The more you use computers, the more you will need to back up your work. Even a small amount of data or files lost forever will cause you pain. 2GB, 4GB and even 8GB flash drives are very affordable and can be purchased almost anywhere now. However, the reasons that make them so appealing are also the very same reasons that make them so vulnerable. Yes, they are portable. People carry them in their pockets, on their key chains or stuff them in their backpacks. However, people lose them, step on them, drive over them and even flush them down the toilet by accident. The larger the memory size of the flash drive, the more work that is lost. Portable hard drives are thin and sleek and can hold 230GB, 500GB or even 1TB of information. This is fantastic! However, if you don’t back up the flash drive or portable hard drive and it gets damaged or lost, you will lose all your files. A friend of mine dropped his portable hard drive and the computer would not recognize it any longer. His only option was to take it to a computer service store. They have a method of retrieving the data but it costs $1000 to $1500 or more! It comes down to the question, how badly do you want or need that data?
This brings me to the point of this blog. Back up your work! Make a copy of it on a regular basis. It’s not even a bad idea to make multiple copies of your files. The easiest option is to buy an external hard drive. These connect to your computer via a USB cable. You can buy a 1TB hard drive now for $100 to $150. 1TB is equal to 1024 GB. That’s a lot of memory. The external hard drives also come with a program that automatically backs up the data that you specify on a daily basis. That’s much cheaper than shelling out $1000 at the computer store and still having to buy the external hard drive to store your data on. We are all guilty of not backing up our files. If you don’t want to cry yourself to sleep at night or eat a gallon of chocolate ice cream (these are just stories I hear about), buy the external hard drive and backup your work.
3 comments:
This hits hard today, or should I say last night. I have put off backing up photos and the bottom fell out yesterday. I had decided to enter a photography contest and went to look for the photo. A few days prior I had updated my photo editing software and hence LOST all my photos. I did not know this until I went to look for my "award winning" photo and it wasn't there. I'll be shopping tonight for an external hard drive, or TWO.
Great reminder.
Another way to backup your data is by using cloud-based storage backup solution. It’s better than using a hard drive or any portable flash drives. It cannot be stolen or broken. It stays there forever, as long as you have your password to access it online.
Ruby Badcoe @ Williams Data Management
For me, making multiple copies of your files is a clever move. This only means that you consider your files as so important and you don't want to lose it. By that, you're just making sure you'll never run out of copies. You save it on an external drive, on a CD, or in the cloud; you decide. These devices and software will ensure the safety of your documents.
Post a Comment