Back Up Your Files and Data

Even a secure computer^G can fail, causing you to lose all of your documents, family photos, music and anything else you've stored electronically. If you follow a few simple tips, and make it a habit to make regular backup^G copies of all critical information on your computer, you can protect yourself from the worst sort of computer disasters.

How to back up your computer:
There are several tools you can use to back up your computer. They vary widely in price, size and ease of use. Some tools, like external hard drives, may provide instructions for how to back up files. In most cases, copying files is as easy as finding the information you want to back up on your computer and copying it onto the media or drive you're using.

Backup devices/tools include:

• Recordable CDs - CDs are inexpensive, but are slow to copy and offer limited storage capacity. They're useful for home users with little information to backup (people without large music and digital photo libraries, for instance).
• Recordable DVDs - DVDs provide substantially more storage capacity than CDs but are also slower than other backup methods. And, some older computers may not be equipped to save files to DVD. You have to check if your computer has a DVD drive.
• USB Flash Drives - Flash drives - sometimes called "thumb" drives after their size - are small, fast and readily transportable. On the downside, they're expensive compared to CDs and DVDs and have relatively little storage capacity. They're great from moving documents from one computer to another, but not the best backup solution, especially for large files -- like music and photos.
• External Hard Drives - External hard drives are the most expensive, but also the most effective backup tool. They typically boast huge storage capacity, and allow for extremely rapid copying of files. They allow for easy overwriting of previous backups, and fast recovery of stored information.

Backup Tips:

• Make backups a regular habit. Depending on how much you use your computer (and how many new files you create in a given week) it’s a good idea to set a regular time (weekly, biweekly, monthly) to make your backups.
• If possible, store your backup device in a different place than where you keep your computer. This will help to protect your data against loss from theft and natural disasters.
• Keep your important files in one place on your computer -- a specific folder perhaps -- to make for easier backups.
• Use your computer's backup tools. Most operating systems now provide backup software designed to make the process easier.