Are your computer files backed up?
Sometimes the unexpected happens and we are left in a bit of a pickle. Last week my computer was hit by a nasty virus despite the fact that I was using an anti-virus program recommended by Microsoft. As they say, “shit happens” and it certainly did in this case. Yesterday I collected my restored pc from the repair man. This now means a day spent reloading programs and getting back to normal. Fortunately I have an old pc that I am able to use as standby but it has little punch to do the work I wish to do.
Back up your files
Thank goodness that I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to back-up, this means that I have been able to access information and data as and when needed this week on my old pc. Now I can also restore my repaired pc to its former glory using the back up that I have.
Files to back up
The most important files to back up are the ones that store my work and personal information. This includes all the Libraries on Windows 7, documents, pictures, music and video files. Also for me the other important folders I back up are the Downloads folder and any folders that I have created on my desktop.
I do not back up Program files, in as much that programs like the Windows, Ms Office, Photoshop etc you have on disk and these can be easily reloaded. Any other programs I load on to my computer I keep a list of with the relevant links and these are available online like for example Pspad.
If you have a generous amount of space on your drive you can of course back up your whole system using the backup function provided by Microsoft which you find in your Control panel. However from past experience I would not rely entirely on this, a vicious attack on your computer will go for the back up to.
Where to back up.
I personally recommend to back up in 2 places, if one fails, which it can do, you still have the other. An external drive is a one time investment and the best one you can make to back up your files. An external drive like the Samsung that I have has a 1TB capacity and once set up correctly backs up my files periodically without my intervention.
The other place I back up to these days is the cloud, like LiveDrive which automatically backs up all my files, totally accessible from your iPhone, iPad or Android. There are programs online that offer free storage, some offering upto 5G of space so its worth nosing around for the best deal. There are also rumours that Google maybe offering storage upto 5G in the near future.
If you are well orgnised and have good back up in place then restoring your computer is only a drain on time and effort. Take the time to organise yourself well and you will just regard a virus attack as a big inconvenience rather than a major disaster.
