Back up – or lose it
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Hi, I’m Ray Bunnage, DU Tutor for Gloucester and the surrounding area. I have been an I.T. tutor for some 20 years having trained initially whilst serving in the Royal Air Force. I have worked with Digital Unite for 3 years.
A couple of weeks ago the hard drive on my computer broke down. In this wonderful digital age it’s useful to remember that a computer’s hard drive is a mechanical device and more prone to failure than any other part of the computer.
The signs had been there for a couple of weeks before the failure, but being too busy I choose to ignore them. The computer started slowing down and error messages become a daily feature until finally the computer gave up.
Fortunately a total failure of the hard drive is rare, but as with me it can happen to anyone. The only solution is to install a new hard drive.
Although my computer is now working, all my files saved on the old hard drive would be lost had I not carried out a regular back-up. Backing up files can seem a tedious task but this situation demonstrates just how important it is. Imagine my frustration and disappointment if I had lost all my photographs, email addresses of friends and relatives and other important documents.
Backing up files is basically the process of making copies of those files you wish to protect from accidental loss resulting from virus infections, accidental deletion, hardware & software failures, power failures and so on.
How you make a back up copy of your important files will depend on your operating system. With Windows Vista it’s a simple matter of selecting the control panel then selecting the backup option. A wizard will open and you just follow the instructions. All you have to do is decide what backup storage device you will use.
A USB memory stick may well be the easiest option here. Plug the memory stick into your computer prior to starting the backup procedure and the backup centre will find it for you.
If your computer is using Windows XP you may have to install the backup utility from your original Windows CD. If Windows XP was preinstalled on your computer and you do not have the original Windows XP CD, contact the computer manufacturer or visit the manufacturer’s web site for more information.
You can also use backup software that you purchase separately.
Have a look at http://download.cnet.com/windows/backup-software/ for the utility that meets yours requirements.
Making back up copies of your important files can be a bit tricky so the assistance of a Digital Unite Tutor may help to ensure you get a safe and sound back-up copy.
August 17th, 2009 bobholmes | No Comments »
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