Here you can find guides to backup methods, as well as good free programs to do the work for you. Keep in mind that your computer contains family photos, documents, and other private sensitive information that you don’t want to share with others. This is also why it is so important to take backup, but you will only find out afterwards. Also remember that if your computer gets hit by virus or spyware, you also have a copy of all your data before it happened. It may also be your hard drive in the computer can’t anymore and your data is lost that way. As you can read, There are many good reasons to back up your computer. Fortunately, there is a lot of free software that can help you, and Windows even has a free backup program. As something new, online backup has also been introduced, here you can pay to leave your data out in the city. With most providers you have to install a backup program, and then choose when and how often you want to backup.
What do you need to backup ?
You need to back up everything you can’t do without in case the worst happens. That is, all private things that you have far into while you have had the computer. Below is a list that I always use, but remember it is mine and it may well be you have many other things.
- Music files (music you bought online)
- Photos (family photos, holiday pictures)
- Documents (school assignments, applications, songs)
- Online banking (security file)
- Email (mails, contacts, tasks)
- Favorites (Internet Explorer, Firefox, or another browser)
- Desktop (everything that is on the desktop)
- Document folder (the one located in the start menu)
How often should you backup ?
Backup cannot be done often enough, but in the end you choose how much data you dare to lose if the accident is out. It also depends on what you use your computer for, but in most cases for private users, once a week will be fine. But if you do something that absolutely must not be lost, and change every day, it may not be enough. It is probably a narrow case and something you have to assess yourself.
What backup methods are there ?
There are many different programs to backup with, most of them cost money but there are some that are free and work perfectly. Windows Vista has a built-in backup program that does it all for you. You can see an English guide here: complete backup of vista
There is also the old-fashioned way of backing up, of course you burn your files manually to a CD or DVD disc and thus have a backup. But the downside of it is that every single time you make something new or a change, you have to start all over again. So it is of course smart to have a program that does it completely automatically, but again it depends on needs, etc.
If you want to use online backup, I have made a list below. You need to remember that it often costs money per month. gb of data you store on their solution.
