Need Tech Advice

[saxitoxin]

I need to get a new laptop, however, I'm always concerned about losing it with all my data on it. I back everything up, and keep some stuff in Dropbox, but I don't want my stuff falling into the wrong hands. So I would like to start using an external hard drive for all non-program files and then just keep the external hard drive at home. However, my understanding is that a Flash drive is not safe for consistent and ongoing use repeatedly, daily, over time. IS THERE ANY SOLUTION?

[betiko]

have you tried to reboot your computer?

[saxitoxin]

have you tried to reboot your computer?

HAVE YOU TRIED TO REBOOT YOUR FACE

[betiko]

I would strongly advise you to reboot your computer. It could save you a lot of tech advice.
you're welcome! my two cents are dimes

[nietzsche]

Two flash drives, encrypted.

(Regular flash drives, encrypted with the encryption system of the OS you use)

If you use linux you wont be able to keep using dropbox though, as they discountinued their support for encrypted filesystems.

I encrypt my home folder in both linux and mac os, and use a flash drive for backup, also encrypted. The only drawback is i cant simply pass files frok one system to another, as they are different encryption systems, i need to open the file in its OS first and then use qnother unencrypted fat flash drive to move it to the other syatem.

[betiko]

why would you guys need to stock so much porn?
seriously, i don't understand why people like you save porn files.
just reboot your computer you weirdos. and don't download, just watch in streaming

[2dimes]

Quit being lazy. Write everything in a note book. You can't access your floppy disks from 1993. The life span of digital data is only a couple of decades. If they were looked after better we could put on our cotton gloves and read the dead sea scrolls.

[saxitoxin]

Two flash drives, encrypted.

(Regular flash drives, encrypted with the encryption system of the OS you use)

If you use linux you wont be able to keep using dropbox though, as they discountinued their support for encrypted filesystems.

I encrypt my home folder in both linux and mac os, and use a flash drive for backup, also encrypted. The only drawback is i cant simply pass files frok one system to another, as they are different encryption systems, i need to open the file in its OS first and then use qnother unencrypted fat flash drive to move it to the other syatem.

Huh? No I need to know what I can use as an external storage solution. Can I use an external hard drive with a USB or Thunderbolt connection as a daily hard drive for routine storage? Or is it too prone to failure?

[2dimes]

Use two at a time. Then when ever one fails burn and replace it. It's called redundancy stupid head.

[nietzsche]

Two flash drives, encrypted.

(Regular flash drives, encrypted with the encryption system of the OS you use)

If you use linux you wont be able to keep using dropbox though, as they discountinued their support for encrypted filesystems.

I encrypt my home folder in both linux and mac os, and use a flash drive for backup, also encrypted. The only drawback is i cant simply pass files frok one system to another, as they are different encryption systems, i need to open the file in its OS first and then use qnother unencrypted fat flash drive to move it to the other syatem.

Huh? No I need to know what I can use as an external storage solution. Can I use an external hard drive with a USB or Thunderbolt connection as a daily hard drive for routine storage? Or is it too prone to failure?

flash drives fail less often than a rotating mechanism drive. SSD external drive would be better, but annoying, the ideal solution everything you put on the home folder also goes in the flash drive once you're done, i think mac has a time machine sw that does it for you, i hate that type of stuff so i don't know.

you can redirect the home folder to the flash drive and or some folders of it.. large flash drives are inexpensive, you can get a really small one that is 256gb and almost unnoticeable. you can also can get an sd card of those mini ones, also with a lot of space for cheap, and getone of those special caddys made for the mac so that it sits complete flush (not sure if that's how it's said) .. but i don't know, i trust more on the flash drives than on the cards.. maybe it's unfounded only because physically they look more fragile.


i guess you can use an external hard drive, but that is impractical. use a 256gb flash drive. use two if you're really paranoid that you're one of those unlucky ones that get flash drive failure (i can't remember a flash drive failing on my after the 256MB one that failed on me 20 years ago.)

my best solution, encrypt home folder (can be done in mac too) and find online some script that runs every 20 mins and before sleep mode that backups up everything new of modified on an encrypted flash drive (if plugged in).

[saxitoxin]

Two flash drives, encrypted.

(Regular flash drives, encrypted with the encryption system of the OS you use)

If you use linux you wont be able to keep using dropbox though, as they discountinued their support for encrypted filesystems.

