
Ask HN: What backup software do you install for your parents / non-techies? - lucb1e
I can&#x27;t seem to find anything that &quot;just works&quot;, specifically for my mom and grandma. Software requirements are simple: easy enough that they can use it after I set it up, and incremental such that the computer doesn&#x27;t have to have special power-on hours for it to run a complete backup.<p>For example, telling them to copy the Documents and Pictures folders and pasting them on an external drive is a no-go, as it would take many hours every time. Telling them to copy only new files to the drive seems error-prone and annoying, and I additionally don&#x27;t think I could explain that to my grandma. Leaving the drive permanently connected isn&#x27;t really an option with laptops, and is a cryptolocker risk (I wouldn&#x27;t be surprised if they click on a cryptolocker sooner or later). Not to mention the risk of fire.<p>If there is good software, an external drive is a reasonable compromise and a cheap option. The software I found for local backups typically requires more than a single click, and many hard-code the drive letter (which is variable). I also found that my mom plugged in the backup drive exactly zero times over the course of half a year.<p>For online backup, I would like it to be properly encrypted (I&#x27;ll manage the key: if I get hit by a bus, they still have the original data). Trying Backblaze, the backup gets stuck on a random picture. Asking support, they say it might be a read lock, which is plausible, but c&#x27;mon, Windows and indefinite read locks exist since forever, it should not break the backup completely. I guess I&#x27;ll implement support&#x27;s solution (ask mom to reboot) and pay for a month while continuing to monitor it...<p>Cygwin and rsync (or restic or so) is possible, but requires me to run a server with ~500GB of free space. Scripting it so they only have to click an icon isn&#x27;t a big deal, but rolling my own seems error-prone, and surely there exists a solution that someone without a unix neck beard can understand?!<p>What do you use for your loved ones?
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giardini
I recently set up a friend's new Windows PC with both Acronis online backup
service and Acronis TrueImage local backup (to a local USB drive). If one
fails the other is there.

I chose Acronis b/c I had installed a local version years ago on his old PC
and it ran flawlessly. When I updated to the new version of Acronis it found
the old backup files with no problems. The software just works.

Whenever I visit I check his local backup drive status. Sometimes the USB
drive light is turned off and I remind him to keep it on and check again
before leaving (it immediately initiates a delayed backup). He gets emails
notifying him when Acronis remote backups are completed.

Hope that's enough!8-))

I'm an old-fashioned UNIX/Linux text-based person, so my storage requirements
are satisfied by a relatively small USB drive. Everything I need backed up is
on the desktop. Backup takes only a few minutes. Vita brevis, carpe diem.

~~~
lucb1e
Acronis does online backup these days?

And they have client-side encryption? [https://www.acronis.com/en-
us/support/documentation/AcronisB...](https://www.acronis.com/en-
us/support/documentation/AcronisBackup_12.5/index.html#37608.html)

And it costs $5.83/month for 500GB (not super cheap, but the 500GB offer is
still doable)? [https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-
backup/#buy](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/#buy)

Neat. I'll definitely be checking this out, thanks a bunch!

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jamesholden
I feel that something like backblaze personal backup is a good option. It's
great if they have some local backup drive for this additionally (3-2-1), but
it's pretty bulletproof to have unlimited online backup storage for your
parent's home PC. From accidentally deleting a file, to a house fire..
everything is backed up outside the home. Just have it back up from the time
they go to bed normally, and the time they wake up, and they won't need to do
anything or worry about it. Plus, it's affordable af for what it is. My 2
cents.

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dddddaviddddd
For local backups, Time Machine on macOS. Very easy to use recovery features,
everything integrated into the OS.

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rvz
iCloud. - Why?

* No Installation.

* Cross-Platform (iDevice, Mac, PC, Linux).

* Encrypted.

* Simple enough for any person to use without handholding.

~~~
lucb1e
Wait, iCloud works on non-macOS/iOS? I didn't know that, that's good to know
(Apple would be the first company I consider using despite not having client-
side encryption: they seem likely to actively thwart dragnet surveillance).

Still, do they do anything that Dropbox/GDrive/OneDrive/etc. don't, like, does
it actually do backups, or is it just another folder on your computer that my
mom would have to drag new files into (similar to the external hard drive
problem I described in the question)? The only place "backup" is mentioned on
apple.com/icloud is with a screenshot of an iOS setting to back your device
up. Which would be perfect, iff she used macOS.

