CH5719  My experience with Mozy was terrible. It constantly lost its configuration, the handling of caches was corrupt all the time resulting in endless loops of rebuilding and the support was the worst. Never knew what the problem was, noone could me either. After reinstalling and setting everything up again and again, after a few times running the app, it lost its configuration again. Moreover, cpu and memory usage was unacceptable too. I lost a few days with this and wouldn't recommend this program in its current state to any mac user at all.  
(Version 1.5.2)

TOD WICKS  I had been using Mozy for the Mac since it was in beta in 2007. Things had been going along pretty smoothly until August of this year (2009) when suddenly connections would be dropped when backing up either of our two computers. I ran several network speed tests and all passed with upload and download speeds right at my ISP's specs. I uploaded and downloaded several gigs of files to my remote host and never encountered sluggish or complete shutdowns in speed. I was completely satisfied that my Macs and my network connection were reliable.

When I contacted Mozy "support," I got no response for a week. I sent multiple messages and included my primary and alternate email addresses as well as my phone number. Still no luck except an automated response providing me with a trouble ticket number.

I had had an email correspondence with one of their technical engineers in March or April so I began copying him on my emails. Even those went unanswered.

I found that Mozy had been acquired by some larger (ie cost-cutting) firm and one of the things that went by-by was the toll-free tech support number. There was no way to easily get in touch with Mozy support!

I tried the "live chat" route and had a drone on the other end who had no inkling of what I was trying to describe as my problem, even though I was copy-pasting info from the Mozy log into the chat window. She went off onto tangents, such as "What's your ISP?" "Uh, Comcast." "Oh, yes, Comcast has been known to have service disruptions in the past. Do you like lamb and curry?" I thought that well, every ISP has had disruptions in the past but I can prove that that wasn't the case with me.

I located the Mozy Business services blog and wrote a comment at random to one of the blogger's recent posts, begging him to get someone to contact me and help me get my backups working. A week later (now nearly three weeks into my odyssey) he responded and appeared to take some semblance of ownership of my case. Also at that point I simply wanted a refund of the unused amount of my advance subscription. Done he told me. Nothing further happened, no further contact with me.

Then I researched the company and found the VP in charge of Decho (Mozy) and wrote him a letter sent by the old-fashioned way - the USPS. No response. Dog-gone it. What is with this outfit where no one gives a flying teabag about a customer's problems?

Finally, on October 14, six weeks into this journey to nowhere, I get a note from someone informing me that my credit card account has been credited with the balance on my subscription. I quickly went to my CC online service center to verify (and to take a screen grab!) that I had finally been credited.

This outfit used to be really responsive. Now they simply wade about in copious amounts of deep kaka. Furthermore, the treatment I received has demonstrated yet again how truly awful off-shore tech support has become. Can you spell i-n-d-i-a? Very precise English but not an ounce of technical expertise or individual initiative. Why did no one take total ownership and responsibility of my case? Why did no one telephone me as I had suggested? Because those are things not spelled out in the little drone handbook and script they read from.

If you're looking for mission critical cloud backups, Mozy is NOT for you. However, if you enjoy online mystery or hidden object games, then try Mozy - see if you can find the hidden tech support engineer within five calendar days. Bonus points if you find the lamb & curry.  
(Version 1.5.2.1)

FRANKO  While I have none of the problems aforementioned by fellow users, 1 problem that still keeps me away if Mozy's annoying feature which disallows my Mac from sleeping as per Energy Saver settings.

The same, btw, exists for iDrive so I'm quickly running out of offsite backup solutions :(  
(Version 1.5.2.1)

RMF  I quit Mozy after more two years as a paying customer and beta tester. The product failed to do scheduled backups and went through a multi-day seemingly endless "restore" routine on their servers that merely recreated my old data. This left me without useable offsite backups for newly created data for the 10 days that this restoration process went on. This happened twice in a 60 day period. They had no solution other than deleting and reinstalling. There was never a satisfactory explanation or fix.

