On 04/04/2010 13:35, The Medway Handyman wrote:
I save anything vital like my business accounts on to a memory stick, but I
don't backup general stuff - which could be an inconvenience if anything
happened.

I have Norton 360 which has a built in back up feature - but it doesn't
work. Drives me mad.

Everytime it reaches the stage 'Insert DVD' it them claims the DVD isn't
empty. Tried loads of different makes& the DVD slot works OK with
everything else.

So, would I be better off with one of these online backup companies or
buying some kind of external device?

If the latter, any suggestions to a PC numpty?

Definitely get an external HD of some kind - NAS or USB. They're not
expensive. If going USB, one which doesn't need an external PSU is much
more convenient - eg WD My Passport drive. Copy your general stuff as
well as the apparently vital stuff.

Make a machine level backup too. The free edition of Macrium Reflect is
good at that (and I have tested it :-) ). Norton Ghost is probably a
similar product.

Online backup seems like a really good idea, but I have no experience of
who, if anybody, can be trusted in that field.

Or you could do as Dennis recommends and spend a large sum on a tape
backup :-)