There are two types of people: Those who have had a hard drive crash, and those that it will happen to one day. I was a victim of the former and consequently lost everything on my laptop hard drive. The average PC user is uneducated that this can be remedied by backing up your hard drive. Of course we can’t prevent a hard drive from mechanically failing because they have moving parts and will eventually fail. However, the data that is on the drive is more important because unlike the hard drive itself, it cannot be replaced. There are many method’s for backing up a hard drive; I will cover the methods in which I find to be the most user-friendly and effective.
*Their are many other options such as NAS, RAID, home server, etc. that I will not cover in this post.
Online Backups
Pros-Cheap upfront cost, easy configuration, no physical damage can be done.
Cons-Reoccurring costs, VERY slow initial setup (can take days or even weeks), Trusting that your data is secure.
Mozy.com– This option is completely automated, has unlimited storage and is decently cheap at only a couple dollars a month. Search google for mozy coupons and you’ll find 15% off one otherwise, it’s $4.95/month. Mozy also makes restoring very easy. You can download your stuff or pay for a hard copy to be sent do you. Also, if you are worried about your data being seen by others, you can set an encryption key.
CrashPlan– This is more a free backup software than an online storage backup provider. Its strengths focus more on providing different way to backup your files to different locations like to other computers, external hard drives, or your friends Computers. However, if you want to use their online storage it will cost you $4.50/month to upgrade. Encryption of your files is a little less secure with CrashPlan because you will need to upgrade in order to get 448-bit encryption.
External Hard Drive-
Pros-No ongoing costs (unless it fails), High-speed USB file transfers, internet not required.
Cons-Hard drive failure/physical damage, Higher upfront cost (although hard drive prices have come down rapidly).
To figure out just how much hard drive capacity you will need:
1. Go to “my computer”
2. Note the capacity of your hard drive/ drive you would like to back up
*If you’re using XP Right click on the hard drive you would like to backup and choose properties.
When in doubt purchase the higher capacity, it’s cheap.
I purchase all of my hard drives off of Newegg.com. They have great return policies, amazing customer service, and most of the time offer the cheapest prices around.
I recently purchased a 120gb external hard drive for my family’s PC that cost only $20.
Most of the time the external hard drive will come with backup software. Windows XP, Vista, and 7 also comes with a backup program. Click on your operating system for directions.
