Tips for backing up

Once you’ve set up a program, backups should occur regularly without further intervention. Here are some tips to help make the most of your backup routine:

Tidy up first
Before your first full backup, go through your files and dump any old files no longer needed. There’s no point backing up something you won’t use. If you like to keep your data organised, it can also help to clean up your desktop and move files to folders.

Schedule smart
Set your backup schedule to fit in with your computer habits. If you work on the computer all day, do your backups at night. If you play games at night but don’t use the PC much in the morning while you’re at work, set the backup to run then. Look for an option to back up your computer then automatically shut it down or put it to sleep to save power.

Archive old data
Some backup programs give you the option to archive old data. This puts it on another backup media such as DVD and removes it from the backup set, freeing up space but keeping a copy of the data.

Perform a regular full backup
A weekly, fortnightly or monthly backup makes it quicker and easier to restore your files in the event of a disaster, as there’s less incremental data sets to sort through for restoration.

Have multiple backups
Ideally, you should have at least two backups of your data – because even a backup can fail. This also lets you keep one copy offsite, such as at the home of a friend or relative. In the event of theft, or a natural disaster such as fire or flood, an offsite backup means you will have a recent full copy of your data.

Report by Marc Wendelborn.