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How often do you backup the data on your computer? If you're
like most people, not very often, if at all. Yet the information stored
on your hard drive can be incredibly valuable. Think of your financial records,
business contacts, e-mail addresses, letters and so on. Then there's your music and video collection.
What would happen
if it all disappeared? How long would it take and how much would it
cost to place the missing data? Can't happen? It does every day for
a variety of reasons:
If you diligently backup your system and store the backups off-site, you're in good shape. But most of us never do--until it's too late. What to BackupThe good news is that you don't need to copy every file on your hard drive. These days, that would entail many gigabytes of data. You only have to backup your own data files, such as word processing documents, spreadsheets, e-mail, digital photos, graphics, video, music, etc. Basically, any files you've created, downloaded or that were sent to you. You probably already have copies on CD-ROMs or DVDs of your programs--Microsoft Office applications, games and such. In the event that your computer crashes, you can use those to restore the programs, or in many cases, you can download replacement programs from the Net.
How to Backup Files
To backup your files, first insert the storage medium in the drive. (If you use an external hard drive, then it should appear with a letter designation in Windows Explorer.) If you use Windows, launch Windows Explorer. You'll find it in the Programs folder under the Start menu.
After you've backed up all the files, open a few to make sure they copied correctly. Now remove the disk, label and date it. Finally, store your backups in a secure place, preferably off-site.
Online StorageYou can also backup your files by uploading them to a remote server. While there are a number of services out there, one that we like is Xdrive. The free service from AOL gives you 5 gigabytes of storage, which should be plenty for your data files. (Upgrading to 50 gigabytes costs $100 year.)After you register, select the files you want to backup from your hard drive, then upload them. Windows users can download Xdrive Desktop, a handy software program that schedules your backups automatically. What could be easier? On advantage of storing your files online is that you can access them from any computer by logging onto the Xdrive website. You can also share files with other folks that have Xdrive accounts. If you follow this procedure regularly, you may sleep better at night.
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Use the Site
You can backup files in one of two ways. The first is by using removable media like CD-ROMs, DVDs, data tapes or external hard drives. Recordable media cost little and also provide an excellent way to share data with friends and colleagues. CD-ROMs hold 650 Mb and DVDs store 4.7 gigabytes. You can now buy external drives that store as much as 750 gigabytes of data--an excellent way to safeguard your burgeoning music and video collection.
Now locate the files you want to copy. Place your mouse pointer on the folder or file, hold down the left mouse button, then drag it to the appropriate drive. Copying files can take a while depending on how many you have and the speed of your system.
