Cloud Storage - Is it worth it


Cloud storage is supposed to be encrypted.
As I've already mentioned, I use OneDrive, and love it. And hardly anything is sensitive material.
My biggest uploads are my FLAC music for backups.

If you're concerned about storing stuff in the cloud because it's on someone else's computer, then I'd be more concerned about password managers like LastPass. You're storing all your passwords on someone else's computer. I predict a security breach one day. That's why I use Enpass.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Stigg's Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-10900X
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE X299X DESIGNARE 10G
    Memory
    Corsair 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) CMW64GX4M4C3000C15 Vengeance RGB Pro 3000Mhz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1660 Super Mini ITX 6 GB OC
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 27" FHD LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor (LS27F350FHEXXY)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Pro Series 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
    Western Digital Red Pro WD8003FFBX-68B9AN0 8 TB, 7200 RPM, SATA-III
    Western Digital Red Pro WD8003FFBX-68B9AN0 8 TB, 7200 RPM, SATA-III
    PSU
    Corsair HX1200 1200W 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 Black Solid Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
    Keyboard
    Razer Ornata V2
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    Razer DeathAdder Essential
    Internet Speed
    FTTN 100Mbps / 40Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    N/A
    Other Info
    Logitech BRIO 4k Ultra HD USB-C Webcam
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M GM501GS
    CPU
    Core i7-8750H
    Motherboard
    Zephyrus M GM501GS
    Memory
    SK Hynix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) HMA82GS6CJR8N-VK 16 GB DDR4-2666 DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC294
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AU Optronics B156HAN07.1 [15.6" LCD]
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung MZVKW512HMJP-00000 512 GB, PCI-E 3.0 x4
    Samsung SSD 860 QVO 4TB 4 TB, SATA-III
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    N/A
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder Essential
    Keyboard
    PC/AT Enhanced PS2 Keyboard (101/102-Key)
    Internet Speed
    FTTN 100Mbps / 40Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    N/A
    Other Info
    USB2.0 HD UVC Webcam
My opinion is...use an external hard drive. When using a "cloud" service you are putting your files/data on someone else's computer. Then you "they" can do what they want with them. If they go out of business, who do you think the files belong too? I bet there is a user agreement form that you just said ok to (where all guilty of this) that will tell you that your files now belong to them. Umm.

I do use onedrive but only for things I really don't care about...but nothing important.

Just my .2 cents. Hope this helps.
In order to ensure privacy you can encrypt your files that are backed up in the cloud. As regards a service provider going out of business, if Microsoft goes out of business then there will be much more to worry about on a global scale than just one's backups.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 OS Build 22621.675
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 5482 2-in-1
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-8565U
    Memory
    8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps/300Mbps (nominal)
    Browser
    Chrome, Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Defender UI, Voodooshield
For crying out loud - OP has 1 TB of cloud space (as do I) from UKs premier ISP.

There is no flipping reason at all why she should not use it to backup things like Reflecr backups WHICH are obviously on backup drives in the first place

The ONLY important point is that CRITICAL data should be backed up in two places.

All these replies are just confusing the poor girl. Read her original post and it is obvious she is just unsure HOW to use storage she ALREADY has.

Most responses here just people not relevant to her needs.

So OP - it is fine to use BT Cloud and all you need to do is develop a suitable backup strategy that suits you.

Here is mine as an example but everybody is different.

I store data on a seprate drive to OS.

I store critical data (data I cannot lose) on an external hard drives and cloud. The critical data is aitomatically synced - cloud is great for this.

I store important data e.g. Reflect Backups on an external drive but every so often e.g. once a month I also upload one to the cloud as a fall back position accepting it might be a few weeks out of date.

Less important/critical data gets backed up perodically to external drive.

Finally Disposable data never gets backed up e.g. videos I can redownload from BBC.

So using cloud is fine but can be a valuable part of your backup strategy.

Onething a lot of users here forget to mention is you can use cloud anywhere. You may not want to carry your external drives everywhere.

So don"t let all the negativists scare you off. Develop a backup strategy that suits you and use the Cloud in a way that suits you.

In simple terms, do not put all you eggs in one basket.

