How to Back Up the Files on Your Computer in Case it Crashes
Imagine walking into your office and turning on your computer and nothing happens. Your computer has crashed. Every picture and all your data, reports and programs are gone. How long would it take you to get back up and running? How many of those pictures and files are irreplaceable?
With today's backup programs, backing up your system is easy. It can even be automated so that once you set it up you do not have to think about it again unless a disaster strikes.
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Instructions
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Connect to the location you want to backup your files to. Many options are available. You can use a thumb drive, a CD or an external hard drive, or even backup to a remote location through the Internet.
If you decide to back up to a thumb drive or CD, insert them into your computer in the appropriate slot. A CD will have to be formatted before a backup can begin.
Another option is to add an external hard drive to your computer system. This small device will sit on your desktop and backup your files according to the schedule you select. It works in the background and you will not notice any difference in performance while a backup is taking place.
If you choose to backup your system to an Internet location, log into the website and follow the prompts listed there.
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Select the program you will use for your backup. Windows offers a built in backup program. Under most Windows operating systems, the program can be found under "Start," then "Accessories," then "System Tools," then "Backup and Restore."
Open the backup program and select "Backup." The program will ask where you want to save your backup file. Select the drive you decided on from the drop-down menu and hit "Continue."
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Select the drive you want backed up. In most PCs, this will be Drive C, which is the computer's hard drive.
The computer will next ask what type of backup you would like to perform. You will have an option of a complete backup or just certain files and folders. If you have never backed up your system, you may want to consider it, especially the first time.
If you have backed up your computer in the past three months, then you can back up just the files that have recently changed. However, if you added new programs or made programming changes, you may want to consider doing a full backup.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the backup.
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Schedule automatic backups, if desired. Follow the prompts to schedule when and how often your computer will be backed up in the future.
If you are a heavy computer user, more than 15 hours per week, you may want to consider weekly or even daily backups. If you are a light user--less than 15 hours per week--weekly or monthly backups will be more than adequate.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider keeping a copy of your backup files in a different physical location. If there is a catastrophic fire or flood, your records will still be intact.
If your computer does crash, use the restore half of the backup program after the computer has been repaired.
