Data Backup Digest

Nearly all of the major video game consoles of the past, including Microsoft products, have suffered from corrupted data and lost save files in a very similar fashion to that of modern PCs. Microsoft's Xbox 360 cloud storage platform provides a convenient, safe and secure vault for storing backups of your saved game files. Moreover, the service even allows you to access your saved game files from any system, letting you play games at your friends' house simply by logging into your personal account and accessing your chunk of the cloud network.

Requirements

There are some basic requirements that are necessary to taking full advantage of the Microsoft Xbox 360 network of cloud storage servers. At least 514 MB of free storage space is required on the hard drive of your Xbox 360, is this is required for the main installation files. Once installed, you must have an active Xbox LIVE Gold Membership in order to backup and access the cloud servers.

Enabling / Disabling Cloud Storage

Once you have met all of the above requirements for accessing the cloud, you then must activate it on your Xbox 360. To do this, select "Settings" from the Xbox 360 Dashboard. Navigate to "System", then "Storage, and finally "Cloud Saved Games." As long as you meet all of the requirements, you will be able to select "Enable Cloud Saved Games" to complete the activation process.

Disabling the cloud service is accomplished by accessing "Settings" from the Xbox 360 Dashboard, choosing "System," and then "Storage." Highlight "Cloud Saved Games" and press "Y." Finally, choose "Disable Cloud Saved Games" to complete the process.

Saving Games to the Cloud

Once the cloud has been activated, any new games that are started on your Xbox 360 system will give you the choice of automatically uploading your saved game file to the cloud. Selecting "Yes" will periodically update the cloud with a recent version of your saved game, though you will still be able to upload files manual. It is important to note that saved game files uploaded automatically will not actually be transferred to the cloud until you exit your game, so losing power or network connectivity may still cause you to lose some of your saved data.

Uploading your saved game files manually to the Microsoft Xbox 360 cloud storage architecture is rather painless. After enabling the cloud service, all you have to do is select the saved games you wish to copy to the cloud and upload them. This is initiated by selecting "Settings" from the Xbox Dashboard and navigating to "System." Select the "Storage" tab, then "Games," and located the files you want to upload. Once the chosen game is highlighted, simply select "Move" and then set the destination to "Cloud Saved Games." The process will begin and end automatically.

Accessing Your Cloud on Another Console

As mentioned previously, Microsoft Xbox 360's cloud storage service lets you access your saved game files from any Xbox 360 console, including those in another location. Make sure the cloud storage service is enabled on the console you are using and then start the game. When you are prompted to select a storage device, simply choose "Cloud Saved Games," select the appropriate file, and play.