I keep coming across articles on how you should keep your data safe, backing your data up, having multiple copies of backups to have a retention of your data.. I just don’t know what to back up and what method is ideal.  Let me explain how my computer storage works.  I have 2 partitions, 1 is for data and 1 is for the OS.  The OS partition is 250GB and the data partition is a 500GB hard drive in which 300GB is used right now.  Now, do I backup my data? Or do I backup my Users directory in my OS partition?  If I do backup my data hard drive, what method should I use seeing as it’s so many gigs?

I considered doing an online backup to Amazon S3 [Amazon S3] but seeing as if I upload over 300GB, the cost will be over $50 a month, which in my opinion isn’t worth it for an online backup.  Then I considered if I were to just backup to my 160GB Firewire external with the stock Windows tools that it comes with, but I know 160GB wouldn’t be enough for my data drive but it could just as easily backup my Users directory in my OS partition.

While trying to come up with conclusions on what I should do, I did encounter an online backup company called Carbonite [Carbonite], for $55 a year they offer unlimited storage space for backups of your computer.  They even have accidental deletion recovery.  It seems like a good idea, but is $55 a year worth it just to backup all your stuff to a remote location?  Are we all just being too paranoid?  Or am I just being paranoid?