ouch to the 2nd poster.
not much to choose between them really. USB3 if you have it! Don’t forget your backup copy is just as fragile as your source though!
Think about coupling it with another strategy – maybe you can plug a USB disk into your router already (the NAS angle). Netgear and DLink even have a backup widget.
Next step is a 321 stratgegy. 3 copies: 2 here, 1 there. ‘There’ can be google, Amazon or somewhere cloud.
Sync (dropbox,Gdrive etc.) is useful but don’t forget corruptions/deletes are also sync’d – meaning it’s not a reliable recovery in all cases..
Tools like CLoudberry or Crashplan can manage a real 321 backup for you. CLoudberry is nice b/c it let’s you encrypt your backup whoever you send it to (there is an opensource option somewhere as well) – stops Google or whoever slurping your data (if that bothers you)..
I think it’s important to automate stuff like this – 2nd poster is the case in point (been there myself! hope you can recover them – I did mine with a caddy and the freezer – but do your own reasearch first!)
hmm that reminds me I have at least 1 disk not copied somewhere..
ps Ebuyer have a 500GB hybrid drive for 42.99 today. Add a USB3 caddy and you should get fastish transfers.. http://www.ebuyer.com/582444-toshiba-500gb-solid-state-hybrid-drive-sshd-mq01abf050h