Data Recovery - What, When & How to backup

Part 2 of 2 - by Digital Reliability

It is important every computer user remembers to always back up their data. Although technology is continuously improving, hard drives still fail and data is still lost. Recovery of physical storage devices can cost between $2,000.00 - $10,000.00 or more, and is not guaranteed, so you should spend a little time backing up your critical data everyday.

Hard drives are an amazing piece of mechanical engineering. They operate at high speeds spinning at around 7,200-15,000 rpm. Although they have been engineered to withstand considerable levels of jarring and vibration, problems can still occur that result in irreparable damage to the drive.

However, irreparable drive damage is not the only way to lose or corrupt data. A power surge, virus, lightning, fire, equipment failure and malicious or innocent tampering with your computer can all cause data loss.

If you regularly make backup copies of your files and keep them in a separate place, you can easily recover your backed-up information in the event something happens to the originals on your computer.

Deciding what to back up is highly personal. Anything you cannot replace easily should be at the top of your list. Before you get started, make a checklist of files to back up. This will help you determine what to back up, and also give you a reference list in the event you need to retrieve a backed-up file.

Things to back up include the following:

• Digital photos
• Personal documents
• School or work projects
• Music collection
• Address book
• Email archive
• Downloaded software

There are many ways to back up your personal computer. The cheapest is often just to purchase a CD or DVD burner and a collection of blank disks. Another way, which can add another level of security to your data, is to purchase storage space on an off site server, and update your files there on a regular basis. This offers the added benefit of protection from fires and other natural disasters as the files are stored in a secure off-site facility.

You can individually select the files you want to back up each time, or you can use a back up utility. There are several programs out there that are suitable for regularly copying the essential portions of your hard drive. Windows XP & Vista include their own Backup Wizard. On some editions of Windows you will have to install the backup utility yourself. Once it is installed, you can find it by going to the system tools folder in the start menu. The wizard will even let you schedule a recurring backup every day or week.

Backing up your data regularly can prevent the need of a difficult data recovery process in the event of a system failure. When you consider the time and the effort you have spent acquiring or producing the data and programs on your computer, it makes sense to spend just a little bit of time each week ensuring that you do not lose it.

Resources

Part 1: Data Recovery - Restoring Files