Chances are you, your friend, or a loved one has experienced a deep loss. I can't help bring back what is already gone. I can definitely show you how to back up your data so your next loss won't be so painful. There's not a one-size-fits-all approach, it's crucial to set up a system for backing up important data.
Depending on how much data you have, what type of data you store and how often you change that data, you'll want to figure out how often you should back up. Are you a once-a-week or once-a-month backer upper. Another point to keep in mind is what information you absolutely need.
Don't bother backing up applications that can be reinstalled or backing up old documents you no longer use. Now is the time to clean out the clutter and trash in your hard drives. There are three ways you can choose to back up. One, full backup. All the files on your hard drive are copied to an external device.
You can back up data to a server, to a CD disk, a DVD, a zip drive or to an external hard drive. This method takes more time and space but it will have everything you need when it's time to restore your PC. Two, incremental backup. This is used along with your full backup. Incremental backups are used to only back up fies that are new or modified since your last full backup. Three, partial backup.
This is only backing up critical data. The type of device you choose to store to will depend on the amount of space your data will require, desired speed, convenience and cost. So to give you an idea it takes 45 minutes to back up a 500 megabyte drive. So let's start the backup process.
Most of you are running Windows XP and aren't even aware of the backup wizard that comes installed in your PC. You'll find it in your start menu under programs. Accessories. System Tools. And there it is. Backup. Once the wizard begins, it will ask you if you want to back up files and settings or restore files and settings. Select backup and collect next.
On this next page you have a variety of backup options from just copying over documents and settings to backing everything you on the PC. Let's say this is my first backup and I want to copy over all data on my system. Choose all information on this computer and click next.
On this page you'll be asked where you want to store the data to and what you want to name it. Since I know I have a lot of data on this computer, I'm going to back up my information to an external hard drive and call it Backup '04-'07 and click next. Verify all the information is correct on this next wizard page and click if finish. You've just initialized the backup process and your data will be stored to the specified location.
Now you're all backed up and have better peace of mind knowing if your computer crashes or you lose data your data is safe. Just remember to do it often so you'll always have a recent copy of your new or modified files. For more information on backing up your system, please visit this link.
