It’s Not If You’ll Lose Data, But When

It’s Not If You’ll Lose Data, But When

            All kinds of things can happen to
your computer.  From a coffee spill or a virus to a hard shake of your laptop or
any number of unforeseen and often unknown circumstances, computers can crash,
be disabled, or shut down permanently.  There are many options you have that can
give you peace of mind.  If you back up your data, you won’t lose it, and no
matter what a computer costs to fix or replace, your irreplaceable data files
will still be safe.  It’s not if you’ll lose data, but when.

            So when
should you back up data? Immediately, and regularly.  Duplicates of files,
programs, and disks can be used if the original is lost, damaged, or destroyed. 
Backing up files means making a copy of files, which in the event of a computer
break down, enables you to restore your files from those backups back to their
original location after the loss of data.

            The
dreaded computer virus does not break your computer mechanically, but cripples
your hard drive.  The worst virus causes the erasure of program files and data
files, which can only be addressed through cleaning and reformatting your hard
drive; this means that whatever programs or files you had on your hard drive
will be washed away, but the hard drive will be okay.  If the files and programs
on your hard drive are backed up, they can be restored to your computer’s hard
drive once it is reformatted and the virus is cleaned. 


 

So what are the
options for backing up data?  Let’s take a look at some of the most popular
options. With external hard storage devices, you can back up files and folders
onto 3.5 inch floppy disks (1.44 megabytes storage space), zip discs (100-250
megabytes storage), CDs (650-700 megabytes), JAZ discs (2 gigabytes), DVDs (4.7
gigabytes), flash drives (1-8 gigabytes or more), and external hard drives (up
to 700 gigabytes).   Floppies and ZIPs are not good for much more than small,
.doc or similar data files and are being rendered virtually obsolete by the wide
range of larger storage options available and larger files that exist today. 
These backups can be accomplished by burning CD and DVD–roms, or via the USB
port through which backup devices such as flash (small, gum sized memory stick)
and external hard drives can be connected.    

You should back up
every important file on your computer: Microsoft Word and Excel files, music
files, movie files, backup data like Quicken, etc.  Anything that can be lost
should be backed up.  Since only data is backed up, you will need to keep your
original program discs.  For example, to reinstall Microsoft Office, you will
need the original CD that came with the program.  You cannot back up programs.
 One exception is programs that you download.  If you have downloaded a program
from the internet, you can back up those files, just like your data.  As you
will see, there are even ways to back up your entire hard disk, in one or
multiple files.



There is further backup assistance available on-line.  Backuphelp.com is just
one of a myriad of websites that provides this type of support, so that you do
not have to be physically responsible for keeping track of the perishable backup
devices or the backup process. You can have your computer backed up at a remote
location in case of some type of impact to your immediate environment, such as a
water leak or fire, or electrical irregularity that causes remote
interference.  

In online
or remote backup, the backup support comes from a remote online location where
you send the backup, instead of through media that is physically attached to the
computer.  These backups are done on demand, at any time you want or need a
backup performed, most appropriately immediately upon the generation of valuable
data or particularly hard work.  The key is that you must remember to order the
backup, schedule automated backups, and have  internet access. 

Another option is


portable hard drives that use USB and Firewire.
 Seagate
is a popular, efficient, and trustworthy manufacturer of sturdy and reliable
portable hard drives.  $50-$350 can get you anywhere from 100-700 Gigabytes of
external backup if you keep an eye on sales at tech discount houses such as
Fry’s or online comparison shopping sites like ShopZilla.com.  These are
relatively inexpensive, high-quality sources of storage, but you remain
responsible for keeping track of them and keeping them out of harm’s way.  Buyer
beware: if something happens to your external hard drive, there goes your backup
data.  
 

Newer, more cutting
edge consumer products include advanced backup such as


NAS and SAS systems.  NAS, or Network Attached Storage is disk storage added to
a network, not directly to the computer.  NAS works independent of any operating
system, since sharable storage is connected directly to a network.  In other
words, you can add storage to all of your computers on your local network and to
back up all of your systems with a built-in scheduler.
 Additionally,
certain NAS drives have a web browser feature, so that you can access your drive
from anywhere you have an internet connection.  Most mid-range
and large business owners use NAS systems; however, with lower prices, consumers
with many computers and files on their networks have also turned to NAS as a
viable alternative.



Then there are


ghost programs, like Acornis TrueImage (www.acronis.com), to backup entire
computer hard drives. 
Ghost imaging is a method of converting the
contents of a

hard drive
-- including its

configuration
settings and

applications
-- into an image, which can consist of one or multiple files. You can then back
up this image to a portable hard drive or CD. Due to the size of these images
(it does back up your entire hard drive), external hard drives are recommended.
You can also schedule periodic backups of the image or remove files from the
image without having to restore your entire hard drive.  Pricing is reasonable,
and having a ghost image of your system is the most effective way to keep all of
your data and programs backed up.



Besides unforeseen environmental disruption, we as human beings also make
errors, resulting in accidental deletions or unwanted saved changes.  If our
files are backed up, we do not have to experience loss as a result.  Each PC
user has to determine which backup option is right for him/her, based on the
size of his/her files, the content of his/her files (i.e. text, graphics, film),
and the files complexity.  Suffice to say, it is a choice all PC users need to
make.

By: Sean Stephens

SoCalWizards.com, located in Orange County, CA and servicing Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties for on-site business and residential computer repair, computer support, and computer upgrades.

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