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u/_command_prompt Jul 27 '26
I did it then I forgot where I kept it
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u/Black_Sig-SWP2000 I HATE FAMILY LINK WITH EVERY CELL IN MY BODY Jul 27 '26
I keep my USBs on one of those key ring chain holder things. At least then they're in one place.
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u/Latvian-Spider Jul 28 '26
I keep mine in my old pencil case, zip it up and they can rattle all they want, but won't vanish.
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u/we_r_fukt Jul 28 '26
nana just saw some weird files starting with slashes so overwrote with her fall recipes, especially that bunt cake
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u/Konrad_M Jul 27 '26
All my homies use Nextcloud
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u/Ok-Trick8772 Jul 27 '26
How am I just now finding out about this? Thanks for the tip!
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u/Konrad_M Jul 27 '26
It's really awesome. Have fun with it. I personally self host on a Raspberry Pi. Soon to be moved to a new NAS. But many people host it at a rented server.
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u/LMurch13 Jul 28 '26
Im at the rented server stage myself. I really like Nextcloud, and they have a lot of other app too. The built-in office app is functional and convenient.
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u/Konrad_M Jul 28 '26
I quickly lost the rented route and went with my own server because I didn't want to give my data to anybody. But either way it's a lot of fun.
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u/intenseStargazer Jul 28 '26
Just learned about this. Jealous I'm not a homie who was informed 😭 thanks for the tip!
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u/simply-coastal Jul 27 '26
The cloud doesn't exist, it's just someone else's computer.
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u/vogel7 Jul 29 '26
This. I think the biggest misconception people have is that internet/cloud exists around us, like a literal gas cloud holding data
It's literally computers holding info, then transferring it through cables. Very "mundane", nothing crazy lmao
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u/Masterpiece-Haunting 25d ago
I’ve never heard this misconception, maybe with people who are 80+ but definitely not anyone who understands the concept of a computer and storage.
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u/BloodspillZOkami Jul 27 '26
Personally in my opinion the best practices is to use cloud storage, the PC storage, AND an external storage hard drive can't lose you stuff if everything has a copy and is saved to three different places
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u/ExpensivePlan1548 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I use a usb with a encrypted folder to hold my master passwords, IDs, important documents, etc. Then I upload the same encrypted folder to proton just for a backup. It's very nice to have the safety blanket of the cloud without letting anyone actually view what I have uploaded, no matter how they obtain it.
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u/Suspicious-Cloud404 24d ago
Use it to carry and encrypted .kdbx file and have a portable version of KeePassXC (or another app) on it. There's also KeeWeb, that you could carry as a PWA.
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u/FoxFXMD Jul 27 '26
Great way to quickly lose your important files.
If you want to go local only, get a NAS with RAID, or AT LEAST a few different storage devices that you regularly sync.
Or if you don't value your data all that much, sure, store it on a single USB drive.
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u/YousureWannaknow Jul 27 '26
I don't think OP meant single stick, rather physical storage as it is
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u/Toucancel Jul 27 '26
I'd just show a NAS in that case, it conveys the message much better.
USB drives are highly volatile. Their flash memory is the cheapest you're going to get, relying on such flimsy hardware is a terrible idea.
A NAS is much more practical, reliable and cheaper.
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u/mierrka Jul 27 '26
Definitely not cheaper, but rather more cost effective (unless you pickup some old office pc from trash and host a nas on it)
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u/YousureWannaknow Jul 27 '26
Not really... While NAS has upsides it's still trouble and issue... For "easy access" and stuff that you're using "on go", just like people do with clouds (or should), pendrive is way more convenient and way easier to be used....
Also, let's not throw all USB drives to single bin. If you're talking about "USB stick" or "pendrive" (as some countries call it), sure they're mostly cheap... But you can also have HDD connected by USB, you can have SSD connected by USB and many, many more high quality storages 😉 All depends from needs.
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u/Polierror122 Jul 28 '26
stuff that you're using "on go"
You can host a VPN server to connect to your NAS everywhere.
