, etc it gets added to my master backup which is sorted by Genre. So I have 6 backups.

03-31-2010, 09:14 AM	#12
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	I have my eReader devices, my Calibre database and my computer gets backed up to Mozy.com daily...

03-31-2010, 12:06 PM	#13
rcuadro Wizard Posts: 1,686 Karma: 874275 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Device: Kindle DX	All I have is the library in Calibre on my iMac and a back up on an extrernal drive using Time Machine.

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03-31-2010, 12:20 PM	#14
DawnFalcon Banned Posts: 2,094 Karma: 2682 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: N/A	Let's see... I have my "active data" mirrored daily between two hard disks on my PC. Then there's the weekly copy to a hard disk in a USB bay attached to my router, and the monthly backup of important changed files onto DVD-R. Plus the "deep storage" on hard disks of older stuff for archive, which I do every year or so onto two hard disks (I have a stack of 20GB hard disks I use for this, heh). I've also been known to keep a copy of a lot of the important stuff on the laptop, and there's a bunch of irreplaceable stuff which I update every year or so on DVD-R which is held for me at my parents house. And quite a bit of my work is stored online on wiki's anyway, which come with backups.. (ASUS WL500g. They're nifty.)

03-31-2010, 06:59 PM	#15
MaMiller Author Posts: 179 Karma: 300002 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: North Carolina Device: none	When I saw this thread, I thought it was ironic as I had just posted a similar topic on my blog. I had a horror story to share regarding backups I lost books that I had written. yes BOOKS..multiple. The poor world. Think of the loss! hahahaha If you get a chance, take a peak at it. http://maureenamiller.blogspot.com/