[gr8fl4porsche]

If you use external drives - do not let them run. Turn them on, back up data and turn off. They have no cooling method so they get hot and eventually fail. If you need to back up everyday due to new info, then a Raid or off site storage is the way to go.

I believe I pay about $ 3.75 a month for Carbonite. That's almost 2 years of service to break even with an external drive. Carbonite backs up (if you like) a little while after you create the data.