Using a backup application (either one that's built into the operating system or one you acquire and install on your PC) eliminates the need to remember to make manual copies. Use Windows backup or a third-party backup app.That's typically quite the challenge for mere mortals. This method is very easy and free, but because it's manual, you have to remember to do it on a regular schedule while ensuring that all the appropriate folders and files are copied. Manual backups involve using your system's copy and paste commands to copy folders and files to an external drive or cloud storage service. PC data backup can be divided into three general groups, with each defining a method of data backup. Using cloud storage as your backup target solves the problem of getting the backup data off-premises, but your backups might take a little longer to occur because the data has to travel over the internet. Storing the external drive in another room is better, but getting it completely off-premises is best. If you back up to an external hard drive that sits right next to your PC, and then something happens that can physically damage the PC – such as fire or flood - it's likely that the external drive with your backup data also will be damaged. The most important aspect to consider about where to back up your data is that the target should be physically separate from the PC that's being backed up. You should end up with a list of folders that you will want to back up on a regular basis, and you'll use that list to set up a backup application or as a checklist if you decide to do manual backups. Of course, you'll also want to make sure that all of your multimedia files - your photos, music and videos - get backed up. Often the installation process for an application allows you to choose a folder or accept the app's default location. But you should also check to see if any other applications create their own folders for the data they save. For example, on a Windows PC, you're likely to have all your Word documents and Excel spreadsheet files stored in the Documents folder. It's a good idea to do an inventory of your stored data on your hard disk or solid-state drive to ensure that you back up all important files. This is assuming the backup application you're using - whether it's locally installed software or a cloud backup service - can support a full system restore. What to back up and where to put the filesĪs noted, you can back up only data files or your entire system. If this option is available with the backup method you choose, it can greatly reduce the time it takes to complete the backup process and take up less storage space. An incremental backup only copies files that are new or have been modified since the last backup based on the file history. A full backup will copy all files in designated folders - new, modified or old - every time. But if you use backup software to back up your data, the backup app might use a proprietary format to store the data, which means you must also use the app to restore any of the data. If you simply copy a file or group of files from your PC to a target device, the files will remain in their native format and can be easily restored through Windows Explorer or with the applications that created them. You don't want to find out that a backup data set isn't restorable when you really need it. Regardless of the backup method you ultimately choose, it's a good idea to test a data restore periodically. Restoring is the process of copying backed-up files back onto your PC. A full system backup allows you to recreate your entire system after a catastrophic loss - but you need special software that can handle that kind of backup. A system backup goes farther and copies applications, the operating system and related configurations to the target device. Most of the time, a backup operation involves copying only the files that you have created to the target. The target is where your backed-up files are stored - an external storage device, cloud storage or on the network. The source for a backup operation is the place where you have created and stored your files - it could be a local drive, a cloud service or a network share.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |