Back Up Or Else

It's hard to fully describe what it's like for your computer to crash, resulting in a complete loss of everything that was stored thereon. It's like if your house completely burned down. You would lose all your family photos, all your projects, perhaps your mode of transportation, your shelter, and possibly much more. That's why we install smoke detectors, buy fire-proof boxes, and pay for insurance.


For some reason we think losing a computer isn't as serious as a house fire, but it can be. Your computer may hold important documents, work projects, family history, digital photos, movies, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses; some of this data may be irreplaceable. Look at your computer right now. If it crashed and you lost all that data, would you be able to get it back? Or would you lose thousands of hours - and possibly millions of dollars - worth of work.

Your computer could crash for a number of reasons. An inadvertent virus could take over your computer, making it useless. (A side note, you should also have good anti-virus software installed on your computer.) An accident - like a house fire or a misplaced glass of water - could destroy your computers electronics and other parts. Or your computer could simply get old and die.

There are several easy and relatively cheap ways to backup your data. An external hard drive connects simply to your computer (usually through a USB port) and can be set to automatically backup your data regularly. You can decide which folders to backup and which to ignore. Most are small, compact, and can sit quietly on your desk. Another option is to use one of many various online backup sites which, for a monthly or annual fee, will protect your data. Again, by selecting what data to upload, you'll be able to access it online if you need to. Each way has its advantages.

But regardless of which way you decide to backup your data, it's important to be organized. You don't want to backup every single file on your computer. For instance, if your computer crashes and you have to buy a new one, having a copy of your old operating system won't do you any good. So decide which files need to be protected and keep them organized. If you add new files to your computer you want to protect, be sure you save them in the right place so they get backed up too. Staying organized will also help if and when you do have to access that backed up data. You'll know exactly what you're looking for and where to find it.

Your computer will break eventually. Just like any other machine, it's got moving parts that suffer wear and tear. By being careful and backing up your information, the hard drive in your computer won't last forever, but your data can.