Most computers feature hard drives, or small disks on which file information is saved. Unfortunately, these disks don’t last forever - and, in some cases, may give out shortly after purchase. With this in mind, it is important to save file content on one or more external disks. A few simple steps can make data recovery possible after a hard drive failure.
Purchasing External Drives
Anyone trying to back up a computer should purchase an external drive. These come in various shapes, colors and price ranges. External hard drives resemble the internal hard drives found in computers; this makes them excellent for use in full hard-drive backups, in which all content found in the internal drive is replicated onto a second. Another popular format is the flash (or USB) drive, a small device with more portability but less file space.
Three factors should be considered before the purchase of any backup drive: price, storage space and reliability. The third can be gauged from reading online reviews; if a certain product is considered fragile or unreliable, it would be a poor candidate for extended use.
Employing both an external drive and a flash drive in data protection will make for an efficient and reliable backup system. It is recommended that one purchase one of each.
Backing Up Content Onto Drives
Once one has a flash drive and an external drive purchased, he or she must decide how frequently to use each - and how to employ each device. For example, one might decide to copy only their documents folder onto the flash drive, but then back up their entire internal drive onto the external device.
Anyone serious about keeping their files safe should purchase backup software. Such programs are inexpensive compared to the cost of losing an entire hard disk’s worth of content, and can be located by performing a simple online search for “backup software.”
More advanced backup software will allow one to decide which folders to replicate onto which backup device, and how frequently. One setup involves keeping the flash drive plugged in constantly and copying one’s most important computer documents onto it, then replicating all documents, movies and pictures onto the external drive once a week. However one chooses to utilize their backup tools, he or she should consider a daily backup for very important files, and a weekly or monthly backup for less important documents.
Additional Advice for Backing up a Computer
If one’s backup settings involve making the external drive an exact replica of the internal drive, he or she should make sure not to save documents onto the external drive. This could result in the deletion of such documents.
Microsoft Windows offers a backup and restore feature in the control panel. One should at least consider using this function if he or she does not wish to purchase backup software.
It may be beneficial to leave external drives at home when going on vacation. That way, should something damage the computer or an entire piece of luggage, the external drive will stay safe.
Friends and family members should be educated on the importance of backing up data. A few words can prevent a total loss of computer data.
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