Nowadays, more and more people use computers to store memories, important documents and any other type of information that they want to keep for long periods of time. Backing up is very important to keep your documents long (or even short) term.
Steps
Method 1 of 6: Make a backup to a Windows computer (7, 8 or higher)
Step 1. Find a suitable storage medium
You will need a device that is capable of storing all the data that you want to save. It must be at least twice the size of the hard drive you are trying to copy. External hard drives are the best option and are easy to come by.
You can also create a partition if you want to use your own computer as a storage system. However, you should know that this is a less secure option, as the system is susceptible to viruses and hard drive failures
Step 2. Connect the device to your computer
Using a USB cable or other connection method, connect the storage device to the computer you want to back up. When you insert the device, a dialog box should automatically appear asking you what you want to do. One of the options is to use the device as a backup and open the "File History". Choose this option.
In case this dialog does not appear automatically, you can configure the backup manually by going to the search panel and entering "File history". You can also find it in the "Control Panel"
Step 3. Adjust the "Advanced Settings"
Once the program is open, you may want to change some of the settings in the "Advanced Settings" section on the left of the screen. This will allow you to change how often backups run, how long the files will be saved, and how much space you want to dedicate to backups.
Step 4. Select a storage drive to back up
After configuring the settings, make sure the correct storage device is selected (external hard drive is selected by default).
Step 5. Click "Activate"
With all the settings configured correctly, click "Activate." This will start the process. Keep in mind that the first backup can take a long time, so it is convenient that you start the process during the night or before you go to work, so that you do not have to use the computer while the backup is taking place. That's it - you did it!
Method 2 of 6: Make a backup to a Mac system (OS X Leopard or higher)
Step 1. Find a suitable storage medium
You will need a device that is capable of storing all the data that you want to save. It must be at least twice the size of the hard drive you are trying to copy. External hard drives are the best option and are easy to come by.
You can also create a partition if you want to use your own computer as a storage system. However, you should know that this is a less secure option, since the system is susceptible to hard drive failures or other kinds of problems
Step 2. Connect the device to your computer
Using a USB cable or any other connection method, connect the storage device to the computer you want to back up. When you insert the device, a dialog box should automatically appear asking if you want to use it for backup using the "Time Machine" program. Decide if you want to encrypt the data and click "Use this disk".
If the system does not recognize the device automatically, you can start the process manually by accessing the "Time Machine" program from the "System Preferences" section
Step 3. Allow the backup process to run
This process should start automatically. Allow me to proceed. Keep in mind that the first time you run it, it could take a long time so it is convenient that you start it during the night or before going to work, so you do not have to wait.
Step 4. Configure the settings
You can open the "Time Machine" options panel from the "System Preferences" section to modify some of the settings. Click the "Options" button in the lower right corner to change excluded items, configure notifications, and adjust options regarding energy use.
Method 3 of 6: Backup to an iPad
Step 1. Connect the device to a computer that has the latest version of iTunes
This will be the location where you will save your data so you must make sure that the computer can be used for these purposes.
Step 2. Go to the "File" menu
Step 3. Select the "Devices" submenu and click "Backup"
Step 4. Choose the location for your backup
On the left side of the screen, you can choose whether to save the data in the cloud or on your computer.
Step 5. Click "Create Backup Now"
Ready!
Method 4 of 6: Backup to a Galaxy Tab
Step 1. Select the "Settings" application
Step 2. Select "Accounts and sync"
Step 3. Make sure all the items you want to back up are selected
Keep in mind that this way you can only back up certain elements. The individual files must be backed up using the method explained below.
Step 4. Click the green sync button, located next to your Google account name
In this way you will synchronize the elements. When you are done you can select "Back" to go back and use your device.
Method 5 of 6: Back up individual files
Step 1. Search for a storage device
You can back up individual files to USB stick, external hard drive, cloud storage, CDs, floppy disks (if your system is very old or if you're feeling nostalgic) or any of the many storage devices out there. This choice will depend on how much space you need and the level of security you prefer.
Step 2. Copy the files to a folder
Copy all the files you want to back up to a folder on your computer. Then, if you want, you can subdivide these files into multiple folders.
