Looking for off site STORAGE

[pixeltaker]

Yes, I have an EXHD backup, yes, I have time machine.

I'm looking for an offsite online storage, NOT BACKUP. Everywhere I look, it seems after 30 days your files are deleted. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[MacInWin]

Dropbox, Cubby, OneDrive, plus a couple of dozen more. In fact, I don't know of one that deletes files unless you stop paying.

 

[pigoo3]

Here's 19 options to get you started:

Network World

Network World provides news and analysis of enterprise data center technologies, including networking, storage, servers and virtualization.

www.networkworld.com

- Nick

p.s. Probably some duplicates of what MacInWin posted.

 

[RadDave]

Yes, I have an EXHD backup, yes, I have time machine.

I'm looking for an offsite online storage, NOT BACKUP. Everywhere I look, it seems after 30 days your files are deleted. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hello - how much do you need to store (e.g. just personal files) & are you willing to pay? At the moment (and in addition to TM & CCC backups), I am using Carbonite on my wife's iMac as a third 'online' backup of her personal files (docs, pics, music, etc.) - but there are plenty of other choices - take a look at Best Cloud Storage Services - good luck and let us know your experience. Dave

ADDENDUM: Oops, Jake & Nick beat me to the draw!

 

[pixeltaker]

If you do not access your files in 30 days in Dropbox, they are deleted. I've experienced that. I do not know of anything of the others.

Dropbox, Cubby, OneDrive, plus a couple of dozen more. In fact, I don't know of one that deletes files unless you stop paying.

 

[pixeltaker]

Hello - how much do you need to store (e.g. just personal files) & are you willing to pay? At the moment (and in addition to TM & CCC backups), I am using Carbonite on my wife's iMac as a third 'online' backup of her personal files (docs, pics, music, etc.) - but there are plenty of other choices - take a look at this Best Cloud Storage Services of 10 online storage sites - good luck and let us know your experience. Dave


ADDENDUM: Oops, Jake & Nick beat me to the draw!

Carbonite also deletes files that are not accessed within 30 days. I called them and they verified this. I am willing to pay, which I do for Dropbox and Carbonite, but I want one that keeps my files until I delete them. I'll check out your link.

 

[pixeltaker]

FYI: "Copy" is discontinuing service as of May 1, but "Copy for Business" looks like it will continue.

 

[RadDave]

Carbonite also deletes files that are not accessed within 30 days. I called them and they verified this. I am willing to pay, which I do for Dropbox and Carbonite, but I want one that keeps my files until I delete them. I'll check out your link.

Well, the paid version of Carbonite does not delete files that have not been accessed w/i 30 days - would be a silly backup process; since in our 3 years of use, I've used the service to recover only several files that my wife seemed to have lost; so, not sure if you are talking about a 'free trial' and I'm a little befuddled that a Carbonite representative would have told you the statement quoted above.

Just to show my point, I opened our Carbonite account - the first image below are the number of our files on their servers (we'd probably have only a few hundred if a 30-day non-use policy was in place) - the files can be opened (arrow) - the second image is just a portion of her documents folder and I've marked just a few files dating back to 2013 & 2014 - the vast majority of her files have likely been 'untouched' since being on their servers. Hope this helps. Dave
.

 

[pixeltaker]

Well, the paid version of Carbonite does not delete files that have not been accessed w/i 30 days - would be a silly backup process; since in our 3 years of use, I've used the service to recover only several files that my wife seemed to have lost; so, not sure if you are talking about a 'free trial' and I'm a little befuddled that a Carbonite representative would have told you the statement quoted above.

Just to show my point, I opened our Carbonite account - the first image below are the number of our files on their servers (we'd probably have only a few hundred if a 30-day non-use policy was in place) - the files can be opened (arrow) - the second image is just a portion of her documents folder and I've marked just a few files dating back to 2013 & 2014 - the vast majority of her files have likely been 'untouched' since being on their servers. Hope this helps. Dave
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View attachment 24047 View attachment 24048

I have a paid site and when I called, they said they were deleted after 30 days with no access. I'll have to go back look again.

 

[pixeltaker]

I just went to my Carbonite site. There are files with a yellow triangle, which means they are backed up but not on my computer. It says I have seven days to restore them so that means they have to be back on my computer. Those files have either been deleted or moved. I still want them backed up, so that means I have to restore all of them to the computer then they will be backed up again.

Once I back up files, I want them to be offsite, no matter if I delete them or move them. That has been my problem. Storage should keep them forever whether they are on my computer of not.

 

[Gary Brackins]

I've been with Carbonite for many years which I use as an off-site backup service of files on my computer. I understand that if you delete a previously backed up file it will remain in your online backup for 30-days, after that it is deleted (unless you access it and put it back on your computer). As long as a file remains on your computer it remains in your backup. I have thousands upon thousands of files on my Carbonite online backup that have been there since my new hard drive in November 2015 that I have not accessed (because I have not modified them, or removed them from my computer). Carbonite is a backup service so if it doesn't exist on your computer then it is only saved for a 30-day period. Give them a call and ask.

If you want storage then I'd suggest DropBox. I use a combination of DropBox, OneDrive, GoogleDrive and iCloud to "store" files.

 

[pigoo3]

I have a paid site and when I called, they said they were deleted after 30 days with no access. I'll have to go back look again.

