Top 5 ways to backup and restore your data
So when did you last backup your data? For many of you the answer will be NEVER, but its never too late to start.
You don't have to backup your entire computer but it is wise to backup “My Documents“, “My Pictures“, “My Music” etc on a regular basis.
Whether you're running Windows 10, 7,8 XP or Vista the procedure is quite easy and on a Mac or Apple device it's even easier.
What can you backup your data to? We offer you 5 choices.
We actively encourage backing up your data locally (options 1, 2, 3 or 4) AND offsite (option 5). Your option choice will be determined by how much data you want to backup and whether you want to open the PC case and play with the computers internals.
USB Flash or Thumb drives (option 1)
For those with small amount of data, these little data hoarders are the favourites of spies and bookeepers the world over.
They are available in sizes from 8Gb to 128GB and priced between $6 and $140
Their solid state memory construction with no moving parts makes them very robust and can easily be attached to a keyring or kept in a purse or a pocket.
PROS: Portable, Lightweight, ease to use, ideal for backing up a small 40/80GB Hard drive on an old PC
CONS: Easy to lose and misplace, maximum capacity
USB External Hard Drive (option 2)
For those with lots of data who want something portable then external Hard Drives will probably be for you. Simply plugin to a spare USB port and within a few seconds you have access to all that extra storage.
USB External Hard Drives have tumbled in price in recent years with capacity doubling at the same time, so these make an ideal solution for making full backups of your data.
USB External Hard Drives are available in sizes from 500Gb to 12TB and priced between $100 and $2,000
PROS: Portable, high storage capacity, easy of use
CONS: Not immune to fire, theft, damage or failure. Easy to misplace or lose
Network Attached Storage (NAS) (option 3)
Solid State Drives (option 4)
For those who don't mind opening up the PC case and getting their hands dirty dusty
Not really a backup drive but more of a replacement or secondary drive. These are solid memory Hard Disk Drives with no working parts for a laptop or PC.
Solid Sate Drives (SSD's) are available in sizes from 64GB to 256GB and priced between $200 and $750
PROS: Give PC's much more speed, especially noticeable on games and programs using a lot of graphics.
CONS: Need to be installed inside the PC or laptop case. Some degree of computer hardware knowledge is required. Small capacity.
Internet “Cloud” storage (option 5)
See Also
Details on how to use Apples Time Machine can be found here.
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