Windows Backup

Habitually backing up up our significant information is something we ought all do.  Regrettably, we do not realize this till we’re scrambling to recover data on a disc drive that has just gone south.  Family photographs, MP3s, that spreadsheet you have been arranging for work–all gone.  You are able to fend off this painful experience by employing the backup utility that comes with Windows.  This article outlines a few simple processes you can apply to make sure your computer information is safe.

The Better-Than-Nothing Backup Strategy

Acquire a CD burner and now and again drag and drop your files onto a disk using the software that accompanied the device (commonly something like Roxio Easy CD Creator or Nero).  A flaw in these technique is that you will inescapably forget to do this, and before you realize it, it has been a year since your last backup.

If you are determined to be use this method, we suggest weekly backups in addition to  monthly backups, where you physically get rid of the backed up data from your home or business office and store it at another location.  A house fire or other disaster could destroy both your personal computer and your computer backup seated alongside it on the desk.  Therefore you will step-up your likelihood if you keep a monthly copy in a safety deposit box, at work, or at a family member’s house.

Windows computer backup

Windows has a backup program ready to go on your system.  Navigate to START, PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, then SYSTEM TOOLS and you will find the backup utility.  While older adaptations of this utility will differ somewhat from XP Professional’s, you will be able to follow the Wizard when backing up.

You are able to backup the entire system, which Is not a great idea.  Windows and other programs can be reinstalled.  So you are probably better off keeping your data in a centralized location, such as your My Documents folder.  You are able to 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.  Place this data file on another disk drive, burn it to disk, or copy it over to another computer on your network.

Likewise, 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 bit to set this up.

Gmail and Yahoo Mail

If you are experiencing a problem with finding media to backup to, make the best of free Yahoo Mail and Google Gmail accounts.  You are able to get up to 2 Gigabytes of computer storage space on these accounts.  What does this mean?  You are able to e-mail yourself attachments containing data.  Therefore you essentially have an hidden hard drive Out There on the Internet.  This is great for temporary or surplus storage, but do not bank on that for the long term.

In Conclusion

Regardless how you backup, be sure you never rely on a single source.  Rotate your backups away from the home, e-mail them to yourself or put them on a separate partition on your hard drive.  Take advantage of the backup utility in Windows and apply the scheduler feature to automate things.  Be proactive with your data, and you’ll be better off when your system fails….and it will break down.  One of these days.