Step 5: Back Up your Data and More

I'll bet you have things on your computer that you'd hate to loose: pictures, the book you're writing, recipes, genealogy records, etc. There are a couple of things that can happen to them if your computer is invaded. Files may be purposely be deleted, or more likely, you will be forced to "restore" Windows to recover.

In either case, you'll probably lose personal files. It's sometimes possible to recover your files, but I wouldn't count on it. If you back them up regularly, you'll have excellent fall-back protection.

There are many ways to back things up. For basic backup, you could just copy the files to removable media like a CD-R, "keychain drive" or external hard drive. Except for CDs, it's a good idea remove the media or turn off the backup device when you're not using it.

For strong protection, you need a more systematic approach, which is described on the "backup" page. Some of the current crop of spyware can make recovering your system the only way to extricate yourself from its grip. If you don't have a system backup, you're faced with reinstalling Windows -- not nice.

Add drive imaging to reach robust backup protection.