How do you backup? (Windows)

Hi,

I am soon getting a new computer (PC) and I am wondering how to best backup in 2024.

I can either use 2 external hard drives or a NAS. And at least one extra disk to store at a friend's house in case of disaster.
Maybe also have another Non-SSD disk as a backup inside the PC (which will probably get 1 SSD with 1TB for Windows and another 4 or 6TB SSD-Sata disk for the photos)
I will probably also sync to Google Drive.

What is a good software to sync files (without copying everything) to external disks and a cloud store like Google  Drive.

There are tons of websites and videos but many seem to be made by the companies behind the software, so I'd rather here from other photographers what a sound backup strategy in 2024 using a Windows 11 machine would be.

Thanks

Markus

For data, Two 5 drive NAS units that are accessible anywhere in the world as long as I have WiFi or a cell phone signal plus an external drive that goes into a fire safe when I travel. For the system NVME, I have a mirrored NVME on the motherboard. I keep a copy of my Windows install keys on my phone.

I’m in a similar boat with my backups. Here’s what I do:

1. External Hard Drives: I use two—one at home and one stashed at a friend’s place. It’s a solid way to ensure you have a backup in case of a disaster.
2. NAS: I’ve got a NAS for my main backups. It’s super convenient for managing everything in one spot and can also sync with Google Drive.
For software, I’ve found SyncBack to be pretty reliable for syncing files without duplicating everything. It’s straightforward and does the job well.

Having a secondary internal drive in the PC is smart. It’s an extra layer of protection for your files.

quick update.

I now have my new machine with 2 external hdd disks and I am also backing up to Google Drive.
I may get a NAS later and I will also add another external drive to store it somewhere else and maybe get a 2nd cloud storage provider.

For backup to my external disc, I use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). I installed it, created a Linux user and installed rsync on the Linux system.
The drives are already mounted in the Linux filesystem, so I create a very simple shell script with the rsync command to backup to the external discs (only copying or deleting what has changed).
That is a bit more "low-level" than a fancy Windows tool but so far it works great.
I know how to use Linux, but no expert knowledge is needed for this.
For me, WSL + rsync is a good solution so far.

Hi,

I copy all of my files to three external drives. One drive I use daily and it's next to my computer. The other backup is in my office. The third backup is stored offsite, 20 miles away. I backup all of my files on the first of each month. I don't use the backup feature on the computer as I've had problems accessing them after a computer crash, so I just do a straight copy and paste.

I have three generations of backups, which has come in handy several times.

If I take photos between backups, I will back them up onto the drive by my computer and a flash drive until I do my normal monthly backup.

Have Fun,
Jeff