The worst possible time to make a backup is probably right after a computer crash, but that’s precisely the time when most computer users stop and consider doing so.

For most users backup isn’t a top priority, so they often forget to create regular scheduled backups, in case the worst happens.

However, with the introduction of online backup services, it’s now possible to create and upload backup of your files automatically, the software program runs in the background and uploads all your files onto the server whenever they are saved. This means you have a current and reliable backup to restore from.

There are numerous free online backup services out there, and in this post I will review 4 of the best.

SugarSync

Formerly known as Sharpcast, offers 5GB of online backup space, free for life, it supports automatic file synchronisation which allows you to keep your libraries updated across all your computers. Storage space is upgradable to 10GB if you refer friends, both gaining 500MB each.

Dropbox

Dropbox offers 2GB of free storage space, and is popular amongst computer geeks due to its support for Linux. While 2GB isn’t a lot of storage space, you can upgrade your free account by referring your friends; students get 500MB for each referral, and non-students get 250MB. The max free storage space allowed for students is 16GB and for non students it’s 8GB.

OpenDrive

OpenDrive offers 5GB storage space for free; it has features similar to SugarSync and Dropbox with automatic backups and synchronization abilities. Although it does provide ample space for free account holders, the space is not upgradable by referring friends. I also don’t like the fact that OpenDrive places a watermark on your images if you decide to share them on forums.

Mozy

Mozy is one of the most popular online backup companies out there, and offers 2GB of free storage space. We like the clean interface of Mozy, which is very easy to use. It has bandwidth throttling features to prevent it from clogging up your internet connection.

Out of all of these services, which I have personally tested, SugarSync is my favourite as it has a good 5GB storage space, straight out of the cuff, and is expandable to 10GB which is an impressive amount of storage space.

=== About the Author ===

Guest post written by Abdul Karim, a tech enthusiast, Windows fan and writer for the online backup services website

The Online file storage  battle seems to be heating up. After Box.net increased their free storage space to 5GB, another sync service, SugarSync, has increased their free online storage  space to 5GB.

SugarSync syncs your files across multiple platforms like Windows,  Mac OS X, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. The service provides users with a desktop client which can then be used to sync files to the SugarSync servers.

The new 5GB free accounts will be available to both old and new users. SugarSync also provides a business account which provides users with 30GB space for $4.99 a month. If you do not have a SugarSync account, you can sign up for a free account to get 5GB storage space.

Also Read: 5 Services to Backup and Sync your Files

Online File Storage and collaboration service Box.net has bumped their free storage space to 5GB from 1GB and business storage to 500GB from 15GB. This makes them one of the largest online storage space provider right now.

Also Read: How To Mount Box.net Storage in Windows Explorer

Box.net, one of the online file storage services has increased their free storage space from 1GB to 5GB which will now allow users to store a large amount of files online. They have also announced that they will be increasing their business storage from 15GB to 500GB whilst allowing enterprise users to store unlimited files in the cloud.

Business and enterprise users who have been using services such as SharePoint, Google Docs and Sales Force get an added advantage here. However, for personal users, services like Dropbox which offer 2GB space and additional space for recommendations along with Windows Live SkyDrive which offers 25GB storage space along with Windows Live Mesh which providers users with 5GB sync space are more lucrative offers.

Box.net has built several data-centers to protect data along with also using Amazon’s S3 service promise better security for the files and documents stored with their service. I believe that this additional storage is definitely something which will cheer up users, both personal and business.

If you use Box.net, you might want to read up on how to use it as a local storage space in Windows. You can also access Windows Live SkyDrive from Windows Explorer.

(Source: CNET)

Dropbox is one of my favorite ways to synchronize and backup files, however, the limit on basic account is only 2GB which is pretty less considering that you can easily fill it up with few vacation pictures and videos. You could use the multiple Dropbox account trick to backup more files though.

Also see: Other Online Free Storage Websites and Tools

Dropbox also provides users with an option to invite friends and get 250MB extra storage for every friend of yours who signs up. But did you know that you can also get 250MB of storage space for free by just clicking on the "Get Started" link in your Dropbox account?

If not, go ahead and login to Dropbox and click on the Get Started link to increase your Dropbox storage space by 250 MB, if you don’t have a Dropbox account yet, you can always use my sign up link to add to my quota . Sign up for Free 2GB Dropbox Storage Account.

(h/t Life Hacker)