<p>I use Carbonite and have been able to recover almost all data easily from 2 hard drive failures since I started subscribing. It also was very helpful when I got a new computer, for moving data from one to another. I know a lot of people prefer Mozy, so I’d look into both.</p>
<p>When I say “almost” all data it is because as a default there are some things that will not be saved. It is very easy to add those file type or locations to the backup, but you might not know you need to until AFTER the crash… For example, some programs on Windows store important data in registry entries or in a separate area especially for program data – you don’t realize this was a problem until after you do a restore, reinstall the program, and find that you can’t get the settings back. </p>
<p>Also, Carbonite doesn’t save videos by default – again, you can override these settings – but if you use Carbonite, after you do the initial backup, I think its worth spending time double checking to make sure everything you want is being backed up. It is easy to tell whether a file folder or individual files are backed up because Carbonite adds a green dot to all of the icons for whatever it has backed up. You can change preferences for any file or file folder simply by right clicking and checking whatever carbonite option you might want to apply.</p>