Avoid the Nightmare of Losing Your Data

I am a certified desktop support tech., and one of the worst parts about the job was watching people cry about lost data when their hard drive crashed, or their operating system failed. Whether they lost photographs, financial documents, writings, or whatever it was that was important to them, because they failed to back up their files. This is a horrible, helpless feeling. I know this from experience... I have learned from my own mistakes. It isn't always about not knowing HOW to do it, it's remembering TO do it. You need to make it a regular habit. There are many good software programs to remind you to do tasks, or can even do it for you automatically. Use them!

Backing up your data is really not that difficult, but it is surprising how few people know how to do it. If you know how to copy and paste, you can create a backup. The key thing is, do not save your backup copy onto your C:/ Drive. For those of you who don't know very much about how a computer works, let me explain. Your computer has at least one Hard Disc Drive in it, also known as HDD. The default drive letter is "C". If you bought your computer from a company like HP, it may also show a "D" drive. This is also not a good place to backup your data, but I'm not going to get into that right now. The point of backing up, is to keep a copy in a different location.

Ok, so you have several options for backing things up. First of all, you need to decide what is important to keep. You don't need to back up everything on your computer, only your personal documents. Windows files can be replaced from the discs. So, you will usually find your personal stuff in your "My Documents" folder, if you have Windows XP, or in "Documents" if you have Vista. You may also have items on your desktop you wish to keep. Be sure to check any other places you may have saved files, from within programs, such as your email correspondence. Things like this, you may need to open the program, and click File > Export. See the software help section for details. If you access your email from the internet (by opening Internet Explorer or your favorite browser), then don't worry, it is not saved on your computer, so you don't need to back it up.

Once you have located the data you want to keep, try to figure out how much storage space you will need. To do this, right click on the folders or files you are backing up, and look at the properties. It will give you a size in KB, MB, or GB. GB means Giga-Bytes, and is probably the largest size you will encounter, although there are TB which equal 1,000 GB or so.

Ok, so now your options for backup media. You may have a cd/dvd burner on your computer, and the good news is, discs are cheap. Find out what discs are compatible with your computer and get a spindle full. Burning backups onto discs can be done in a variety of ways, and depends on the software on your computer. Usually, you can right click on a file or folder, and "Send To" your R/RW drive. That will open a folder that you can add more files to, then click "Burn CD".

A better option, in my opinion, is to invest in a external USB flash drive. These sell for about $20.00 or less at any computer/electronics store. Simply pop it into an open USB port on your computer, and you can then copy and paste your files to it. Just be sure not to unplug it from your computer while it is still transferring files. This is also convenient if you want to take your photographs with you, and show them to friends or family when you go to visit. Just put the USB drive into their computer and you can access them.

If you have a large amount of data, you should invest in an external hard drive (Many come with USB plugins), or get a network drive like HPs' Media Vault. I have one, and keep it plugged into my router. I then use a program called Goodsync, which backs up my files automatically on a schedule. As I said before, there are many software programs out there, this is the one I like best.

One last option is to rent storage space online. There are several companies out there, but you need to do your research to make sure they are stable, and trustworthy. This gives you the option of uploading your data to be kept on their servers, with password protection. You could find a cheap website hosting company or even a free one, just make sure you make your data safe with password
protection.

Remember, if you don't back up your data, you WILL regret it. Hard Disc Drives are sensitive moving parts in your computer, and it only takes time before they fail. The normal life span is 3-5 years, although dust, viruses, moisture, etc., can speed that process up. If it is VITAL information that cannot be replaced, you should make several copies, and keep them at different secure locations, in case of flood, fire, or other disasters. The USB flash drives are probably best for this, as you can password protect them, and they hold a lot of data. The more GB, the better. They are also small, and don't take up much space. Keep your genealogy records, financial records, irreplaceable photos, etc. on them, and keep one in a Safe Deposit box.