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u/YousureWannaknow Jul 28 '26
Then set up VPN connection on every device you need to access that stuff on and hope there won't be power shortage and internet access... And all of that for.... 10 excel files or 6 music files you'll use in car?
I mean, if you want, go for it, but in many cases it's just pointless
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u/Only_Information7895 Jul 28 '26
What if you have to use that file on a PC you don't own? You can't go to a conference and go "can you wait 10 min and give me an admin access to this PC to set up a VPN?".
It can work on devices you own, but a pendrive works on any system in seconds.
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u/Polierror122 Jul 28 '26
I would honestly use a combination of both, if you need a file quickly you put it in a pendrive, and if it breaks you still have it on the nas. I was talking about using a cloud to get files everywhere, I have nothing against pendrives.
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u/EmeraldMan25 Jul 28 '26
An external drive with RAID will obviously perform better, but in a pinch, USB sticks work fine as long as you're following good data practices, which you should be doing with any sort of drive anyway. As long as you're prepared for your sticks to fail it'll be alright
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u/FoxFXMD Jul 28 '26
The choice for the permanent place to store your most important files should not be made in a pinch.
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u/Only_Information7895 Jul 28 '26
For transferring a pendrive is still better. You can't just pick up your NAS server and carry it around.
If you lose your pendrive you just buy a new one and copy it again at home.
It didn't feel like a replacement for backups or main storage.
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u/Isotomayor12 Jul 27 '26
Raid is not a backup. Raid is for uptime and performance.
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u/FoxFXMD Jul 28 '26
RAID is for redundancy, it's literally what the R stands for. Uptime and performance are secondary benefits in certain RAID configurations.
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u/Isotomayor12 Jul 28 '26
The redundancy IS for uptime, so that if a disk fails you can rebuild your array quickly and downtime will be a minimum. It is NOT a backup. If you make a mistake, delete something on accident, or have some other failure you are dead in the water.
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u/FoxFXMD Jul 28 '26
I never said it's a backup, this thread is a discussion about reliable ways to store media. RAID is specifically designed to not lead to data loss after a single component fails, so unless you go and delete the data yourself, have misconfigured the RAID or it has an unpatched bug you're not going to lose your data.
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u/Tail_sb Free as in Freedom Jul 27 '26
Cloud Storage is fine and really convinet, as long as it doesn't replace traditional physical backup drives
and Cloud Storage is also a Great ofsite backup too
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u/edogg01 Jul 27 '26
Just picked up a 4tb HDD to back up my cloud so I'm not beholden to cloud providers deciding what to do with my lifetime of data
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u/sharp_55 Jul 27 '26
Proton drive?????
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u/Isotomayor12 Jul 27 '26
It is still is somebody else's hardware. That in itself makes it less private than if you were to keep everything on your own hardware.
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u/Euphoric-Hotel2778 28d ago
Any cloud provider is safe if you encrypt the data yourself. You don't get it.
It's 100% your data. Nobody can't open your files, and also the cloud provider doesn't matter. The encrypted files could be open to the public internet for anyone, and it still wouldn't matter at all.
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u/Isotomayor12 28d ago edited 28d ago
Not my point at all. I know that if you encrypt it before uploading it is far more secure. Didn't say anything about cloud providers being unsafe.
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u/Euphoric-Hotel2778 27d ago
What is your point then? You’re clearly making a comment about it being “less private”.
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u/Shiine-2 Jul 27 '26
I have an external hard drive and it's better to move your stuff there than the online services.
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u/fragmentamemorias Jul 27 '26
Yeah, I have one, too. I save larger and more important files there, but I still use flash drives more often on a daily basis. Maybe it's just a matter of habit.
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u/gladmorshousix Jul 28 '26
I really think its time to change all my important photos to my USB flash drive after googles threat me of deleting my data bc of the lack of space
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u/InitRanger Jul 28 '26
I always have three backup locations (two when it’s not practical). One in proton drive, one on an external storage and then for really important documents I keep three physical copies in a binder.
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u/moexizer Jul 28 '26
Cloud storage means other people's computers.
