Do I Really Need to Back Up My Computer Files?

This article was written by Parts2PCs Owner Fred Varano and originally appeared in the Wakefield Daily Item on January 20th, 2012.

Many people never consider backing up their data until it is too late.  Most of us store our irreplaceable digital pictures, documents, music and other data on our computer’s hard drive every day with the assumption that they are safe and will always be there.  But what happens if the hard drive fails, or even worse, if there is a home disaster such as a fire or flood?

Hard drives that store our precious data are one of the few moving parts inside a computer.  They spin on average at the high rate of 7,200 rotations per minute and have a needle similar to a record player that reads the data from the spinning platter.  Over time, the platter, just like a record, can wear out from use, and that is when the drive begins to fail.  When this happens, the computer will no longer perform as it should, and you will find that you are unable to access some of your files.  Most people that have lost their data have learned the lesson of backing up, but if you are not one of those people, please take the easy steps listed in this article to safeguard your files from accidental loss. 

The most cost effective way to back up your data is to use blank CDs or DVDs in combination with your CD/DVD drive.  There is software within Windows that allows you select the files you need saved and then burn them to a CD/DVD within a few minutes.  The cost of each disc is minimal but if you backup often, you will eventually accumulate a large pile.  Another option and probably the most common way is to purchase a USB flash drive or an external hard drive.  For the price, you will get a larger amount of storage with an external hard drive versus a flash drive, but either device is adequate and the process is the backup process is the same.  Both devices connect by USB and will be assigned a drive letter by Windows.  The files you need to save can easily be dragged into the assigned drive letter for storage on either device.  This method allows you add or delete files more easily than the CD/DVD process.  For those of you concerned about fire, theft or natural disasters damaging your backup using devices listed above, there are options such as Carbonite that store your data off of your property on their servers.  Carbonite is a software program that monitors the files on your computer and automatically saves them onto their equipment using your internet connection.  This is the simplest, set it and forget it type of backup method, however, this service is subscription based and has a $5 per month charge.

No matter which backup method works best for you, the important thing is that you have a duplicate copy of your files in case of a computer malfunction. 

Visit www.Parts2PCs.com/TTlinks for more details about data backup options.