How To Backup Your Hard Drive

We all know that we should back up our system as soon as possible. But if you're like most of us, you will get to it tomorrow. The problem is that tomorrow rarely ever comes until you experience a serious computer failure and then it's too late.

Taking the time to backup your data or entire hard drive is not as painstaking as it may seem. And the rewards of doing so will be great should your system experience a crash.

WINDOWS AND OTHER BACKUP SOFTWARE

If you have Windows XP you will need to install the new Windows backup utility from the Windows XP cdrom. Just place the WinXP cdrom in your cdrom drive and locate the line D:VALEADDMSFTNTBACKUP.

Here you see the first letter as D but if your optical drive has a different drive letter, exchange the D with your drive's letter. To install the utility, click on the file named NTBackup.msi.

The backup utility will be installed to the system tools group. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Backup. There is a neat wizard that will walk you through the backup process.

WinXP's backup utility will backup your entire hard drive and will make a recovery disk to boot.

One neat third party backup software you can try is NewTech InfoSystems at http://www.ntius.com where you can download their trial version and put it to use for 30 days. And if it's your cup of tea, the full version will run you about $79.95

INCREMENTAL OR DIFFERENTIAL BACKUPS

You should back up your entire hard drive when you perform your first backup. After that it is best to perform an Incremental backup. This type of backup only allows you to backup files that have changed since your last performed backup.

Differential Backups copy changed files that have been added since you last did your entire backup. This type of backup is more detailed than incremental backups and is easier to restore.

BACKUP STORAGE DEVICES

You can backup your files on cdroms and have the files compressed to save both space and backup time. WinXP will compress folders, subfolders, and files during backup.

You can purchase compression software that will do the same, saving you cdrom storage space. The compressed files are automatically uncompressed once they are restored onto your hard drive.

You can also use a second hard drive as your backup storage device. We use two backup hard drives to be certain Ultimate PC Repair is up and running 24/7.

You can either purchase an internal hard drive and install it to your ide cable, or you may want to purchase an external hard drive that connects to your Universal Serial Bus or USB Port.

The advantage of the external drives is that they have very large amounts of storage space, transfer data fast, and can be moved from your computer to any other computer.

We use the Western Digital 170 Gigabyte External Hard Drive and we simply bounce it around to either one of our four computers with the greatest of ease.

USING ONLINE BACKUP SERVICES

You may also consider online services for backing up your data. If you lose all your backup data, say due to a natural disaster such as a flood, your online data is right there waiting for you.

Another advantage of online backups is that you can access, upload, or download your data from any location. It is best to use high speed internet access if you're considering online data storage.

One such online backup service is Istorage located at http://www.iomega.com/istorage and charges from $2.49 a month for 50MBs to $17.95 a month for a big 1,000MBs of storage.

Or you can check out FilesAnywhere located at the url http://www.filesanywhere.com

Still another online service to try is CapSure located at http://www.capsure.com

Backup your system now in one way or another if you have not done so. If you have critical data that you simply cannot do without, take the time to invest in a backup device or one of the many online backup services.

Stop and perform those backups as soon as possible. You will be thankful you did should something go wrong with your computer. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

About The Author

Otis F. Cooper is the author of the award winning PC Super Pack, the Computer Training By Video course. For hundreds more free PC repair tips, sign up for his bi-monthly newsletter and learn the PC free at http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com

---

10 Things to Ponder Before Moving Your Office Network

Moving the office network? How hard could it be? Anybody who's ever moved the office network knows the risks and challenges associated with this colossal task. This... Read More

Dell Inspiron 600m Notebook Computer

After twelve years of owning desktop computers, I finally opted for a laptop so I would no longer be chained to my desk. After months of research... Read More

Buying Cheap Refurbished Laptops

When comparing refurbished laptop models, ask about these specifications:Central Processing Unit: The CPU or processor is the heart of the computer. The more software you want in... Read More

Printers

Do you feel overwhelmed when buying a computer or a new printer?You are not alone. With so many products to choose from I know exactly how you... Read More