I encrypt my home folder in both linux and mac os, and use a flash drive for backup, also encrypted. The only drawback is i cant simply pass files frok one system to another, as they are different encryption systems, i need to open the file in its OS first and then use qnother unencrypted fat flash drive to move it to the other syatem.

Huh? No I need to know what I can use as an external storage solution. Can I use an external hard drive with a USB or Thunderbolt connection as a daily hard drive for routine storage? Or is it too prone to failure?

flash drives fail less often than a rotating mechanism drive. SSD external drive would be better, but annoying, the ideal solution everything you put on the home folder also goes in the flash drive once you're done, i think mac has a time machine sw that does it for you, i hate that type of stuff so i don't know.

you can redirect the home folder to the flash drive and or some folders of it.. large flash drives are inexpensive, you can get a really small one that is 256gb and almost unnoticeable. you can also can get an sd card of those mini ones, also with a lot of space for cheap, and getone of those special caddys made for the mac so that it sits complete flush (not sure if that's how it's said) .. but i don't know, i trust more on the flash drives than on the cards.. maybe it's unfounded only because physically they look more fragile.


i guess you can use an external hard drive, but that is impractical. use a 256gb flash drive. use two if you're really paranoid that you're one of those unlucky ones that get flash drive failure (i can't remember a flash drive failing on my after the 256MB one that failed on me 20 years ago.)

my best solution, encrypt home folder (can be done in mac too) and find online some script that runs every 20 mins and before sleep mode that backups up everything new of modified on an encrypted flash drive (if plugged in).

I've also never had a flash drive fail on me, however, in this use scenario I would be modifying files dozens of times a day potentially while my normal use scenario with flash storage is updating one file maybe once a week. Do you think it's still safe?

I don't use Macs!

[nietzsche]

if you use windows i'm done giving you advice. there's no reason anymore to use windows. not at all. it's just dumb to use windows.

[saxitoxin]

Two flash drives, encrypted.

(Regular flash drives, encrypted with the encryption system of the OS you use)

If you use linux you wont be able to keep using dropbox though, as they discountinued their support for encrypted filesystems.

I encrypt my home folder in both linux and mac os, and use a flash drive for backup, also encrypted. The only drawback is i cant simply pass files frok one system to another, as they are different encryption systems, i need to open the file in its OS first and then use qnother unencrypted fat flash drive to move it to the other syatem.

Huh? No I need to know what I can use as an external storage solution. Can I use an external hard drive with a USB or Thunderbolt connection as a daily hard drive for routine storage? Or is it too prone to failure?

flash drives fail less often than a rotating mechanism drive. SSD external drive would be better, but annoying, the ideal solution everything you put on the home folder also goes in the flash drive once you're done, i think mac has a time machine sw that does it for you, i hate that type of stuff so i don't know.

you can redirect the home folder to the flash drive and or some folders of it.. large flash drives are inexpensive, you can get a really small one that is 256gb and almost unnoticeable. you can also can get an sd card of those mini ones, also with a lot of space for cheap, and getone of those special caddys made for the mac so that it sits complete flush (not sure if that's how it's said) .. but i don't know, i trust more on the flash drives than on the cards.. maybe it's unfounded only because physically they look more fragile.


i guess you can use an external hard drive, but that is impractical. use a 256gb flash drive. use two if you're really paranoid that you're one of those unlucky ones that get flash drive failure (i can't remember a flash drive failing on my after the 256MB one that failed on me 20 years ago.)

my best solution, encrypt home folder (can be done in mac too) and find online some script that runs every 20 mins and before sleep mode that backups up everything new of modified on an encrypted flash drive (if plugged in).

So let's say I got this ---



--- and I wrote and rewrote files to it 20 times a day, that would be as safe as the internal drive in my computer?

[saxitoxin]

if you use windows i'm done giving you advice. there's no reason anymore to use windows. not at all. it's just dumb to use windows.

The only windows I use are the windows to mrswdk's bedroom which I look through with high-powered binoculars from three blocks away.

[nietzsche]

then you use linux?

makes it all easier. redirect the home folder, use two flash drives if you're that paranoid and set up some raid 1 system, meaning mirror copies. if you don't have many usb ports, you can use a usb hub.


i think you're complicating yourself, if you're worried about losing your data, one backup system is enough, unlikely that both things fail at the same time, which gives you a chance to recover. if you're worried about privacy, use encryption, that can be used both in the hard drive and in the flash drive.

everything you put on the cloud, be it apple or dropbox or whatever, it's at risk. if you're not that important then it's not a problem, nobody cares, but if your info is very important and secret, don't put in on the cloud.