Their support service was TERRIBLE. I cannot emphasize enough how bad Mozy support is. Imagine the worst in the industry and then some. I could not get a straight answer or solution to the problem despite dozens of emails and attempts to use their on-line support system. It was endless mindless email replies from South Asia that did did not respond to the problem and offered nothing but "solutions" from the procedures manual. I corresponded at length with purported Mozy engineers in Utah. Responses were slow or non-existent. There was never a solution to the problem. I was told repeatedly that a new update would fix the problem. There were at least 2 during this period, but the problem would come back despite the purported fix. Even trying to cancel was a huge annoyance as I had to make a long distance phone call to Utah to get it done. Since an offsite backup that isn't reliable is useless I quit and went with Backblaze.   
(Version 1.5.2.1)

BLUESTAR  I just updated from a previous version. Opening the file selection window tells me no files are selected when there are about a dozen. Also, I asked the MOZY team to indicate the release DATE for the software downloads on their downloads page not just the Fing version number, so one doesn't have to go to their MOZY on the computer and through several clicks find the app and its version number. This should be really simple. They are too lazy to do so. I've uninstalled this program.  
(Version 1.5.1.5)

JERNOMER  Why is the 'Download Now' link at the top not actually allowing you to download the product, but instead a (sneaky?) referral link that takes you to a registration page? It seems to be the work of someone trying to boost their own referrals...  
(Version 1.5.1.5)

STEVE COPLEY  I've been using Mozy for about a year and a half. I've recommended it to friends and family (Windows PCs). But I'm now probably going to stop using it and change to either CrashPlan or SpiderOak (I'm trying out both this week before making my final decision).

Why? It's not the interface / features - I really like how Mozy works and how nicely it fits in with OS X (clean, consistent UI). It's the intermittent connection issues I've had.

As I write I have 2.5GB of updates to upload (some new pics in iPhoto) and Mozy has been attempting to upload them for almost 5 days. It's managed 300MB so far. The log file is full of 'failed to write to output stream' errors.

A live-chat to support resulted in some fiddling with my account (at their end) and uploads beginning - but this only lasted for a short time. A subsequent e-mail has so far not been responded to (3 days). The connection issues are definitely Mozy-related - CrashPlan and SpiderOak are happily using my (slow) Internet connection to upload a bunch of files right now without complaint. Mozy is stuck at 0.0% as always.

When I was having similar issues in the past I was instructed to re-install the client and that it would 're-sync' with the files already uploaded. It didn't and I was faced with waiting 2 weeks whilst all my files uploaded again. Not good.

Frankly, you want any back-up scheme to be reliable and trouble-free. My experience with Mozy has been neither. Time to switch.

SC  
(Version 1.5.0.9)

TPRESSMAN  I just had to do this uninstall, reinstall, reconfigure a week ago. I am uninstalling Mozy and switching to another product. Mozy is causing corruption in it's own configuration on a regular, consistent basis. For this reason, it is useless. Between the high memory use and guaranteed self-corruption, what's the point?

-Trevor

On Aug 26, 2009, at 6:38 AM, Shekhar Sengunthar wrote:

Hi Trevor,

Thank you for contacting Mozy Technical Support. I understand that the backups are not working. I have checked your log file, and the Mozy client configuration is corrupt. We'll have to reinstall the Mozy client. I suggest you to follow the following steps:

1) Please uninstall the current version without saving the Configuration.

2) Reboot the computer(Very important), and install the latest client from the following link:

https://mozy.com/downloads/mozy-1_4_3_3-7023.dmg

Run a backup, and let me know the result. Based on your reply I'll update your ticket.

I look forward to hear from you. Have a great day!

Best Regards,

Shekhar

Technical Support Representative

Mozy Support

Mozy Support hours

24/7/365

Please visit the following website to access our support knowledge base:

http://support.mozy.com

Ticket Details

Case ID: IAV-907618  
(Version 1.4.3)

KKRUSS  I've had the same memory leak problem mentioned below. Starts up around 50MB and by the end of the day it is taking up to 1.1GB of memory, even though it hasn't run any backups. I have for force-quit the program, then it reloads and the process starts all over again.

