How to Back Up Your Computer Files

Computers are built to be stable and reliable, but there are times that they fail. You never know when your computer will buckle under pressure, and all your data may be erased or rendered unusable. Whether it’s multimedia files or critical files you need for work, backing up your computer files is a very important part of computer maintenance. Here are some easy ways to back up your computer files in a snap.

Sort Files

Before you back up your computer files, it’s important to sort them out first. There are many files on your computer that are OK to lose, but there are many files that you cannot afford to lose:

• Critical files are files that you should always back up. System files, important programs, documents, and other saved files should always have a backup.
• Non-critical files are files that you can do without. Small files like doodles, and some multimedia files like music you don’t listen to at all, can be backed up at a later time, or you can choose not to back them up.

Storage Media

There are many tools and programs available to back up computer files, but they all work in the same way. All backup programs copy files and data to another medium. You can do this with a dedicated backup tool, or you can simply copy and paste the files to a storage medium using a file management program like Windows Explorer.

In the event of a systems failure, the storage medium can then be used to restore your files and data. Here are some storage media that you can use to back up your files:

• Hard disk. A secondary slave disk or an external hard disk is great for backing up large files, or if you don’t want to span files across different storage media. One hard drive can store just about every critical file you have on backup, with plenty of space to spare.
• CDs and DVDs are cheap, convenient ways of backing up data. Depending on how large your backups are, you will need many of these to completely back up your computer’s files and data.
• Floppy disks are fast falling out of favor, but many older computers may still require the use of a floppy disk to start the boot sequence if the system fails to boot from the hard drive.

When to Perform a Backup

Many people make the mistake of backing up files only when their computer systems almost fail. It’s very important to perform a system and file backup when your computer is stable to preserve the integrity and structure of all your files. If you install programs on a regular basis, download a lot of files from the Internet, or create new files frequently, you need to perform a backup twice every month. For casual computer users, a backup every four to six months is a good idea.

Backups may be boring and not as exciting as actually using your computer, but they do spare you the headaches caused by systems failure. With a backup, you don’t have to worry about where all your files and data will go when your computer experiences a very critical and very dangerous crash.