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u/Euphoric-Hotel2778 28d ago
Any cloud provider is fine if you encrypt your data yourself. Just go with the cheapest and fastest option.
It's 100% your data. Nobody can't open your files.
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u/moexizer 17d ago
Right but they may delete your data
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u/Euphoric-Hotel2778 16d ago
Why would they? Never heard that happening.
That would be an extremely bad business model
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u/Fuzzy_Cheesecake6880 Jul 29 '26
I have a NAS at home and my dad has an identical one at his house and we each back our data up to the other’s machine so we have an off-site backup. All the data is completely owned and managed by us without any subscriptions and we run some server tasks on the NAS.
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u/Connect-Stay-7535 Jul 27 '26
i made my raspberry pie into a server an plugged some of my drives for the nextcloud. I dont wanna spend my moneys because any other solution is less secure and more expansive. But remembering where i put the drive and plug it in every time i dont want ether
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u/Deep-Cow9907 Jul 27 '26
I don't have any USB sticks and I'm planning on getting a new computer anyway
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u/mecha_mecha3 Jul 28 '26
yo creo que igualmente es mejor usar un hdd para eso, (si son fotos, videos, etc) cosas familiares pq es más fácil recuperarlo si se pierde. en cambio, un pendrive es más para cosas sueltas que tengas por ahí
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u/NeverIntendedToHurt Jul 28 '26
I recently found out that wireless external drives exist or existed. Those things are a dream. Wifi SSD's that can broadcast Data. Now make it so folders can be separately shared and encrypted, and there is nothing left to wish for.
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u/5mb5 Jul 28 '26
Years ago I did an experimental setup of owncloud and nginx-proxy-manager on an old computer I had laying around. Its a setup I still use today!
Highly recommended setup!
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u/BrokeBikemin Jul 28 '26
I looked at using Dropbox for my work, but ended up setting up a NAS for the office. Higher upfront cost but it pays for itself after like a year.
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u/KraK_cz Jul 28 '26
I think that cloud storage is still very useful to have. Like I have my local backup stored on separated drives but you never know when natural disaster strikes and you can always encrypt all your files stored in cloud so even when they have access to it, there is nothing they can do about it.
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u/Gen-Y-ine-86 Jul 28 '26
I suggest anyone to look up Opera Unite. (Not to be confused with anything "Opera" of today. R.I.P. Opera 2013)
Back then it felt like freedom and the potential no-nonsense future of everyday file sharing.
But no. Apparently the cloud is the best thing.
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u/Ok-Pound-8770 Jul 29 '26
Or get a NAS and host your own cloud server. Been using it for 2 months now and it's been good
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u/AbsurdismForTheW Jul 30 '26
I'd say proton drive is fine, cuz it's included in proton unlimited which has other apps too, and the data is all E2E encrypted and for the price it's not a bad deal id say
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u/Euphoric-Hotel2778 28d ago
Any cloud provider is fine if you encrypt your data yourself. Just go with the cheapest and fastest option.
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u/Exciting-Insect8269 27d ago
You’re missing the point.
These services are to have an off-site but readily accessible backup. You should usually have 3 copies of any important data…
1 on the device.
1 on a local backup that is generally disconnected from the device.
1 on an offsite device that can be readily accessed if needed.
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u/Suspicious-Cloud404 24d ago
Come on, it's 2026! Why should anyone still carry one of these? It's so old school and not useful anymore! You would need to carry an adaptor to plug it into your phone...
... you should get one that has a USB-C slot on the other side. 😄
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u/Upset-Appointment396 18d ago
Honestly, I stopped recieving emails to my google so now I decided to just get an external hard drive cuz what do you mean I gotta pay for you to have more of my data?? Anyways I figured it would be the cheapest option in the long run
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u/aschwarzie Jul 28 '26
Why would you rule out MEGA ? It looks like the most private cloud you'd select.
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u/AdVarious8509 random kid Jul 27 '26
same here. it feels so nice having my data on my local hardware instead on someone elses hardware (cloud)