Backing up data the safe way to go
Question:
Hi there, my name is Patricia Babas. My question I have for you is that I was told by a friend it is extremely important to backup the data that is on my hard drive. I was wondering why this is so important and what are the options I have to make sure that I don't loose all the information on my computer?
Answer:
Your question is in fact a very important topic that should be recognized by anyone who uses a computer on a regular basis especially for business use. If you're reading this article and thinking, "I don't need to backup my data it will be fine," than think again! You wouldn't drive without insurance would you? Let me paint you a picture that explains what your hard drive is doing while you are using your computer. Imagine you sit in your car, put it in neutral and press the gas pedal so it's revving up at really high speeds and hold it there for a long period of time. Your hard drive disks on average spin at 7,200 rpm (revolutions per min.) all the time, much like the car with your foot on the gas pedal. After time it will break down "It's Inevitable". Hardware or System Malfunctions account for 44 percent of all data loss, Human error accounts for 32 percent (OH KNOW, WHAT DID I JUST DO? I know you've said it!) (www.protect-data.com)
Now think about the countless hours you have spent sitting in front of your computer doing leisure, business related activities or school work. What about all your pictures that are now not in photo albums but saved on your computer? How about that huge library of music/movies you have collected over the years?
Here are some options you can use to effectively backup your data to ensure that when this happens you will not be in tears but instead know that you can get the problem fixed and add your important data back on the hard drive once again.
First option is the USB Stick or Memory stick. This option is fairly inexpensive but you are limited to the memory capacity which at most is about "4gig's". This however, is enough for file backup but probably not pictures and music.
The second option would be a CD or DVD which is cheaper but also limits your memory capacity even more and may even scratch thus becoming defective and useless.
Option number three is an external hard drive. There is two ways you can purchase one of these; one would be a backup hard drive that comes with backup software, we recommend the Maxster One Touch. This hard drive will be more expensive but is very easy to use and will schedule your backups for you. The second way is a generic external hard drive which can hold sometimes up to 500 gigabytes of memory. The difference? It still requires you to manually save your data much like the memory stick or USB device but still has the capacity to store much more information.
The last and final appropriate option for a home based user is to use an online product such as the "Data Deposit Box". This online program is very easy to use and extremely cheap. Your files will be automatically backed up and stored in a centralized server (somewhere but very secure using bank encryption standards.) The cost of this product? About $1.00 per month for the average user.
We certainly hope that you now understand the importance of backing up data and what options you have to do so.
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