Backup Questions and Simple Answers
What is a Backup
A backup is a copy of your files that you can access in case of file loss.
Why should I backup
If you own a computer you will lose a file, a group of files, or your entire hard drive at some time. If you have had a computer for very long you have probably already lost files that you could not get back.
Common causes of data loss
Hardware malfunction – All electronic is equipment is subject to fail at any time! That is a fact of life. Even if it is brand new it can fail. That is why all hard drives have specification of MTBF (mean time before failure). The average time it will take before the device will fail in some way. Hardware malfunctions can also be caused by outside sources such as water, lighting strikes, power surges, or dropping it on the concrete. I even know a guy who ran over his laptop.
Human error – one time a few years ago when I was backing up to 5.25” floppies. I was cleaning out unnecessary files on a hard drive by deleting them with DOS commands. I would do a dir *.* and then delete the group of files with a del *.ext command. One time instead of the dir *.* I typed del *.* which deleted everything in the folder. As soon as I hit the enter key I knew what I had done and my heart sank because it was my wife’s pharmacy program and data that I had deleted. Wisely I had made a backup before I started cleaning the drive. It was a little scary though because the backup was on 97 floppy disk. I held my breath with every disk change. Just one bad floppy would have been disaster.
Software corruption – Software corruption can happen at any time. If you lose power while saving a file it will be lost forever.
Computer virus/spyware – One of the most common threats to data loss. Just one click on an email attachment or a link you got from a social networking site will send your computer to the data dead zone. I can’t count the number of times I have cleaned a computer from viruses and spyware. Sometimes the data is ok and sometimes it is not. The first question I ask is do you have a backup? Most of the time the answer is no.
Stolen computer – It could happen especially if you have a laptop in your car.
Natural disasters – They happen no matter where you live even if it is just a lighting strike.
What should I backup - Any file you don’t want to lose.
When should I backup – All depends on how much data you are willing to lose. Every time you make a change to a file. I would backup business files at least once a day.
How do I backup – Depends on your backup method. Windows comes with a backup program – Click start all programs – accessories – system – backup. Optical systems have their own programs as well as Online solutions and some external hard drives and flash drives. You can use the operating system to drag and drop to the backup device.
Where to Backup and cost
CD/DVD/Bluray – Most computers sold today have a optical drive and most include writing capabilities. A CD will store about 700MB of data so it is limited to how much it can backup. Considering most computers come with a minimum of a 160GB hard drive it would take several CD’s to backup your files. A DVD is better but not much. It will hold about 4GB and a Bluray about 8GB. Optical backup is sufficient for most people and it is inexpensive. You already own the drive and the media cost is low. The disk can be stored off site so if you get hit by a tornado or other disaster your important files will be safe in another location.
Tape – Used to be the media of choice because it was cheap and easy to use but there are better ways to backup now. Tapes are inexpensive so you can store a backup offsite.
External hard drive – A fast and efficient way to backup. There are several drives on the market that come with backup software that will automatically backup your files. All you have to do is set it up one time and forget it. The drives a relatively inexpensive a 320GB drive can be bought for less than $75. The only draw back is that you would need more than one drive to take a backup offsite.
Solid State – Flash, Thumb, USB, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, SD cards – You can get a 2GB flash drive for less that $10 and carry most of your files in your pocket. These are good backup devices and they are rugged and go anywhere. The larger ones like 64GB can get expensive but it is very portable and easy to use. Their small size is also one of their problems in that they are easy to lose. I don’t know how many times I have reached into my pocket for my USB drive (I call it my ‘pocket drive’) and it is not there. I had left it in the last computer I used it in.
Online – This is becoming the most popular way to backup all your files. If you have a DSL or Cable internet connection I highly recommend it. A lot of companies will give you 2GB online for free for personal use. There are several that charge less than $60 a year for unlimited online storage. Online backup has several advantages. Your files are protected even from fire, flood, earthquake, lighting strikes or other natural disaster. Your files are also available to you from any computer in the world as long as it is connected to the internet. Just log in to your account and download the file you need to the computer. It does take awhile for the first backup if you have a lot of files to store online. After the first backup it will only get files that have changed since the last time a backup was done.
Conclusion – I guess there is no best way to backup. Use what works best for you and your budget. I use a combination of the above methods. I have a 8GB ‘pocket drive’ I keep my most used files on. I also have more than one external usb hard drive and I also use a online backup service. It’s like wearing a belt and suspenders – better safe that sorry.
Where do I Start
For usb flash drives with backup software included
Online Solutions
Tim Stone
Network Administrator