How to use CrashPlan but not suffer from using so much RAM memory

I use CrashPlan to backup my data as mentioned in a previous article – it’s free for local backups and for sharing HDD space using multiple friends’ HDD space.  I have noticed that the RAM usage goes up in proportion to the number of files that you have selected to backup – even during the time when the backups are disabled.  My CrashPlan settings are set to backup only during the hours that I’m not working on my PC and when I’m connected to my home network (where my external HDD is connected).  I’m also not working at those times so when CrashPlan is accessing the HDD it doesn’t slow down my PC.
The settings to limit the time that CrashPlan does the backups can be found in the CrashPlan Desktop interface under “Settings->Backup->Between Specified Times”.  I have selected From 18:00 to 08:00 and ticked each day – so that backups only happen at night daily.

I noticed that even when the backup was disabled, the CrashPlanService was using a lot of RAM memory (over 500MB) – and I found my PC swapping to disc all the time – which was slowing my PC down – a bit of a waste!  So, I found a way to create a schedule that stopped the CrashPlanService just after 08h00 and start it again just before 18h00.

Creating a scheduled task to kill the service:
Open the “Control Panel->Administrative Tools-> Task Scheduler” 
Click into “Microsoft->Windows”: 
Click on “Create Task”:
Enter name: “Turn OFF CrashPlan service”, under “Triggers” tab:
Under “Actions” tab: enter Program to run:  C:\Windows\System32\taskkill.exe
and under “Add arguments” enter:    /IM CrashPlanService.exe /F
Click OK to save the scheduled task.


Creating a scheduled task to start the service:
Click on “Create Task”:
Enter name: “Turn ON CrashPlan service”, under “Triggers” tab:
Under “Actions” tab: enter Program to run:    C:\Windows\System32\net.exe
and under “Add arguments” enter:    start CrashPlanService

Click OK to save the scheduled task.

Your tasks list should look like this:

You can test the tasks by right clicking the task and selecting “Run”:
 

With thanks to Scott Granneman for his blog that describes the steps to do this in Linux.

My blog articles at blogger.com are now safe and sound (on my PC)

A while back I was thinking that if I ever lost my Blogger.com articles I would be really upset and it was time to back it up.  I have found 2 ways (there are probably lots more, but these work for me) of backing up blogger.com for free:
1) using the free backup (and restore) utility “Blogger Backup” from the Code Plex Open Source Community;
2) the recently released (Dec 2008) built in blogger.com export utility: Blogger buzz article.

Both export to xml format.

Backup, backup, backup.... you've been told a few times right? Now's the time to start practising safe computing: make off-site backups for free!

In this information era, you don't want to lose your precious and sometimes irreplaceable data.

Loss can occur due to hardware crashes or viruses or theft or accident or acts of nature (eg. lightning)... and the list goes on and on.

Think about it... all your data on your PC lost forever! Maybe you've got a backup CD or DVD from a few days ago or maybe weeks....

Imagine losing your email addresses.

If you don't back up regularly, and you need to retrieve invaluable data, then you might be forced to spend lots of time and money to get data retrieval experts to try and retrieve data off your failed hard drive (and retrieval is never guaranteed).... but if you just use a decent backup program all these headaches would go away!

Even better would be to use a backup program that automatically sends the data off site - so, then you're protected from "occurrences" at your home or office.

Now's a great time to start using the online backup service called MozyBackup:

2 GB of 100% free backup space.... plus, if you sign up this month (Oct 2008) using my referral code: https://mozy.com/?ref=RX6T7F then you get an additional 512MB of storage space for free!

No setup fee, no credit cards, no monthly payments, no expiration.

There are other plans for more data and for businesses that cost per month.

How It Works

1. Sign up for an account.

Create a MozyHome user account which will allow you to download MozyHome software. It’s quick, easy and the step-by-step instructions will guide you through the process.

2. Download and install software:

MozyHome downloads in just seconds, and the installation is simple and fast.

3. Select files to be backed up.

Simply check the boxes next to the backup sets, or types of files you want to back up, and MozyHome does the rest. In addition to selecting files by backup sets, you also have the option of selecting specific files and directories.

{The following is taken from the Mozy web site http://mozy.com/home}

You're Free To Choose - there are of course alternatives to MozyHome:

• Burn a new CD or DVD every Sunday night and store it at your brother-in-law's office.
• Pay $200/year for an online backup service that uses old, mediocre software.
• Buy a $200 external hard drive and hope your office doesn't burn down.
• Do nothing and don't worry about backup. (We suggest closing your eyes, plugging your ears and repeating "I'm in my happy place, I'm in my happy place.")
• Run a cron job of rsync, gzip and mcrypt piped over ssh to your friend's server over his DSL line.
• Of course, we think MozyHome is the best and easiest solution to the backup problem! Get MozyHome!

Mozy is a simple and safe way to back up all the important stuff on your computer. A copy of your data is stored in a secure, remote location for safekeeping, so that in the event of disaster your data is still retrievable.

What makes Mozy so great?
Mozy makes online backup possible for everyone with an affordable, secure solution that's easy to use.

Is Mozy secure?

Yes. When you use Mozy, your files are encrypted on your computer using 448-bit Blowfish encryption and then transferred to the Mozy servers using 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption. You have the option of using a Mozy key or your own private key to encrypt your data. Note that if you use your own private key, you must be very careful about not losing it because if you do, we won't be able to help. It's impossible for us to decrypt your data when you use your own key. Most users opt to use the Mozy key, but the choice is entirely yours.

See here for the different Mozy products - ranging from free (MozyHome [up to 2GB]) to 'MozyHome Unlimited' (for $4.95 per month) to MozyPro (http://mozy.com/pro Desktop Licenses: $3.95 + $0.50/GB per month; Server Licenses: $6.95 + $0.50/GB per month) to MozyEnterprise (http://mozy.com/enterprise).

See here for a comparison of products: http://mozy.com/landing/pro_comparison

Update on 19July2009:
Tip: 10 free online backup tools: http://ow.ly/hCw8
and don't forget DropBox: http://ow.ly/hCvS & Mozy: http://ow.ly/hCw0 both 2GB free

Update on 15Nov2009:
Here’s a good comparison of the 5 best online backup tools: CrashPlan, Mozy, Dropbox, Jungle Disk, Carbonite.
For additional information, you can check out this comprehensive comparison chart on WikiPedia.
Also on WikiPedia, a list of backup software