How to back up your computer

It might not have happened to you yet, but it almost certainly will.

One day you might wake up, go to switch on your computer, and ­ nothing. Not a blip.

Or you might unintentionally delete a folder that just happens to contain a load of irreplaceable photos.

Or perhaps a collection of music files will get wiped out by a random hard disk meltdown.

One way or another, it is likely that you will suffer the consequences of lost data at some point.

And if you don’t have a backup procedure in place, all your virtual valuables could go up in digital smoke.

We hate to be harbingers of doom and gloom, but the files stored on your computer are vulnerable to any number of accidents, hardware failures or the malicious intervention of viruses and other security threats.

Don’t for a minute think that these sorts of problems only happen to people with faulty equipment or those who don’t know how to use their computers properly. Data loss can happen to anyone and it’s simply not worth leaving it to chance.

These days, so many of our precious possessions are entrusted to PCs ­ – everything from family snaps to important passwords. And if you have already experienced a brush with disaster similar to those we have mentioned, then you’ll know just how devastating it can be to lose your digital belongings.

Thankfully, backing up your computer doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming or expensive. Read on to find out how to protect your PC and provide yourself with absolute peace of mind.

Three key questions
A backup is simply a copy of a file, folder or entire hard disk saved in a location other than your PC’s main hard disk just in case of any of the disasters we’ve mentioned happen to you.

It’s easy to back up a PC and there are lots of different approaches that can be taken. Options range from making simple, manual drag-and-drop copies of important files, right up to complete copies of the entire hard disk.

The more often you back up your PC, the better, although not all the files on it need to be backed up every time, and there are automated backup procedures that can take the responsibility of remembering to do so completely off your hands.

But before you do or buy anything, there are three basic questions to ask yourself: what sort of back up would suit me best, how often should I back up and what should I use to store my backups?

It’s worth having a think about how you use the computer and investigating the options at your disposal before splashing out on expensive backup products or setting up an overly complicated system. The most appropriate level of backup will depend on how frequently you use your PC and how many new files you generate each day.

If you just use it for visiting websites, sending and receiving emails, and creating the occasional letter, spreadsheet or newsletter, for instance, then making a regular copy of your My Documents folder (called ‘Documents’ in Windows Vista) may well be enough. This option may not even require you to spend more than a few pence, either.

These days, most PCs come with built-in rewritable disc drives, so all you need to do is copy your My Documents folder to a spare disc. A blank rewritable DVD holds more than 4GB of data and can cost less than 50p, making it the ideal format for backing up most modest document folders. Remember to store the disc in a case away from sunlight, direct heat and moisture.

Alternatively, you could use a spare USB memory key or an external hard disk that connects to your computer via a USB socket.