10+ years of collecting mp3s down the drain?

No, it did not happen. I did not loose all of my 80+ GB of mp3 files I have collected in about 10 years. However, the though of this occurring is always on my mind. I am taking precautions at this time in case of a disk failure, but I need one more level of security.

Currently, I have two copies of all my digital music files in two separate Western Digital USB external hard disks. One is always connected and the 2nd disk is only connected when backing up the files from the 1st disk. I usually create a complete backup about once a month. The process of backing up the files from disk #1 to disk #2 takes about 2 hours and is not one of my favorite things to do.

I realize that my current backup system is good, but not optimal. I still run the risk of having both disks failed, having both disks stolen, or both disks damaged. The only way I can finally have a peace-of-mind is to have a complete backup somewhere outside of my house – an online backup service. There are only two requirements that an online service must have for me to even concider them: unlimited storage (or at least a few hundred GB) and relatively cheap. A quick Google search landed me into this company: Carbonite. For $49.95 a year I can store an unlimited number of files for online backups. I just have a few questions about this service: I wonder how much time it will take to upload all of my files? would this online system be ’smart’ enough to only grab the new files from my disk rather than do a complete backup each time? I will sign up for the demo and log my experiences here in the coming weeks.