Backup Your Data

Backup Data

Do backup your most important files. In my early uni days, I did not backup a few important files on my hard drive and quickly lost my data when my hard drive went down. I lost 2 or 3 days of solid assignment work. I learnt the hard way to backup my data else risk losing days or even worse, years of work.

Types of files you could backup. e.g Work files, documents, excel files, emails, client files, and photos of family, application and systemfiles such as Office and Windows.

Backup everything on a spare hard drive or similar device

I recommend doing a complete system backup of application files too.

However, most people do not backup system and application files, because they know, it's easy to reload these files using the original cds.

What happens if your hard drive blows blue smoke and dies?. You go to your backup cd's containing your essential data files and begin restoring your hard drive. 3 days later you finally have done it.

Where's if you backed up your entire system, it's quicker to restore a backup copy of your hard drive and get back to business sooner.

Backup Frequency

How often should you backup? How often to you work at your pc? This is your answer. If you work everyday. Backup everyday.

Backup Location

Don't leave your backup cd's or hardware in the same location as your computer.

Use offline backups. e.g Leave a backup cd at a friends house or pay a security company to house your backup.

Backup with Care

Your backup disks should be keep in a safe and secure place. Don't give your backup disks to a friend who you know is unreliable. It's best to keep backup media with family who live near by. Preferably in a safe.

Test your backups

A backup disk is only useful if it will actually work when you need it. Regularly check your backups for read/write errors to make sure you can recover data when you need it the most.

Return to The Article Vault