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Backup - why bother ?If you've ever had a hard drive die, then you probably already know the value of backing up your data. If you haven't, then read on. Hard drives have moving parts, and these moving parts are subject to wear and tear. If you are lucky, you will get some warning before the drive dies completely. Whining, clicking, and any other abnormal sound is a warning that the drive may be nearing the end of its life span. Sometimes you may even get a "boot failure" or other similar message from Windows, indicating a possible drive failure in the near future. In any event, the drive will fail eventually, and a backup prepares you for this event. Hard drives typically come with a 1, 3, or even a 5-year warranty. This warranty only covers the replacement cost of the drive itself - often under $100 - your data is probably worth $1000's, if you can even put a pricetag on it. There are 2 common backup strategies we will mention here: 1. Local backup via USB drive USB drives today have become incredibly inexpensive, and there is really no reason not to use one as a backup mechanism. There are a number of decent backup software packages available today (I recommend Syncback SE available at www.syncback.com) These software backup utilities can be configured to run automatically daily/nightly/weekly at any time of your choosing, or they can be invoked manually. 2. Online backup services Online backup services, by definition, allow you to store your data offsite, which in the event of a disaster, is excellent protection. The cost of these services ranges from free for small storage (typically under 1GB) to $90/month or more, depending on your storage needs. Typically you download and install a small backup utility, configure it to run automatically, and it will upload the files you specify to their server. Personally, I have used Mozy (www.mozy.com) and Carbonite (www.carbonite.com), both provide easy to use interfaces. The best solution, of course, is to utilize both methods. This also gives you redundancy as a side effect; In the event one backup is unavailable, the other will be accessible. RecoveryWhen a hard drive crashes, these are the typical steps performed to recover your system:
These steps make a couple assumptions:
These are BIG assumptions. Many computers do not come with a Windows recovery disc - you have to create one yourself, using data stored on a hidden section of the hard drive (a partition). This is of little use to you after your hard drive crashes! Also, often you cannot recall all the software titles you had installed, let alone have a copy of all the installation cds. To perform a complete backup - which includes the Windows operating system, all your software, documents and settings, it's necessary to perform an image backup. This type of backup creates a complete 100% copy of your hard drive that can be restored to a new hard drive, should your original drive crash. See this article on the HP Home Server for a painless image backup solution. Regardless of what you choose to do, TEST your backup! Setting up an automatic backup system only works if you TEST it. Start with a 2nd computer (if you have one available), restore all the files from your backup repository, and see what may be missing. Most applications store their data files in the "My Documents" folder, but some do not, and you may have to hunt to find where these applications store your precious data! SummaryData loss is extremely painful, and business have suffered irreversible damage due to hard drive failures. There are companies that can attempt to recover data from a hard drive crash - the cost can run into thousands of dollars, and there is no guarantee that any useful data can be pulled from the drive. PREVENTION via a TESTED backup strategy is BY FAR the cheaper alternative. Don't say you haven't been warned!
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