Backup

Windows Vista offers much better backup and restore features than Windows XP. [more] However, Microsoft Marketing made them hide the best part. But now it has been revealed. [look here] and [here]

Backup success

Paraphrasing Mark Twain, Backup is good, backup is impressive, but it is recovery that produces all the results.

Step 1: Organize your file locations so it's easy to find everything you want to back up. Otherwise, you're bound to leave out just what you end up needing. :-(

Keep your backups safe and well organized too, or you'll never find what you need when you need it. ;-)

Step 2: Decide how often you need to back up things. Base your decisions on how much you're willing to risk losing between backups. You may want to back up something you're actively working on every few minutes. You may be willing to risk waiting a week to back up other things.

Step 3: Select appropriate backup location/media: Removable media...floppies, CDs and DVDs...has been traditional. An external hard drive or a second hard drive are better alternatives. Online backup is now reliable and affordable too. (does free work for you?).

Step 4: Pick a good way to make your backups. There are many backup methods and programs to choose from. Pick a process that will be easy for you to repeat.

Note: The probability of your external hard drive failing on the same day your internal hard drive fails is very low...quite a bit less than 1 in a million. Don't worry about it.

Step 5: Verify your backups. Do they include everything you thought they would? Good backup programs can automatically "verify" that your backups worked, but they can't tell you if you backed up everything. Trust your program, but check the backups yourself from time to time (see Step 6). [short story]

Step 6: It's essential to validate your restore process. If you're not certain you can restore files now, chances are you won't be able to when you need to. It wouldn't hurt to check the process again from time to time either. ;-)

Don't just overwrite perfectly good original files from backup files just to test them. See tips for testing backups to learn how to do it prudently.

Step 7: Keep an archive copy of your most important backups somewhere else. Maybe in a safe deposit box or at your buddy's place. Inexpensive or free online storage services also make a good place to archive essential data.

Step 8: Keep your backups up to date on a regular schedule. Back up before major changes too, e.g., before installing or uninstalling programs. You never know what might go horribly wrong.

If you're working on a complex document, back it up before and maybe after you make a big change, or every 10 minutes or so...whichever comes first. Some programs give you the option to do that automatically.

Check out a series of articles written by a seasoned computer user.

Online backup

• I use Go Daddy's "Online File Folder" as my primary online backup service because I can then use the Backup4all program, which employs FTP (file transfer protocol), to backup up files directly online. They also offer a Web based transfer system that is easy to use.
• In addition to backup, Dropbox lets you sync your files across your computers automatically. It's also good for sharing files with others. 2GB free.
• Microsoft just (Feb, 2008) announced their "SkyDrive" online storage, which has a generous 5 GB limit. SkyDrive offers both private and public folders.
• TechCrunch describes four more online storage services, including those from Microsoft and Google.
• John Herman at Gizmodo wrote an interesting article that describes a wide range of free online backup services.

Backup media