| Data Backup- Simple Suggestions Basic: You can find the Microsoft Backup Utility in the Start menu under Accessories > System Tools.
Media For Your Backups
Backups of your most important data should not be stored in the same room or even on the same site as the original.
Flash USB drive
(Also known as Mini USB Drive, Pen Drive, Key Drive) Currently, they are available in various sizes ranging from a few megabytes up to six gigabytes.
CD-R and CD-RW
With a capacity of 650MB on cheap disks, writable and rewritable Compact Discs are the most popular backup media. You need to use a utility software like Nero Burning CD-ROM. The Microsoft Backup utility will not write to CD-RW disks.
DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
These are all writable versions of 4.7GB DVD disks. They are similar to CD-RW drives but with much greater storage capacity. You need to use utility software like Nero also. 'R' means, in effect, record once only. 'RW' means re-writable; you can reuse the disk.
External Hard Drive
There are now external hard drives that connect via USB, USB 2.0 or FireWire ports with capacities that range from 20GB to 300GB. External hard drives are fast. Currently, an external hard drive is probably the best choice for serious data backup in a home or small business.
Don't store the data you care about in proprietary file formats. Don't use them for your backups either. You need your files to be easily read, by the most common, oldest software possible.
Don't Erase Anything - the cost of keeping old data is negligible. Every time you erase something, you might be making a mistake. This is the most common way data gets lost. The cost of disk space these days is very low.
Store Everything Twice
Disks fail. If you have your data on two disks, not plugged into the same computer, you'll have at least one backup at hand, whatever happens.
Do Ad-Hoc Backups
Suppose you've just finished some project. Use a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM in the computer and save it. Then get one a special CD marker and write on the disk what's on it. Job done!
Do Full Backups. When you do a backup, you include everything you own. You're less likely to leave out something that you're not smart enough to think of now.
Try to keep everything you care about under one directory.
Do Video Separately
Video files are so large that there's no point trying to pretend they're like ordinary data.
|
