If there is one thing every end user typically forgets, it is backing up his or her computer.
No matter what you do or what you use your computer for, it is essential to back up your computer files. You can never tell when your computer will crash or get infected by a computer virus that will totally erase all of your important documents.
Why back up your computer files?
In this digital generation where every household has a desktop computer, laptop or smart phones, backing up your photos, documents, music, videos, applications and other important work or business files is just as important as your work and life itself. One wrong click that can delete important files or accidentally cause a crash in your hard drive is surely a disaster!
The rule when you back up your files is simple – any data or file that you consider important and irreplaceable should exist in at least two physical locations at once. Never make a back up on the same computer or laptop. This also means that when you back up a computer file, the original must still exist and not to be deleted.
What files should you back up?
Not all files and applications need to be backed up. Here’s a short list of what to back up:
Documents
Always back up your documents.
Music
To save you some bucks, your favorite MP3 files downloaded from a paid site must be backed up.
Photographs and Videos
Some memorable events in your life will never be repeated so a good backup of your family activities and events must be kept in more than two locations.
Desktop Email
Emails can be stored in Windows Live or Outlook. Use these applications when backing up emails.
You need to have a backup for your application settings, virtual machines and book marks. Click here to find out how.
What not to back up?
Windows directories and program files should not be backed up. Why? Because when your computer suddenly goes dead, you will have to reinstall Windows and all program files you need running in your computer.
What backup method to use?
There are various ways to back up your computer files. Each of course has its advantages and disadvantages to be discussed in details in this site.
Same machine backup
Built-in back up features in your Windows and Mac make it easy for you to back up any data that you enter while your computer is switched on.
External drive backup
One of the safest ways to back up your files is using an external drive. It won‘t be lost unless someone robs your hard drive. It works by simply plugging in the drive and letting your computer OS find the files to back up and dragging them to your external hard drive.
Cloud based backup
Cloud based back up makes use of third party hosting. This is a method of backing up files online. There are many free cloud based backup locations such as Dropbox, Skydrive or Google Drive.
To conveniently back up computer files, documents, family photos and images, choose more than one way to save your files from being lost or deleted forever.
There are different devices and software to back up your computer data. This site will discuss each of them and make it as easy as ABC to back up your computer. No need for an expert; you can back up your computer files like a pro!