BACKING UP DATA
The concept behind backing up is to physically
remove or copy files from your computer so that you have the information in a recoverable
state in a place of safety. When (not if) the hard drive fails, your backed up data
can be restored in a new hard drive.
Almost every computer with Windows 98SE (or better)
has a USB port. We highly recommend getting a USB Drive or an 'external
hard drive'. They can usually be purchased for around $100.00 and offer
flexibility in both the method of backing up and the amount you back up.
We also recommend automatic backing up software (Norton
Ghost or Acronis TrueImage) which
has better flexibility and ease of use over the built-in backup options of
Windows and can restore the entire hard drive to a new one should the old one
'crash'.
For more advanced users who are looking to back-up
files onto a more stable storage device, the next option is a DVD RAM writer. The idea is to get the files onto a storage media (disk, CD, tape, etc)
that do not rely on a hard drive. A hard drive can be dropped and the
data lost. Although a DVD can be scratched or broken, it's harder to
destroy data by carelessness and it has no moving parts that may wear out or
break. You can buy programs that allow you to create data disks (or back ups) where you can choose folders or
files to mark to be copied, or even use the backing up software above to
create your back-ups.
Automatic drive imaging (which is using
one of the above programs to create a back-up of the hard drive as it is which
can be restored to a new hard drive) is both faster and more comprehensive
than dragging and dropping all of the files you want to save. It can be
scheduled to be done as often as you need (We recommend once a week for
general use, more often for businesses.) and can be done overnight or
during non-business hours (once one of the above programs is installed and a
back-up scheduled appropriately) by just leaving the computer on and an
external hard drive attached.
Manually saving files is fine for a few, individual, critical
files, but is not recommended anymore for backing up all the data in a
computer. Most individual files can be saved to a micro-drive (also
called a thumb drive) which currently come in sizes from 16 megabytes up to
256 GB. A 1-4 GB size is usually adequate for most any individual or
critical file.
The only time we recommend manually dragging and dropping
files to back them up is to place these files in another drive then delete
them from the previous drive in order to make more room on the previous drive.
If you're manually making comprehensive
back-ups by dragging and dropping files, we recommend the following these
instructions:
The files you should back up are those files you
created yourself. If you named it, it should be backed up. If you installed
it, it can be safely ignored when backing up. Examples of files that you create are
word processor documents, picture files, video files and music files. Before you
back things up, it's best to go through the computer and prepare to back things up.
Another kind of back-up available is through the program itself. Several
financial programs recommend backing up your financial data regularly and
provide a means of doing this.
First of all, archive your e-mail and export your
address book (see the help files of your e-mail program for how to do this). This
will create a file that can be used to restore the data should your computer crash.
If you can't archive or back-up, try finding the folder in which that information is kept
and note their locations.
Next, note the locations of all of the other files
you may want to save. Keep in mind that program files don't need to be saved - only
the files you created using the program. For example, the document you made in your
word processor program should be backed up. The word processing program isn't backed
up. It can be reinstalled. If possible, write down the folders containing the
files you want to back up. This will give you an idea of where to look the next time
you need to back things up. For most Windows users, your personal files
will be kept in the My Documents folder.
Finally, any downloads - items you didn't name but
saved from the Internet or other sources - should be found and noted.
Once you're done moving files, save your backed up data in a safe place.
You can then delete any
files you backed up (such as your archived e-mail, address book, etc) if you want to
increase available hard drive space but files that you use regularly should remain.
If you delete a large number of files, be sure to
empty the recycle bin and defragment your hard drive. (click here
to see how to defragment). You can then proceed secure in the knowledge that even if
your hard drive melts down, your data is safe.
