“Yeah, yeah … I will” you say, but you won’t.
You hear everyone talking about how important backups are and you admit that you need your documents backed up, but you never find time to do so.
Not until the unthinkable happens and then it’s too late. You are simply SOL.
Take few minutes to think of a backup plan in case your computer dies, for whatever reason.
If you take care of your backup today, I promise that you won’t regret it - and you will save yourself from trying to recreate your system, which might take days.
Before doing the backup it is highly recommended to create a backup plan that is simple and easy to implement. You don’t want to be tempted to skip the backup procedure because it either takes too long or it is way too complicated.
Here are some pointers on how to create a backup plan:
- Perform your backup daily or as often as possible.
Your computer can die any day, any time, for any reason. Be prepared and perform backups every night, every morning, or any time of the day that is most convenient for you. - Specify a default location for your most important data.
Try not to have your files all over the hard drive. Move them to a single location on your computer such as My Documents folder. You may also organize your data by type, content, size – or any other category. Also remember, that if you have a software that does automatic backup to a specific location on your hard drive, make sure you are aware of where this data is located and include it in your backups. - Make sure to keep your software CDs.
Remember that if your computer dies you will need to reinstall your operating system and programs. If you have a full system backup, including the registry, you will be able to restore everything back to how it was before. - Test your backup.
After you perform your backup, go ahead a test restoring it. Make sure that the backup was performed correctly and that you have everything you need. - Protect your backup media and store it in a safe location.
Whether you use floppy disks, CDs, USB thumb drives or some other portable media for your backups, don’t just toss them somewhere after the backup is done. Put them in a safe location where the dog can’t find it and mistake it for a chew toy. Also make sure to have at least 3 days worth of backups before destroying or re-using the media with previous backup. There is a possibility that something might go wrong with your latest backup and you will need another copy.
Simple, easy, and quick. Now it’s your turn – go do your backups.
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