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How To Set Up A Fool Proof Automatic Backup System

What to backup, where to save it, and how to do it automatically

Are you concerned about the safekeeping of your photos, e-mails, address book, Favorites, etc. that you have on your computer?  Yes?  Well, that's a good thing because sooner or later your hard drive will fail or get so corrupted you will have to format it...losing everything.

Hi!  Al Stewart here.  I was a computer technician for 30 years and I have seen thousands of hard drives fail.  They fail on laptop computers and million dollar main frame computers too.  The average life expectancy of consumer hard drives is approximately 4 years.

There is nothing you can do to prevent hard drive failure, but there is a lot you can do to prevent the loss of your valuable files, but you must do it before your drive fails.  That brings us to the subject of this article:  The various ways to automatically make backup copies of your data.

At its most basic a "backup" is made any time you copy something to a new location.  If you download a photo from the Internet and then save it to a CD you have made a backup because you now have two copies, each on different media.  One is on your hard drive and one is on the CD.  This is an example of a manual backup.

As a regular method of protecting your data, manual backups have little value because; Most people simply don't do it very often Most people don't do it on a regular schedule Most people don't have time to mess with it Most people don't have the desire to file all the backup CDs Most people don't have the time to discard the old CDs, or better yet for security reasons, destroying the old CDs before discarding them.

Fortunately the software industry has come to our rescue with programs that will automatically backup everything you save and do it in such a way that you won't even notice it is happening.  Before looking at what's available we need to understand these two terms;

"Files" backup and "Disk" also known as "Image" backup

Files backup - When you or your backup software saves a copy of directories and the files they contain a file backup is created.  If you set your software to backup all the files on your hard drive and if (when!) your drive fails all your photos, e-mails, etc., will be available for restoring to your new hard drive and you will have lost nothing.

However, your operating system and your programs will NOT have been backed up.  But that's okay, because you already have the original CDs from when you bought the software.  You just have to install each program again, set it up like you like it, and download the latest security updates.

Disk/Image backup - When you set your software to backup the entire hard drive including the Operating System, programs, special settings, and all your files, you have created a disk or image backup.  This is sometimes known as "cloning" your hard drive.  This type of backup is very useful if you want to replace your hard drive with a new, bigger one, or if you replace your computer.  When you restore the disk/image backup to the new drive you will find everything exactly as it was before replacing the drive...all without having to reinstall any software or entering any personal settings again.

So why wouldn't you always make a disk/image backup since it includes everything and you don't have to reinstall any programs when your drive fails?  Good question!  And the answer is based on where you save the backup.

This is real basic, and you probably already know it, but if you have one hard drive and save your backup on that drive, you don't really have a backup at all.  When your drive fails it takes both copies of your data with it.

You have a couple of choices of where to save your backup: A second hard drive in, or attached to, your computer or an off site backup machine, also known as an Internet backup

Let's look at the pros and cons of each backup location:

Second hard drive - Pros: Everything you save is automatically backed up. Old backups are automatically replaced by the new. Suitable for either file backup or disk/image backup. Restoration speed - a large drive can be restored in a few hours One time cost for the second drive.  Cons: Your backup is in the same room as your original data.  Fire, flood, lightening, or theft will destroy all your data.  And, as happened to me, a computer problem can corrupt the original as well as the backup copies.

Off site backup - Pros: Everything you save is automatically backed up Old backups are automatically replaced by the new Nothing can destroy both copies of your data  Cons: You pay for the service - about $5 a month A large hard drive can take days to restore You are limited to a file backup

So where should I save my backup?  Another good question!  The answer is found in what's important to you.

Since the whole idea of an automatic backup is to safeguard your data, I recommend the most reliable and safe, off site backup.  Your data will be there no matter what!

If you use your computer in a business, where a lengthy down-time while you restore files and install software would cost you money, you ALSO want a local backup on your second drive.  That way, you have fast recovery from the local drive AND absolutely safe and reliable backup copies of your files from the off site machine if needed.

When my backup drive failed at the same instant my primary drive failed I was VERY thankful I also had off site backup.  It took two weeks to restore all my files, but without it, I would have been permanently out of business.

Don't put if off.  Your drive is going to fail.

In summary - For the shortest amount of time to get your computer running again buy a LOCAL backup program.

For the peace of mind that comes from knowing your data is absolutely safe and secure subscribe to an off site backup service.

For the best of both worlds, get both a local program and an off site backup service.

If you can't get both, I suggest you get one of the off site backup services.  Having your data absolutely safe is the goal of any backup system, and for that you want an off site solution.

About the Author

Al Stewart was a Field Service Engineer with IBM for nearly 30 years. Now retired, he enjoys sharing his knowledge in layman's terms. Get a free chart showing what each type of backup program or service offers, and a link to each company's web site by going to;

http://www.hisbizinc.com/backupoptions.htm

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