| |
| |
|
Hardware Information |
|
|
|
How To Backup Your Hard Drive
We all know that we should back up our system as soon as possible. But if you're like most of us, you will get to it tomorrow. The problem is that tomorrow rarely ever comes until you experience a serious computer failure and then it's too late. Taking the time to backup your data or entire hard drive is not as painstaking as it may seem. And the rewards of doing so will be great should your system experience a crash. WINDOWS AND OTHER BACKUP SOFTWARE If you have Windows XP you will need to install the new Windows backup utility from the Windows XP cdrom. Just place the WinXP cdrom in your cdrom drive and locate the line D:VALEADDMSFTNTBACKUP. Here you see the first letter as D but if your optical drive has a different drive letter, exchange the D with your drive's letter. To install the utility, click on the file named NTBackup.msi. The backup utility will be installed to the system tools group. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Backup. There is a neat wizard that will walk you through the backup process. WinXP's backup utility will backup your entire hard drive and will make a recovery disk to boot. One neat third party backup software you can try is NewTech InfoSystems at http://www.ntius.com where you can download their trial version and put it to use for 30 days. And if it's your cup of tea, the full version will run you about $79.95 INCREMENTAL OR DIFFERENTIAL BACKUPS You should back up your entire hard drive when you perform your first backup. After that it is best to perform an Incremental backup. This type of backup only allows you to backup files that have changed since your last performed backup. Differential Backups copy changed files that have been added since you last did your entire backup. This type of backup is more detailed than incremental backups and is easier to restore. BACKUP STORAGE DEVICES You can backup your files on cdroms and have the files compressed to save both space and backup time. WinXP will compress folders, subfolders, and files during backup. You can purchase compression software that will do the same, saving you cdrom storage space. The compressed files are automatically uncompressed once they are restored onto your hard drive. You can also use a second hard drive as your backup storage device. We use two backup hard drives to be certain Ultimate PC Repair is up and running 24/7. You can either purchase an internal hard drive and install it to your ide cable, or you may want to purchase an external hard drive that connects to your Universal Serial Bus or USB Port. The advantage of the external drives is that they have very large amounts of storage space, transfer data fast, and can be moved from your computer to any other computer. We use the Western Digital 170 Gigabyte External Hard Drive and we simply bounce it around to either one of our four computers with the greatest of ease. USING ONLINE BACKUP SERVICES You may also consider online services for backing up your data. If you lose all your backup data, say due to a natural disaster such as a flood, your online data is right there waiting for you. Another advantage of online backups is that you can access, upload, or download your data from any location. It is best to use high speed internet access if you're considering online data storage. One such online backup service is Istorage located at http://www.iomega.com/istorage and charges from $2.49 a month for 50MBs to $17.95 a month for a big 1,000MBs of storage. Or you can check out FilesAnywhere located at the url http://www.filesanywhere.com Still another online service to try is CapSure located at http://www.capsure.com Backup your system now in one way or another if you have not done so. If you have critical data that you simply cannot do without, take the time to invest in a backup device or one of the many online backup services. Stop and perform those backups as soon as possible. You will be thankful you did should something go wrong with your computer. It's always better to be safe than sorry. About The Author Otis F. Cooper is the author of the award winning PC Super Pack, the Computer Training By Video course. For hundreds more free PC repair tips, sign up for his bi-monthly newsletter and learn the PC free at http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Things to Ponder Before Moving Your Office Network Moving the office network? How hard could it be? Anybody who's ever moved the office network knows the risks and challenges associated with this colossal task. This mighty endeavour is not merely a case of logging-off, shutting down and pulling the plug. Emergency Response VSAT Internet Communications As 2005 begins, there are a number of products on the market which enable Emergency Response Units to have internet connectivity at remote disaster locations. The products marketed this year mount on vehicles from Fire Rescue units to most any type of truck or van, on specially designed trailers utilizing portable generators and in transportable boxes which can be shipped by UPS or