- 1). Evaluate the size of files that you will be backing up. Graphic, sound and video files occupy far more space than regular text files. You will need an external hard drive of about 20 GB or more according to your backup needs.
- 2
Click on the drive containing the data you want to back up.mouse click image by Akhilesh Sharma from Fotolia.com
Click the "Start" menu on your computer. Click "My Computer," and click on the drive containing the files, and folders you want to back up. - 3). Create a backup folder. Right-click an empty space in the window. Select "New." Select "Folder." A new folder will appear. Click on the text box under the new folder and type in a name for your folder. "Backup" works well.
- 4). Click on the "Backup" folder to open it. Create more new folders and give them appropriate names related to the files and folders you are backing up. These new files inside the "Backup" folder are known as subfolders.
- 5). Sort the data you want to back up into the sub-folders. For each of the files and folders you want backed up, right-click on the file or folder, and select "Copy." Click on the folder you want to store the data in to open it. Right-click anywhere inside the folder, and select "Paste." Taking the time now to make sure your external hard drive will be organized by sorting your data will help you save time and aggravation in the long run.
- 6). Back out of your newly created and folders and subfolders by clicking the back arrow at the top of the window. Click the arrow until you are in the folder that contains your "Backup" folder. Leave the folder open.
- 7
Plug in the external hard drive with the provided USB cord.usb image by Bosko Martinovic from Fotolia.com
Connect the external hard drive to your computer by plugging the USB cord into the USB port on your computer. Wait for the driver to install if this is your first use. - 8). Open your external hard. To do this, click the "Start" menu. Click "My Computer" and click on the icon that represents your hard drive. A window representing your external hard drive will open.
- 9). Go back to the folder that contains your "Backup" folder. Click on the "Backup" folder, and hold the mouse button in. Drag and drop the selected file onto your external hard drive storage device. To drag, continue holding in the mouse button while you drag the cursor over to the external hard drive. To drop the files, release the mouse button when you are inside the window representing the hard drive. Wait for the transfer to complete. Time will vary depending on the amount of data in your backup.
- 10
Eject the external hard drive once backup is complete by right-clicking on the drive icon located in the task bar, on your desktop. Unplug the hard drive when your computer displays a notification saying that it is safe to do so.
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