Its just a matter of time before
you experience a hard drive problem. Are you prepared to loose your
data? If your hard drive crashed right now do you have a backup plan
or an action
plan to follow?
Most people only think of backing up their data AFTER they
experience a problem. Don't set yourself up for a data loss
disaster. Have a 'BEFORE' Plan ready, too.
Your
'Before' plan should be based on these basic considerations
● How often you will back up your
data
● What data you will back up
● What back up procedure you will
use
Backup frequency is
your personal choice
How often you back up your data can only be determined by how
important you feel it is. Answer this question "If my hard drive
crashed right now, I would be alright if I had the data from at
least (time) ago".
Of course you would want everything but if you could have the data
from 1 month, or 6 months ago would that be sufficient? Whatever
time is sufficient mark it on your desk or wall calendar and set up
a meeting date with yourself on your PC to remind you.
You change your smoke detector batteries when you turn your clock
back and when you turn it ahead right? Well back up your data then,
too.
If you don't change your clocks then pick some holidays or special
dates that happen close to the time you want to back up your data so
you won't forget.
Decide which
files you can't do without
What data you back up depends on how you use your PC. Some of
the key directories, if you are using Windows, are the My Documents,
Favorites and Desktop directories.
How many people use your computer? If you have a different profile
set up for each family member, for example, the three directories
above can be different for each profile and each one would need to
be backed up.
You will also want to include your email data. Don't forget to write
down the email accounts you have. You should also write down any
username and passwords so they are not lost. You should look at
every directory to see if it has information that you would need.
Make a list of all the software programs you are using. If you have
the physical CDs put them all together in a safe location.
| If you are running software that you installed from downloaded
files, burn them to a CD-R and add it to your collection. If you use
a CD-R or DVD-R you can update it as you download and install new
applications. |
Don't forget the CDs for your peripherals like your scanner, digital
camera, PDA etc
Collecting these CDs may remind you of additional
data that you need to back up.
Do you have the right tools to
Backup your vital Files?
What procedure you use to back up your data can be determined
by the amount of data you want to back up. Your data might fit onto
a CD or DVD in which case you just need to burn it and you're done.
If it spans multiple DVDs then you might want to consider getting a
second hard drive to copy your data onto. If you are not comfortable
with adding a second internal hard drive or you are using a laptop
then you can purchase an external hard drive to back up your data.
The information you have on your hard drive could disappear in a
flash. If you don't want to spend up to $3,000 to have a data
recovery(*) company retrieve what information they can After your
hard drive crashes, then take a few minutes right now and create
your back up action plan.
If you ever have a data emergency, your action plan will be your
insurance policy. If you adhere to it, your valuable data will
adhere to you!
... Richard
Rossbauer
(*)
Read More helpful tips about
Data Recovery
https://www.firewalls-and-virus-protection.com/DataRecovery.html
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Richard started his "Firewalls
and Virus Protection" website and "Security
Alert News Reporter" to help everyday Internet users
navigate safely through the Cyber Space that has become a 'Cyber
Jungle', loaded with ambushes and booby traps. He promotes his "Computer
Security Awareness Campaign" thru his website at
https://www.firewalls-and-virus-protection.com
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CAUTION! Be sure you save program Serial Numbers
and Passwords in a safe notebook or journal. NOT JUST IN YOUR COMPUTER HARD DRIVE. |
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