Backing Up Computer Data To Preserve Files

No matter what level of computer knowledge you’ve acquired over the years, it’s widely known that your computer could be susceptible to crashing, causing your novel, financial reports and other major data to be seemingly lost forever. This can all easily be avoided by frequently backing up your files to alleviate the potential of total loss from hard drive crashes or malicious attacks which attempt to eat your hard drive.

Seasoned IT professionals proudly outline the modernized method as well as the local method of backing up files correctly on your computer to protect photos. Below you’€™ll find exceptionally easy ways to backup hard drive data to preserve photos, writing work or anything you wish to safeguard.

Backing Up To Cloud Drives

Without giving too technical of a definition of ‘€˜cloud drives’€™, the easiest way to describe them is as ‘virtual’ drives. Computer owners with, say, photo files can literally store their freeze frames within a privatized, perpetual online space with Microsoft Windows SkyDrive and, if you have Windows 7 or above, it comes with your operating system. It can be downloaded or accessed from Microsoft’€™s website if your operating system is pre-Windows 7. Perks which computer owners can enjoy by using the best cloud drives include:

• Saving dissertations, essays or projects without loss
• Have private access to files in case your roommate jokingly hacks your hard drive

Using this method of backup not only allows people to back up their computer data safely, it allows access from any other computer, particularly useful should you have to buy a new one. Find out more about this and begin using this innovation from Microsoft’s website or by going to the Windows SkyDrive link found in Bing. Seasoned IT professionals suggests using this SkyDrive Service.

Backing Up Your Hard Drive – Windows 8

With the newer versions of Windows 8 offering a ‘€˜Backup and Restore’ feature within their operating system, many people can simply back-up their entire computer or specific files with extreme ease. Go to your Start menu, and locate the search box located at the bottom of the popped-up window. Search the term ‘Backup‘ and hit ‘Enter’. You will immediately be taken to search results containing the Backup and Restore link; click it and follow each screen’s instructions to back-up your entire computer or specific files as needed. First backup may take considerable amounts of time; all future backups tend to run quicker. Also, you can setup future backup dates through this wizard, convenient for forgetful people.

To retrieve your files in the event of a crash, head to Start Menu > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Backup and Restore. You will then choose the option to ‘Restore My Files’ or ‘Restore Files From All Users’€™, depending if each user made a backup. If unsure, choose the latter to make sure all files that could have been restored without knowledge are, in fact, correctly restored to each user profile. Should Windows 8 backups give you fits, professional technical support from companies such as iTok can help you with the data backup process.

Backup Your Hard Drive – Windows Vista and 7

The location and process of restoring or beginning a data backup in Windows Vista is identical to that of Windows 7 with the lone exceptions being that 1) you’ll go through a wizard to restore your backup and 2) you cannot setup automatic backups with Vista Home Basic or Vista Home Starter. You can, however, backup full computers or simple bits of data much in the same manner as Windows 7.

Backup Your Hard Drive – Windows XP

Since Windows XP is becoming less prevalent with each passing day, Microsoft is offering less and less support for backups or retrievals of your precious photo files. For this reason, those who have Windows XP with Service Pack 3 can simply summon their original installation CD and run the system backup utility direct from their CD ROM drive. Microsoft Support suggests backing up the entire computer if this is your native operating system. Seasoned IT professionals can assist photographers in data backing using XP conventions for much less than anyone else -€“ a worthy expense if you’€™ve captured rare shots you wish not to lose.

Flash Drives, Anyone?

If photophiles feel that only image files will be important to them, another great option for those clinging to older operating systems would be to get a small 8GB or 16GB flash drive to save and retrieve potentially lucrative photos exclusively from. Flash drives are built to support all operating systems and should an anomaly occur with your hard drive, you do have your flash drive that at least has your data in which you can take the installation CD and put Windows XP right back on the corrupt drive as Windows can overwrite or eradicate the bad data with a clean installation.

Since you simply want to concentrate on snapping killer photos with your expensive Canon EOS, or writing that awesome sci-fi thriller, let the pros handle data backups to preserve your files should this process prove too difficult or take away too much free time.