Backup Those Files!

We’ve previously talked briefly about backing up your files but we haven’t really discussed why you should be concerned with storing your data outside of your hard drive.

For anyone that has had a computer crash, you know the importance of backing up your files. There is almost nothing worse than having years of work, memories, and other vital information lost forever. Every year, 43% of all computer users lose valuable data. This can be prevented by creating a back up of your files and there are several different options:

USB Flash Drives

These aren’t great for storing a lot of data but an 8GB flash drive is relatively affordable. It’s a great way to transfer files from one computer to another and since it’s small and portable, you can access the files on a USB flash drive with ease and with no need for an Internet connection.

External Hard Drives

Depending on the size of the hard drive you get, you can probably put every file you have on an external drive (including photos and videos). As these range in size from roughly a deck of cards to a large book, these are somewhat portable, although certainly not as much as the USB flash drive. And depending on the storage size, external hard drives can be expensive. However, like the flash drive, you will be able to access the data on an external hard drive from any computer without the need for Internet.

Online Storage

We’ve discussed using the Cloud for online storage before. The benefit of online storage is that no equipment is necessary and you can easily access your information anywhere there is an Internet connection. There are a variety of free options, although you will be limited by the size of storage space you can get without paying a fee:

• Dropbox
• Windows SkyDrive
• IDrive
• Binfire
• iCloud

Once you have chosen your method of file storage, try to get into the habit of backing up your files regularly. Perhaps choose Friday afternoons or every day before you shut down your computer. Some online storage sites will do back up automatically for you or you could choose to have the files automatically backed up to your external hard drive. It will do you no good to have the tools to save your information and then forget to do so regularly, resulting in a loss of data during a computer crash.

How do YOU back up your files? Have you lost information before through a computer crash?