No, not reverse, but backing up your work, database, hard drive, etcetera.
This is what I do, in terms of my backups, ie saving a copy of my WIP folder, my download folder, and other files I want to keep safe.
- I burn the folder onto a CD-R once a week.
- I upload the folder to the ‘net, using my FTP program to sync it, twice a month, more often if I have been busy
- I download it from the net to the desktop’s second hard drive, using the FTP program to sync it again, each time I upload from the laptop.
Burning the CD is easy enough. I just do the drag and drop, not a special program. My computer came with Roxio and another burning program but I gave up on them early on.
I use WS_FTP Pro as my FTP program. The program has a simple upload program available in the right click menu. I can upload files without opening the full program. It can only only upload to one folder at a time, but it can upload many files at once. I use this to upload images and important files I want to backup immediately. The sync part of the software is excellent. I can even save the instructions and just open it to automatically do the sync later.
The directory I upload my backups to is password protected. Even if I told you the name of the directory, you couldn’t view it unless you are a cracker.
My WIP file, the folder that holds umpteen other folders and files, has all of my writing documents in it. Currently it is 94.8MB, which includes 14 subfolders, ranging from half a meg to over 20M. So you can easily see how important that main folder is to me.
My download folder is where I drop all of my downloads, such as game demos, upgrades and the files from my mySQL database. It is just under a gigabyte in size, which is why I had to take it off my laptop and keep it in cyberspace.
I also upload all of my graphic files, again, taking them off my laptop which has ‘only’ a 20G hard drive. The WIP folder is the only one I keep complete on the laptop.
I was hesitant to put my stuff, especially my writings, on the ‘net. I am paranoid when it comes to the cyberspace. Everyone out there is just waiting to get their browser pointed toward that hidden directory, putting my information on the Republican watch list and… okay, where was I?
Yes, I was hesitant. But I did it. I also protected my assets by then crossing the room and downloading it again onto the desktop. This enables me to keep two copies of everything, one of which can be deleted with no regrets.
Why don’t I just use the home network to just transfer it? Because it is slower than molasses in winter. Yes, I know that I am moving the same data twice, which takes a while just because the universe is that way, but my short attention span likes the shorter response time.
More later so stay tuned.
