This week will be about backing up.
Backup , Backup , Backup
We all say we will do it but few rarely do.
Then when the worst happens we try and get back the memories and important documents that could be lost forever.
You need 3 copies of your important documents.
Why 3 copies?
Well if you have one on your hard drive that really is not good enough and you need to move on to the second copy.
Second copy could be , back up to DVD , CD , Flash drive.
Back up's like these should also be kept at a different location to your computer.
All
these have a limited life and should not be looked at as a permanent
solution as these do not last forever. especially the DVD's and
CD's.
Here is the link to David Pogue's article from the New York Times which addresses the subject of DVD life span's.
You could also back up to a portable hard drive and use Microsoft Sync Toy to sync your files between the computer and the external hard drive.
If your computer has 2 hard drives on it then your operating system should be on one and your documents on the other.This makes it easier to back up.
Then there is the online solution such as Windows Skydrive which will give you 25GB of storage but you will have to upload your documents to the "cloud".
There is also Windows Live Sync which will keep your documents synced between computers and " the cloud"
This is ideal if you have more than one computer and or a spare one to sync to and works with both pc's and macs.
Then there is also Live Mesh which allows you to sync your files between multiple computers and again it works with both PCs and Macs.
I have had success with both but would say that Windows Live Sync is the better option as Live Mesh for me became a resource drain on my computers.
One of the best back up options is Dropbox where you can get a 2GB free account.
Dropbox when installed on your computer is just like another folder and when you save a file/document to Dropbox it is saved to the web ( the cloud ).You can then access your files from any computer by logging into Dropbox.
If you have multiple computers ( think home and work ) they will automatically be synced with any files when you log into the computer and the Dropbox account.
If you want a paid account for more room then a 50GB account is only $9.99 a month ( US Pricing )
Remember no solution is ideal for a long term basis so try and use the solution that is the easiest solution for you and do not leave your backup to luck.
Finally remember that failure rates of hard drives can be up to 13% by the second year of use.
So in the end make sure you back up.