I was working with Mozy's support people (who had be uninstall and reinstall). After that didn't work, radio silence from support -- I got an email saying they had closed the ticket and asked me to fill out a questionaire on my satisfaction with the service (which was not very high).

It seems like a nice program, but I can't have it taking up all the memory in my computer.  
(Version 1.4.3)

G. I.  1.4.1 is the same crap on Tiger like 1.4 was. Both configure and the system prferences pane quit "unexpectedly", backup doesn't do anything.  
(Version 1.4.1)

J SASAKI  Sign up for Mozy Free.

Install Mozy, run or first time. Setup Assistant never stops scanning files. (We're talking hours, on a 160 GB disk.)

Uninstall. Reinstall. Same problem.

Uninstall. Hand-delete Mozy application (turns out uninstaller assumes it's in ~/Applications/).

Reinstall. Setup Assistant does stop scanning files and starts reporting size of planned backup, but then it goes into beachball loop before completing configuration.

Force quit, uninstall, reinstall. Same problem.

Force quit, uninstall, reinstall. Same problem for third time.

Uninstall, cancel Mozy account, write MacUpdate review.

Begin wait for version 1.5 or maybe 1.6.  
(Version 1.4.0.6)

JICHO  Mozy works great, even the 1.4 version. I'm using Mozy for some time now. The only problem in the upgrade from the latest 1.3 version to 1.4 is that I needed to upload ALL my files again :( This never happend before and I hope this never happens again!!!!!

Strange thing is that this only happend on my paid account, I had no problems on my second mac with the free account.

Besides all this trouble, I would be nice when Mozy Home (paid of free ;) could upload only the changed parts of files like Dropbox. This would speed up the backup process a lot :)  
(Version 1.4)

KEVIN APRILLIO  Worth to download but the memory usage is too big. Compared to other apps this one is definitely awesome for backup. But still the memory is the main problem, sometimes I need to restart a few times caused of the apps.  
(Version 1.4)

RDPTWH2  Mozy backup has a serious memory leak that consumes about 700MB or RAM per hour, and 60% of all CPU cycles whether it is backing up files, or the daemon is simply idling in the background. Once it has consumed 3GB, Mozy crashes and does not free all of the RAM that it gobbled up before the crash. On my Mac Pro, Mozy crashes at least 4 or 5 times per day and requires me to restart it.

Mozy customer service reply was:

"if you deselect the files from your configuration, then Mozy will not be having much difficulty in re-initializing your backup configuration and will load faster"

Not very helpful.

It is difficult to understand why EMC would put their name on this pre-beta test product.

The subscription fee is great, but the product is not ready for prime time.

If you want to back up more than a few GB, you may want to look for another solution, or wait until this flawed product is fixed.  
(Version 1.3.2)

SAMPLER  I've also used Mozy since its beta days and I can confirm that it has become very robust about finishing backups if there is a problem on the server end. I've had to contact support a few times when I had a corrupted configuration file, and it's always been prompt. I recommend the live-support, for instant help.

It's true that the backup statistics can be confusing. In my last backup after a reinstall of the configuration (see tip below), the status window said I needed to back up 9 Gig of data. Mozy had lost track of what was backed up. In fact, most of it was already on the server and the total backup took "only" 9 hours.

I've done many restores, and I prefer the web interface. The site packages the restored files in a dmg disk image, and notifies you via email when the restore is ready. I especially appreciate the availability of previous versions. Mozy is very good about downloading package files, which are actually folders.

I also use Jungle Disk for frequent daily backups of my current project files, as I can access them via the Network Drive. However I consider Mozy essential, because because the company will FedEx you DVD's of all your restored data for a price. JD has no such option, and so is unsuitable for restoring more than a few Gigabytes at a time.

Mozy offers a limited choice of backup schedules-- at a designated time each day or when there is reduced load on the computer or you are away for a designated period of time. I would like to see the ability to schedule backups at designated intervals. Still, everything does get backed up in a relatively short period of time after the initial large backups.

