You can also backup your data to USB (or Firewire) drives. This works just like
adding a new buddy except that it only backs up when the USB drive is connected.
This is called a USB Buddy.
IMPORTANT: The whole purpose of BuddyBackup is to allow you to have a
secure online and off-site backup so you're safe in the even of fire, flood or
theft. Backing up to USB drives is useful as an extra backup for convenience,
but we recommend that you still have at least one online buddy as well, so
you're safe even if you lose the USB drive at the same time you lose your
computer.
To add a new USB drive:
- Open the BuddyBackup control panel (see here).
- Click Add Buddy (Near the Buddies panel at the
bottom)
- Click Backup to a USB drive
- Click Next
- Select the drive you want to backup to
- Press Next
- Choose a name for the new "buddy"
- Decide whether to tick Full sync mode (see
below)
- Click Next
- Click Finish
Full Sync Mode
USB Buddies have a special feature called Full Sync Mode.
What this means is that BuddyBackup will backup all your chosen files to the USB
drive even if the files are already backed up enough elsewhere.
(Normally BuddyBackup only keeps a set number of backup copies as described by the
Backup Safety setting - see here).
The benefit of Full Sync Mode is that it allows you to always have a full backup copy of your
data on your USB drive. You'll still have a backups on your buddies, but if
you have a disaster and your USB drive is still OK, that's all you need to recover
your files.
It's basically a trade off: you might end up having more copies of your data
backed up, but it means restoring data might be quicker. If you don't mind using
up space on your USB drive then we recommend using Full Sync Mode.
Full Sync Mode is optional. If you don't care about using more space on your USB
drive then leave this set.
If you turn off Full Sync Mode then the USB buddy will just work like any other
buddy. This means that it will only backup files to the drive which aren't
backed up enough elsewhere (as described here).
You can change the value of Full Sync Mode at any time:
- Open the BuddyBackup control panel (see here)
- In the Buddies section, right click on the USB buddy
- Click Properties
- Tick/Un-tick Full sync mode