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Safeguarding Your Data

Once you get all your files organized, you should back them up. There are a number of methods. First I will look at the hardware available.

  1. Use a floppy disc. The problem is only small files may be stored the way and you will quickly have a large collections of floppy discs. A floppy can only store 1.4 megabytes. Also some new computers do not have floppy drives.
  2. Copy to a CD. This is available on most computers manufactured during the last 5 years. If your computer does not have this capability, you can have one installed, or you can purchase an external USB CD "Burner." A CD can store up to 700 megabytes - the equivalent of about 500 floppy discs. It also allows for easy remote storage at a neighbor or friends house. You can make multiple copies and carry one with you when you travel. DVDs are similar except the recording equipment is much more expensive. But they do hold about 50 time that of a CD. CD and DVD backup is very secure; viruses cannot affect it. However, they should be checked every year. The life of a home burned CD is not known. It may be good for 10 years or fail in a few years.
  3. Use a second hard drive to do back up. If you have a desktop, you can install it inside the computer. If you have an old computer and buy a new one, you can have the hard drive from the old computer installed into the new one and use this as an easy way to transfer files to the new computer and then use it for backup. Or if you have a notebook or don't want to open up you desktop, you can use a USB and/or Firewire (IEE1394) Hard drive. This is a great way to keep a back up portable copy of data. Some people who have winter and summer homes and use desktop computers use this method to move the data instead of the computer. One of the weaknesses of this type of backup is if a virus destroys you data on you main computer drive it probably will also destroy your backup drive (if it is connected to the computer). But with automatic backup, it's a great way to guard against data loss due to a hard disc failure. You should still do CD or DVD backup as well as a hard drive.
  4. About 8 to 10 years ago, the popular method was to use a Zip drive by Iomega. This is still a good method, but if you don't have a Zip drive, buying a CD Burner is more cost effective.

Note that CD and DVD Burners, external hard drives and Zip drives are available with a USB interface. If you buy an external hard drive, be sure it is USB 2.0 compliant. Even if your computer only has USB 1.1 ports, buy USB 2.0 as new computers have this standard, it is about 40 times faster than USB 1.1, and USB 2.0 devices will work on USB 1.1 ports (but at USB 1.1 speeds). (USB 1.1 devices operate at a maximum of 12Mbps and USB 2.0 at a maximum of 480Mbps.) It is not as critical on CD Burners and Zip drives, as they are slower devices. However, if the price is close, go for the USB 2.0. Note Firewire (IEEE1344) is about the same speed as USB 2.0. It is found on some computers but is not as pervasive as USB. I would not pay a lot extra for it. You will find it more common on consumer audio and video products. Especially on digital video cameras. If you have a desktop computer that does not have a USB 2.0 port, you can install one for less than $50.00.

Now that you have the hardware, how do you use it?

For a CD, you will need CD burning software. This normally comes with the CD Burner or the computer if it is built in. Often the version included is the "basic" version of the program and you are encouraged to spend more to upgrade. For most work the upgrade is a waste of money. The most common programs are Easy CD Creator by Roxio and Nero. There are also a number of free or shareware programs available on the web. Windows XP includes very basic CD creator software from Roxio, but it is not very user friendly.

For a Zip drive, the software will be supplied with the drive.

For a hard drive or floppy disc, you can copy the data just as described in the pervious section on files and folders. If special software is required to install the hard drive it should be included with the drive. You can also purchase automatic backup software. I use Iomega Automatic Backup with an external hard drive. The software was included free with the hard drive. I have it set to back up all changed files in the My Documents folder each night. Another very popular software is Norton Ghost. It will allow you to back up everything on your computer, and in case of a disc failure, completely restore everything when you get a new disc installed. You can find a number of other Automatic backup software programs at CompUsa under software > utilities > backup; or at Best Buy under Computers > software >utilities > backup and recovery. Another popular back up program for use with two hard drives or two computers is Second Copy from Centered. You can find it at Centered. In 2004, the price is $29.00.

While I do daily automatic back up to protect against a hard drive failure, I also do periodic CD back up to provide for more secure data storage. I also keep a duplicate copy at a remote location in case of fire or some other disaster.