Have you backed up your data? There are many ways in which you can lose your data. Some include; power outages, fires, internet failure, theft, hard drive damages, etc. May it be your family photos, academic documents, or even financial data, the loss of this data can be devastating. Worse enough to even cost your business. Even if you can reconfigure some of the settings on a new computer, the process may take ages to complete.

However, a simple process would go a long way to prevent such an ordeal. Data backup is simply duplicating data from a primary to a secondary location to allow retrieval of the copied data in case the primary location gets destroyed leading to a data loss event. In this article, we will find out some of the ways we can use to back up our data and prevent the painstaking process of reconfiguring all data again.

                Use of an external hard drive

It is important to note that you will not be able to backup all your operating system settings while using an external hard drive. A hard drive will save all your important files and folders only.

To back up data to a hard drive, follow the following simple steps:

1. Connect your drive to your computer and click on the start menu.
2. Type backup on the search bar and click on backup settings.
3. Click “add a drive” and select the hard drive you have connected.
4. “Automatically back up my files” will be, by default, enabled. However, it will only backup some default lists of files and folders.
5. To add more files and folders, click on the “more options” button at the bottom of the menu. You can select all the other files and folders you would like to backup.

Creating a system image

1. Click on the start button.
2. Type “control panel” and click on it.
3. Select system and maintenance and then “backup and restore.”
4. On the left-hand side, click on “create a system image.”
5. Select your external hard drive and click “start backup.”

The process may take a while. This method is recommended since it involves a full backup (your entire system, including your OS settings).

                Use of the automatic cloud backup

Cloud backup involves storing your files at an offsite location. Examples include; google drive, Microsoft one drive, dropbox, etc. This backup method is better than using an external hard drive since it can be lost or damaged. Cloud backup is a software-based option that robotizes the backup process for you. This means the software runs at the background of your computer while in the process of backing up your data to the cloud.

To back up your computer, you should first install the software on your computer. You should then select which files and folders you would like to backup and click backup. The initial backup may take from a few hours to several days. Once this is done, the software continuously inspects your computer and constantly uploads any changes.

Use of the internet

One way to ensure safety of your files is by backing them over the internet. Some services like Backblaze (https://www.backblaze.com/) and mozyhome offer well-known online backup services. The software runs in the background of your computer, backing up your files to the service’s web storage for a small monthly charge.

Conclusion

There should be no reason for you to lose your data with the current advancement in technology. The above data backup methods may go a long way in helping you prevent your data from total loss.