gdgt

The easiest would definitely be the Windows Home Server. It automatically backs up your Windows computers and will even wake them up for backups if you set it to do so. If you keep the data on your computer and you just want to have an additional copy of it, then the Windows Home Server will also be the cheapest method by far.

If you do not keep the data on your computer and you want to have the storage device be backed up, then it becomes a bit more tricky as to what is the cheapest. Windows Home Server allows you to do this very easily, but it forces you to have two times the number of drives (since it backs up each piece of data such that it is on two drives).

If you have tons and tons of data (like 10TB), then a RAID solution or the DROBO might be cheaper, but they are not nearly as easy to use or as feature-rich as the home server. The reason they may be cheaper at this point is because while the initial cost for these devices is higher, they do not force you to have two times the number of drives. They only require one or two drives for redundancy - again, this only matters if you have tons and tons of data.

I would go with a Windows Home Server.

I have to say I'm a major fan of Windows Home Server.

There's a slight limbo situation at the moment though. WHS is currently based on the Windows Server 2003 codebase, but the next version which is due out sometime this year will be based on 2008. There will be no migration path (unless you build your own WHS,and even then it'a s case of wipe and reinstall) between the two. So while I can say that the current incarnation of WHS is a mighty fine home storage platform, especially in the form of machines like the HP LX495, they are basically obsolete this year.

If you can wait until 'Vale' is out, I'd say wait.

Thanks all. Super helpful. I'm not even at 1TB yet but I'm getting there fast. However, I can definitely wait for "Vale" and WHS in the form of one of the HP devices seems like the easiest way to go.