SOCIAL: A note for Mac users: Please Use Time Machine / Time Capsule
Brian Rice
brice at bigloops.com
Mon Mar 10 13:34:38 PDT 2008
Sadly, there's nothing for Windows that is as good as Time Machine. I
have been looking, and I'm still looking.
The reason why Time Machine is so awesome is that it solves two key
problems in a zero-setup, you-don't-have-to-remember-to-do-anything way:
1. What if you screw up a file or accidentally delete it?
2. What if your computer gets dropped on the floor or bathed in
Mountain Dew?
Now I'm about to do something peculiar for me: say something positive
about Windows Vista. (Shocking!) Vista comes with a solution to
problem #1 that is both zero-setup and you-don't-have-to-remember-to-
do-anything. Right-click on a file or folder and choose Properties.
One of the tabs on the resulting screen should be "Previous
Versions." This will show you previous versions of this file or
folder, from various times in the past. You can drag previous
versions of files out to your desktop.
Previous Versions is not perfect: it's only in Vista (yuck); it's
omitted from the cheapest versions of Vista (totally silly); you have
to have at least 300 MB of free space for it to work; and it's only
enabled by default if you refrained from doing some clever things at
system setup time. But if all those conditions are met, Previous
Versions is a great solution to the #1 problem above.
But Previous Versions will not help you if you physically harm your
computer.
Windows does have a feature (improved in Vista, but present in XP) for
backing up a computer to an external disk, but it's off by default,
and the backups run on a schedule. So if you set up your backups to
run at 3 a.m., and your computer is never turned on at 3 a.m., you
never get a backup.
There are non-Microsoft backup products for Windows, but all of them
require initial setup, and all of them have the philosophy of "pick a
time when you want your backup to run." That philosophy works fine
for servers, but it is totally the wrong idea for desktop and laptop
computers. Time Machine understands this, yay. It quietly copies
changed files to backup media all the time.
So my advice for Windows users is:
a. If you're on Vista, right-click on a folder, look at Properties,
and see whether Previous Versions is there. If it's not, figure out
why not.
b. Regardless of what flavor of Windows you're on, do something for
external backups: the Windows features, Acronis TrueImage, EMC
Retrospect, something. And make sure that your computer is actually
powered on at the time you chose for backups.
Brian
On Mar 10, 2008, at 11:25 AM, Jennie Day wrote:
> Amen, brotha! I’m a big fan of backing up, and it’s saved my butt a
> couple of times but…
>
> …I use two or three programs that are WINDOWS-ONLY!!! When-oh-when
> can I buy a Windows-enabled Time Machine???
>
> Jennie D
>
> From: social-bounces at lists.deeptrouble.com [mailto:social-bounces at lists.deeptrouble.com
> ] On Behalf Of Amandeep Jawa
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 11:18 AM
> To: Social Social; occ at deeptrouble.com
> Subject: SOCIAL: A note for Mac users: Please Use Time Machine /
> Time Capsule
>
> IF YOU USE A MAC, I HOPE YOU READ THIS. For those of you on
> Windows, ummmm..... good luck with that.
>
> ----------
>
> Hey folks -
>
> I *really* *really* want you to buy a Time Capsule or start using
> Time Machine. And I can get you a discount (15% off!). No, Apple
> doesn't need the money. No, I don't get a cut or even work on the
> Time Capsule team.
>
>
> I ask you to do this because I care about you. And specifically,
> because I know the horrors of data loss. Think of your iTunes
> library, or your iPhoto pictures or all those things you've written
> or all those emails that you want to save. Some day your hard drive
> will die. Or you'll drop your Mac. Or something else bad will
> happen. And on that day you will either say:
>
> a) I'm glad 'Deep made me buy a Time Capsule.
> b) F$&^k, I wish I listened to 'Deep and bought a Time Capsule.
>
>
> So what am I talking about?
>
> - The new MacOS X Leopard has a feature called Time Machine. It is
> really cool "you never have to think about it after you turn it on"
> back up service that will automatically save your work, hourly,
> daily, and monthly. It also makes it super easy to retrieve things
> from the past and even kinda FUN to do so. All Time Machine needs
> to silently and constantly save-your-ass is an external hard drive
> (they're pretty cheap* these days) just plug it in to your Mac &
> turn on Time Machine & point it at the drive. Done. Ass saved.
>
> See the pretty pictures:
> http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/timemachine.html
>
>
> - If you use a laptop, like most of us, things get slightly more
> complicated because though you could use Time Machine and just
> remember to plug in a hard drive periodically so Time Machine could
> do it's thing, I know you won't. I know I won't. That is where
> Time Capsule comes in. Time Capsule is a new Apple WiFi (Airport)
> Base Station with a Big Hard Drive built in. It is designed to be
> used with Time Machine, but you never have to plug it in to your
> Mac. It will just work quietly in the background and wirelessly be
> saving your ass once an hour all the time. It is also a nice WiFi
> base station - so you can replace your older WiFi base station with
> the latest tech and better range all in one fell swoop. And, if you
> are a multiple Mac household, it will back up all your Macs - nice.
> Also the quality of the hard drive in a Time Capsule will probably
> make it much less prone to HD failure than a lot of drives that you
> would buy for yourself.
>
> More pretty pictures:
> http://www.apple.com/timecapsule/
>
> I can get you Leopard for 15% and a Time Capsule for 15% off. It is
> worth it. trust me.
>
> I really really hope some of you take me up on this. I honestly
> think this is important. Most of us have so much stuff that means
> so much to us on our computers. This is the best way to guard
> against the data loss that is inevitably coming. I hate to be a fear-
> monger. But hard drive loss/failure is honestly inevitable. I
> can't guarantee that you won't ever lose something from your
> computer, but with Time Machine / Time Capsule your risks are
> seriously reduced.
>
>
> Help me help you :-)
> 'deep
>
>
> * Hard drive are cheap in the literal sense - you can find them as
> low as $125 for 500 GB, but compared to the value of your data they
> are INSANELY cheap.
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------
> Amandeep Jawa
> ----------------------------------
> deep AT deeptrouble DOT com
> 937 Valencia St.
> San Francisco, CA 94110-2320
>
> Home: 415 255 6257 (ALL MALP)
>
> personal: http://www.deeptrouble.com
> political: http://www.sflcv.org
>
>
>
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