Your data is the most important thing on your computer. Whether it is photos of your family, important documents for the tax declaration, art, the music of your band, confidential research results or whatever, losing them is simply not an option. Unfortunately, computers fail again and again and not too rarely. Having a plan to file backup before something goes wrong is one of the most important tasks you need to perform as a responsible computer user. Fortunately, backing up your data has never been easier. Follow this instruction to learn how to do it.
Method.1 Backup files manually
2. Decide what you want to back up. When you manually back up your data, it's up to you to make sure that any file that you want to back up is copied. Make sure you're thorough when you scan your system for files.
3. Arrange your data by priorities. Ensure that the most important files are always backed up. This includes important and confidential documents, sentimental files and photos, and other irreplaceable files. Copying costs time, so get the most out of your time by making sure what's important.
Programs can not be backed up and must be reinstalled if something goes wrong with your operating system. The settings files and the settings themselves, however, can be saved almost always. Look in the program's accompanying documents to find out where you can find the settings files.
4. Copy your data. Once you have decided what you want to back up, you start to transfer it to the storage medium. If you are using an external hard disk, a USB stick or a network drive, simply drag the files onto the drive and wait until they are copied. If you burn the data to a CD, follow these instructions .
5. Remember to update your backup files. Because you manually back up, there is no fixed schedule for when files are copied. It is up to you to keep a regular backup schedule so your data is safe and secure.
Method. 2 Use a file backup program
1. Download a file backup utility. There are free programs available and those that cost money, but all offer the same basic principles. One of the advantages of using a paid program, compared to manually backing up your data, are the options for automated, timed backups. This allows you to share responsibility for backing up your files.
2. Choose what you want to back up. All programs will ask you which files and folders should be saved. Make sure you've selected all of your important folders, and that you have not forgotten a single store.
3. Insert your security medium. You will still need an external hard disk or a network drive to use these programs. Make sure that it is plugged in before you start the first backup.
4. Set your schedule. The time between backups depends heavily on how often you access and process your files. If you continually make changes that need to be saved, you're better off backing up frequently, maybe every hour. This can be especially important for artists and writers and for financial transactions.
Method. 3 Secure with the file versioning (Windows 8)
1. Open the program sequence. To load older versions of a file or folder, you have to switch on the file expiration process, which requires an external hard drive or access to a network drive. Windows will use these to store older versions of your files, which will allow you to undo bad storage and overwriting documents.Select the file version from the results shown.
2. Turn on the file expansion process. If your external hard drive is connected, the "Power On" switch is enabled. If you want to use a network drive as storage location , click on the "Select drive" button in the left menu and then "Add network address". Then you can search for the network.
3. Set up the settings for the file version. If you have activated the expiration process, you can edit the advanced settings by clicking the "Advanced settings" button on the left side of the menu.
Change how long the files are kept using the Save Saved Versions menu. The default setting is "Forever".
4. Add important files and folders to your libraries. The file backup process under Windows 8 does not allow you to select what is stored. Instead, it automatically saves everything in the user's libraries (documents, images, etc.). If you have saved files that you need to save in other locations, move them to one of the folders in the libraries.
Method. 4 Save with Time Machine (Mac OS X)
1. Connect an external hard drive to your Mac. Usually, there should be enough space on this drive to store all the data from your Mac, as well as sufficient free space. This is because Time Machine makes multiple copies over time and is the most effective when you can choose from multiple copies.
2. Time Machine should open automatically. If you have not set up Time Machine before, you should open a dialog box asking if you want to use the disk for Time Machine as soon as you connect an external drive. Select "Use as backup volume" to use the drive with Time Machine.
3. Let Time Machine work automatically. If you have selected a drive for backup with Time Machine, your data is automatically saved every hour. Your Time Machine will store an hourly copy of the last 24 hours, a daily copy for the last month, and weekly backups of as much disk space as your external hard drive allows.
Method. 5 Save to a cloud
1. Find a cloud provider. There are some free cloud vendors that you can use as a backup at any time. This includes Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive, Apple iCloud, DropBox and more. These service providers offer you all free ample storage space and can be expanded with a fee to more storage space.
2. Copy your files to the cloud provider. If you use a free service provider, it is with you, the data backups to perform. Transfer the files manually to the provider, as you would synonymous with an external hard drive would make. Some service providers like SkyDrive and Google Drive offer you a folder, which you can place on your desktop. Everything in this folder will be transferred to the space in your cloud.
3. Keep track of your storage space. Even if the space that you get when you log in seems quite large, you may find that it is fast when you upload images and videos. Make sure you only back up the most important files and look through your files in the cloud occasionally to sort out old versions.
Tips
warnings
Method.1 Backup files manually
- 1. Insert a storage device or media. The fastest way to back up files is to plug an external hard drive or USB stick into your computer and copy the files to it. You can also use CDs or DVDs, but these are more cumbersome to store and more vulnerable to loss and defects than an external hard drive.
- Also you will have to burn the files on it to save them, while you only have to drag them to an external hard drive.
- Storage is a topic when you decide to backup the data manually, especially if you use CDs, DVDs or a USB stick. If you have an external hard disk that is large enough, the storage space is less problematic.
- CDs contain approximately 700 MB of data, DVDs hold 4.7 GB, with USB sticks the size varies, but rarely exceeds 16 GB. External hard disks are available in sizes up to several Terabytes (TB).
