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Birdie

Six Ways to Backup Your Files

A sinking feeling washed over me. I stared at my computer screen, willing it to come to life. I hit control, alt, delete to bring up the task manager program. Nothing. I mashed F8 to go to safe mode. Nada. My mind raced. When did I last back up? A strange black screen flashed into existence. OS not found. What about the submissions I’d sent in? Even worse, how could I recreate chapters to my current novel?

In my case, I’d backed up a month previous. Is once a month enough? It depends on how much you produce. If you write something you don’t want to lose, back it up.

1. Paper - The Old Fashioned Way
Printing hard copy and keeping it on file ensures you have a copy. Drawbacks to this backup method include space, expense of paper, toner, a filing cabinet or two and all the other hardware necessary to store paper in an organized manner. If you do lose your electronic files, you’ll have to retype each printed document to recreate it.

Another element to consider: What to do with documents when it’s time to delete them. I’ve recently taken on the challenge of eliminating piles of old manuscripts printed for editing purposes. Paper copies require shredding to prevent opportunities for plagiarism. Searching, filing and deleting are less time consuming when done electronically.

2. Floppy Disk
Floppy Disks offer 1.38-1.4 megs of memory. Available memory limits the size of files backed up using floppy disks. Organizing disks is a monumental task as portfolios grow. Color coding helps, but files scattered over a multitude of disks make it time consuming to find the document you need.

IT Consultant, Kraig Thomas warns, “Floppy disks do not last forever and are susceptible to magnetism, moisture and heat to name a few.” If you plan to use floppies as a back up for any length of time, be sure to save fresh copies on new disks.

The filing factor is another element to consider. How faithfully do you file? Floppy disks piled next to your monitor, on the shelf with your writing books or elsewhere quickly turn into one of those tasks that breed procrastination. We’ll get them organized later. When later hits with a computer meltdown, we hope and pray to find the files we need.

3. CD-R or CD-RW
CD’s offers more memory than floppies, but the filing dilemma still exists.

“CD-R allows one time write only,” Thomas explained, “CD-RW provides rewriteable CD storage. CD’s are susceptible to scratching if not stored correctly and heat can warp them enough to where they will not work in a CD drive. 650-700MB is the capacity of standard sized CDs, they also come in a mini size that stores about 150MB, but I don’t recommend them because of cost and not every player will read them.”

CD’s provide a convenient way to take files with you, but as a back up of your hard drive, it’s time consuming. If you use CD’s to back up your files, be sure to date them and store them properly. In the event your computer crashes, you can easily identify the most recent copies of precious documents.

4. Backup Systems Built into Your Software
The Backup utility in Windows® XP Professional helps protect files and information if your computer fails. Backup can be used to copy data on your hard drive and archive it on another hard drive, a disk, a CD, or another computer if on a network. If your hard drive is erased or damaged, the data from the archived copy can most times be restored. Counting on this option can be expensive and take days after you drop off your precious broken computer for a technology whiz to search out your files, hopefully in one piece.

5. Online Storage
Yahoo briefcase provides 25 MB of free space to registered users. Xdrive, Inc. offers 5GB of space on the Internet to organize, store, publish or share documents and files and a place to keep them backed up for a small fee each month. Ibackup offers secure online backup, storage, access, and collaboration for consumers and businesses for multiple platforms for the same price.

6. Flash Drive or Mini USB Drive
I’ve lived through a crashed hard drive. It reminds me of a fatal disease. You never think it will happen to you. With preparation and forethought, you can number yourself among the survivors when it hits. Replacing your hard drive is one thing; losing your files is another. After the crash, I learned about the SanDisk Mini-cruiser memory stick. It’s a portable flash drive used in a USB port. Plug it in, drag and drop your files.

The computer recognizes it as another drive. I can back up all my files on this one tiny contraption. It even comes with a strap to hang around your neck as you move about from one computer to another.

Another advantage to a flash drive is its portability. You can take it on a trip, plug it into any computer and have all your files at your fingertips.

According to Thomas, “Flash drives come in 128, 256, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, & 4GB sizes. The most common currently are 256MB-2GB. One of the most durable removable storage solutions. (and quite cost effective also) USB interface is widely used so readability isn’t really an issue.”

Conclusion
No matter the method, take the time to back up your work. How often should you back up your work? Think of it this way. If the next time you turned on your computer, the dreaded blue “fatal error” screen popped up what would you lose? Don’t let it happen to you. Back up those files.

In closing, I turn to our expert. Thomas offers this advice:

“Daily back-ups are the best most practical solution for anyone doing real work. Weekly back-ups are good for casual users. Monthly back-ups are the minimum for anyone that has any data stored on a computer!

“Also as a side note, backing up email and internet favorites is really more important than most people think. Think of all the time you spent finding the places you visit or use on the internet.”


About the Author
Author and freelance writer, Donna Sundblad, resides in Florida with her husband, Rick. Her creative writing book, Pumping Your Muse, is available in paper or ebook format. Check her website for more information at www.theinkslinger.net. Donna also edits for and co-owns Team Spirit Critique and Editing, LLC.