How to back up your important data   

Backing up important data from a computer is easy and yet it is frequently forgotten or simply ignored. The reason for this is we are quite confident that the data stored in the computer is safe and it will still be there tomorrow when we want to access it. Loke most things people don't usually prepare for the worst. But data can be wiped out in an instant and there are lots of possible reasons this might happen. A hard drive crash, accidental formatting or deletion and virus attacks are among the most common causes of data loss.

Hard drives which are the primary storage area of a computer are not meant to last forever. They will eventually succumb to wear and tear over time and an occasional sudden power surge or static electricity can make them fail instantly. You can just imagine all the important business information which has been accumulated for many years and is gone in a blink of an eye or all those precious family photos sitting in your hard drive lost for all eternity. Could you ever restore all those important and precious files when you do not have a backup? Don't let it happen!

Preparing for backup

Backing up data is now easier and faster than ever. Aside from the typical "copy and paste" procedure, there are now utility programs that can do automatic backup or can be programmed to do the backup at a specified time. And with the amazing speed of computers today, it will only take a few hours to backup all your important data. And that's the first time. Subsequent backups will take minutes.

The first thing you should do is to arrange the files in your computer. Create folders that you can use to separate the files according to the information they contain. If the file contains business information create a folder named "business" for example and transfer the file into the "business" folder. If the file is part of your music collection, transfer it in a folder named "music library" and so on. It is much easier to save and backup data when it's been organized.

Prior to data backup, you should decide on the following:

What files to backup

If it is a business computer, files such as financial records, documents and databases should be on the list. Photos, video and audio files are the common selection for home computer users. Ideally you should back up the whole hard drive. But remember, there will be a lot of data and the first time it will take several hours - maybe even a day!

What to store it on

The most popular external storage media being used for backups are: flash drives, CD-RW, DVD-RW, and external hard drives. It is best to use one of these or a combination of them as a backup storage medium and place them offsite. If a disaster happens to your computer you have a backup somewhere to retrieve your important data. Additionally, there are now websites on the internet that are offering to store files online. I suggest you invest in one of these services. Sugar Sync is a good one. For less storage (but free!) Drop Box is worth a look. The advantage of these services is they will make multiple backups. The only way you're going to lose data is by an asteroid striking the earth. And then you won't need it anyway.

What backup software to use

Most operating systems come with a backup and restore utility that you can use for that purpose. If you are not comfortable with them, there are a variety of downloadable utility programs on the internet to choose from. Bacula is an enterprise level product that has good reviews or for the home user try Acronis Backup.

Ways to backup data

If you're not confident with computers then get employ a professional data back up service to do it for you. If you're going to do it yourself, start by connecting your external storage device to the computer (in the case of discs, place it on the DVD drive). Your operating system should detect what was connected. Then open "My Computer" and you should see the drives available. Double click on the drive you are going to backup; this should present the folders and files stored in there. Select the files and folders to backup by pressing the "control key" and click on them. When you are done selecting, right click on the files and select the "Copy" option, or press "Ctrl-C". Click on your external storage drive and press "Ctrl-V" to execute the backup process. Once done, remove the external storage device and place it somewhere safe.

Another way is to use a utility program to do the backup. There are a variety of them to choose from. Read the features and reviews first before making your selection. Their common feature is the automatic backup of selected files at set times of the day and they can also be programmed to do the routine backup at specified days of the week. Some of them can compress your files into ZIP archives to minimize the size of your backup. They can direct your backup to any external storage device and even on a network drive or an FTP server on the internet.

Finally, the easiest method is choosing a website that backs your data up into the cloud. Just follow the instructions!

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