THE IMPORTANCE OF A BACKUP

PROTECT YOUR PRECIOUS FILES

With a lot of things in our day-to-day lives turning digital we can be often lured into thinking that if our files are on a computer are safe from harm. Unfortunately this isn’t true.

Imagine you had all of important documents such as your birth certificate and passport all locked away in a safe. Nothing can get to them but you but what happens if you forgot the combination? You’d have to pay somebody to unlock it! This is the same for your digital files and your computer password.

Not only that, but there can be worse things to happen. A power surge could cause your computer’s hard-drive to erase itself or become unusable so you’d have to delete everything off it to fix it! This is a nightmare if you haven’t backed up your files.

With a backup all you need to do is plug it in (or access it from the cloud) and restore your files.

Since it’s so easy to create copies of digital files, a backup is a low-hassle life saver!

TYPES OF BACKUPS

Generally there are two types of backups. A full system backup and selective file backup.

A full system backup will copy and remember EVERYTHING on your device from files, photos, settings and even applications. While it’s great for getting back everything, the only problem a full system backup faces is that as it’s a backup of everything, you’ll need A LOT of space to store it.

Alternatively if you only want to backup smaller things you can do a selective file backup which as the name suggests, only backs up files you want. This is great as you can choose to backup as little or as much as you like. This is a good option if you want to only backup certain things (such as backing up only photos and documents) and it usually only requires a relatively small amount of space compared to a full backup. Often a single USB memory stick is all that is required.

HOW DO I BACKUP (MAC)?

On Apple Mac Computers, there is a default program installed that’ll do your backups for you called Time Machine.

To get started with Time Machine to perform a full system backup you’ll first need an external hard-drive that has enough space to store everything. You then need to plug it into your computer and follow the following steps:

1.) Open the Time Machine application
2.) Click Select Backup Disk, Selecet Disk, or Use Disk (it differs depending on what Mac you’re using!)
3.) Select your external hard-drive from the list, then click Use Disk
4.) Click the Back Up Now option and wait for the backup to complete!

Your first backup may take a long time, but you can use your Mac while the backup is completing.

To complete a selective file backup it’s as simple as plugging in your USB (or hard-drive) and copying and pasting the files you want to backup onto it.

HOW DO I BACKUP (WINDOWS)?

To get started with Time Machine to perform a full system backup you’ll first need an external hard-drive that has enough space to store everything. You then need to plug it into your computer and follow the following steps:

1.) Open Control Panel
2.) Click on System and Security
3.) Select Backup and Restore
4.) On the left-hand panel, click Create a system image
5.) Under “Where do you want to save the backup?” select the On a hard disk option.
6.) Using the “On a hard disk” drop-down menu, select your external hard-drive to save the backup.
7.) Click the Start Backup button

Your  backup may take a long time, but you can use your compture while the backup is completing.

To complete a selective file backup it’s as simple as plugging in your USB (or hard-drive) and copying and pasting the files you want to backup onto it.

WHAT TO DO AFTER BACKING UP?

After you’ve backed up your files it’s important to disconnect your hard-drive from the computer. This is because if your hard-drive is connected and a power surge or some other unfortunate situation occurs, your backup is in the same peril your usual hard-drive is in. Store your hard-drive in a safe but easy to remember/reach place.

It’s also important to perform a backup regularly (we recommend once every month or two) as very old backup is often of no use.