Types of backups

·         Full Backup - A full backup, as the name implies, is a backup of everything on the computer. The operating system, your settings, the software installed and your files are all backed up (copied) to another medium. The full backup will take a long time to perfom (depending on the amount of information on the computer) and require the largest amount of backup medium.

·         Incremental Backup - An incremental computer backup will backup only the files that have changed since the last backup was performed. The time to perform this type of computer backup and the amount of backup medium required will depend on how much has changed since the last backup.

·         Differential Backup - A differential backup also backs up only the files that have changed but it keeps all the changes since the last full backup. The differential backup time and storage requirements will also vary on the amount of changes since the last full backup. Seeing each change is added to the backup copy, the amount of backup storage required grows as time progresses.

·         Selective Backup - With a selective computer backup, you select specific files and/or folders on the computer to be backed up. Again, the time required and the amount of backup storage medium required will vary depending on how much has to be backed up.

      Systems backups - Systems backups are another useful tool to use in your regular backup routine. Systems backups allow you to take your computer back to its original state after you install or remove programs from your computer. If you install a program which causes a problem you will simply be able to use the system backup facility to return your computer to the state it was in before you installed the program.  Although this does not make a difference to other files, folders, etc. you can still get a lot of value from the Systems Restore feature. The ideal way to run this backup is to create a restore point each time you are about to install or uninstall anything. In order to create this system restore point on Windows XP you can go to All Programs-Accessories-System Tools-System Restore. Once you have opened the System Restore program you will have the option to either restore the computer to an earlier time or to create a new system restore point. In order to backup your computer you will want to click on the “create a new system restore point”. Once you have clicked on this and click on next, you will be asked to input a description for your restore point and then you can click on create to have Windows create the system restore point. Do not rely on System Restore as the only computer backup system you use. If the computer fails or if there are serious problems with the operating system you will not be able to restore the computer to a previous state. The System Restore also does not over write your data. So if it doesn’t over write your data, then it isn’t backing it up either!return to top

 Backup software

For someone who can’t get in the habit of backing up regularly on their own using a backup software package might be the best solution.

If you are using a computer with Windows installed Microsoft has a backup utility included with the operating system. With this backup software you can select the type of backup you wish, what to backup, and specify a regular schedule to perform the backup.  I have found this backup software time consuming and a drag on the resources of the computer. If you cannot find Microsoft’s backup utility in your list of programs, go to the Control Panel, select Add or Remove Programs, select Add/Remove Windows Components, find Microsoft’s backup utility in the list of components and install it.

There various third party computer backup programs available on the market for free or at a cost. You will have to try a few out to find the one that works the best for your requirements and skill level. I have tried many but have found SyncBack meets my needs. Like Microsoft’s backup utility, you can select the type of computer backup to perform what to backup and set a schedule.

Mac backups - One excellent program for backing up Macs running OS X is a program called SuperDuper! It can create a bootable image of your main drive so that in the event of a complete disk failure, you can just switch the drives and reboot. It has won numerous awards and has virtually no negative feedback on the web.

 Backup media

There are various types of mediums that can be used for backing up the computer. The type required will depend on the type of computer backup being performed and the amount of information being backed up.

• Tape - A tape backup can hold lots of information. This type of backup medium can be slow to use and be costly for an average computer user.
• CD/DVD - CDs and DVDs can be a more cost effective alternative. You will require some software to be able to write to the CD/DVD.

CD-Rs and DVD-Rs you can only write to once. You cannot replace the information on the disk with updated information. It can appear that you have erased something but you have not reclaimed the space on the disk for use again.

CD/DVD-RWs on the other hand, can be rewritten. It would be more cost effective in the long run if you paid the higher price for this backup medium if you have information that is continually changing and being resaved. When a CD/DVD-RW is erased, the space is reclaimed and therefore reusable. A program like Nero which compares what is on the CD with what you wish to copy to the CD can then overwrite old versions of files if you wish.

• External Hard Drive - An external hard drive is investment worth considering the time to reinstall things and the number of disks that would be required if a lot of information has been backed up. The added benefit of an external hard drive is that it is portable (if you go on a business trip you can take it with you) and can be stored somewhere secure for safe keeping.

Backing Up to an external hard drive:

Determine the size of all the disks (or maybe just folder hierarchies) that you want to backup. Go to My Computer. Right click on each of your hard drives (not the CDs or DVDs) and click Properties. You can decide to either use the 'used' or the 'capacity' number – using the capacity number is probably a better call, but if you have a lot of big-but-mostly-empty disks, the 'used' number may be closer to the mark. Do this for all computers you want to backup on a single disk.

