White Paper - Backup Basics

Backing up your computer is generally regarded as a chore. However, it is very important that it is done on a regular basis to prevent data loss. Most people do not realize that they can lose all of the data on their computer at any point in time for a number of reasons. This is why whenever you deal with computers or computer service technicians, you are always encouraged to back up your data.

Data loss can happen in many different ways. Your hard drive might go bad. You might get a virus that corrupts Windows (or OS X, yes Macs get malware) so badly that you have to reformat and reinstall the operating system. If you own a laptop, your laptop might be lost or stolen. You might accidentally delete something that you need. This is only a very short list of things that can happen that cause you to lose your data but it should give you an idea about how many things could happen at any point in time to cause data loss.

Preventing data loss is easy. All you have to do is back up your data to a secondary location (other than your main hard drive). Deciding how and where to back up your data are the steps involved with creating a back up system. Each choice has positives and negatives associated with it. Once you evaluate your options, you can decide which is best for you.

There are a few ways that you can back up your data. The first way is manually. This is the cheapest way to back up data because it involves no outside software. You can simply drag and drop your data to your second hard drive, CD or DVD, or external hard drive.

Many people use the back up utilities that come with their operating systems. If you use Apple’s Leopard OS, you can use Time Machine to automatically back up your data. If you use one of the business versions of Vista, you can use Windows Backup and Recovery utility.

The last option that you have is to get a third party back up utility to use on your computer. There are some free ones out there (such as Carbon Copy Cloner for the Mac) in addition to payware solutions. In general, the paid versions will be more reliable, have more functionality, and feature a level of technical support and version updating that is absent from most freeware solutions.

These utilities can be set up to automatically back up certain parts of your hard drive or make complete copies of everything. They can do it automatically or you can manually start the back up. They can also be set to run on a schedule and only back up at certain times.

Once you’ve decided on a back up method, you’ll need to decide where to back up your data. There are three main places you can back up data using the methods discussed above: secondary internal hard drive, CD’s or DVD’s, and external hard drives. Like the different methods, each location has advantages and disadvantages.

Many people have computers that have two or more hard drives installed. If you own a computer with at least two hard drives, this is the first location option you have for backing up your data. One of the positives of doing it this way is that you have a second copy of your data already inside of your computer, which makes moving data back onto the primary hard drive easier. Another positive is that if you have a second hard drive already installed, you do not have to purchase or install anything new. The disadvantage is if your computer is stolen, lost, or damaged in a fire or other disaster, you will still lose your data.

Some people like to back up their data to CD’s or DVD’s, especially music, pictures and movies. The main advantage that this type of back up gives you is that you can back up your data to a location that is cheap and easy to transport from place to place. However, this location is not generally recommended for large amounts of data because you are limited to the amount of data that you can back up. CD’s hold about 700MB of space and DVD’s hold about 4.7GB of space (dual layer DVD’s can hold about 8.5GB). If you have small amounts of data and a CD or DVD burner on your computer, this might be the way to go since it is cheaper than some of the other options available. It is also good for one time back ups that only need to happen once because the data isn’t constantly being changed (like pictures or music, where you are not likely to make changes to the file that will need to be saved). Another down side to this type of back up is that the data can be lost from the disc if it is damaged. If you use this method, be careful to label your back ups with the date and what is on the disc. Also, be sure to place it in a location where it is not likely to be lost.

Backing up to an external hard drive (or thumb drive) is another location option that you have for backing up your data. This is similar to backing up to a second internal hard drive on your computer. One advantage that it has over using a secondary internal hard drive is that it can be stored somewhere other than with the computer or might be left behind in the event of theft of your computer. Many businesses will have their employees back up their data on an external hard drive and carry it home so that it will not be lost in the event of equipment theft or disasters, such as fires or floods. Another positive is that you can easily move files between computers when using an external hard drive. One disadvantage that an external hard drive would present is that you would have to purchase the hard drive and they aren’t terribly cheap. Good external hard drives generally run about $75-$200 depending on the amount of storage that they offer. The other disadvantage is that external hard drives go bad about as often as internal hard drives. This means that you could lose your back up or have to replace the drive in the future. Despite the cost involved and the chance of hard drive failure, using an external hard drive as the location of your back up is recommended over other options.

The last location option that you have is on a server. If you have a home server, you can use it to back up your files. Since most people do not own servers, however, you are likely going to have to purchase space on a remote server. There are a number of companies (such as Mozy Pro or Apple’s MobileMe) that offer this service and each one has different pricing. You would need to research the pricing and services offered before deciding on a remote server back up service. As with the other methods of backing up, this method has several positives and negatives associated with it. One of the positives is that this type of back up is the most secure back up service you can find. Remote servers normally have back ups made on a daily basis in several different locations and they are kept in secure locations where theft and disasters are not likely. These types of services will almost never lose data backed up to them because of the legal ramifications involved with offering this type of service. Another positive is that they can be easily and quickly set up to automatically back up your data without the need for third party software and they can be easily and quickly restored to your computer. The disadvantages involved with this type of back up, however, are cost and the necessary internet connection. Generally, these services have a monthly fee associated with them, not a one-time cost like the other options, which means that they can be very costly long-term. They also offer less storage space than some of the other options. Normally, the amount of space you are offered is not enough to back up your entire computer but just a few very important documents that you cannot afford to lose, unless you wish to pay very high monthly fees for the extra storage. The last disadvantage is that they require high-speed internet connections. Without a reasonably fast internet connection, back ups and data restores can take forever.

As explained above, backing up your data is very important. And, as you can see, there are a lot of options to take into consideration when planning your back up system. You have to decide how and where to back up your data. Once you’ve decided, you can set it up yourself or you can call us to have us set it up for you. We can also come out to your home or business and do a consulting session with you to figure out what system would be best for your needs! Call one of our backup experts at 678.783.0138 for more information.

Questions? Call 678.783.0138 or visit our help desk for more assistance.

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