Prepare To Get Backed Up
By ANNIE BLEVINS
Published: March 28, 2009
Are you done checking your email? Had enough face time on your computer? You have nothing more to chirp about? Finally some free time to set up your backup process. (If you have a backup process in place, you may want to double check it and make sure it’s doing the job correctly)
The most common and widely used backup routine is the file-based backup program. The file-based program saves copies of files and data from your computer to an external hard disk, recordable disc, a USB flash drive or if you like, to an online server. All you need to do is select what files you want to have backed up and then just set it to automatically run at a specific time and date. Most common files to backup are My Documents, Desktop, Favorites and your Outlook/Outlook Express files. These file-based backup programs are meant to be easy for anyone to setup and begin using right away.
The good news is there are plenty of backup software packages out there. The top reviewer sites, CNET reviews, Top Ten reviews and PC Magazine reviews detail the many features and attributes of backup software programs such as Acronis True Image, Wuala and my personal favorite, SyncBack Freeware. Additionally, if you want to backup to an online provider, PC World has an article on good choices for backup services.
If you decide to use an external drive, because frankly, recordable discs (CD’s) are an obsolete method in the backup world, and online backups may cost you coin you don’t have, you can choose to do it yourself with either an 8GB – 16GB USB flash drive for smaller backup processes or 160GB – 320GB external drive for larger backups.
How often should you backup is dependent on how much data you accumulate on a weekly basis. For home office users, a backup every 30 days should be more than sufficient. If you are working on a project or just downloaded a lot of music, you can always run a manual backup.
Now is the time to make a backup process part of your computer routine. So even when your hard drive fails, you will be prepared to get back up and running smoothly with all your important files, contacts, music and pictures that make a computer exclusively yours.