THE QUIET ARCHIVE / FIELD NOTES

Backups you can recover

Sync copies your current state, including accidental deletion. A separate backup should give you a way back.

A practical checklist

Choose the irreplaceable files first.
Use the 3–2–1 principle as a starting point: three copies, two storage media types, one copy off-site. Keep an important copy offline or otherwise isolated.
Encrypt sensitive backups with a trusted tool. Keep recovery keys separately and securely.
Restore a few files to a different folder. Open them, check their contents and verify that decryption works.
Record the test date and result. Repeat after changing devices or backup methods.

A second folder on the same disk is not an independent backup. A checklist is guidance, not a guarantee against data loss.