World´s Backup Day. It is not too late yet.

WorldWideTech & SCience. Francisco De Jesús

Yesterday March 31st, 2011 was the world´s backup day but it is not too late to keep you out  of April´s fool. Here we post some recommendations:

Why should I back up ?

When a hard drive fails, if the data isn't backed up, it's gone. And it's not a question of if your hard drive will fail, it's when.

Many people visualize their computer as a single thing with a big part (like a toaster) when in fact it has a number of different components (like a car). Those components are: the motherboard, the processor (or CPU), the memory (or RAM), the power supply, the optical drives and the hard drive. The hard drive is the part of the computer where all your data is kept.

The hard drive is the component that has the highest likelihood of breaking unexpectedly, and it is the component that causes the most damage when it fails! If the processor fails, a new one can be switched out and the computer will be exactly the same as when you started. On the other hand, if the hard drive breaks, the data will most likely be unrecoverable, unless you're willing to spend an exorbitant amount of money on data recovery.

There are a number of ways a hard drive can fail. A head crash is exactly what it sounds like: when the read / write head (the "needle") crashes into the hard drive platter, ruining the drive. The actuator arm can break, so that the arm can't move around and read data. The electrical components inside can fail, the drive could become corrupted etc.

Hard drives do break. In fact, they fail at an annual rate of 3 percent: every year, 3 percent of new hard drives fail, and this rate gets higher as the drive gets older. With a three year-old hard drive, the annual failure rate is around six percent. And remember: when a hard drive fails, if the data isn't backed up, it's gone.

With a three year old drive, the annual failure rate is 6 percent. Now apply that to other situations. If there were a 6 percent chance of all your tax documents going up in a cloud of smoke if you didn't photocopy them, would you take the risk? Would you accept a 6 percent risk that your seatbelts catastrophically fail in a car accident?

Furthermore, the hard drive is the only part of the computer that can be damaged by software (without even physically touching the drive). Viruses, malware and accidental deletion can all damage the data on a hard drive. Though this data can sometimes be recovered, the easiest solution is to back up data on the drive before it becomes an issue.

And backing up data is simple, once you've familiarized yourself with how to do it. There are a number of different methods, depending on how much you want to back up and how long you want to keep it (we've listed the three most popular solutions in "How do I backup?").

A final point: Once a year is not frequent enough for backing up data. World Backup Day was created to spread awareness and to get those who have never backed up data to start. Once you learn how easy it is, you can do it anytime you want.

How do I back up?

Backing up your important data is easier than you think.

There are many different ways to back up the data most precious to you. We've detailed the three simplest and cheapest solutions below.

USB stick or external hard drive

By far the quickest and easiest way to make copies of your important files. Go out and buy a USB memory stick or, even better, an external hard drive (preferably one with a large capacity). You can find these at any electronics or office supply store.

When you've bought the device and plugged it in, simply find the files you want to back up and drag/copy them onto your new drive. It's a good idea to do this regularly - you can even get an app that does this automatically.

By far the quickest and easiest way to make copies of your important files. Go out and buy a USB memory stick or, even better, an external hard drive (preferably one with a large capacity). You can find these at any electronics or office supply store.
When you've bought the device and plugged it in, simply find the files you want to back up and drag/copy them onto your new drive. It's a good idea to do this regularly - you can even get an app that does this automatically.

DVD/CD-ROM/Blu-ray

Burning your important files to a CD, DVD or Blu-ray disc is a relatively cheap and easy way to back up important files. Assuming you already have a disc burner, you can generally just drag-n-drop your files into the included burning software and hit the burn button (If you don't have burning software, try CDBurnerXP,

Nero 10  or try with your Windows 7 DVD maker).

Once they're done, take care to store the discs in a safe place to avoid them being scratched and damaged. Burning your files to disc takes much longer and is more inconvenient than copying them onto a USB drive, but can be more durable in the long run.

Burning your important files to a CD, DVD or Blu-ray disc is a relatively cheap and easy way to back up important files. Assuming you already have a disc burner, you can generally just drag-n-drop your files into the included burning software and hit the burn button (If you don't have burning software, try CDBurnerXP).
Once they're done, take care to store the discs in a safe place to avoid them being scratched and damaged. Burning your files to disc takes much longer and is more inconvenient than copying them onto a USB drive, but can be more durable in the long run.

Online backup

Storing your files with an online storage provider is much easier than it sounds, and is possibly the most reliable way keeping your files safe. Services like Dropbox or SpiderOak Backup and Sync are simple to use (just drag the files you want to share into the specified folder) and offer a sizable amount of storage space for free (in this case, 2 gigabytes).

Other services offer unlimited storage for a reasonable annual cost. These services (including Backblaze and CrashPlan) make it simple to back up your data, scanning your computer and uploading your most important documents automatically. This makes backup convenient and painless, as long as you have a reasonable internet connection. However, data recovery from sites can sometimes be very slow, as you have to re-download your files. Some companies, however, offer the option of shipping a hard drive to you with your data for a certain fee.

You can find a comparison of online backup services at this link.

Storing your files with an online storage provider is much easier than it sounds, and is possibly the most reliable way keeping your files safe. Services like Dropbox or SpiderOak Backup and Sync are simple to use (just drag the files you want to share into the specified folder) and offer a sizable amount of storage space for free (in this case, 2 gigabytes).
Other services offer unlimited storage for a reasonable annual cost. These services (including Backblaze and CrashPlan) make it simple to back up your data, scanning your computer and uploading your most important documents automatically. This makes backup convenient and painless, as long as you have a reasonable internet connection. However, data recovery from sites can sometimes be very slow, as you have to re-download your files. Some companies, however, offer the option of shipping a hard drive to you with your data for a certain fee.
You can find a comparison of online backup services at this link.

It's a good idea to backup files regularly and in at least two separate places, just to be safe. Although finding your computer and one of your backups unreadable at the same time is unlikely, it's not out of the question. Backing up is a sure-fire way to ensure the safety of your most precious digital data, whether it be photos, videos or important documents.