Backup forum

Do these drives appear on your system as mapped (network) drives?

Hmmm, interesting approach, but you're right - it would mean I'd have to reupload all that content.

To be honest, I was a bit frustrated with IDrive support on this issue.  Two support contacts acknowledged the limitation and suggested I submit it as a feature request to enable Archive Cleanup on external/mapped drives.  When I escalated it, the answer I finally got was that it was implemented this way by design and not likely to be changed because an external drive, if swapped, would create problems within IDrive.  Sounded more like he was just defending a limitation of their design.

I cancelled my IDrive account since I was on my last day to still get a refund.   I may choose to revisit with the drive remap, but it still feels like a hack to a serious weakness in the IDrive approach.

But thank you, SteveA, for the drive remap idea!

Well, that's the curiousity.... If IDrive backs up everything it finds and claims it never removes it unless you do (via Archive/Periodic Cleanup or via their web interface) then it should always be there to reconnect when you do connect the right drive.  No?  That would be an interesting test.  If the folder or drive you told IDrive was deleted locally (or simply not there) would IDrive take the action to remove it from your account?   Hmmm.   But yes, I understand the concern on external drives. 

I see they're offering a 5TB plan for just $6.95 for the first year now.  Didn't see that the first time around.   I may sign up with that just to give your mount disk suggestion a try.   (Plus, if I don't go through the 5G trial, I'll have 30 days to get my $7 back ;-)

Steve, how long have you been an IDrive user?   Happy with it?  I've seen such mixed reviews on the web, but that's likely true for any software.

After extensive email back and forth with IDrive support, I decided to give them another shot using your mount external drive trick.   Seems to be working.

I decided to give it a try with their current $6.95 for 5TB promotion.   So for $7, I have a year to fully assess if IDrive can meet my needs.   The downside is that at the end of the year, my account gets kicked up to full price and they say I cannot use my .edu email address to get the education 50% discount at that time.  So that just means that if IDrive meets my needs I'll have to create yet another IDrive account using my .edu email address to get the Education discount and then reupload everything yet again.   As much as I want to truly like IDrive, they do make it a challenge, don't they?

But, it's been around a long time and the price is right.  Thanks again, SteveA,  for the tip on mounting drives.