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MyPCBackup Review: Online Cloud Backup |
| Sign up for MyPCBackup | |
Rating: |
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| File syncing across computers, cloud storage and external drive backup with the option for unlimited backup | |
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MyPCBackup used to only offer unlimited storage like Carbonite, but now you can get a 75 GB plan and 250 GB plan if you don't want to pay for the unlimited option, which comes out to just $6.95 per month when you pay for 2 years up front. Recently, MyPCBackup has updated their mobile application, which allows users to access their files anywhere. You can sync files across all of your devices, and even use the mobile application to easily share files with friends. Now that this service can be used with Mac computers as well, maybe they should change their name to MyPCandMacBackup!
Setup Immediately after signing up, there will be a pop up that asks you to install the program. Simultaneously, a girl begins introducing you to the MyPCBackup site; so don't be alarmed if your computer suddenly starts speaking to you. After installation, you will be asked to login with your username and password in order to open the program. You will be given two options: to backup the "My Documents" folder, which is recommended, or the more advanced option of doing a manual selection. Initially, MyPCBackup will only backup files that are up to 2 MB; however, you can go back to your desktop client and change the backup selection in the settings section. MyPCBackup also allows you to backup an external hard drive, but make sure it is connected to your computer when the backup runs. Interface The desktop client is intuitive and shows you how much space you have used, how many files have been backed up, your last backup, your next backup, and whether the backups are on an hourly or daily schedule. You can change the backup schedule from daily to hourly, but this will cost you an extra $19.99 a year (usually $39.99 but they are offering a 50% limited time discount). Regardless of the schedule though, you can always go in and do a manual backup. Note: If you signed up for the 14-day free trial, MyPCBackup will alert you of how many files on your computer are still "at risk" and urge you to sign up to be fully protected. You will also get pop-up notifications informing you that if you refer a friend to the service, you will get $50. TUTORIAL: How to Restore Your Computer with MyPCBackup for the PC Remote Access Using MyPCBackup from the web to access your files from another computer is also easy. After logging into your account, you will see all of the computers that you have backed up. Note that MyPCBackup charges users an extra $24.95 per year (About $2 per month) to backup additional computers. From the initial web screen, click "View my backed up files" and your backed up files will appear. There are other useful features on the site including an event log that shows your recent file activity, all of your account backup details, and access to your sync folder. Sync Folder The Sync Folder is a great feature that is similar to SugarSync or DropBox. We like it because it combines some of the functionality of those services with an easy-to-use online backup service. The sync folder comes with 1 GB of free space, and should you need more, an extra space upgrade is available — at a cost of course. The sync folder is like any regular folder on your computer, except it allows you to sync files to other computers. This is very useful especially since you are able to use the Sync Folder even if you haven't paid an additional fee to backup more computers. You can access the Sync Folder from the desktop or remotely from the website. The Sync Folder works in real time, so it automatically updates. If a file is backed up and changed, previous versions of the file are available in the Sync Folder as well. This is helpful because it augments MyPCBackup's somewhat limited default versioning. With MyPCBackup, you get free unlimited file versioning for 7 days; however for 30 days it costs an extra $17.95 per year and $49.99 per year if you want unlimited file versioning with your entire subscription. Click here to read more about the syncfolder. Their new file sharing feature is a great idea. Just go to your account, click share a folder, select the folder you want to share and enter your friends' email. Though we wish that the person receiving the shared folder did not have to sign up for a MyPCBackup account to view the shared information, the sharing feature still works great and it is free to sign up. In fact, the two other file sharing giants, Dropbox and SugarSync, also require people to sign up for an account to view shared files. When we shared the folder with emails connected to MyPCBackup accounts, we were able to view the file even easier. Note that in our tests, the shared files would turn up in the spam folder, so make sure you notify the person on the other side of the share. Other Upgrades The basic features of MyPCBackup are a good value; however, you are constantly reminded to purchase extra upgrades. This includes the aforementioned "previous versions plus" upgrade (versioning), hourly backup, additional computer backup, extra sync folder space, priority support (so that your questions are answered faster than other people's), and "supercharged backup," which increases the speed of your backup. The good news is that they are offering, for a limited time, a 50% discount on all of these upgrades. Pricing MyPCBackup has three plans: the 75 GB plan, 250 GB plan and an unlimited plan. For the 75 GB up-front yearly subscription you pay $59.40, which comes to about $4.95 a month. The 2-year price is $107.76, which brings the cost down to $4.49 a month. 6 months is $41.70 and to try it out for a month it costs $7.95 with their current promotion. We chose a 1-month subscription to test the service, but you can try MyPCBackup free for 14 days; however, this limits the amount of files you can initially backup. There is also a 250 GB plan and the unlimited plan, and they break down the pricing for these in the "upgrades" section of the site. In regard to HIPAA compliance: Online backup services cannot legally state that they are officially HIPAA compliant. However, MyPCBackup contains all of the security features to protect data that is transmitted to and from their servers. MyPCBackup follows strict guidelines to meet factors that go into HIPAA compliance. If you want to know what HIPAA is, please visit our FAQ page. Conclusion Though MyPCBackup charges for some of the upgrades to many of the usual online backup features such as versioning, it is still a good value considering all that it offers. We like their mobile application and attractive user interface. There is also an extensive help section and the email support responds fast even if you did not pay for the "priority response" upgrade — our question was answered within 24 hours. One thing to be weary of when signing up for the free trial, is their persistent emailing about discounts and ads trying to get you to sign up for a membership, it gets a little annoying. Sign up for MyPCBackup | Compare to Other Online Cloud Backup |
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Service Details:
| Cheapest Price: | $4.49/mo (w/ 2 year plan) |
| Free Trial/ Discount: | 14-day free trial; Save up to 50% w/ annual plans |
| Gigabytes (GB) of Storage Included: | 75 GB; pay extra for more space |
| # of Computers Backed Up: | 1; $2.08/mo per add'l computer |
| External Drive Backup: | Yes |
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- Do they offer supercharged restore?
Unfortunately no, they only offer supercharged backup and not restore. Read our full review of MyPCBackup here:... - Do they offer supercharged restore?
If you purchase the supercharged back up will it also supercharge your restore? - Does MyPCBackup automatically backup video files?
Yes, MyPCBackup does backup video files. To make sure it backs up your videos every time you add or update video files on your computer, you must add... - Does MyPCBackup automatically backup video files?
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