How to back up online

If you’re wondering whether files are kept safe from prying eyes, the answer is unequivocally ‘yes’. When you upload files, they are encrypted using the same technology that protects credit card numbers on online shopping websites. As long as you check that your web browser displays the secure padlock icon in the address bar, your files are protected.

Despite the benefits, it’s important to remember that none of the online storage services we looked at accepts responsibility for any files lost while in its care.

Backing up your first file online
A good place to start if you haven’t used online storage before is Dropboks. This service offers 1GB of free storage, and its simple, uncluttered interface is easy to use. We’ll show you just how easy it is to back up individual files online using Dropboks.

Start your web browser and go to the Dropboks home page. Click on the link marked Sign Up and complete the short registration process. Make sure you choose a password that isn’t too obvious as this will provide access to your files for anyone who knows it.

You will be presented with the main Dropboks page. Click the Browse button to select a file to back up (individual files can’t be bigger than 50MB), locate it on your computer and click ‘Open’.

To add multiple files, click the small addition sign under the box where the file name appears. Another Browse button will appear. Click this to add another file.

When you have chosen all your files, click the ‘Upload Files’ button. They appear in alphabetical order by file name. To organise these files into folders, right-click below the file list and select ‘New Folder’. You will then be prompted to enter a name for the folder. Simply drag and drop a file into this folder, or onto the Trash icon to delete it.

To download your files to any computer through a web browser, first log in by going to the Dropboks site. Your files will appear as you saved them. Right-click the file you want, then choose ‘Download’. Click ‘Save’ in the dialogue box and select a location to store your file, or ‘Open’ to view it directly.

The main contenders
You may have noticed BT’s recent advertising for its Digital Vault service, which is free if you subscribe to the company’s Total Broadband Option 3 package. To non-subscribers, the automatic backup service costs £4.99 per month and provides 50GB of storage space.

There’s no need to worry about when you last backed up because the auto backup program does this automatically at regular intervals ­ as long as you save the files in the same folders that you initially selected to be monitored.

You can also decide how much of your internet bandwidth is used for backing up purposes. As you are uploading data, allocating more bandwidth won’t generally affect the speed at which you can browse the web or download files.

We found Digital Vault straightforward to configure and use, although selecting files to restore was slower than the other services. When accessing files through the website, we were impressed by the separate areas for files backed up automatically by the software and files that were manually backed up.