2. Decide what you want to back up. When you manually back up your data, it's up to you to make sure that any file that you want to back up is copied. Make sure you're thorough when you scan your system for files.
3. Arrange your data by priorities. Ensure that the most important files are always backed up. This includes important and confidential documents, sentimental files and photos, and other irreplaceable files. Copying costs time, so get the most out of your time by making sure what's important.
Programs can not be backed up and must be reinstalled if something goes wrong with your operating system. The settings files and the settings themselves, however, can be saved almost always. Look in the program's accompanying documents to find out where you can find the settings files.
4. Copy your data. Once you have decided what you want to back up, you start to transfer it to the storage medium. If you are using an external hard disk, a USB stick or a network drive, simply drag the files onto the drive and wait until they are copied. If you burn the data to a CD, follow these instructions .
- For additional data security, you should store your data in two different storage locations. This gives you additional protection if a memory location fails.
5. Remember to update your backup files. Because you manually back up, there is no fixed schedule for when files are copied. It is up to you to keep a regular backup schedule so your data is safe and secure.
Method. 2 Use a file backup program
1. Download a file backup utility. There are free programs available and those that cost money, but all offer the same basic principles. One of the advantages of using a paid program, compared to manually backing up your data, are the options for automated, timed backups. This allows you to share responsibility for backing up your files.
- Some programs compress your backed up files to save space while others mirror them, leaving them more accessible, at the expense of storage space. Some programs offer both options.
2. Choose what you want to back up. All programs will ask you which files and folders should be saved. Make sure you've selected all of your important folders, and that you have not forgotten a single store.
3. Insert your security medium. You will still need an external hard disk or a network drive to use these programs. Make sure that it is plugged in before you start the first backup.
4. Set your schedule. The time between backups depends heavily on how often you access and process your files. If you continually make changes that need to be saved, you're better off backing up frequently, maybe every hour. This can be especially important for artists and writers and for financial transactions.
- Often securing the performance of your computer can be a burden. Many people are right when the data backup is performed after the end of the day when the computer is not in use.
- Make sure that the storage location for the backup is connected during the scheduled backup.
Method. 3 Secure with the file versioning (Windows 8)
1. Open the program sequence. To load older versions of a file or folder, you have to switch on the file expiration process, which requires an external hard drive or access to a network drive. Windows will use these to store older versions of your files, which will allow you to undo bad storage and overwriting documents.Select the file version from the results shown.
2. Turn on the file expansion process. If your external hard drive is connected, the "Power On" switch is enabled. If you want to use a network drive as storage location , click on the "Select drive" button in the left menu and then "Add network address". Then you can search for the network.
- Select if you want your home network to connect to the drive. If you have more than one computer in your home network, and you want all of your backups to run at the same location, select Yes, otherwise it is okay to choose No.
3. Set up the settings for the file version. If you have activated the expiration process, you can edit the advanced settings by clicking the "Advanced settings" button on the left side of the menu.
Change how long the files are kept using the Save Saved Versions menu. The default setting is "Forever".
- Change the number of times copies are saved using the Save File Copy menu. The default is "Every hour".
4. Add important files and folders to your libraries. The file backup process under Windows 8 does not allow you to select what is stored. Instead, it automatically saves everything in the user's libraries (documents, images, etc.). If you have saved files that you need to save in other locations, move them to one of the folders in the libraries.
Method. 4 Save with Time Machine (Mac OS X)
1. Connect an external hard drive to your Mac. Usually, there should be enough space on this drive to store all the data from your Mac, as well as sufficient free space. This is because Time Machine makes multiple copies over time and is the most effective when you can choose from multiple copies.
- You can connect a drive using USB, Thunderbolt or FireWire.
- If the external hard drive has not yet been formatted, do this using the hard drive utility. Make sure that Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) is selected as the drive format.
2. Time Machine should open automatically. If you have not set up Time Machine before, you should open a dialog box asking if you want to use the disk for Time Machine as soon as you connect an external drive. Select "Use as backup volume" to use the drive with Time Machine.
- If the dialog box does not open, you can open Time Machine via the system settings in the Apple menu.
3. Let Time Machine work automatically. If you have selected a drive for backup with Time Machine, your data is automatically saved every hour. Your Time Machine will store an hourly copy of the last 24 hours, a daily copy for the last month, and weekly backups of as much disk space as your external hard drive allows.
Method. 5 Save to a cloud
1. Find a cloud provider. There are some free cloud vendors that you can use as a backup at any time. This includes Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive, Apple iCloud, DropBox and more. These service providers offer you all free ample storage space and can be expanded with a fee to more storage space.
2. Copy your files to the cloud provider. If you use a free service provider, it is with you, the data backups to perform. Transfer the files manually to the provider, as you would synonymous with an external hard drive would make. Some service providers like SkyDrive and Google Drive offer you a folder, which you can place on your desktop. Everything in this folder will be transferred to the space in your cloud.
3. Keep track of your storage space. Even if the space that you get when you log in seems quite large, you may find that it is fast when you upload images and videos. Make sure you only back up the most important files and look through your files in the cloud occasionally to sort out old versions.
Tips
- Ensure your data is timely and regular.
- It is a good idea to back up data in several different ways so you have an additional backup in case your first storage medium fails. You can also dedicate a specific medium to backup only a single file type, eg a USB stick only for running writing projects or an external hard disk for photos and music files only.
warnings
- No matter how often you make backups, the storage medium for data backup must still be connected to your computer at the scheduled time so that the data backup can be performed.
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