The questions I get when I mention backing up are, "How?" "When?" and "What data?"
So, here are the answers and an easy to do plan.
How do I back up?
The easiest way to back up is to buy an external hard drive that come with a back up program included. Install the program and allow it 2-4 hours to make an entire copy of your hard drive.
Other than that, you back up by copying your files and folders to any device that is not inside your machine, which is why they're called "external."
Flash drives, memory sticks, and camera style memory cards are not recommended for back up purposes because they are too small and can be easily lost.
If you know how to "burn" a CD, that is another good option.
When do I back up?
At least once a week. If you are creating data that is important to a business, or otherwise difficult to replace, you should back up every evening (The external drive and back up program mentioned above will give you options as to what, when and how often to back up.)
What do I back up?
Pictures, documents, financial data, music, and everything else. You should back thing up in this order, because this is the order of irreplaceability.
Since most people have huge amounts of everything, the easiest way to back things up is from oldest to newest; especially with photos. Last weeks might be able to be replaced, or re-taken, but last years or ten years ago can never be replaced (everything changes over the course of years, you could never re-create the exact pictures you took).
A common mis-perception when backing up is thinking that once the data is off your computer, its "backed up."
Not so. A backup means you have your data in at least two places at once, so that if something happens to one place, you can replace it from the other place.
In other words, redundancy.
Other than that, you back up by copying your files and folders to any device that is not inside your machine, which is why they're called "external."
Flash drives, memory sticks, and camera style memory cards are not recommended for back up purposes because they are too small and can be easily lost.
If you know how to "burn" a CD, that is another good option.
When do I back up?
At least once a week. If you are creating data that is important to a business, or otherwise difficult to replace, you should back up every evening (The external drive and back up program mentioned above will give you options as to what, when and how often to back up.)
What do I back up?
Pictures, documents, financial data, music, and everything else. You should back thing up in this order, because this is the order of irreplaceability.
Since most people have huge amounts of everything, the easiest way to back things up is from oldest to newest; especially with photos. Last weeks might be able to be replaced, or re-taken, but last years or ten years ago can never be replaced (everything changes over the course of years, you could never re-create the exact pictures you took).
A common mis-perception when backing up is thinking that once the data is off your computer, its "backed up."
Not so. A backup means you have your data in at least two places at once, so that if something happens to one place, you can replace it from the other place.
In other words, redundancy.
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