My MacBook Pro (MBP) is backed up daily with SuperDuper! The schedule copies over only new files since the last backup. SuperDuper! makes the backup drive bootable. Thus if the MBP’s hardisk crashes, I just need to link the backup drive by firewire, bootup and carry on.
The largest contribution to new files are field trip photos and lecture presentations. So its quite important for my sanity that I don’t lose any data.
So I do respond when the alert appears at 9.30pm and link the external drive and click “copy now”.
The MBP’s onboard disk is 80GB. I usually use external 2.5″ Hitachi drives for backups and got an external 100GB drive in a robust USB2.0 Buffalo enclosure. When that got full, I got a 150GB disk in a Momobay enclosure. The shop didn’t have too many options and this had firewire400 which I still prefer to USB2.0.
Eventually there is a third back up onto the larger capacity 3.5″ drives linked to the labouring G4 Powermac in the office which has its own backup routine too.
With Mac’s Spotlight, I have been able to find what I need so far.
Otterman speaks... 