Tip: use Dropbox to backup AO configs

[Sterva]

http://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTEyODA2Mzk

Hopefully this doesn't violate any forum rules? I'm not in any way affiliated with the company or product. I only mention it because it's recently come in very handy to me and saved me a lot of time getting AO setup again.

If you haven't heard of it and don't use it yet, take a minute to check out dropbox! It's a free, online storage service which gives you 2 gb to store pretty much anything you want online. The reason I use it over all the other free storage services out there is because it has pretty seamless integration into your existing OS folder structure. Basically, it just looks like any other folder directory, and you can create and edit directories and files locally, just like any other local directory/file, but anything you do is automagically synced to your online storage in the background. Then from any other computer (and most phones), you can access everything in your dropbox. You can put stuff in private folders that only you can access, or you can put them into public folders and share the files, too.

Setup is quick and easy too—basically you just do a quick registration, install dropbox, and then you can start putting files into your dropbox.

I have been using dropbox to store my important AO preferences and the screenshots/pvp video clips for a few years now, and it's come in handy more than a few times as I've switched computers and dealt with the occasional HD crash.

PS: you can find most of your important AO configs at:

.../Program Files/Funcom/Anarchy Online/Prefs/<account>/<char ID>

[RedWatr]

that's not a bad idea.

[Tazalanche]

Why not just burn a DVD of the entire Anarchy Online folder every few months or save it to an external hard drive? Then you have all scripts, macros, 3rd party programs, settings & prefs ready at a moment's notice.

{removed by Anarrina: trolling}

[Warhead]

A mountain of DVDs? Last time I checked, a DVD can store more than the 2GB free space of Dropbox.

Just for something like AO prefs or screenshots I see no reason to use this, mainly because of the 90 day rule that may or may not eliminate what you stored on their server due to inactivity (in other words: you depend on the goodwill of somebody else) and the fact that the service may just not be available when you really need it. My local backups are, however.

I'm not totally against a WebDAV space for storing and especially sharing certain data. But only if I encrypt the data on my end.

One more thing, you need to accept cautious opinions and criticism if you make a thread like this, which serves the sole purpose of boosting your free space with referrals.

[cbus97]

Steam has a service for storing game data (called Steam Cloud) that works pretty well. I don't know if AO has any plans to integrate with Steam, but remember when Gabe Newell visited Oslo a few months back ...

[Graftmage]

Hmm... I already mentioned the part about their rights to review all files & their terms state more than "just its own directory"... but whatever. Some people refuse to accept the truth when the facts are laid out before them.

Directory linked to main dropbox directory IS part of main directory Dropbox is the most awesome thing I found out in last few years - you just install it and you have a 2gb shared drive between all your computers that syncs automatically.

Backups on CDs are so 1998

P.S. I guess that you can also just simlink your prefs directory and not backup it.

[Ellarisa]

{removed}

personally i take my own backups of all that. (and i have quite a few)
how i backup prefs:
- password protected rar file sent to both my hotmail addresses (combat spam log files deleted ofc )
- complete backup on my 8 gig usb stick
- complete copy of the prefs and screenshots folder to another harddisk, which gets synced daily with my other pc
- complete copy of the AO folder to my laptop
- complete copy of AO on my 1.8 inch usb harddisk

those are the ones i do on a fairly regular basis (monthly or so)
i'm pretty sure i have a copy of my prefs on my work laptop and in a rar on our server
every few months i also do a full backup of all my data on external harddisks, so if it's really really need i can always restore a cope from there.

who needs online storage (with risk of admins getting bored and going through your stuff or somesuch) when there's so many other options?

Graft: he said DVD, not CD, so at least he's in the 21st century!
Taz: hai!
Greetings,



Ellarisa

[Lazy]

reading this thread really took me back. CD backups? really? how bout we convert our prefs to plaintext and print em out instead? store em in a 3ring binder and type them out if we ever have a a harddrive crash. lol. i personally don't use a service like dropbox because i pay for a webserver with plenty of bandwidth and harddisk space. (and because i'm dumb and forget to backup my ****) but if you're concerned dropbox employees are gonna be stealing your ao prefs you have some serious issues. o-o If there's something you need to back up that you don't want others to see, then PROTIP: don't store sensitive data in plaintext on public, account-based, hosting services. (yes, this includes gmail or any other google-owned service)

also, i played around with dropbox back when the service was first released and i was very impressed with the quality of service. highly recommended as a simple backup solution for backing up misc. junk.

[Demoder]

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a DVD.
Most people would have their backup up and running faster if they burned it to a DVD, instead of relying on their internet connection to download stuff.

If you were going to only backup your prefs folder, that may not be the case. But who has nothing else worth backing up than their AO prefs?

