Computer File Backup: The Basics

Since the unfortunate crashing of my lovely computer, I've acquired a need to educate people on the importance of backing up their computers. I hope to prevent anyone else from having to go through the mess I had to wade through. Sometimes, just a little nudge and reminder can wake people up, so I'm on a mission. I've been trying to come up with a cool super hero like name for myself but I've been coming up with nothing. All suggestions are welcomed! Anyhow, below are the bare bones basics of backing up your computer.

Computer File Backup: The Basics

Computer backup is the storage of copies of your computer files on a medium other than hard disk. The purpose is to protect the important documents on a computer in the event that files are unable to be accessed and are unrecoverable. Backups allow the user of the computer to restore data after loss.

Why Do I Need to Backup My Computer?

Computers fail for a number of different reasons. The main causes of lost data are hardware failure, human error, software failure, computer viruses, theft, natural disasters and hardware destruction.

What Type of Computer Files Should Be Backed Up?

Any documents that you deem irreplaceable should be backed up. The most commonly backed up files are documents, pictures, videos, music folders, browser information, drivers, and social network information.

Are There Different Types of Backup?

There are three different forms of backing up information from a computer. There is the Select Files and Folders Method, the Synchronization Method and the Full Hard Drive Method, also known as Full Disk Image.

How Do I Store the Files?

Files from your computer can be stored on an External Hard Drive, CD's/DVD's/Blu-ray, USB Flash Devices, Network Attached Storage (NAS) or on The Cloud, which is online storage.

How Often Should I Be Creating Backups?

Backups should be created at least once a week. Daily, if important documents are being altered on a daily basis.

Conclusion 

When my computer crashed I was completely clueless. I knew about storing my files on the hard drive of my computer but I had no idea what to do in the event that my computer was completely inaccessible with all my data being lost. I had no insight whatsoever. I hope that the above information will help someone to make a decision regarding the next step in their decision regarding backing up their computer data. I believe that even the bare minimum of knowledge regarding anything is helpful. So eat it up and digest