Have you ever lost your data through a crashed PC or laptop? Had your laptop stolen? Have you accidentally deleted a document you were working on? Losing your work documents, business plans, holiday pictures, videos, music and movies can happen to you and it's a dreadful feeling! These ten tips will help you protect your data and make sure can get it back when you need it.
Whether you've lost data in the past or not; you will either know that awful stomach sinking feeling or you can imagine.
It's not nice and the hassle associated with trying to retrieve your data can be huge and in some cases quite costly.
So to make sure you are prepared and can prevent losing your data follow my tips below.
1.
Purchase an online backup program and install it on your computer or laptop.
There are plenty of products out there and they really are simple and straightforward to install.
I recommend one where there are no limits to the amount of data you can physically store and one where the software runs quietly in the background while you work and surf.
2.
Invest in a remote hard drive.
You should expect to pay about £80 - £120 for a 500GB drive which should be plenty for most people's needs.
You simply attach the remote drive via a USB cable to your computer and drag and drop files and folders into your hard drive.
3.
Make regular copies.
You should backup your data everyday at the end of your day or at worst at least once a week.
4.
Don't keep your remote hard drive in the same room as your computer.
Take your remote drive home each night.
5.
Make sure you password protect your backup folders.
And of course make sure you keep your password somewhere safe.
6.
Check both your online backup and your remote hard drive.
Try to do a restore from them so you know that: a) your files are actually backed up OK b) you can successfully restore your files 7.
When you are working on an important document make sure you click the save icon regularly and as soon as you are finished make sure you back the file up to your remote hard drive straight away.
The more important a document, the more conscientious you should be about backing it up immediately.
8.
Check your software.
Many of them have a feature where you can tell it to save a particular file as soon as possible.
This way it prioritizes that file and backs it up before the other files which still need to be backed up.
9.
Make sure you have up to date Anti-Virus software running on your computer.
A virus can be very malicious and destroy all your folders and files.
By having an up to date version of an Anti-Virus product on your computer you'll have that extra peace of mind.
10.
Backup your data NOW! You'll be pleased you did.
Follow these 10 steps and you can relax, knowing that your data is safe.
And remember it's not just about those disastrous moments like PC crashes and theft; by having a copy of all your important files and folders, when you buy a new computer or laptop it is so quick and simple to upload all your files and folders to your new computer from backup.
It's always much better to prevent the loss of data from happening in the first place.
Start backing up your data today.
Whether you've lost data in the past or not; you will either know that awful stomach sinking feeling or you can imagine.
It's not nice and the hassle associated with trying to retrieve your data can be huge and in some cases quite costly.
So to make sure you are prepared and can prevent losing your data follow my tips below.
1.
Purchase an online backup program and install it on your computer or laptop.
There are plenty of products out there and they really are simple and straightforward to install.
I recommend one where there are no limits to the amount of data you can physically store and one where the software runs quietly in the background while you work and surf.
2.
Invest in a remote hard drive.
You should expect to pay about £80 - £120 for a 500GB drive which should be plenty for most people's needs.
You simply attach the remote drive via a USB cable to your computer and drag and drop files and folders into your hard drive.
3.
Make regular copies.
You should backup your data everyday at the end of your day or at worst at least once a week.
4.
Don't keep your remote hard drive in the same room as your computer.
Take your remote drive home each night.
5.
Make sure you password protect your backup folders.
And of course make sure you keep your password somewhere safe.
6.
Check both your online backup and your remote hard drive.
Try to do a restore from them so you know that: a) your files are actually backed up OK b) you can successfully restore your files 7.
When you are working on an important document make sure you click the save icon regularly and as soon as you are finished make sure you back the file up to your remote hard drive straight away.
The more important a document, the more conscientious you should be about backing it up immediately.
8.
Check your software.
Many of them have a feature where you can tell it to save a particular file as soon as possible.
This way it prioritizes that file and backs it up before the other files which still need to be backed up.
9.
Make sure you have up to date Anti-Virus software running on your computer.
A virus can be very malicious and destroy all your folders and files.
By having an up to date version of an Anti-Virus product on your computer you'll have that extra peace of mind.
10.
Backup your data NOW! You'll be pleased you did.
Follow these 10 steps and you can relax, knowing that your data is safe.
And remember it's not just about those disastrous moments like PC crashes and theft; by having a copy of all your important files and folders, when you buy a new computer or laptop it is so quick and simple to upload all your files and folders to your new computer from backup.
It's always much better to prevent the loss of data from happening in the first place.
Start backing up your data today.