Backing Up Your Files

Article written by FrgNews

We tend to realize the importance of backing up our files only after a hard disk crashes. By this time of course it is too late and the recovery of those files can be a very expensive proposition.

Creating a backup is basically the act of creating a copy of the file on another medium. This can be another hard disk on the same computer or onto a CD or DVD depending on the size of the backup. Never create a backup on the same hard disk you are backing up from, because this defeats the whole reason for the backup. Once you do take a back up, if it is portable, store in a safe location.

In the case of businesses, backups become very important. At the most basic level, financial records must be backed up. Usually companies tend to do three different backups – Daily, Weekly and Monthly. The daily backup stores only the files that have been updated from the previous day, and the weekly back up stores files that been updated compared to the previous week. The monthly back up, however, takes a back up of the all the data files regardless of whether they were updated or not.

This also differs to the others in that it is stored offsite in a secure location unlike the other two which remain onsite in a secure location.
With the amount of Virus, Trojan and Worm attacks that are prevalent today, performing a backup becomes all the more important for everyone who uses a computer.