[2dimes]

SFO he uses Windows.

[nietzsche]

Two flash drives, encrypted.

(Regular flash drives, encrypted with the encryption system of the OS you use)

If you use linux you wont be able to keep using dropbox though, as they discountinued their support for encrypted filesystems.

I encrypt my home folder in both linux and mac os, and use a flash drive for backup, also encrypted. The only drawback is i cant simply pass files frok one system to another, as they are different encryption systems, i need to open the file in its OS first and then use qnother unencrypted fat flash drive to move it to the other syatem.

Huh? No I need to know what I can use as an external storage solution. Can I use an external hard drive with a USB or Thunderbolt connection as a daily hard drive for routine storage? Or is it too prone to failure?

flash drives fail less often than a rotating mechanism drive. SSD external drive would be better, but annoying, the ideal solution everything you put on the home folder also goes in the flash drive once you're done, i think mac has a time machine sw that does it for you, i hate that type of stuff so i don't know.

you can redirect the home folder to the flash drive and or some folders of it.. large flash drives are inexpensive, you can get a really small one that is 256gb and almost unnoticeable. you can also can get an sd card of those mini ones, also with a lot of space for cheap, and getone of those special caddys made for the mac so that it sits complete flush (not sure if that's how it's said) .. but i don't know, i trust more on the flash drives than on the cards.. maybe it's unfounded only because physically they look more fragile.


i guess you can use an external hard drive, but that is impractical. use a 256gb flash drive. use two if you're really paranoid that you're one of those unlucky ones that get flash drive failure (i can't remember a flash drive failing on my after the 256MB one that failed on me 20 years ago.)

my best solution, encrypt home folder (can be done in mac too) and find online some script that runs every 20 mins and before sleep mode that backups up everything new of modified on an encrypted flash drive (if plugged in).

So let's say I got this ---



--- and I wrote and rewrote files to it 20 times a day, that would be as safe as the internal drive in my computer?

you could have it fail on you the second time you use it, or it might never fail on you.

backup system implies that, backup, so it MIGHT be that it's of a lower quality than an internal drive.. maybe do some research on the model.. if you're worried, you might buy an internal SDD and just add a case to make it external.

most of the times the components are the same. some times the same company produces a drive that everybody loves and thinks it's excellent and never fails and the very next model fails often, while the other company that usually has a lower quality launched a new product that it's excellent. i could not tell you that, you will have to do the research yourself.


but, honestly, what do you need right now is jerk off and release all the tension. it will be ok, your data will be fine and private. and it's not that important.

[betiko]

if you use windows i'm done giving you advice. there's no reason anymore to use windows. not at all. it's just dumb to use windows.

i use windows and i reboot my computer

[Dukasaur]

I fine cuneiform and clay tablets last for millennia.

[mrswdk]

saxi said after he's finished getting advice on how to create encrypted hard drives and stashing them in secure locations he's going to ask about how to connect to the internet in a way that can never ever be traced back to him.

[betiko]

I fine cuneiform and clay tablets last for millennia.

yes but afterwards people make up stuff about giants and aliens and al sorts of crap out of your tablets

[saxitoxin]

but, honestly, what do you need right now is jerk off and release all the tension. it will be ok, your data will be fine and private. and it's not that important.

your solution to everything is to jerk off

[DoomYoshi]

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=169372&p=3700451

Classic saxi!

[mrswdk]

I lol'd at:

(4) In a game, when I type a "Note to Self" some people are reporting they're seeing them. I'm correctly formatting notes to self by placing them in brackets like this -

[sample text here]

- but, apparently, they are still sometimes showing in public chat. As you can imagine this has caused a lot of embarrassment for me.

[KoolBak]

Is there a reason you don't want to use cloud storage / work files? I've gone solely to that.

I had an external like yours I used for years, then got paranoid so got a new one. It failed after 6 months and I lost everything. The bonus was my hard drive failed just before that and I discovered the external had failed when I tried to download to my new computer

My brother retired from running a company that provided backup services to massive companies....if you wish I can ask him for input and PM you....