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" ONLINE BACKUP If you have only a few gigs&amp;#039; worth of files to protect, you can back up your data using an Internet-based service. Xdrive gives Windows users 5GB of free storage (a Mac version is in the works) using a secure link to Xdrive&amp;#039;s downloadable automatic backup application. Alternately, Mozy offers 2GB of free storage to both Windows and Macintosh users, or unlimited storage for $4.95 per month. Regardless of service, be aware that online backup requires a fast broadband connection -- or a lot of patience. ATTACHED STORAGE For bigger backup jobs, set up regular saves of music, movies, pictures and documents to an external hard drive. Most drives ship with software that allows users to schedule automatic backup times. For backing up a single machine, manufacturers such as LaCie, Western Digital, Seagate and Iomega sell USB- or FireWire-based drives in capacities ranging from 200GB (around $120) to 1TB ($400 and up). If you need to back up multiple computers, the same companies sell network-attached storage drives that let you save data over Ethernet or even Wi-Fi. RAID BACKUP The closest thing to a guaranteed, up-to-the-second full backup is a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) level 1 setup. There are several configurations of RAID; level 1 uses two identically sized drives that mirror each other. To set up the drives, you need a desktop computer with a RAID controller, either on the motherboard or installed. You&amp;#039;ll also need to reinstall Windows XP or Mac OS X -- RAID 1 doesn&amp;#039;t work retroactively. RAID mirroring involves a fair amount of configuration. (Instructions for Windows can be found at informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=474240&amp;amp;amp;rl=1. Instructions for Mac are at docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106594.) But once RAID backup is set up properly, you should always have an exact copy of your primary drive. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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