Easy ways to backup your data

I have already covered the "why you should backup your data" as well as some of the things you should and should not do when it comes to having a backup that makes sense.  In this post I am going to explain the "how to backup your data" in as simple terms as possible.

Firstly, there is no one way to create a backup of your data.  There are several program available on the market as well as there are features built into the various operating systems that we use that will facilitate the process.  True, some are a bit complicated (these I will leave out), but there are some very simple ways of protecting your data from hard drive failure or data corruption as a result of virus or malware presence on your computer.

Secondly, there are a host of different places where you can store the backup.  You can use DVDs, flash drives, external hard drives or cloud storage such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Skydrive or iCloud (for the Apple fans out there) See this post.

Now lets get down to business:

For Backing up just your documents, music, videos, picture etc.

• You can simply COPY and PASTE or "burn" (if you're using DVDs) the files from your hard drive to the external storage source.  DO NOT STORE THE BACKUP ON THE SAME DRIVE AS THE ORIGINAL FILES.
• You can sign up for anyone of the FREE cloud-based services mentioned above (I prefer Dropbox and Skydrive, but they're all good), install the client on your computer (this would be explained when you sign up) and simply place the files in the sync folder.  This is my preferred mode of backup for my files since I will be able to access them wherever I go once I have Internet access.  See this post
• You can install any of the following FREE programs, follow their simple instructions and create your backup within minutes: Backup Maker,  FBackup, Genie Timeline Free 2012 or Toucan (for the more advanced power-users) 

For a complete system backup (operating system + your personal files)

• If you're using Microsoft Windows Vista or 7 you can click on start and type backup. The "backup your computer" option will appear, hit enter or click on it to start the backup wizard.  The instructions are pretty easy to follow from there on out. 
• Based on the brand of computer you own, it may have come with some sort of custom-backup tool or program installed, you can use that too or you can go out and buy backup software (See here before spending your money), but bearing in mind that I promised to keep this simple, I thought it best to focus on the good, free programs that you can use.

Are you a guinea pig?

Early adopters in the tech world ARE guinea pig - I am talking about the persons who are first in line to have the newest gadgets and gizmos.

The reality of the matter is this - with anything tech and new, there will be bugs present at the time of launch (even the "great" Apple have had its share of woes...uh, where am I?  My "iMap" is not working).  True, some products tend to have more bugs than working features (or so it may seem) and yes, this is not what you paid for, but the truth is no matter how much testing is done in the labs of the manufacturers and carriers the real world test will still expose bugs and other annoyances that were missed.

Let me say here that I am not suggesting we all sit around and wait until the product has been on the market for 6 months or so before purchasing (we will just end up being 6 months old guinea pigs), I am simply alerting persons of the fact that you should be aware that your brand new gadget may very well have issues that would leave you very frustrated and even close to the point of losing your sanity (did someone say Nokia 920 or HTC 8X owners?).

The good thing is that most companies would prefer to not have the bad publicity and so would do almost everything in their power to get you smiling again, even if it is lying to you about the exact cause of the problem.  So hang in there - even guinea pigs will have their day.

What would you like to see on this blog?

What would you like to see on this blog?

Please comment your topics, ideas, thoughts or suggestions in the comment section below.

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