The configuration screen could also use some improvement. There are two types of backups--designated backup sets (e.g. Mail, iTunes, iCal, Spreadsheets) and designated files. When you open the configuration, you get the backup set screen. Mozy states that "no" files are designated for backup, and starts to count all the files in each type of set. It's safe to close the configuration or switch to the "files and folders" screen, but you might not think so.

I give Mozy a 4 not a 5, because configuration files have become corrupted more often than I like--leading to the need to uninstall and re-install and to do a new backup. Still I have not lost data.

Tip: When you have the configuration set up and working, save a copy of the state.db and state.dump files. These are in the Mozy folder in the Application Support folder of the root (not user) Library. If you have to re-install Mozy, copy the saved files into the Mozy folder.  
(Version 1.3.2)

JBJORET  I tried Mozy this week-end, I liked the straight forward interface, and the fact, that they have an unlimited data plan. But the upload is incredibly bad, you will probably need a year to get 100GB of Backup uploaded (though I have a 10Mbits upload connection). The second big issue is the backup itself, exluding files on a Mac, does not seem to work correctly, and ignores the 20GB of VMWare disk images I exluded from the backup. A big big plus for Mozy, is the fact that you can use a private key to encrypt your data before backing them on their servers. That is what I am really missing on iDrive.  
(Version 1.3.2)

ABILSTEIN  I won't assign any stars yet because I haven't had to recover any data (thankfully). But, everything seems good so far. The config software is nice and they obviously hired some real Mac developers to build it. It recognizes the data stores of Mac specific apps (Backup Sets) instead of forcing you to tediously dig through your folders (although you can do it that way too if you want).

Yes, the initial upload took a long time, but subsequent backups are fast enough that I don't notice them (I set it to run in the middle of the night while I'm asleep). The initial upload can be helped if you do it in chunks instead of one massive push. There really isn't much they can do about that because of typical ISP upload speeds vs. download speeds.

I use Time Machine for local backups and quick restores if I need it, but Mozy is there in case of catastrophe.  
(Version 1.3.2)

SIMON1979  I don't really understand why the previous two reviewers have written what they have written. Mozy is a great product, and is extremely cheap for what you get. I love it, and with the latest release (1.3.1), it is now (finally) extremely stable. It no longer hogs CPU resources, and is much more reliable at completing backups than ever before. I can definitely recommend this product. I have been using it for nearly two years now, since the early days of the Mac beta. Yes, there is still some room for improvement in the software itself, but the service is excellent.

In response to Fyreflye, you can choose a free 2GB account or a pay for an Unlimited account. And it really IS unlimited. I currently have over 100GB backed up for $4.95/month, a real bargain.

And in response to Benjo, 12% of 60GB is fairly good for two days. Firstly, your upload speed is going to be crap - nothing like your upload speed - it's just the way internet connections are. And secondly, Mozy actually cap the upload rate to 1.0Mbps (much more than most people's internet connections are capable of). Not to worry though: when Mozy restarts the backup, it doesn't have to upload what it has already done. Despite the fact it looks like it has gone back to 0%, it's actually 0% of the remainder.  
(Version 1.3.0.5)

BENJO  Think Carefully about Mozy..

In a fit of New Year's precaution, I subscribed to Mozy to back up about 60GB of data from my iMac 24". I began the upload process on Monday...and by Wednesday I had managed to upload a paltry 12% of my data. Later that day I lost power and had to restart my computer...and the Mozy backup process started from 0%.

I said "enough already" and am seeking my money back. Any online backup system that takes 3 days to upload 9 GB of data is just not ready for prime time. Naturally, YMMV, but for me Mozy's performance is simply unacceptable...  
(Version 1.3.0.5)

FYREFLYE  Software is labeled "Free" but we're informed after we've downloaded it that there's a charge of $4.95 per computer per month. Not unreasonable or unethical, but shouldn't we be told this before we download?  
(Version 1.3.0.5)