Backup Now…

When was the last time you made a backup of the important information on your computer? For most computer users, their computer’s internal hard drive is analogous to a combination filing cabinet, safe deposit box, photo album, video cabinet and music archives. If the hard drive were to fail as a result of a mechanical or software malfunction, countless precious files would be lost forever—unless those files were backed-up to another location. If is often said that computer users need to make backups for “when” not “if” their hard drive fails.

The last time I wrote about the necessity of making backups was just after a serious hard drive crash I experienced over two years ago. If you took my advice to heart, you have been making regular backups of your data, and you are in good shape. If you haven’t been backing up your data, take heart—it is less complicated than you might think. In fact, both Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X come with backup software built-in.

The first step in backing up your data is to decide exactly what files need to be backed up. Many of the files on your computer do not change on a regular basis, and need to backed up once. Other files, or folders, change often and need to be backed up on a regular basis. For most Windows users the files that need to be updated regularly are the files in the MY DOCUMENTS FOLDER . Macintosh users will want to back up their USERS folder.

Before you consider how to make your backups, you have to decide where you are going to keep the backup files. The best choice is an external hard drive. External hard drives connect to your computer through the USB or FIREWIRE ports, and prices have dropped significantly in recent years, making them extremely affordable. When deciding on the amount of storage space you need to purchase, it is good practice to have four to five times the amount of space you plan to back up (ie: four or five times the size of your MY DOCUMENTS FOLDER or USERS folder).

At this point, you might be saying to yourself that you really don’t have that many files that need to backing up, and you can easily make manual back ups by copying the files from your internal hard drive to an external drive. You may be correct, but will you do it? Unless you make a practice of backing up every time you work on your computer, you really should consider using the backup software that was included with your operating system.

If you are using the newest version of the Macintosh operating system, Leopard (OS 10.5), you are ready to backup your files at the click of a button. A program appropriately named TIME MACHINE is part of OS X. To activate TIME MACHINE select it in SYSTEM PREFERENCES, make sure it is set to ON, and plug in an external drive. As soon as you plug in the external drive for the first time you will be asked if you want to use the drive for backups. Say yes, and backups will be made every hour, as long as the drive is plugged into your computer. (If you use an older version of OS X, you must rely on third-party software for backups. Check TRMUG.blogspot.com for more information.)

For Windows VISTA users, all versions except the Starter version come with AUTOMATIC FILE BACKUP. This backup utility can be used manually, or you can configure it to makes automatic backups on a scheduled of your choosing (you cannot schedule automatic backups in VISTA HOME BASIC edition). For more information and step_by_step instructions on the VISTA backup utility, go to www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/backup.mspx.

If you are still using Window XP, you have access to BACKUP UTILITY. With XP HOME EDITION, BACKUP is included on the CD that came with your computer, but it is not installed. Go to support.microsoft.com/kb/320820 for complete directions in installing and using the backup software. (note: If you have another version of XP, the backup software may already be installed. Go to the pervious link and follow the steps for HOW TO BACK UP FILES AND FOLDERS.

Remember, regular backups will protect you from loosing your important files.