• Buy an external disk that is at least 25% to 50% bigger than the number you got in item 1. Currently, 200GB drives go for under $100 and 500GB can be had for about $200. This is a lot of storage.
• On the machine that is to be the Backup Master (the one the disk is connected to), download Syncback Freeware Edition .Install it and at least read the QuickStart (SE version) or Using SyncBack Freeware>Easy Mode sections.
• Each machine other than the Backup Master needs to 'share' the top-level folder (and all of its subfolders) that you want to backup. Important! Do not create a 'writable file share'! (That's the box that says 'Allow network users to change my files.') Many viruses look for these and use them to infect other machines on the local network.
• For each disk or folder-hierarchy you want to backup, create a SyncBack profile.
• Either run the profiles manually or set up a scheduled backup for when that system will be quiescent and all programs closed. NOTE: backing up open files is not a good idea, even if you can get it to work. Backing up open database files (including Quicken, QuickBooks, or Access) can lead to a gibberish backup, which is no backup at all.

·         Over-the-net Backup

This method requires that you have FTP access to a server on the net Note: the amount of storage they give you varies wildly from company to company.

• On each machine that will backup something to the net, download Syncback Freeware Edition or try out their $25 SE version
• Install it
• Create a new backup profile
• At the bottom of the screen titled "Profile Setup" there is a button labeled "Expert." Click that and you will see that there is now another row of tabs at the top of the screen
• Click the tab labeled "FTP"
• Click the box labeled "The destination directory is on an FTP server"
• Fill in the host info, username and password
• Now when you click on the folder icon to the right of the Destination line you will be asked if you wish to connect to the FTP server. Answer yes
• It will show you a directory listing of your FTP site. Either choose one of the existing directories (double click), or right click in the whitespace, choose Create Directory, give it a name, and then click it to make it your selected destination
• The rest of the setup is the same as going to a local disk
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 What to backup

Everything that cannot be replaced needs to be backed up.

·         The operating system if you do not have the original installation disks for the operating system. Computers with preinstalled operating systems may not have the original operating system installation files supplied with the computer. When purchasing a new computer, as for these. If computer supplier won’t give them to you, find another store or contact the operating system original supplier and ask for a copy.

·         All the software that is installed on the system, especially if you do not have the original installation disks. Like the operating system, a new computer with software installed may not come with disks to reinstall the software.

• Your computer settings. All the customized settings you have set up should be backed up. If you can’t, no big deal, you’ll just have to redo them.
• Your email. Backup your email accounts, rules/filters, folders and messages. Backing up your email accounts, rules, folders and messages it very important, especially if you are running a business. Making a computer backup of your email items will also be a time saver if you have to restore the email program.
• Your data. Your data includes any letters, graphics, music, databases or other projects you have created on the computer.
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 Backup tips

• Keep in mind that a full backup being restored on to a new hard drive will require that the new hard drive be set up identically to the old hard drive or the software being used to restore your information may not work.
• Keep your computer backup medium organized! If the backup is spanned across multiple disks for example, they have to be used in the same order when restoring as they were written in.
• Always store your computer backups in a safe place. In a business situation storing them off site would be a good idea in case of fire, flood or break in.
• Backup on a regular basis. A computer failure can happen at any time and without notice so being prepared will save you a lot of grief.
• Schedule the computer backup for a time when you know the computer will be on! If you are going to use the schedule feature of the backup software, the computer has to be on at that time. All scheduled updates and programs need to computer to be on and the operating system loaded to perform the tasks.
• Keep the files you use the most often backed up more regularly. Files that change or are added frequently need to be backed up more often than other parts of the computer. A daily backup of these items might be prudent if you work on the computer a lot.
• If you are using a computer backup program, have it verify the files once the backup is complete. This will check that the backup is a good working copy of the files. If the backup is faulty, it isn’t much use to you later when you need it.
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 Test your backup

It would be devastating to make regular backups, only to find some day that you're unable to restore the file(s) you need. Two things often go horribly wrong; the file you thought you were backing up was never included in your backups, or your restore process utterly fails to work. Follow the steps below to test your backups and make sure you can restore what you've lost:

• Start with a small test: You really only need to backup and restore a few files to see if the system itself works. Don't restore some important file   to test your process. Something might go wrong and you'd lose your file completely.
• Create a test folder containing a couple of test files. Create the files, or just copy a few existing ones to your test folder. Backup the folder and files, using the method you've picked. Use the actual backup media that you intend to use for your real backups (floppy, Zip, CD-R, etc.) too.
• Check the content of your backup archive. Not all archives have a way for you to examine what's in them, but most do. You may need to go through the first steps of the restore process to see the contents of the archive. You can usually abandon the process before the file(s) are actually restored.
• Delete the test files and test folder. Then, see if you can actually restore them from your backup.
• Make your *real* backup(s). Check the actual contents of the archive(s). If they don't have everything in them you expected, figure out why, and do the backup again. In particular, make sure that any new files that you've added get picked up by the next backup. For example some CD burning software does not add new files to compilations that you've saved, even though you see the folder listed.
• Check your backup contents thoroughly every time you make new backups until you're confident your process works consistently.
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