PS re. encryption - that is a personal choice but some do exaggerate risk somewhat.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Onething a lot of users here forget to mention is you can use cloud anywhere.
More than one thing actually, everyone seems to be comparing 1TB local vs 1TB cloud, it does not work like that.
For starters, if a local disk dies, that is it, files are gone. Cloud is backed up multiple times, including file versioning.
People say not to rely on one backup, true, but you can use multiple cloud backups, like gdrive, onedrive, icedrive.
As for the price, if you get a good deal, it pays off, like a lifetime cloud, realistically 10-20 years, but it is worth it.
In order to ensure privacy you can encrypt your files that are backed up in the cloud.
Lets not forget encrypting file names as well, cloud providers are known to prohibit files even based on the name/hash.
Is it worth spending time uploading to a cloud service and indeed is there a limit imposed on the maximum size of files.
Some impose limits, but they usually do not brag about it, because that is pretty decisive factor for users
Onedrive has increased the limit to 250GB, icedrive has no limit, gdrive has 5TB, but 750GB daily bandwidth.
Also remember that many cloud storage services/software are SYNCHING services, not backup. Many a user has been bitten by deleting files off their device because they're already "in the cloud", only to find auto synching has also subsequently deleted the files from the cloud storage to match the device ... Now, I wonder why I immediately think of OneDrive ...?:grrr:
I know this one very well, I relied on onedrive too much. I had older backups, but several days of work was gone.
A 320GB file is huge and would take ages to upload. Just a minor glitch and upload will fail.
That is not a problem with reliable providers, you can easily pause and resume.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 & No fTPM (07/19)
    Motherboard
    MSI B450 TOMAHAWK 7C02v1E & IFX TPM (07/19)
    Memory
    4x 8GB ADATA XPG GAMMIX D10 DDR4 3200MHz CL16
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon RX 580 ARMOR 8G OC @48FPS (08/19)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z (11/16)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" AOC G2460VQ6 (01/19)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@75Hz & FreeSync (DisplayPort)
    Hard Drives
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro SSD 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic M12II-520 80 Plus Bronze (11/16)
    Case
    Lian Li PC-7NB & 3x Noctua NF-S12A FLX@700rpm (11/16)
    Cooling
    CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12S@700rpm (07/19)
    Keyboard
    HP Wired Desktop 320K + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
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    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    400/40 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge (No FB/Google) & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NoAV & Binisoft WFC & NextDNS
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
When I started reading your reply cerebus I had the feeling of singing from the same hymn sheet as yourself. As I said in my initial post, I have several copies of my backups in the hope that should the worst happen at least one of them will survive. True, I don't have different medias but I'm happy with having so many copies using the same media.

Like you I try to keep my OS drive purely for my OS - literally everything that CAN be put on another drive is PUT on another drive. Nevertheless, I ALWAYS backup my OS drive on a weekly basis. I also have another four partitions I backup every week comprising Programs, Data, Audio and Source Files/Misc Info (a drive used purely to store my source files as well as text files explaining how I've overcome problems etc. and various other misc files).

I first backup everything (including drivers, Firefox and Thunderbird Profiles, Mailwasher and Chrome User Files) to one internal drive and then use a script to copy them to three external drives each containing a 1TB SSD. I also use a similar process to backup my husband's PC and our spare PC. One of the drives contains all our latest backups and the other two also have backups of at least the previous three weeks which has occasionally paid off.

Well I've gone into a fair bit of detail about my current backup strategy and I'm thinking about how it may be improved, if indeed it needs improvement.

Incidentally, what threw me about IE was that it was written in uppercase! I've always written it in lowercase and never at the end of a sentence and yes, I've also understood it to mean 'that is' not 'for example'. I had no idea what OP meant - but I do now, thank you very much.

Again, thanks to all who have taken the trouble to respond - it seems to have really opened a can of worms.

