Think back to the small rant I had where I lost all of my files due to a raid failure caused by Vista. Well, I have some great news. I am no longer worried about losing data. I’ve located the best solution for my problems, as well as all of yours. Throw out the anti depressants and ice cream, then once done, trot over to http://www.mozy.com/ and sign up for a free account. Yes, for free, you can automatically backup the documents of your choice to an online server for safe keeping.

The free account gives you 2GB of space for all of your archiving needs. You can either opt to select files and folders manually, or if you would prefer, you can also choose to backup predefined backup sets such as images, music, outlook files, etc. From there you are off and away into a happy place where if your computer goes nuts and throws your data away, you can easily download a recent copy of those files, and in turn, be where you were before problems had arisen.

“Manson, how can this be any better than any other online backup solution?” Let me do a bit of bragging for the Mozy crew as to what they are able to provide you for absolutely no charge. Program highlights include:

• The ability to schedule your backups to take place on a daily or weekly basis at any time of the day. If you would prefer, you can tell Mozy to backup files when your computer is idle.
• All information transferred is encrypted using a 448bit blowfish algorithm. That is very very secure.
• Backups are incremental. This means that when you preform a backup, only the files which have been changed since the last backup will be uploaded. This makes for an efficient and fast process, putting minimal load on your pc and internet connection.
• There are many restoration options in Mozy. You can opt to go to their website, and login using your account credentials, then select any files and folders to be restored, as well as do this directly from the Mozy client installed to your computer. If you really need it, they will even mail you DVDs with your backups for a small fee.

What if you need more than the 2GB of space? What options do you have. For only $4.95 per month, you can get unlimited accounts space. This is what I’ve chosen to do. Since purchasing my account a few weeks ago, I have backed up 30GB of files to my account. I’ve also tested the restoration methods, and have been nothing but pleased with the program’s performance.

All in all, if you need something that is going to take care of you in case of the unforseen, this is the program for you. For most people, the 2GB of space will be plenty, but for those looking for a little more space, $4.95 per month is completely affordable. To be honest,  I almost feel as though I am taking advantage of the poor company. There is absolutely no reason you should hesitate to give this software a shot. It’s free after all, and I give this the Manson stamp of approval.