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Automatically Backup Code Files Online with Mozy

This is a guest article from laptopical.com, a great guide for all of your gadget and laptop top lists and best laptop buying guide.

Online hosts often backup their clients website(s). This, however, is for their benefit and not the benefit of the user; requesting that a host restore parts of the users website usually comes at a cost, as backups aren't a standard feature and aren't included in the monthly price.

When creating your code, whether for your own site or a client, backing up those files is imperative. Hard drive failure, theft, hijackers and trojans can all result in the loss of your data. Unfortunately, very few computer users--including those who work with computers on a daily basis--actually backup their data on a regular basis.

There are numerous ways to backup data--a simple external hard drive is the preferred choice for many. Some users email themselves a copy of their files to an online email account. Distributing files over several home computers seems to be most common. What happens when that external drive fails, however, or is stolen along with the laptop?

Online backups all but guarantee your data will be secure and safe when you need it, in addition to being available from any computer with Internet access. Mozy has quickly gained a fanbase as being a simple, reliable online storage site with one very popular feature-the ability to have files automatically backed up without any user interaction.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Register for an account on Mozy.com. There are two types of accounts: free and premium. The free account offers 2GB of storage, while the premium account is $5 a month.
2. Once registered, download the Mozy software and install it on your computer: there is a version available for Windows and Mac.

3. Start the program. At the top are several tabs, with the first one titled 'Backup Sets'. Within this tab are groupings of file types: "Photos and Images", "My Documents", etc. Double-clicking on the group will reveal all the files within those groupings. You can select a specific folder or individual files. If a grouping is too general for your needs, select the tab called "File Systems" and expand the tree to see individual folders.
4. The Options tab will allow you to choose the various options for backing up the files; what you choose will depend entirely on your needs. Set up the backup times.
5. There is a bar located at the bottom of the program that shows how much storage space you have used and how much you have left. Using this will show you if you're running low on storage space and need to upgrade. The Histories tab will display the list of backups run and time/date stamps, which you can print to log if needed.
6. Step 6: If you're in need of restoring backups, it is as simple as choosing the "Restore" tab and selecting the folders/files you would like to download. Choose a location to save them and choose to Restore.

And there you have it, a step by stpe guide to backing up your code with Mozy!

Editors note: A big thank you to Emma for taking the time to write and put together this article for Dev-Tips. Emma and Laptopical have been a long time supporter of Dev-Tips and other web development websites I am involved with and I would like to personally say thank you. It's companies and people like Emma who keep our websites running. If you have the time, check out their site!

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