Back-Ups

BACK-UPS

HOME [1]

HACKERS [2]

VIRUSES [3]

GLOSSARY [4]

A Back-Up is a copy of a file or directory on a separate storage device

Both personal computers and businesses need a data back-up plan to protect important things (in business cases: important contacts and contracts and in personal cases: homework or something that was one of a kind). Unfortunately saving them in a computer means there's no guarantee that it's properly saved. It's important to have a back-up because if the following things were to happen you would not be able to get your files back

Files deleted by failure/accident

Disk Error or Virus

Physically Destroyed/ Natural Disaster

Stolen Computer.

It's recommended that you back-up the following files as well as the ones you need:

Anything relating to banking or financial transactions
Digital Photos
Purchased/ Downloaded music/software from the internet
Work/School Projects
Email Contact Lists
Internet Bookmarks/Favourites

When backing up your computer you should back it up on something you can get everything off of again easily. Some computer systems such as Windows 7 give you help backing up, so then you back-up with whatever they tell you to use.

A recent poll done said the most popular way of backing up a computer was USB Drive or Online Backup. Some people used DVD/CD or an operating systems built in back-up system. Very few people used tapes.

You can use any of these really to store all necessary files. Make sure you back-up regularly so new files are saved on the back-up straight away.

All files that you back-up should be put somewhere you can find it easily, especially the important stuff as it would need to go on a new computer A.S.A.P.

Now that you have protected your computer backups you need to check that the files you backed-up are safe from damage. When using online back-up websites they usually have state of the art encryption [4] methods and some CD's/tapes have software on them already but if you use a CD/Memory Stick without software you need another way of keeping it safe. You need software of some sort that encrypts it so that its just as safe as an online back-up would be.

Pros and Cons to certain back-ups:

External Hard Disk

Pros: With a storage capacity of 40 GB to over 250 GB, external hard drives are perfect for the large backup needs. Utilizing USB technology, external hard drives transfer data at speeds up to 480 MB/s for USB 2.0 drives

External hard drives are simple to install—a cord plugs into your computer\'s USB port. External hard drives are portable, self-sufficient storage units that can be taken off-site for storage safety and are a must for anyone serious about large, frequent backups. They are durable and have long data retention [4]—about 15 years.

Cons: Like your computer, external hard drives can be damaged if dropped or mishandled and are somewhat vulnerable to magnets External hard drives are an expensive investment, ranging from about $100 to hundreds of U.S. dollars for models with the most storage.

USB Storage

Pros: The transfer speeds on USB flash drives are also excellent. A USB 1.0 transfers from 1.5 to 12 megabits per second (MB/s) and the USB 2.0 transfers up to 480 MB/s. USB flash drives are reusable (if you want to store one backup at a time) or can only be used once for archiving.

USB flash drives are a snap to install (just plug into a free USB port on your computer), durable and highly portable-fitting into the smallest of pockets. They have up to a decade of data retention and are not vulnerable to magnets. USB 1.0 drives are fairly inexpensive.

Cons: High-end USB 2.0 drives can be expensive and if you purchase a new USB flash drive for each new archive performed, your backup costs can increase dramatically. Due to their small size, USB flash drives are more easily misplaced

CD/DVD

Pros: CD burning technology is an especially good media for backup archives. CDs come in two varieties—rewritable CDs (CD RWs), which can be rewritten up to 1,000 times, and CD ROM discs (CD Rs), which are cheaper than CD RWs, but are limited to one use.

Holding between 650 to 700 MB of data, CDs are more than adequate for small backups and have a transfer rate of 3 MB/s for 20x CD drives and 8MB/s for 52x CD drives.*

CDs are portable, easy to store and carry and most new computers come with CD burning drives. CDs are an inexpensive backup media, have a 5 to 10 year lifespan and are not susceptible [4] to magnets.

DVD burning technology is a fine choice for small or large backups since regular DVDs can store 4.7 GB and dual-layer DVDs store 8.5 GB. Like CDs, the discs come in both multi-use DVD RW and single-use DVD-R. DVD Rs can be used once for archives or, if you use DVD RWs, you can write to them over and over again (up to 1,000 times). DVD transfer speeds vary from 3.96 MB/s for 3x DVD drives up to 21.13 MB/s for 16x DVD drives.**

DVD technology is a good choice if your computer already has a DVD burner since DVDs are inexpensive. DVDs have an incredible data retention lifespan—30 to 100 years—and aren\'t susceptible to magnets. DVDs are portable and share many of the same qualities as CDs, including ample storage choices.

Cons: If your computer does not have a CD burner, you\'ll have to consider the cost of the hardware and installation fee. CDs can become scratched and unusable through mishandling and daily use. It is the same with DVDs