Toner Cartridges - How They Work

In the past computers and their accompanying printers were huge. Toner reservoirs and toner cartridges were used instead of ink cartridges like the ones in use today.... Read More

USB Drive Popularity

So many people have small USB drives today, but what is the attracting of owning one?USB drives are very small rewritable storage media for your PC, they... Read More

Nvidia Geforce 7800 GTX Review

Nvidia has done it again, with it's newest video card, the geforce 7800 GTX. If money is no object and you demand the best, this is the... Read More

ABCs Of DVD Drive Abbreviations

The number of different formats available in DVD drives can be confusing to anyone in the market for one. The list is much longer, but to address... Read More

Surge Protector: A Simple Mechanism Description

A surge protector [AKA surge suppressor] is an electrical plug-in device designed to distribute safe electrical voltages to other electrical or electronic devices. Surge protectors resemble power... Read More

SED is Coming

One of the bigger challenges facing display manufacturers is to develop a picture with the same warm characteristics as Cathode Ray Tube, but with far less weight... Read More

Batteries for Your Laptop

With technology advancing more every day, electronics have become smaller and more mobile. This includes computers. The laptop, or notebook computer is extremely popular these days and... Read More

Portable MP3 Player Based Education

A revolution in learning technology has taken place. Actually, it took place a few years ago, and I'm only just now catching up. The reason is that... Read More

Getting A New Laptop At A Great Price

With all the wheeling and dealing that seems to take place on the internet at all times of the day, it can sometimes get confusing just trying... Read More

Preventing Tape Drive Failure

Contrary to popular belief, tape drives are generally robust and reliable. However, there are three common mistakes that people make that dramatically increase the probability of tape... Read More

How To Choose a Computer Mouse

Computer MiceEvery computer user can hopefully identify their mouse and the importance it plays in the daily operation of their computer. Mice are nothing new and for... Read More

Small Computers

Today, small form factor computers demolish the myth that bigger PCs are faster. Specially designed SFF computers from Ovi PC, like the Prometheus, deliver tower-crushing performance in... Read More

How To Stop Junk Faxes From Wasting Your Paper and Toner

Junk faxes waste the resources of every business. It is estimated that they cost businesses tens of millions of dollars a year in wasted paper, toner and... Read More

Discover Everything About Wholesale Bar Code Reader And Software!

It is a given fact that buying wholesale would make us save more money than buying individual items at retail. Purchasing in bulk means more profit for... Read More

Using System Restore to Save Yourself from Formatting Your Hard Drive

It is the most annoying thing when one day you use your computer and nothing seems to work fine. Program freezes, files get corrupted or internet doesn't... Read More

TiVo: An Introduction for the Few Who Dont Know Yet

TiVo will change your life... for the better. Plain and simple: record shows by telling TiVo to record them (not when, what channel, how long, etc.), record... Read More

Testing Capacitor-How To Test A Capacitor When Breakdown Under Load

Have you ever come across power problem where once you switch on the power supply and the fuse blow? You have checked all the components in the... Read More

What Can You Do With A Mac Mini?

If you have not seen the newest addition to the Macintosh line, it is worth taking a look. It is a very small computer that is only... Read More

How to Choose a New Hard Drive for Your Computer

If you are running out of space on your computer or find that programs load a little slow, or that big files take a long time to... Read More

Rear Projection TV Facts - Understanding the Pros & Cons of Rear Projection in the Home Theater

Rear Projection Television - An Affordable OptionA great deal of consumer appeal for Rear Projection TV systems arise out of the shear simplicity that this product offers... Read More

The Right Way To Discharge Capacitor In Switch Mode Power Supplies

Switch mode power supply contain some large filter capacitors that can hold dangerous charges even if the unit has not been used for several days. Typical values... Read More

Laptop Computer Extras for the Mobile Traveler

A laptop computer certainly provides you with an unprecedented level of freedom and mobility away from the office. However there are a few extras you might want... Read More