Now that Google Drive storage is stupid-cheap (e.g., two bucks per month for 100GB), you might be wondering about its viability as a backup tool.
It's viable. Though you can't use it to clone an entire hard drive (not a good idea with any cloud-storage service), you can use it for the next best thing: preserving your important data.
Jul 16, 2017 Watch video 1) Download the Backup and Sync tool. Getting the tool for Drive is super easy. Download the program from the Drive homepage, or you can head to the Google Photos to download the app. Restoring from an external hard drive is a bit different from restoring from a secondary internal hard drive or CD/DVD or a Flash drive or over the network (though fairly close to the network procedure). Safely back up your files. Upload and store files from any folder on your computer, camera, and SD cards in the cloud. You can find your content on any phone, tablet, or computer using Google. Back up files from your computer, camera, or SD cards to the cloud. Find your files on any device or computer using Google Drive, and see your photos in Google Photos. Safely back up your files. Upload and store files from any folder on your computer, camera, and SD cards in the cloud. You can find your content on any phone, tablet, or computer using Google. At the very least, if you use Time Machine to back up to an external hard drive or network device, you should also have another tool running regular backups to a different drive.
Using Google Drive As A Backup Tool For A Hard Mac Reinstall Os
All you need is Google's desktop sync utility, which, not unlike Dropbox, adds a special folder to your hard drive that acts as a two-way conduit. Any files or folders you put there will get synced to your Google Drive, and any files or folders you add to your Google Drive will get synced back to that special folder on your PC. Here's how to get started.
Step one: Download and install the Google Drive utility (available for Windows and Mac). For purposes of this tutorial, I loaded the Windows version. Certain aspects may be a bit different for Mac users, but fundamentally it's all the same.
Step two: Run the program, then sign into your Google account. Click through the various setup screens (which provide a few details on using the tool), then click Done when you get to the 'You're all set!' page.
Step three: Your Google Drive will open immediately within an Explorer window, allowing you to peruse all the documents currently stored there. Indeed, Google Drive is now accessible as a folder on your hard drive, available under your username (within the Explorer hierarchy) and in your Explorer Favorites list.
Now, as noted above, you can drag any files or folders to this Google Drive folder to have them 'backed up' to your Drive account. So, for example, if you currently save all your Word files to, say, Documents > Word Docs, you would simply drag Word Docs to Google Drive. Just remember, though, that the next time you start Word, you'll need to access your files via Google Drive > Word Docs, not the previous location. And make sure you save new documents there as well so they get synced to Google Drive.
Needless to say, this can require a bit of fiddling with your regular workflow. Google Drive isn't a backup tool in the traditional sense, though its simple syncing makes it just as effective as the likes of Dropbox. And it's definitely a whole lot cheaper.
By the way, if you're a Google Chrome user, consider installing the Save to Google Drive extension. With it, you can quick-save documents, images, videos, and other files you find online. It's not a backup as we've come to know that process, but it does give you an easy way to archive files from the Web. Just right-click any suitable link, then choose Save to Google Drive.
Are you using (or planning to use) Google Drive for backup purposes? If so, got any tips to share? List 'em in the comments!
To use Backup and Sync, Google Drive/Photos users just need to download the app and then choose the folders they want to back up. From there, the selected folders will be continually backed up to Google's services, providing an alternative to Time Machine and making it easier to automatically store important files in the cloud.
In addition to specific folders on a Mac or PC, Backup and Sync can also automatically import files from SD cards and USB devices when a camera, SD card, or other device is connected to a computer.
There are also specific options users can set to dictate how file deletions are handled, and users can choose to upload photos at a lower quality if space is a concern.
Backup and Sync is available starting today through Google Drive and Google Photos.
Guides
Outlook Backup Tool For Outlook 2007
Upcoming
Front Page Stories
What to Expect at Apple's September 2019 Event: New iPhones, Apple Watch Models, Services Updates and More
Bloomberg: 2019 iPhones Will Have Centered Apple Logo on Back
1 day ago on Front PageApple to Live Stream September 10 Event on YouTube
1 day ago on Front PageU.S. Government Orders Apple and Google to Identify Users of a Gun Scope App
2 days ago on Front PageFifth Avenue Glass Cube Gets Temporary Rainbow Look to Celebrate Reopening
2 days ago on Front PageApple Disputes Some Details of Google's Project Zero Report on iOS Security Vulnerabilities [Updated]
2 days ago on Front PageKuo: 'Apple Tags' to Feature Ultra-Wideband Technology, Likely Far More Precise Than Tile's Trackers
2 days ago on Front PageApple Working on Siri Feature Allowing Back-and-Forth Conversations About Health Problems
2 days ago on Front Page