Why would a paid online storage service whose main point for existing is secure online storage of subscribers data...delete files after only 30 days?? This seems very illogical.

If it's true…then there has got to be some details missing of how this monthly subscription works…or some misunderstanding on the users end of how this service works.

In any case (if this is truly how this service works). Then it clearly seems to be not what you want (thus cancel this service)…and switch to a free or paid for service that does what you want. No need to keep "poking yourself in the eye with a sharp stick"…if this service does not do what you want.

- Nick

 

[Gary Brackins]

Carbonite is not a storage service, they are a backup service

 

[RadDave]

I just went to my Carbonite site. There are files with a yellow triangle, which means they are backed up but not on my computer. It says I have seven days to restore them so that means they have to be back on my computer. Those files have either been deleted or moved. I still want them backed up, so that means I have to restore all of them to the computer then they will be backed up again.

Once I back up files, I want them to be offsite, no matter if I delete them or move them. That has been my problem. Storage should keep them forever whether they are on my computer of not.

Hmmm - I agree completely that your 'deleted or moved' files should still be stored on the Carbonite servers if you want to obtain any later - believe that my wife had deleted some files which I was able to recover from the online backup but cannot remember what the timing may have been?

You probably need to talk w/ Carbonite tech support again to see why you are getting those 'yellow triangles' - I re-checked several of my wife's folders (docs & pics) and did not see any such symbols (but knowing her, she never 'cleans up' her files - ) - hopefully they can sort out the issue(s) for you - good luck and let us know your results. Dave

ADDENDUM: Well, there have been several posts before my response - maybe I don't completely understand our Carbonite service since I've not run into this 'yellow triangle' situation; OTOH, may my wife never deletes files -

 

[pixeltaker]

Carbonite is not a storage service, they are a backup service

Exactly!

 

[pixeltaker]

I've been with Carbonite for many years which I use as an off-site backup service of files on my computer. I understand that if you delete a previously backed up file it will remain in your online backup for 30-days, after that it is deleted (unless you access it and put it back on your computer). As long as a file remains on your computer it remains in your backup. I have thousands upon thousands of files on my Carbonite online backup that have been there since my new hard drive in November 2015 that I have not accessed (because I have not modified them, or removed them from my computer). Carbonite is a backup service so if it doesn't exist on your computer then it is only saved for a 30-day period. Give them a call and ask.

If you want storage then I'd suggest DropBox. I use a combination of DropBox, OneDrive, GoogleDrive and iCloud to "store" files.

Dropbox is the same way. My whole thought process is to STORE files offline so I can free up space on my Mac. I continually add photos on a weekly basis and the internal flash drive fills up quickly. (I have a 500gb flash drive.) I've even toyed with the idea of adding an additional flash drive (if that's possible with my MacBook Pro) or install a bigger one and have all my programs and files put on the new one. I do backup my time machine weekly (it's a 3 TB) and also put some on my 1 TB EXHD.

 

[MacInWin]

If you do not access your files in 30 days in Dropbox, they are deleted. I've experienced that. I do not know of anything of the others.

Well, I've got files there from 2012 and I just checked that it's still there, so they don't delete files after 30 days for me. Of course, I am a PAYING customer, so maybe it's different on the "free" side.

 

[MacInWin]

Ah, I think I see what the problem is. Dropbox is not a "store and forget" place, the way it is designed is to mirror what's on your local drive in the so-called Dropbox folder. So what you are doing is deleting the files from your local dropbox folder and 30 days later Dropbox deletes them? Yep, that's how it works. If you want to store somewhere and then delete, go get an external drive and move your photos there. Large externals are pretty cheap these days. If you want them in an external location but accessible to you from anywhere, look at the WD MyCloud drives, I've got one set up that way for me. It's a 3TB drive that is on my home network but it has an internet access so I can get to it from anywhere. If 3TB is not sufficient, I think it comes in 4TB as well, maybe larger.

 

[pixeltaker]

Ah, I think I see what the problem is. Dropbox is not a "store and forget" place, the way it is designed is to mirror what's on your local drive in the so-called Dropbox folder. So what you are doing is deleting the files from your local dropbox folder and 30 days later Dropbox deletes them? Yep, that's how it works. If you want to store somewhere and then delete, go get an external drive and move your photos there. Large externals are pretty cheap these days. If you want them in an external location but accessible to you from anywhere, look at the WD MyCloud drives, I've got one set up that way for me. It's a 3TB drive that is on my home network but it has an internet access so I can get to it from anywhere. If 3TB is not sufficient, I think it comes in 4TB as well, maybe larger.

I actually have two external hard drives. One I use for the Time Machine and the other one I use for storage to keep my internal flash drive from getting too full, but they are local and connected to my MacBook Pro. My ultimate goal is to have off site cloud storage that will keep my files forever even if I delete them or move them from my internal flash drive. I will look into WD MyCloud drives. Thank you for understanding what I'm wanting to do.

 

[pixeltaker]

Well, I've got files there from 2012 and I just checked that it's still there, so they don't delete files after 30 days for me. Of course, I am a PAYING customer, so maybe it's different on the "free" side.

I am a paying customer also. The files from 2012 must still be on your local hard drive. As MacInWin stated, when they are deleted from my local DropBox folder, in 30 days, they are deleted from the online DropBox. The ultimate goal is to free up storage on my local drive, but have them accessible through the cloud.