Putting all the files in a single folder will facilitate the transfer process and will allow you to avoid losing files if there are many. This will also give you the ability to easily distinguish the backup files from other files you may have on your storage device
Step 3. Create a compressed file
If you wish, you can compress this backup folder. This is very useful, especially if you have a large number of files or the files are very large.
Step 4. Add security
You can encrypt or protect the folder or archive with a password, depending on the method you have chosen. This will provide you with additional security in case the files are confidential. Just make sure you remember the password!
Step 5. Copy the folder or compressed file to the device
Once the folder or archive is ready, copy the data to your device or save the items to your cloud storage (if you chose that option).
Step 6. Transfer the data from the device to a new computer
If you have backed up your files to a storage device such as a USB drive, you may also want to save them to another computer, as you may need the device for something else, or you simply want to make sure that your files are protected in case you lose the storage. device.
Method 6 of 6: Use the cloud
Step 1. Find a good online storage solution
Internet storage is a growing field, allowing users to back up their data to remote servers. Incorporating online backups into your backup routine can assure you that your backups will be redundant and will also allow you to access your files from anywhere with an Internet connection. There are many services for this, both free and paid, that offer a very wide range of features:
- BackBlaze: Offers unlimited storage and has a very low monthly fee.
- Carbonite - one of the most established online backup services. Carbonite offers unlimited storage for a monthly fee. Carbonite is well known for its automated backup solutions.
- SOS Online Backup - Another one of the old players in the area, SOS offers unlimited storage for all types of accounts.
Step 2. Understand the difference between online storage and online backup services
Services like Google Drive, SkyDrive (OneDrive), and DropBox offer online storage, but it's up to you to keep your data constantly up to date. Files are synced across all devices that have the same account, which means that if the file is deleted on the backup server, it will be deleted on all your connected devices as well! In addition, these devices do not offer a file version control system, which means that recovering an old version of a file is complex or in some cases impossible.
It is true that you can use these services as forms of free storage, but they do not have the necessary characteristics to be called "data backup services". You will need to maintain your backups manually
Step 3. Check the security of the service
Any data backup service worth its salt must encrypt all files transmitted to and from its servers. They might have access to metadata, like folder names or file sizes, but the actual content of your data should be unreadable to everyone but you.
Many services use private keys to encrypt data. This means that they are very secure services, but you will lose access to your data if you forget your password. In cases like this, passwords cannot be recovered and data is lost
Step 4. Set up a backup scheme
Virtually all services that provide online backups have programs or browser interfaces that allow you to configure what will be backed up and how often. Create an outline that works for your needs. If you constantly make changes to your files, you may want to back it up every night. If you don't use your computer as often, a weekly or monthly schedule might work better.
Try to schedule your backups to run at times when you are not using the computer. Performing a backup can require a large amount of bandwidth and computer resources
Advice
- Make sure the backup creation process has completed successfully before using your computer again.
- Set up a scheme to back up all your important files. Depending on how often you use your computer and modify your files, most programs can be set to run as often as you like. Just remember that you should have your storage media ready and your computer on at those times.
- Keep your data in a safe place away from environmental hazards. Depending on the importance of your data, a safe or a place that does not allow fire are good options for storing the storage media on which you make your backups. If the data is not that important, a file cabinet or a desk are good alternatives. Consider using solutions located outside your workplace.
- Taking a backup can be time consuming, especially if you want to store a large amount of data. Plan backups for times when your computer is on (or intentionally leaving it on), but don't use the files.
- Set a reminder on your calendar so that you can personally check your data copies every few months. There is nothing worse than assuming your files are backed up, having a problem or data loss on a device (for example, a hard drive failure), and then finding out that your backups are out of date or you didn't back up what you did. you needed to back up.
- Good backups consist of many backup methods with regular testing of the condition of the copies.
Warnings
- Do not leave the storage media you use for backing up where it can get wet or is not temperature controlled. Computer equipment is very sensitive and there is a possibility that you will lose your data.
- Do not use the computer while the backups are in progress. If you change a file during the process, you will not be able to know which version was the one that was recorded or you could stop or corrupt the backup. Also, this will also make your computer run very slow.