Quizzes & Puzzles3 mins ago
back up advice
not good with computers! please can some kind soul explain in very simple language the simplest yet most effective way to back up my computer work. thanks so much
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You dont say what your computer work is, it may be one Word file, or hundreds of files for a major project. Backing up one file is of course a lot easier than backing up hundreds of files.
But in simple terms a "backup" is just a spare copy.
The very simplest way to create a backup is to create a new folder, called say "backup", and to COPY (not move) the file into this backup folder so you have a spare in case the original is lost.
Of course every time you change the original file you should always create a backup, so when you copy the original file into the backup folder you can add 001 to the end of the file name, then 002, then 003 and so on.
That way you have a whole set of backups and can always go back to a previous version of the file.
However having a "spare copy" on the same machine as your original is not a great idea in case the original computer crashes or is lost or stolen.
So it is a good idea to buy a memory stick and / or an external hard drive.
Then you can make copies of your original file onto both the memory stick AND your external hard dirve.
The important thing to remember with backups is you have to think of "worse case" scenario.
If my laptop was stolen would I lose all my work or would I have a recent copy of the work to go back to.
So you should ALWAYS have a recent copy of your work on ANOTHER medium (be it memory stick, external hard drive, even CD or DVD or another computer).
You can NEVER have too many backups.
But in simple terms a "backup" is just a spare copy.
The very simplest way to create a backup is to create a new folder, called say "backup", and to COPY (not move) the file into this backup folder so you have a spare in case the original is lost.
Of course every time you change the original file you should always create a backup, so when you copy the original file into the backup folder you can add 001 to the end of the file name, then 002, then 003 and so on.
That way you have a whole set of backups and can always go back to a previous version of the file.
However having a "spare copy" on the same machine as your original is not a great idea in case the original computer crashes or is lost or stolen.
So it is a good idea to buy a memory stick and / or an external hard drive.
Then you can make copies of your original file onto both the memory stick AND your external hard dirve.
The important thing to remember with backups is you have to think of "worse case" scenario.
If my laptop was stolen would I lose all my work or would I have a recent copy of the work to go back to.
So you should ALWAYS have a recent copy of your work on ANOTHER medium (be it memory stick, external hard drive, even CD or DVD or another computer).
You can NEVER have too many backups.
What I have described above is MANUAL backup, where YOU make copies of a file so you have a spare.
But there are backup programs available, and these will automatically make backups of files every day, or every time a file is changed.
I have never used any sort of automatic backup program so cant advise on the pro and cons of different products.
Some versions of Windows do have a backup program built in, but again, I have never used them so I have no idea how good they are.
But as I said in my first append, the simplest method of doing a backup is to make a spare copy yourself, so you could start doing that, then try to progress to more advanced methods.
But there are backup programs available, and these will automatically make backups of files every day, or every time a file is changed.
I have never used any sort of automatic backup program so cant advise on the pro and cons of different products.
Some versions of Windows do have a backup program built in, but again, I have never used them so I have no idea how good they are.
But as I said in my first append, the simplest method of doing a backup is to make a spare copy yourself, so you could start doing that, then try to progress to more advanced methods.
Follow the good advice above, but as a secondary measure, consider online backup services - there are many. Try your ISP first - BT, for example, provide 5 gigabyte free - you can get more by paying. You upload any files you want to keep, and they make sure that they are properly backed up so that if they have hardware failures, you won't lose any data.
Read the conditions carefully - a lot of the free ones delete your stuff if you haven't accessed it for a while ...
Read the conditions carefully - a lot of the free ones delete your stuff if you haven't accessed it for a while ...
Yes, they're a good backup method - depends how much you want to backup though - as a rough guide, PCs have 100's of gigabytes storage, memory sticks have 10's of gigabytes - so it may be an expensive option, it may be cheap, you may need 1, you may need a lot - depends entirely on how much you want to back up.
Keep an eye on http://www.hotukdeals.com/ for offers on memory sticks (and lots of other stuff)
Keep an eye on http://www.hotukdeals.com/ for offers on memory sticks (and lots of other stuff)
>'memory sticks' - these sound good - are they a good option.
They are good for SHORT TERM backup, but nothing more.
They are good for perhaps moving files between computers (maybe a home PC and a work PC) or a temporary backup.
But they are VERY small so can be easily lost or stolen.
They are quite cheap (around £10) and can be got from W H Smith, Tesco, Argos etc.
However CDs and DVDs and external hard drives (or another computer) are FAR better devices for holding backups.
They are good for SHORT TERM backup, but nothing more.
They are good for perhaps moving files between computers (maybe a home PC and a work PC) or a temporary backup.
But they are VERY small so can be easily lost or stolen.
They are quite cheap (around £10) and can be got from W H Smith, Tesco, Argos etc.
However CDs and DVDs and external hard drives (or another computer) are FAR better devices for holding backups.
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