The best idea
is to use a form of removable media for your backup that you can take with you and store
in a secure location away from your computer. In fact, it's not a bad idea to make several
copies of very important files and store them in a number of different secure locations.
You can backup to floppy disks if
you have no other choice, but backing up your hard drive to dozens of floppies is
extremely time consuming. Another option is to use a tape drive. Tapes are cheap, and
their huge capacities make it easy to back up an entire hard drive. A better option for
removable storage is a Zip disk or SuperDisk. These disks hold from 100 or 120 megabytes.
You can buy a zip drive for $150 or less and the disks cost about $10. One of the best
options is a CD-rewritable drive. They cost as little as $250, with blank CDs costing
about $1each. For convenience and large capacity storage, CD-rewritable drives are an
excellent choice.
You should make a copy of
anything you can't replace. You probably don't need to make copies of Windows or
applications that you have the disks for and can re-install if necessary (such as
Microsoft Office). The key is to have a recent copy of your most important data - the
files that you have created in your day to day work. Before you begin your backup, take a
look through your hard drive and make a checklist of all the files you want to backup.
Some files you'll want to
back up every time you make changes. Others can be backed up weekly or monthly.
Windows comes with an
easy-to-use, built-in backup utility. Go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System tools, Backup. In the dialog box that appears, check off
the directories or files you want to back up (have your checklist handy), and specify
where to store them. For example, to store them to floppy disks, you'd specify drive A:
and click OK.
Windows takes over from
here. Depending an what media you are using for backup storage, you may need to hang
around to swap them out as they fill up. When the backup is complete, don't forget to move
the disks to a safe place away from your computer.
There is software you can
purchase that will help you backup your data. Try going to these sites:
There are also places
online where you can store backup files:
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