We live in an age where digital disasters are becoming more common. You could leave all your important documents, photos, and music on your hard drive, but wouldn’t you feel much better if you copied them to another location? You’re busy, and you have thousands of files and podcasts on your computer.

You realize that one day your computer could stop working. All your crucial files have been lost. You’re busy, and you have thousands of photos, videos, and podcasts on your computer. By taking proper backup measures, you can prevent losing everything on your computer.

Why should I backup my computer?

Backing up your computer is imperative because a hard drive failure can happen at any time. You might think that you’re safe from a crash because your computer works fine, but that’s not always.

Hardware failure. Hard drives are mechanical devices, and they will eventually fail. It’s not a question of if but when. There’s also the matter of convenience. If something happens to your primary device and that’s the only place where all of your data is stored, then until you replace or repair that device.

Malware attack. It’s easy to think that you will never be a victim of cybercrime. But it only takes one malware attack or ransomware infestation to lose all of your data. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting ordinary individuals who do not use high-tech security measures on their computers, including installing antivirus software and firewalls.

Ransomware. You might get locked out of your computer, or your files might be encrypted and held for ransom.

Ways To Backup Your Computer

The backup process may seem simple, but it is important to take the time to do so. In this guide, we have sought to give you the basic procedures and methods of keeping your data safe and secure.

A backup is an essential part by itself, but it is also good practice to back up multiple times a week, especially when working with large volumes of files or documents that are frequently changed.

Backup Your Computer Manually

The notion of a backup is simple: it’s just an extra copy of your data. But many people think that backing up data is too complex, or they believe that their data isn’t important enough to make backups worthwhile.

If you value your computer, data, and time, and you don’t want to go through the hassle and expense of recovering from a crash, you should back up. You can backup your data within your computer through simple steps.

• Choose all the data you need to backup. Make sure you prefer the critical ones first, which you cannot replace. If the data is in word form, convert it to PDF. By doing this, you will accumulate a lot of data in one PDF.

• Press the Start Button at the bottom right of your PC.

• Choose the Control Panel. Inside the Control Panel, choose System and Maintenance. Below there will be a Backup and Restore setting.

• To add a new folder to your backup, select Add items and follow the wizard’s steps.

●     To turn on protection for your PC, select Set up backup and follow the wizard’s steps.

• To see what’s already being backed up, select Manage space, and then select Back up, not to start a manual backup.

Use External Hard Drives.

You can use an external hard drive. This is a separate piece of hardware, usually the size of a paperback book or smaller, that plugs into your computer via USB. You can find them at any electronics store, and they’re often available at Amazon or Wal-Mart.

There are many different models available, so it’s worth doing research first. It would be best to look at things like speed, storage space, and overall reliability.

Plug it into your computer’s USB port with the appropriate cable, and then select the files you want to save on the external drive. Unplug the hard drive and store it somewhere safe if your computer should ever crash when the process is complete.

Cloud Storage Services

Cloud storage systems are convenient because they can run automatically in the background. They work especially well for backing up large files like photos and videos that would take too long to copy manually.

There are many different cloud storage services to choose from, including OneDrive (for Windows users), Dropbox, and Google Drive (for cross-platform users).

Cloud storage services work similarly: You download an app on whatever device you want to backup, then choose what folders and files you want to be backed up. Any time you edit or add a file in those folders, it will automatically be saved to the cloud. This means that as long as you have internet access on your device, your files will be accessible anywhere.

Use a Network-attached Storage Device.

The simplest way to backup your computer is with a network-attached storage device. These devices connect to your computer via an Ethernet cable and store files on their internal hard drives. Small business setups mostly use them to help them store their data on daily activities.

A NAS is essentially like having a tiny computer attached to your local network that connects directly to your router so that you can access its storage via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable. Some of the best NAS on the market today are; Media servers, Network medium, and TrueNAS.

Consider a NAS device if you’re looking for a simple solution that lets you backup multiple computers at once. Most NAS devices don’t require any technical knowledge to set up, but they’re generally more expensive than other backup solutions.

Bottom Line

Whether your computer is in the next room or halfway across the world, backing up your data should be near the top of your to-do list each day. It’s not a question of if your computer will crash but when it will hit. While there are many ways to prevent a computer crash, that won’t undo all of your hard work.

A proper backup strategy is the only path to keeping up with the pace of technology and protecting yourself from losing all you’ve worked for.