{"id":8847,"date":"2021-10-04T16:31:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/?p=8847"},"modified":"2021-10-15T16:52:03","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T15:52:03","slug":"pcloud-auto-backup-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/pcloud-auto-backup-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"pCloud: The Problem With AutoBackup – And a Workaround"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PCloud<\/a><\/p>\n

I like pCloud. <\/span><\/p>\n

For years I used the free version. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why? <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s been reliable, easy to use, practical and tidy.<\/span><\/p>\n

pCloud Bargain of the Year?<\/span><\/h2>\n

And then I saw the 500GB lifetime subscription on AppSumo – for significantly less than the price on pCloud’s own website. <\/span><\/p>\n

So I bought it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I have all those extra facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

But after trying them, I\u2019ve decided NOT<\/strong> to use one particular facility.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the automated Backup<\/b> system.<\/span><\/p>\n

And here\u2019s why.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Why<\/a>
Why won’t I use pCloud’s automated backup system?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why I Won’t Use the pCloud Auto Backup<\/span><\/h2>\n

You can accidentally delete all your computer files<\/strong> if you delete them on pCloud.<\/span><\/p>\n

Impossible, you might think.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nope. It’s possible to create a disaster!<\/span><\/p>\n

But how?<\/span><\/p>\n

Because, on the pCloud backup system, the backed-up files sync<\/strong> across pCloud and devices – which makes it possible to delete your original files accidentally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"If<\/a>
pCloud states: If you delete a file from your backup, it will be deleted from your devices<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So imagine this scenario:<\/span><\/p>\n

You give your smartphone<\/strong> to your child or grandchild to keep them occupied. The child finds their way into pCloud and accidentally deletes<\/strong> your backup files. That action will synchronise<\/strong> with your PC, Mac or laptop and will delete<\/strong> the original<\/strong> files. Gone!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Thankfully<\/a>
Thankfully there is a warning when deleting folders & files<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can You Restore Deleted Files?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Yes, it might be possible to restore those files\u2026 if you notice they\u2019ve gone missing before pCloud’s 30-day deadline for restoring deleted files (you can extend that deadline for a fee).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"pCloud's<\/a>
pCloud’s auto backup backs up and syncs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I Will<\/em> Use pCloud Automated Backup<\/span><\/h2>\n

I did find a safe application with a slightly different name:<\/span><\/p>\n

pCloud’s Automatic Upload<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

That automatically backs up my phone’s<\/strong> photos.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can later delete any of them inside the pCloud folder without that action deleting the pictures on my phone.<\/span><\/p>\n

This facility on pCloud provides a nice alternative to Google Drive<\/em> now that Google has started to charge to store your photos.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another handy feature of pCloud’s Phone Photo Backup<\/em> is this:<\/span><\/p>\n

Once my phone’s photos were backed up into the pCloud folder, I was able to download them as a zip file directly to my PC and store them on there too.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

DESKTOP BACKUP<\/span><\/p>\n

Backs up and syncs<\/span><\/p>\n

I won’t use ?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

MOBILE BACKUP<\/span><\/p>\n

Backs up from phone<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy to use ?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Alternatives to Auto Backup on pCloud<\/span><\/h2>\n

So what do I do instead of using auto backup<\/em>\u00a0for my computer’s<\/strong> files and photos?<\/span><\/p>\n

Two things.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. I use pCloud as an additional drive<\/strong>. It’s just like an external drive in the cloud. Any files that I might want to work on later, from a different device such as a laptop, I store in the pCloud Drive.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. As a simple storage<\/strong>\u00a0method. Rather than setting up the auto backup (which then syncs), I drag<\/strong> important files (and even folders) from my PC into pCloud. That copies<\/strong> them across. Yes, I know that pCloud won’t auto-update its copy if I were to modify the original files on the PC at a later date – but neither does it sync and risk losing the files. So my family digital photos going back two decades are all backed up – and the originals remain safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
I no longer use the Desktop Backup – but I do use the Mobile Backup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

pCloud vs Backblaze<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before I bought pCloud, I used another system: Backblaze<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

And I still use it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why?<\/span><\/p>\n

It backs up all my files automatically and continuously. And encrypts them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Backblaze isn\u2019t cheap. But it\u2019s very good. <\/span><\/p>\n

So if the worst should happen, I can either log in to Backblaze to download and restore all my files to my PC. <\/span><\/p>\n

Or I can request a loaded hard drive be sent to me in the post.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though I\u2019ve bought pCloud, I still intend to use Backblaze as a continuous backup because of its unlimited storage and encryption. <\/span>And because it can’t accidentally delete my computer files.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Thankfully<\/a>
We never had this dilemma with floppy disks!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Backblaze and pCloud Offers<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s my refer-a-friend link for Backblaze<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. It\u2019s worth a free month<\/strong> to us both if you decide to join via that link (so thank you in advance).<\/span><\/p>\n

And if AppSumo’s pCloud deal is still available, here\u2019s where you can find that too: pCloud on AppSumo<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Again, it’s my refer-a-friend link, and it’s worth $10 of AppSumo credit<\/strong> to us both. Apologies if the deal’s expired by the time you read this. But if it has, here’s pCloud’s own refer-a-friend<\/a><\/span> scheme, currently a free month of Premium account (worth $5) to you, and $5 to me if you continue as a customer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt's good to back up your computer's files. But what if doing so allows you to accidentally delete them. Here's a safer way. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n

Do You Still Like pCloud, David?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Yes. I do. Very much so.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • As storage<\/span><\/li>\n
  • As an extra drive<\/span><\/li>\n
  • As a static backup<\/span><\/li>\n
  • To replace Google Drive<\/em> to auto-backup my smartphone’s photos<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    But certainly not as an automated computer backup.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Because the danger of deleting my files was a major concern,<\/span> I nearly cancelled my pCloud Premium membership (AppSumo has a 60-day refund policy for any reason). <\/span><\/p>\n

    But when I discovered the workaround, I decided it was<\/span> worth the investment. <\/span><\/p>\n

    I hope it helps you too if you’re a pCloud Premium user. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Let me know how it goes.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I like pCloud. For years I used the free version. Why? It’s been reliable, easy to use, practical and tidy. pCloud Bargain of the Year? And then I saw the 500GB lifetime subscription on AppSumo – for significantly less than the price on pCloud’s own website. So I bought it. Now I have all those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[206,99,231],"tags":[481,482,480],"yoast_head":"\npCloud: The Problem With AutoBackup - And a Workaround - David Withington<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's good to auto back up & sync your computer files. But could you accidentally delete them by doing that? 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