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There are many reasons why you need to backup your home computer and there are just as many different scenarios on the best way to accomplish a complete PC backup solution. The one thing you need to keep in mind is that you do need a full backup of your computer if you have any valuable data stored on the hard drive. Computers do crash and there is a multitude of factors that could cause the crash. What is a Hard Drive Crash? You could have a hardware failure where your hard drive decides not to work anymore for any apparent reason. That happens moer often than you would expect. Hard drive reliability should be a major concern. There is also the distinct possibility that your Operating System may just decide that it does not want to boot up anymore. It happens more often than you may think and you should be prepared for a fast recovery.
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Create a Computer Image or Clone
The need for an image of your computer is a no-brainer. Whether you load a Windows Operating System yourself or buy a new computer, it may take you two or three-hours to get the PC just the way you want it. You need to load your favorite applications, set up your email account and download all of the security updates from Windows Update. After all that work is done, why would anyone want to do it again? Computers crash for various reasons. When your computer crashes, would you rather spend three-hours loading everything back up or a few minutes restoring an image? Most people would choose the latter. Creating and restoring a computer image is a very easy task to accomplish so why take chances.
Backing up Your Data
Once an image or clone of the computer is finished and stored in a safe place, data still needs to be protected. Should you image a hard drive or clone one. Most computer imaging utilities will allow you to do incremental or full backups of all of your important files. What you choose to do with the backups is an important step to keeping the data safe. You should always keep the backed up files in a place away from the computer itself. Whether you store the backups on an external hard drive or an online backup solution depends on your personal preferences. An online backup solution is probably the best solution because if there is some sort of a natural disaster in your area, your data is still protected at a remote location. Online backup services also keep your data very safe and secure.
Just think of all the time and energy you have invested in collecting all of the data stored on your computer. Some of the data could be irreplaceable; other documents may be able to be recreated. Why take the chance with your valuable data? Most computer users have a collection of pictures, music, videos and probably some other important documents stored on the hard drive. If you do not want these files to be lost forever, you need to structure a reliable backup scenario to keep them protected. If you use an online backup solution, your data is definitely safe and secure. If you choose to use an external hard drive or DVD’s, you need to take some additional steps to insure the safety of the data like removing them from the premises or keeping them in a waterproof and fireproof safety box.
Backup at Regular Intervals
Data can accumulate at astonishing speeds so make sure that your data gets backed up at regular intervals. At least once a week is a good rule to follow unless you work on important documents on a daily basis then you may want to do a daily backup of your files using an incremental backup scenario. You could create a backup scenario for your home computer manually but there are utilities available to accomplish the backup tasks a lot easier than you could possibly manage them yourself.
If you choose to use an external drive source to back up your data, Acronis True Image will allow you image your computer and then schedule your backup scenario at whatever intervals that you deem necessary for your data protection. If you choose to use an online backup solution, we have some good reviews of the top online backup services available. If you are not comfortable trying to back up all of your important computer files on your own, an online computer support service can help you with the task. Whatever backup scenario you prefer, just remember to Backup, Backup, and Backup!
Here are some Recommended Backup Programs:
Acronis True Image 2017
has been released and it makes it easier than ever to back up your computer and devices. With just 2 clicks of the mouse, you can do a full image backup of a computer. It doesn’t get much easier than that. This version added many new features including the ability to backup an unlimited number of iPhones, iPads, and Android mobile devices with Wi-Fi to your computer, it even backs up your Facebook stuff. It is 3 to 6 times faster than the completion when backing up to an external drive and 25% faster than the previous version when backing up to the Acronis cloud. The 2017 version still has all of the other useful features that are essential in a complete backup program. Clone Disk, Try&Decide, Bootable Rescue Media Builder and Startup Recovery Manager are readily available. A True Image 2017 coupon code will be posted when it becomes available. See our full review of Acronis True Image.
$49.99
Carbonite has a variety of online backup plans for all of your cloud storage needs whether you need to backup one computer or all of your business workstations, Carbonite has you covered. The Personal plans are good for one computer and the Pro plans can be used for unlimited computers, NAS devices and external hard drives per subscription. The backed up files are encrypted for your privacy and accessible from anywhere there is an Internet connection. See our review of Carbonite.
$59.99 per year
SugarSync takes the online backup solution to a new level. SugarSync is the only cloud backup solution that allows you to backup, sync and share files across an unlimited number of computers. That means you can access, edit and share any of your files from any PC – and whatever changes you make will automatically replicate across all your computers. You can store documents, photos, music, video files – and once you are synced, you can access them from any web browser or smart phone. SugarSync automatically synchronizes any photos you take on your mobile phone right to your computer. You can even share photo albums and stream entire music collections directly from the Internet. See our Review of the SugarSync Online Backup Service.
Norton Online Backup stores your files online so you can retrieve them anytime, anywhere using any computer connected to the Internet. You can get your files back fast whether you are at home, in the office, or on the road. Norton works with both Windows and Mac computers lets you search backup sets for specific files by keyword, simplifies file sharing and saves older versions of your backed up files. A trusted service by a trusted name. Read more about Norton Online Backup.
SOS Online Backup is one of the largest worldwide providers of online backup for consumers, small and medium businesses and IT/managed service providers. SOS Online Backup delivers simple yet powerful online backup that has become the industry’s top award winner, including Laptop Magazine’s Editor’s Choice and PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award since 2006. The SOS Online Backup solution utilizes 11 data centers across multiple continents to keep your data replicated for added security. Also has an iPhone and BlackBerry App, File sharing, Web Access to your files and a built in local backup option. Save 25% on the Personal Home Package! See our review of SOS.