Backup

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Intro

Just like you, I've got a lot of important data on my computer and I've spent a lot of time to build that data. If I lost that data, it would take me weeks, if not months, to recreate it. That's why I make a backup of important data.

Data could be lost because of various reasons:

  • Losing power to the computer either by a blackout or by you pressing the power button. When the computer opens a file (either yours or one of its own internal files), the copy in memory may have changed compared to the one on disk. If those changes aren't saved to disk, the copy on disk might not be correct. Always shut down your computer using the Shut Down command of your computer. Get yourself a UPS Power Backup to protect yourself from power failures.

  • Resetting the computer by pressing the Reset button or by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete. Again, by resetting the computer, your computer doesn't have a chance to save any files that may be open in memory. Before pressing reset, wait a bit to see if your computer has really crashed or if it is just very busy.

  • Cancelling the Windows ScanDisk program. If ScanDisk starts to run the next time you turn on your computer, do not stop it. Let it run to completion no matter how long it takes. ScanDisk checks your entire hard disk for inconsistencies and tries to correct them, e.g.: two files say they occupy the same area on your hard drive -- this is not good!
Tips

My computer (running Windows) crashes at least a couple times every week and I'm sure your computer also crashes... unless, of course, you're running Linux ;) To avoid losing any valuable data due to crashes, I try to do the following:

  • Select the Save command (in the File menu) at least every 5 minutes so if the program or system crashes, I won't loose too many changes. I also save before I switch (Alt-Tab) to any other program that I'm running and before I start to run another program.

  • Close the document as soon as I'm finished with it. I usually have several program running at once and by promptly closing documents, I don't have to worry if there were any unsaved documents when the system crashes.

  • If I'm revising a document over the long term, I make a copy of the file every now and then. I usually name the file something like "my book v1", "my book v2", "my book v3" to indicate a version number. Sometimes I add the date instead.

  • Backup important files to another folder. I usually make a folder called "backup" (in the same location where the important files are) and copy the files into it.

  • Backup important files to another computer. I have my computers hooked up on a LAN so it's easy for me to display a folder located on the hard drive of my other computer. I then just select and drag my important files from one folder (on my 1st computer) to another folder (on my 2nd computer).

    Note: You can connect two Windows 98/2000 computers together using a "direct connection cable" between their parallel ports. For more info: click on Start|Help to run Windows Help, then search for "direct cable connection".

  • Backup important files to either a 1.44MB disk, Zip disk, or CD-R.

    I have a 100MB Zip drive from Iomega and find it convenient for backup and archiving of old files. Iomega now makes 250MB Zip drives. If you plan on sharing files using Zip disks then you need to keep in mind that the 100MB drives is more common than the 250MB drives.

    If you have a lot of data to archive or if you backup very frequently, look into getting a CD-RW drive -- they let you create your own CD-ROM's. The "RW" in CD-RW stands for "read & write". A CD-ROM drive can only read; it cannot write. CD-R disks hold about 650MB each, they're cheap (about 50 cents each), and CD-R disks can be read by any computer that has a CD-ROM drive.

    CD-RW drives are also handy if you need to share a lot of data (such as graphics or CAD files) with just about anyone since practically every computer has a CD-ROM drive. Also, you can use CD Burning software to make your own music CD's.
Hardware

There are many products to choose from. Here are my hardware picks for backing up important files:
 

  • Iomega Zip 250MB External Drive (Parallel Port)
    Windows 95/98/NT

    After you plug this drive into your parallel port (and install its driver software that comes on a CD-ROM), it works just like an A: disk, only much bigger and faster.

    If you have a printer, you plug its cable into the back of the Zip drive so your Zip drive goes between your computer and your printer as follows:     
    computer <-> Zip drive <-> printer
    Note: If you already have some kind of device between your computer and your printer, the parallel version of the Zip drive probably won't work in the "chain". It is designed to only have a printer connected to it. Go for the internal, USB, or SCSI version instead.

    Note: The parallel version of the Zip drive is slower than the internal version of the Zip drive.

    Note: The USB and SCSI versions work with Windows and Macintosh. This is useful if you have both types of computers but want to buy only one Zip drive and share it between them. I have a SCSI Zip drive and share it between my Windows and Macintosh and the Zip drive works fine on both.

    Here are some of the most popular Iomega products:
 



 

  • CR-RW Drives:
    Windows

    CD-RW drives lets you record, erase, and record again (up to 999 times) onto CD-RW disks. They also lets you record (only once) onto CD-R disks.

    Note: For internal drives so you will have to open your computer to install it. So you may want to get an external CD-RW drive.

    If you are interested in purchasing a CD-RW drive, then have a look at the following CD-RW drives:
 

  • CR-R Disks:

    You will need some CD-R disks (they look similar to a CD-ROM disk) if you use a CD-RW drive.

    You can write to a CD-R disk but only once, so they're only good for "write-once" applications such as backup or file distribution.

    The following are some CD-R disks:
Links

Manufacturer/retailer websites:
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