When it comes to data, there’s nothing more important than knowing how to back up your computer, in case something goes awry.
There are a number of different options for backing up your computer, but the most important part? You actually have to do it.
If you keep putting off backing up your computer data, then you’ll find yourself in a sticky situation where you wish you had done it before.
I recommend backing up regularly, whether that’s every 10 days, every week, or every month.
Now onto how to back up your computer…
How To Back Up Your Computer Video
Back Up Your Computer Using Built-In Systems
If you want to use the built-in operating system backup mechanisms that both Windows and Mac OS X provide, then you have everything you need to get started.
Here’s a quick tutorial from Lifehacker.
Back Up Your Computer via External Hard Drive
To back up your computer to external hard drives, all you need to do is copy your most important files to this other drive.
One thing that services like Time Machine do that doing a manual backup doesn’t, is that it only adds new files and it also removes files that you no longer want or need.
That can be handy when you start to reach the limit of your external hard drive.
How To Back Up Your Computer Online
If you move around a lot, or want to live and work anywhere, then you know that carrying around an external hard drive isn’t the best way to go.
That’s where backing up your computer to the cloud comes in.
CrashPlan: This is the most highly recommended cloud-based back up system, and it’s easy to set up and use. It works on a number of different platforms and operating systems, and also allows you to access your files from your mobile devices.
Dropbox: I taught you how to share files between computers using Dropbox, but this service can also serve as a cloud-based backup storage device. If you’re already using dropbox this might be a really easy next step to back up more of your computer files.
If you haven’t backed up in awhile… go do it!
Now that you know how to back up your computer, it’s time to go do it! If you’re not in a position to make it happen right now, put it in your schedule for sometime this week. It’s important, and it could save you hours of wasted time and lots of dollars too.