Tracey
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11 (dual boot)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 3600
    Motherboard
    MSI MAG B550M Mortar mATX
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 2x16GB 3200MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX1050Ti Mini
    Sound Card
    RTL ALC1200 7.1 HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer QG271 27" + Acer G276HLA 27"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (x2)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 NVMe 250GB (x2)
    Sandisk SSD 240GB; WD Blue HD 3TB
    WD MyBook 3TB Ext
    PSU
    Corsair CX550M 550W
    Case
    Fractal Design Define C Mini
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H80i v2 AIO
    Keyboard
    Logitech K520 (wireless)
    Mouse
    Logitech M310 (wireless) & M110 (wired)
    Internet Speed
    Approx 35-36Mbs
    Browser
    Firefox (main) & Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & MS Defender
    Other Info
    Printers: CutePDF, Epson ET-2500 AIO
    Wacom Tablet CTL-4100 (small)
    Canon 110 Scanner
If you're concerned about storing stuff in the cloud because it's on someone else's computer, then I'd be more concerned about password managers like LastPass. You're storing all your passwords on someone else's computer. I predict a security breach one day
But if you do some research on how tools like LastPass work, you may be less concerned about the technology. Your passwords are stored as a hash within your LastPass account. This is the reason that you screwed if you manage to forget your master password because there isn't a way for LastPass to decrypt your hashes with any information they have stored on their systems.

Your passwords are encrypted and decrypted directly on your PC using AES-256 encryption before syncing over TLS to LastPass.. Your master password as well as the keys used to encrypt and decrypt your data are not sent to LastPass, they stay on your local device.

I think tools like LastPass are far better than just using the same username and password on every website out there. This is almost a guaranteed exploit waiting to happen.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
Again, thanks to all who have taken the trouble to respond - it seems to have really opened a can of worms.

Tracey
Anything having to do with the use of the cloud is a can of worms. Some use it, some don't . Some trust it, some never will. Coke or Pepsi, Chevy or Ford, etc.

The cloud is here to stay for the forseeable future. Whether you choose to use it, is up to you. But business's will continue to use it. Lot's of people use it without really even thinking about it. For example, how many people use gmail for their email? That's all in the cloud. I never am concerned with logging in that all of my email is going to be gone. I use an Android phone and all of my contacts are in the cloud. And I use Google Chrome and all of my bookmarks and such are stored in the cloud. I never feel a need to back them up locally.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
Everything I have is in CLOUD/One Drive, with 3 laptops being sync'd. Same files/information are on a Flash Drive. I uipdate the Flash Drive accordingly. End of my simple saving/storing info, for..........regular home use, that is.

I have no qualms over One Drive storage, for my valuables or keep sake. But as others have said, there are others too, perhaps with mo. / yearly charges, for example.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Home, 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pravilion 15t-eg000 [2022]
    CPU
    Intel 11th Gen, i5-1135G7
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtech
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" BrightView Touch Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1980X1080
    Hard Drives
    512 SSD
    Case
    Silver Plastic
    Keyboard
    Backlit
    Mouse
    Logitech G602
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps - AT&T
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge + Bing
    Antivirus
    MS Security/Defender
    Other Info
    Canon TR-8520
    JBL Headphone E45BT
    Sony DVD Player/Writer
Ask if BT has an option to mail your initial 320 GB backup file in a hard drive for them to upload to your account. Also ask if they have block level backup; only sync what has changed.

Austin City Limits (the American PBS music show) had 40 TB of videotapes to upload to Backblaze B2 storage; Backblaze sent them a portable RAID array for them to ship back with their archival data.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    macOS Monterey
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple
    CPU
    Core i7 2.2 GHz (I7-5650U)
    Motherboard
    MacBook Air 2017 BTO
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD Graphics 6000
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    128 GB SSD (PCIe 2.0 x4)
    Case
    Unibody aluminum
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 21H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    i3-3240
    Motherboard
    Optiplex 7010
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP EliteDisplay E210
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 900
    Hard Drives
    Kingston A400 240 GB SSD
    Toshiba 2 TB HDD
    PSU
    650 W
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium
@TraceyW

IE - is another way of saying "For Example" so it would read "buying storage for example HDD drives for backup"