Fed X overnight to most any location in the U. How to Choose The Right Laptop Accessories? The notebook computer is coming of age. For the first time in history, notebooks or laptops are out-selling their bigger cousins, desktop computers. War of the Disks: A Close-in Analysis of the Hard Disk Drive vs. the Solid State Disk Much has been written about solid state disks (SSDs) becoming the next big thing1 in the IT industry(1). But as to whether or not we have enough knowledge of how it will revolutionize the industry is a different question. Buying Laser Toner Cartridges Compatible Laser Toner CartridgesRecently, there has been a huge legal and investigative battle with people selling "compatible" laser toner cartridges. Often, a distributor will sell their defective, ineffective, or even damaging laser toner cartridges to unsuspecting resellers. Does Size Really Matter In Our Digital Age? Well, we've all seen the advert, but that's not what I want to talk about, so get that out of your head straight away. No, let's think about what many call the "Queen of Arts" - namely painting. Alternatives to Tape Backup You may ask, isn't tape an anachronism in the age of optical disks, removable hard drives and a plethora of whiz-bang, random-access storage media? In many ways it is, but because of the nature of backup it doesn't really matter that tape is slow and sequential-access. Remember, tape is cheap. The Newest Thing in Lighting - LED Lighting and What It Can Do The other day my son said to me, what else could anyone possibly invent? Sometimes it would seem that way, but I think that couldn't be further from the truth. Back in the late sixties and early seventies someone realized that light emitting diodes could be used for indicator lights. Is A Laser Printer Right For Me? The average home computer user definitely does not need a laser printer. Sure laser printer prices have fallen considerably in the last couple of years. The Constantly Changing World of Inkjet Technology We have finally advanced to a time when technology can greatly improve graphics and printing. The technology we have at our disposal now is so advanced we are able to produce inkjet printers capable of printing proofs so accurate they can actually represent the end product. Thin Clients Benefits are Excellent Options for Computer Homeschools... Just a Suggestion Wireless Consulting and Solution Providers have always been important to african american small businesses and now after several years of having the most technologically advanced homes in our neighborhood, we are beginning to realize that our neighbors could benefit from the same technology in educating our children. With the future our african american children are facing being dependent on computers and broadband access it is critical to have the proper tools for our children to have the confidence necessary to face the future. The Printer Cartridge Review Years ago computers were huge and their accompanying printers were huge as well. Instead of ink cartridges like those used now, they had toner reservoirs and later toner cartridges. How To Troubleshoot DVD Drives Fast You really enjoy those dvd movies and games and the last thing you need or want is to experience problems with your dvd drive.To prepare for the possibility of having your dvd drive leaving you out in the cold one morning,we will dicuss problems that may cause dvd failure as well as the procedures you should take to correct these problems. Laptop and Notebook Theft Prevention Laptops or Notebook computers are an expensive personal and business asset that are highly sought after by both small time thieves and large complicated theft rings. Keeping your laptop and notebook computers safely in your possession should always be in the back of your mind. Basics of RAID A couple of the recent Tech Tips from www.geeks. Facing DVD Software Dilemma? Its Brainlessly Simple 1. Pocket DVD Wizard http://www. Routing, Routed, and Non-Routable Protocols ROUTING PROTOCOLSA generic term that refers to a formula, or protocol, used by a router to determine the appropriate path over which data is transmitted. The routing protocol also specifies how routers in a network share information with each other and report changes. Would You Like An Extended Warranty With That? Should you buy an extended warranty with your laptop? You may not want to think about it now, but sooner or later, something is going to break down on your laptop. When it happens, the big question will be who gets stuck with the bill, you or the manufacturer. Choosing a Tape Drive Tape drives remain the leading technology used by organizations for backup and archiving. However, the plethora of tape drives on the market can make choosing the appropriate tape drive a confusing task. The Road Ahead We live in an area that has begun to use GreenBins for household waste. Our regular garbageis picked up every other week and the onlyweekly garbage collection is our green plasticbins, to be filled with leftover food productsand other organic waste.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
