|
Windows Backup
Routinely backing up our important data is something
we should all do. Unfortunately, we don't realize this until
we're scrambling to recover data on a hard drive that has just gone
south. Family photos, MP3s, that spreadsheet you've been doing
for work--all gone. You can avoid this traumatic experience by
using the backup utility that comes with Windows. This article
outlines a few simple techniques you can use to make sure your
computer data is safe.
The Better-Than-Nothing Backup Strategy
Get a CD burner and occasionally
drag and drop your files onto a disk using the software that came with
the device (Usually something like Roxio Easy CD Creator or Nero).
A flaw in this technique is that you will inevitably forget to do this,
and before you realize it, it's been a year since your last backup.
If you're determined to be use this
method, we suggest weekly backups as well as monthly backups, where you
physically remove the backed up data from your home or office and store
it at another location. A house fire or other disaster could
destroy both your PC and your backup sitting beside it on the desk.
So you'll increase your odds if you keep a monthly copy in a safe
deposit box, at work, or at a family member's home.
Windows Backup
Windows has a backup program ready to go on your
system. Navigate to START, PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, then
SYSTEM TOOLS and you'll find the backup utility. While
older versions of this utility will differ slightly from XP
Professional's, you'll be able to follow the Wizard when backing
up.
You can backup the entire system, which isn't a
great idea. Windows and other programs can be reinstalled.
So you're probably better off keeping your data in a centralized
location, such as your My Documents folder. You can add
folders within that directory by opening My Documents and
right-clicking an empty space. Name the new folders
whatever you want and organize your data. Then use the
Windows backup utility to create a backup of your data.
Put this file on another hard drive, burn it to disk, or copy it
over to another computer on your network.
Also, take a moment to schedule backups.
The Windows backup utility will give you a chance to schedule
backups automatically. This is normally located
under the Advanced tab at the end of the backup process.
Take a moment to set this up.
Gmail and Yahoo Mail
If you're having a problem with finding media to
backup to, take advantage of free Yahoo Mail and Google Gmail accounts. You can get up to 2 Gigabytes of storage
space on these accounts. What does this mean? You
can email yourself attachments containing data. So
you essentially have an invisible hard drive Out There on the
Internet. This is great for temporary or redundant
storage, but do not rely on it for the long term.
In Conclusion
No matter how you backup, make sure you never
rely on a single source. Rotate your backups out of the
home, Email them to yourself or place them on a separate
partition on your hard drive. Take advantage of the backup
utility in Windows and use the scheduler feature to automate
things. Be proactive with your data, and you will be
better off when your system fails....and it will fail.
Eventually.
| 
PCTechBytes Computer Repair Help Tutorials 
Knowledge Base Home | 
Glossary 
Data Backup Options
File Attachments
Related Questions 
Language Translation
Search Knowledge Base