OP - means "Original Poster" so it would read "Original Poster" has 1TB of cloud storage as part of ISP contract"
I.e. means "that is". E.g. means "for example". Just saying. ;-)
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Beta
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900X
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG X570S Edge Max WiFi
    Memory
    Patriot Viper Gaming DDR4 Extreme Performance (2 x32MB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ZOTAC RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC 12GB GDDR6/ ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6GB GDDR6 192-bit Gaming Graphics Card
    Sound Card
    Proprietary
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic XG2530 25"/Benq XL2411P 24"/ ASUS VA24DQSB) 23.8"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 240Hz/144Hz/60Hz (based on monitor setup above)
    Hard Drives
    SK hynix Gold P31 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen3 M.2 2280 Internal SSD
    ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart 700W 80+ White Certified PSU
    Case
    Rosewill ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case, Gaming Case with Blue LED for Desktop
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H60i RGB PRO XT Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    ~950Mb/s upload/ ~700Mb/s download
    Browser
    Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Norton 360
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    MSI B550 Gaming GEN3 Gaming Motherboard
    Memory
    32MB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    I forget, but it's old. I can't see the need to upgrade it.
    Sound Card
    Propietary
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER LED 24"
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung SSD 3.5"
    Case
    Corsair
    Cooling
    Stock
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    ~750Mb/s download / ~750Mb/s upload
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender and Malware Bytes
I have a modest amount of data, including my photos. I cull photos ruthlessly and my personal data after many years is still less than 400GB. My SSD is 1TB and I keep all my data and photos in my local OneDrive folder. I have it set to stay in sync with my 1TB cloud OneDrive in real-time.

I also do 2 additional local backups including Windows File History. It's very important for me to have one off-site backup. I love it when I get a new computer and all I have to do is log into Windows and all my data and photos are instantly there!

Even though OneDrive is built into the Operating System, I'm always amazed with the number of Microsoft Windows users that are clueless about how Microsoft OneDrive actually works.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
I have a modest amount of data, including my photos. I cull photos ruthlessly and my personal data after many years is still less than 400GB.
That's me. All my saved data from my first days into PCs (1998 to now) is less than 12TB, but that includes my photo files (RAW & tiff), and digital music collection. Yeah, I have my "just in case" stuff, but it's predicated on a timeline - after certain amount of time it's gone.

Even though OneDrive is built into the Operating System, I'm always amazed with the number of Microsoft Windows users that are clueless about how Microsoft OneDrive actually works.
Yeah, especially from some of the "I've been working in IT since 1969" experts. And when you hear some of the stories/reasons, you're left with... "what???" o_O as you look to that of your experience along with others who use OneDrive without issue.

For me, OneDrive is such an essential part of how I manage and access certain files it's now a top 3 must have app.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.3296)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon VII
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242w (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i RGB Platinum
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Win 10 Pro 22H2 (build 19045.2130)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-7700K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z270X-GAMING 8
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum (3333Mhz)
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R9 Fury
    Sound Card
    Onboard (Creative Sound Blaster certified ZxRi)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2415 (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    3 Samsung SSD drives: 1x 512gig 950 NVMe drive (OS drive), 1 x 512gig 850 Pro, 1x 256gig 840 Pro.
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova 1000 P2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Phantek Enthoo Luxe
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 710
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    This is my backup system.
Hi there
These days often data is more valuable than the hardware so backing it up snsibly is of course necessary. Cloud is also convenient for data when you don't want to carry around extra devices etc. Any of the major cloud providers e.g Ms,Google, (Cr)-apple etc are decently robust, reliable and safe. Cost isn't too much either - especially for storage < 1TB.

However 2 caveats - Don't store sensitive / personal data on it, and 2) if you like certain nameless topics which might make you a "person of interest" then don't store that material in the cloud either.

Keep also your cloud data backed up on an external data source too.

One nightmare for I.T admins though - these days work computers can be secured against people using "un-authorized" usb devices etc and preventing copying of files from "authorised devices" to their own ones (so possibly copying / stealing company data etc) it's much harder to prevent this when users have access to internet and hence their cloud servers.

If used sensibly it's a great addition to modern I.T as in combination with decent internet - a great tool.

I agree about some "Old Timers" -- they are often still thinking about "Character based terminals and emails like the universally hated IBM PROFS system, are often clueless about Virtual Machines, and still recommending 1990's type of security and backup solutions/ However there are some youngsters too who are just as bad while theres a huge number of both young and old who are perfectly competant -- as these forums clearly show.