[Somniforum]

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a DVD.
Most people would have their backup up and running faster if they burned it to a DVD, instead of relying on their internet connection to download stuff.

Unless you always forget to buy those marker pen thingies and have to go through eleventy bajillion unmarked disks every time you look for something

[Sterva]

some stuff...

Uh huh. Well, I think that you are wrong. But I don't care to get into it any further with you on the forums, so I'll leave it at that.

To everyone else: thank you for using the referral, the extra space is appreciated! And good luck backing up your AO prefs. I'm glad I could help a few people, and hopefully this will come in as handy for you as it has for me in the future. And hopefully the paranoia expressed by a few people here will not discourage others from checking out the service—it really is pretty fantastic.

[Phuriae]

I'll keep it simple. DROPBOX IS AWESOME, whatever it is you care to use it for. I support the OP.

[Tazalanche]

In case there was any confusion, I agree that online storage has its place & can be very beneficial in certain situations. My concern was not the principle of using online storage, as much as the referral method used to make us aware of the specific company that the OP wants used & the issues I saw with said company's terms of use. There are more secure, less questionable, free online storage options out there.

The OP even stated the following before his post turned into what appeared to be a pre-scripted advertisement:

Hopefully this doesn't violate any forum rules? I'm not in any way affiliated with the company or product. I only mention it because it's recently come in very handy to me and saved me a lot of time getting AO setup again.

Since Anarchy Online is a stand alone game (you can copy the entire Anarchy Online folder to another computer, make a shortcut to the client.exe, adjust the graphics card/resolution settings if needed & start playing) making a regular backup of the entire Anarchy Online folder on DVD or external drive is a valid & very beneficial option, versus a backup of only the prefs folder to any location, online or offline. As previously mentioned, if he had not used a referral link, I would not have commented with an alternative.


{removed by Anarrina}

Uh huh. Well, I think that you are wrong.

{removed}

I still stand by my opinion on the referral link issue, but good for you! Edit your opening post to clearly state your link is a referral link (&/or provide their homepage link) & we're good too.

I've said my part, replied to anything I noticed that was directed to me & am done. Enjoy the rest of the thread.

[Graftmage]

What's wrong with posting a referral link? It's not different from just linking the start page, but it gives both, newly invited and link sender extra space. If anyone wants to try dropbox (which is really, full of win) and Sterva's link does not work you can use mine.

@all the oldschool CD backupers: dropbox is not really a backup tool. You install it on many machines, and as soon as you save document to dropbox folder on onc computer, it gets updated on other. Plus, you can have shared foldiers with other people, plus you can just put a file in a /public directory under dropbox root and it's downloadable from web.

I have not used usb stick drive since I got my hands on dropbox account =p

[SSK]

For online storage I use 25GB of Microsoft ScyDrive and SD explorer to access files as local drive.

[Niles]

For online storage I use 25GB of Microsoft ScyDrive and SD explorer to access files as local drive.

NICE! I got the dropbox before, but 25 free gigs is lol for backup

[Sterva]

For online storage I use 25GB of Microsoft ScyDrive and SD explorer to access files as local drive.

Yeah, skydrive is nice! The only downside is that (as far as I know) it's only really designed for windows, and I'm not predominately a windows user anymore. =\

[If6was9]

I agree with Taz. In just about everything he said. And using a referral link does definitely bring into question the purity of your motives.

If you don't have a tinfoil hat on then I've got some amazing stock derivatives I'd like to sell you.

[Phuriae]

Oh calm down. It's a good resource, and included referral or not, it's a fine thing to post about. This reminds me of something very good once said:

"Do you ever notice that it's only the people talking about drama whose lives are saturated in it? In the same respect, it's only people who are talking about happiness and success that are living happy and successful. This is a healthy reminder that what you always get what you wish for, good or bad."

Perhaps it's not drama, but the same analogy fits here. If you focus on lack, you shall receive it. The same goes with abundance. Let's keep things positive and all you non-dropboxers out there -give yourself some love with a free 2GB sync capability and at the same time, get the OP some extra storage, for the love. To the whiners, lighten up. Take it elsewhere.

[Scabadus]

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a DVD.
Most people would have their backup up and running faster if they burned it to a DVD, instead of relying on their internet connection to download stuff.

True, but if you go to a friend's house without bringing your stack of DVDs along and decide to play some AO then where will you be? In a mountain of messy backpacks and an unorganised bank, that's where!

I don't use online storage a lot myself because of similar paranoia to other people here, but really, what will somebody do with your AO prefs? Just arrange it so your account name isn't displayed in the folder (and even that's optional if you have a really secure password) and the worst anyone will be able to do is see what space you keep your first aid stims in.