Backing Up (Part 2) - External Hard Drives
Back up to an external hard drive, using specialized backup software.
That's pretty straightforward. Let's define almost every word in that sentence.
A hard drive is like a stack of phonograph records, except the grooves are magnetic instead of vinyl. Data is written in or read from the grooves by the equivalent of a needle that floats just above the surface of each record, or platter. The hard drive is a stack of these little platters sealed in a tiny enclosure.
If the drive resides inside your computer's case, it is called an internal hard drive. If the drive lives outside the computer case and connects to the computer with wires, it is called an external drive.
Generally, hard drives have enough room to hold all the data in your computer.
Most external hard drives connect to your computer using either USB 2.0 or Firewire. Both types of connections are useful for moving large amounts of data quickly. USB 2.0 is more common on PCs, and you're more likely to find Firewire on the Macintosh. Most new computers will allow you to connect to either. Just make sure that the type of connection used by the external drive you buy is supported by your computer.
Some manufacturers will include specialized backup software with the hard drive. Specialized backup software automates the task of copying your data onto an external hard drive. It makes sure everything gets backed up, and keeps track of what's new or changed since the last backup. Most programs will let you schedule the backup to occur automatically at a time you specify, so you don't have to worry about remembering to do it.
I recommend BackupMyPC by Roxio for the PC, and Retrospect by Dantz for the Macintosh.
Backing Up (Part 3) will discuss backup strategies: taking your backups offsite and online.
Related Tags: disaster, hard drive, data, recovery, backing up, backup, novice, external drive
Larry Spinak is a professional computer consultant and tutor in the Los Angeles area. He started his business, CompuNerds, in 1999. © 2006 - All rights reserved Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- How To Properly Back Up The Data In Your Computer
When you have data on your computer, you most likely have it all saved so that you can keep it long - Mac Hard Drive Data Recovery After Dd Command Fails To Copy Your Data
Though the advance computer systems, such as Mac, UNIX etc are robust in their design and storage st - Olympus µ Tough-6020: Sd Card Corruption And Digital Camera Recovery
The Olympus µ TOUGH-6020 is a rugged and stylish camera which is bound to awe photo enthusiasts. It - Importance Of Spytool For Parents
Computer and Internet have become a basic part of education system in schools, colleges, and institu - Bkf Recovery In Server 2003 After Deletion Of Archive Bit Information
It is imperative for a Microsoft Windows user to backup his/her file. Backup files turn out to be ha - How To Prevent Windows Data Loss
Did you just face crashing of your Microsoft Windows 7 operating system? And are all your files trap - Defragmentation In Windows May Lead To Data Loss
I have always relied on a Windows operating system. And like me, there are many other people who com - Using Mysql Recovery Utility To Repair Damaged Myisam 5.0.4 Table
The MyISAM table in the MySQL database is the default type of database engine. This table stores the - What Types Of Digital Media Allow For Data Recovery?
There are a number of reasons that an individual or company may need to turn to a data recovery comp - Saving Your Computer From Ransomware Viruses
As the world becomes more and more connected, computer viruses are as rampant and as destructive as
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Instant Rollback to the Past With Rollback Rx
With impacting system performance and speed, Rollback Rx is the only system restore software and dis - Troubleshoot Via Remote Control With Rollback Rx
Rollback Rx lets you carry out your pc maintenance and fix computer problems both remotely and local - The 5 Most Common Reasons Why People Believe They Won't Need Data Recovery
Most people don't realize how important their data is until it is lost. Hard drive data recovery is - Reasons For Data Loss From Computer Hard Disks
IntroductionThe last 20 years has brought about a proliferation of computer use in society. Technol - Electronic Discovery 2.0
Electronic Discovery, or "e-discovery" refers to the discovery of data from electronic storage and o - How to Backup Mails and Address Book of Outlook Express
What happens when you login to your computer system and find that you cannot access your mails on Ou - Managing Backup And Recovery Services
Iceland Seafood International (ISI) has numerous offices located in ten countries and sells seafood - Choosing The Best File Recovery Solution
All file recovery solutions are not created equally. But, choosing one specific software or service - Corrupt Word File Recovery
There are as many ways to recover the lost data as there are the reasons to lose it. If there are 10 - The Prescription For Your PC's Health - RollBack Rx
Where there is data, there is a threat to its security. More so for very large organizations that ne