Cheers
jimbo
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
I have 0.8Mbs upload and I find cloud storage rather a pain with that. My "massive" 3.5 Mbs down is better but all in all it's not worth it except for v. small files.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 22635.3286
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B550M DS3H
    Memory
    16 Gb DDR4 3200 Corsaire Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    On CPU: Radeon Vega 7
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2312HM + Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 Dell U2412M 1920x1080 Dell U2312HM
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT250P2SSD8 System; Sandisk SDSSDA240G Apps; Seagate 2Tb HDD Data
    PSU
    Corsair Bronze 550W
    Case
    No idea, got it from my son
    Cooling
    standard
    Keyboard
    Aukey KM-G12
    Mouse
    Micrsoft bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    3.7 Mbs
    Browser
    Brave / Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows / Malwarebytes
I have 0.8Mbs upload and I find cloud storage rather a pain with that. My "massive" 3.5 Mbs down is better but all in all it's not worth it except for v. small files.
That's fine for those with slow internet but these days a lot (and increasing number) are getting Internet speeds of up to 1 Tbs and even higher so a different scenario. It's like saying an Electric saw is worse than a hand one if you don't have any electrical power.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
I have 0.8Mbs upload and I find cloud storage rather a pain with that. My "massive" 3.5 Mbs down is better but all in all it's not worth it except for v. small files.

Ouch! That's indeed painful! I'm fortunate to have 700Mbps down and 24Mbps up, making OneDrive a joy to use.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
I have 0.8Mbs upload and I find cloud storage rather a pain with that. My "massive" 3.5 Mbs down is better but all in all it's not worth it except for v. small files.
Surprised at that - I visit France a lot (have a place in Hendaye near Spanish border not far from San Sebastian) and Internet seems decent there and reasonably priced too.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
Surprised at that - I visit France a lot (have a place in Hendaye near Spanish border not far from San Sebastian) and Internet seems decent there and reasonably priced too.

Cheers
jimbo
Not here, we're out in the sticks and there's fibre to the nearest exchange - about 3.5 kilometres- and despite promises there's no sign of it getting to the village although another village 2 kilometres away has fibre and 800 Mbs download. My 3.5 costs €25 a month.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 22635.3286
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B550M DS3H
    Memory
    16 Gb DDR4 3200 Corsaire Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    On CPU: Radeon Vega 7
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2312HM + Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 Dell U2412M 1920x1080 Dell U2312HM
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT250P2SSD8 System; Sandisk SDSSDA240G Apps; Seagate 2Tb HDD Data
    PSU
    Corsair Bronze 550W
    Case
    No idea, got it from my son
    Cooling
    standard
    Keyboard
    Aukey KM-G12
    Mouse
    Micrsoft bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    3.7 Mbs
    Browser
    Brave / Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows / Malwarebytes
Not here, we're out in the sticks and there's fibre to the nearest exchange - about 3.5 kilometres- and despite promises there's no sign of it getting to the village although another village 2 kilometres away has fibre and 800 Mbs download. My 3.5 costs €25 a month.
Hi there
another suggestion -- might be cheaper if you've got a 5G phone and a decent tariff -- then set yourself up an access point. 5G can be lightning fast too. (Even 4G would be a lot better than that 3.5 download !!!! )-- how on earth can you watch Netflix etc with that type of connection. !!!!

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
Hi there
another suggestion -- might be cheaper if you've got a 5G phone and a decent tariff -- then set yourself up an access point. 5G can be lightning fast too. (Even 4G would be a lot better than that 3.5 download !!!! )-- how on earth can you watch Netflix etc with that type of connection. !!!!

Cheers
jimbo
Mostly 3G and we're on the edge of a dead zone so there's often no signal in the house (stone walls) there's certainly no 5G here it's proper rural living. I can get prime movies with (usually) no buffering problems and YouTube works fine. Obviously not talking 4K here often not HD - that's for really good days!!! :-D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 22635.3286
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B550M DS3H
    Memory
    16 Gb DDR4 3200 Corsaire Vengeance
    Graphics Card(s)
    On CPU: Radeon Vega 7
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2312HM + Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 Dell U2412M 1920x1080 Dell U2312HM
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT250P2SSD8 System; Sandisk SDSSDA240G Apps; Seagate 2Tb HDD Data
    PSU
    Corsair Bronze 550W
    Case
    No idea, got it from my son
    Cooling
    standard
    Keyboard
    Aukey KM-G12
    Mouse
    Micrsoft bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    3.7 Mbs
    Browser
    Brave / Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows / Malwarebytes

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