New laptop - A few Questions

I had to get a new laptop and luckily was able to transfer my few files from the old to new. I'm wondering if I should embrace the cloud or continue to wing it in the hope that I will be able to retrieve files built up over the years. It won't be end-of-world stuff if I lose my files - but will my information be shared and does cloud storage come at a cost?

BTW, I also noticed that the new laptop didn't allow the backspace key to go back to the previous web page but I was able to google it and got it sorted very easily. I'm just wondering why I can't use the back/forward keyboard arrows to navigate the internet (Daft.ie allows this handy function).
Thanks.

I have been using crashplan of a few years now and I find it very useful. It keeps several version of the files going back over a period, so it is very useful if you need to get an old version of a file and so on. Both my kids make big use of this feature.

Thanks Jim2007. It looks good - until I see the 'Try it Free' option. Call me a cheapskape but I hate paying for stuff I don't need and also have an external back-up drive for my files. However I do seem to make multiple copies of so-called important files. Any ideas on the back/forward keyboard arrows to navigate the internet?

It depends on your needs and usage. If you have a handful of files that need backing up then automated cloud storage is useful and you don't have to think about it. At another extreme, if you do software development you may generate new versions of hundreds of thousands of files on a regular basis. If you have a mixture of requirements for different file types you get into the situation of having to manage that. Personally I use magnetic disk backup for large semi-regular backups, and cloud storage for a handful of "hot" files that I would never want to lose the very latest version of.

Thanks Dub_nerd for the info. Yeah I'm of the handful files person who just wants to store a few files - without sharing or comprising them - free of charge. I know it's a big ask as the automated cloud is an obvious solution but a money-making one too. Is the automated cloud for me?
Also I hate the new laptop and

Cowpat said:

I'm just wondering why I can't use the back/forward keyboard arrows to navigate the internet (Daft.ie allows this handy function).

Click to expand...

You can store reasonably hefty amounts of data on DropBox or Google Drive for free. (I prefer the former -- the latter's desktop client used to be buggy, don't know about now). Both Google Drive and DropBox keep multiple versions of files up to 30 days old. I've never had occasion to test this functionality.

Your keyboard problems are likely just a configuration thing. Websites like Daft don't know anything about your keyboard. If you are talking about arrows on your numeric keypad it could be just a matter of using NumLock.

(EDIT: I didn't know about that functionality on Daft ... but I checked it and yes, works with my keypad arrows on NumLock, not without.).

Decided to refit my old hard drive onto a new laptop. Just wondering if MS licence will transfer too?

Cowpat said:

Decided to refit my old hard drive onto a new laptop.

Click to expand...

why?

PaddyBloggit said:

why?

Click to expand...

The secondhand laptop that I bought has a message that Windows 7 isn't genuine and the MS Office key is not activated. I don't have a key for it so I'm hoping that refitting my old hard drive will allow continued use of my genuine Windows & MS Office licence. Plus my files will transfer too.