Now that I have your attention you can stop thinking about dancing to the song “Back That Thing Up” because that is not what this post is about. That was the song to make everyone run to the dance floor back in the day and it still gets the crowds hype at some of the weddings I shoot. This post is about backing your computers up. I felt the need to share this topic because my home was recently robbed. The low down dirty scum of the earth thieves *&^$*#$!! stole several computers and external hard drives along with a lot of other things. Those devices contained photos for many of my clients and also personal photos and files. Fortunately I backup my computers and external hard drives every day. Backing up computers is a simple task to do but many people fail to do it. Home users fail to do it, business owners fail to do it and so do Network Administrators. If I had not been backing up my computers then the precious moments that I have captured over several years would have been lost. As a photographer I recognize how valuable photos can be. Photos represent a moment in time that cannot be replaced. Photos were not the only important data that was stolen from me by those @#%^*! but it has been my main concern at this time. I’m sure that I’ll be back up and running like I was before thanks to the backup system that I have in place.
I’m sure that you have some things that are important to you stored on your computer. If you do then you need to back that information up. Taking a backup is so simple that a Caveman can do it. Your backup can be scheduled so you don’t have to do a thing after you initially configure it. You can backup files locally to an external drive or to another computer on your home network. You can also backup your data online by using an online backup service such as Mozy or Carbonite . I strongly suggest that you backup locally and to an online backup service. I recommend this because thieves can steal your external hard drives or computer that you backup to. Those %^#%! thieves stole my drives so those wouldn’t have done me any good in that scenario. Those devices could also be damaged in a fire or flood and that would also leave you without your data. That is why you should also backup to an offsite location.
If you are cool then I am sure that you are running a Microsoft operating system like Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7. You can learn how to backup files by clicking on the links below. Click the link that matches your operating system.
Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows Xp
Back up and restore: frequently asked questions
If you are not so cool and just have to use a MAC then you can use Time Machine for backups. I must admit that Time Machine is pretty cool backup application. You can learn how to use that at http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/#timemachinebasics
One thing that I use in my backup Strategy is a system running Windows Home Server. My Windows Home Server has saved my butt several times because it backs up every computer and drive in my home on a regular basis. I also use it to store and share files with my wife or friends on the internet. Windows Home Server is a very cool product which has several uses. Be sure to view the demos online at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/demo.mspx .
I hope that you find this information useful because it is very important if you care about recovering the information that is stored on your computer.