How to Copy Any New Files on to a Drive Without Copying Everything Again

Lesson 11: Backing Upwards Your Files

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Backing upwardly your files

Equally nosotros go more than dependent on technology to assist achieve our everyday tasks, we tend to forget how easily the data stored on our computers can be lost. Imagine what would happen if your computer was misplaced, damaged , or even stolen. Would you lot lose whatever important music, documents, photos, or other files?

While information technology may exist possible to repair or recover your estimator, the files could be lost forever. You can protect your files from accidental loss by creating a backup on an external hard drive or online backup service. Should anything happen to your computer, yous can rest easy knowing your files are still safe and secure.

External hard drives

One of the easiest ways to back upward your files is to copy them to an external hard drive. Yous'll demand to purchase an external drive to get started. Western Digital, Lenovo and Seagate produce some of the most popular external hard drives. Carry some research on which product all-time suits your storage needs, or ask a figurer sales representative for recommendations.

Keep in listen that an external hard drive is subject to the same risks as your reckoner, including burn, theft, and adventitious damage. Thus, it is important to keep your drive in a secure location (abroad from your computer) when not in use—we recommend a small fireproof safe for greater protection.

Backing upwardly files manually

If you only want to dorsum upward certain files, yous tin copy them directly to an external hard drive. This is an like shooting fish in a barrel way to protect your well-nigh important files and folders, like certain documents or an of import project.

• To support a file or folder, connect the external difficult drive to your reckoner, then simply click and drag the desired items to the external drive. A copy will at present exist on both the computer and the external bulldoze.

Backing up files automatically

While it'southward like shooting fish in a barrel to re-create files and folders to an external hard drive, it's also easy to forget. You lot never know when y'all might need to access your files, then you'll want to dorsum them up regularly to make sure you always take a re-create of the most recent version. To simplify the process, about computers can automatically support certain files or fifty-fifty your unabridged hard drive.

• Using Windows
  Windows Backup (also known as File History in Windows viii) allows you to create automatic copies of certain files or folders. Yous tin also use Windows Backup to relieve a organisation prototype, which creates a backup of your entire difficult drive, including your files and any applications you lot take installed. Cheque out Windows Backup and Restore from Microsoft to learn more.
• Using Mac OS 11
  When active, Fourth dimension Machine automatically creates a backup of your unabridged hard drive, including your files and applications. If something goes wrong, it'due south easy to restore your calculator to a previous date and pick up right where you left off. Visit Mac 101: Time Machine from Apple to learn more.

  

If you choose to support your entire hard drive, the initial fill-in could take several hours. Select a time when you do non need to access your figurer—overnight unremarkably works best. Boosted backups should be scheduled on a regular footing, but these will usually take less time because the bulldoze will but demand to copy your most recent files.

Bankroll up your files online

Even if you back upwardly your files regularly on an external hard drive, information technology's even so possible to lose your data. For added security, you tin also back up your files in the cloud. When you shop something in the cloud, information technology's saved online to servers instead of a hard drive. The main advantage of cloud-based storage is that your files are much less vulnerable to risks like theft or accidental damage.

Visit Understanding the Cloud in our Computer Basics tutorial to learn more than well-nigh deject storage.

Backing up files manually

If you desire to back up a few files or folders online, you'll need to sign up for an account with a deject-based storage service. Most services will give y'all a modest corporeality of gratis storage, which should exist enough to store your most important files. Y'all can also buy additional storage for a monthly fee.

Best of all, you'll also exist able to admission your files from whatsoever device with an Internet connection and share files with your family, friends, and coworkers. Learn more about some of the almost popular cloud-based storage services below:

• Dropbox
  Dropbox is a uncomplicated way to support your most important files online. Dropbox offers 2GB (gigabytes) of gratuitous storage and allows you to share files and even entire folders with anyone you choose.
• Google Drive
  Google Drive is a cloud storage service from Google, offer 15GB of free storage. From Drive, yous can besides access Google Docs, which allows you to create, share, and interact on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Visit our Google Drive and Docs tutorial to learn more.
• OneDrive
  OneDrive (previously called SkyDrive) is a cloud-based storage service from Microsoft, offering 5GB of free storage. You'll also have access to Function Online, a gratis online version of Microsoft Function that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Visit our OneDrive and Role Online tutorial to learn more.

Backing up files automatically

While simple cloud-based services are great for backing up your most important files, it can exist easy to forget to back up your files regularly. If you desire to automatically dorsum upward a lot of files or fifty-fifty your entire reckoner, you'll need to purchase storage from an online fill-in service.

The amount of storage provided by these services varies, and you will have to pay a monthly or annual fee for adequate infinite. While these options may seem expensive, they oft price the same as an external hard drive while offering the added security of storing your files in the cloud. Larn about some of the most popular online backup services beneath:

• Carbonite
  If you don't desire to think nigh bankroll up your files, Carbonite'south automatic backup service ensures that all of your files are always up-to-engagement and there are no limits on the amount of storage you can use.
• iCloud
  Unlike Carbonite, iCloud is specifically designed to support Apple apps, including documents created with iWork applications (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote), every bit well as content downloaded from iTunes and the App Store. Any apps, music, movies, or TV shows y'all buy are automatically backed up if your estimator is lost, damaged, or stolen. You can too use iCloud to support your content and settings for any iOS devices, such as iPhones and iPads. Initially signing upwardly for iCloud, you'll receive 5GB of gratuitous storage.

1 drawback to online fill-in services is that the initial backup can be very dull—it may take an extended catamenia of time to upload all of your files. Yet, subsequent backups should accept much less time.

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