The Beginner's Guide to PC Backup
We all know we're supposed to back up our data. It's essential for peace of mind, but one copy of a file on your computer does not a backup make. Redundancy, people, redundancy!
As the organizers of World Backup Day note, people produce quadrillions of files every year but fail to take adequate steps to preserve their data. Why? Computers get infected and accidents happen, but even after losing an important document, irreplaceable photo, or entire sets of financial records, some folks still don't take the time.
The reason is, backing up takes some effort. But it's easier than ever. Here's a quick look at the types of backup available, as well as the tools you'll need to pull it off, with as little work as possible.
Backing up can be as simple as copying a file from one spot to another—from a hard drive to a removable USB flash drive, for example. But what you need for redundancy, security, and access dictates what kind of backup you should use.
If you only need to back up specific data, use software that will let you pick and choose which files you want to save. (Remember, simply moving a file isn't backing it up. You need at least two copies.) To be safe, back up entire folders on a recurring basis to ensure that newly created or updated files get backed up at a later date.
There's plenty of free software to take care of this for you, including Windows's integrated feature. Find it via the Settings > Update & Security > Backup. It lets you back up items using the file history, which offers recurring copying of files (from every 10 minutes to every day) to a secondary drive as backup. Then, you can restore only the version of a file you need to recover, when necessary. File History is easy to set up, but it's limited in
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