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Yes, you've heard it before, but backing up your data on a regular basis should be on your list of New Year's resolutions. If you hard drive crashes, you can reinstall your applications, but you can't replace your vacation photos, home movies, or that novel in progress. Everything from viruses and worms to natural disaster and theft can obliterate years of hard work or cherished memories. And if you travel with your laptop, your data is even more vulnerable.
Although backing up to CD or DVD is definitely an option, it is not ideal, since the cost of discs can add up, organizing and cataloging what is on each disc is time-consuming, and discs are prone to damage and degradation over time. The best option is to use an external hard drive, so your files are safe even if your computer goes Titanic.
What you'll need in an external hard drive depends on a few factors. First, determine what the type and size of files you'll need to back up. If you have a lot of photo, video, and other large graphics files, and you don't need to access them on the road, go with a high-capacity, less portable drive (probably 100GB or more). And if you have a home network and want to access media files from anywhere in the house, look for a NAS (network-attached storage) device.
Finally, you should investigate the included software (or other method) a drive uses to back up. Some drives bundle apps that make backing up a cinch, greatly expediting the process versus dragging and dropping files in Windows. With many of these utilities, you can schedule regular, automatic backup sessions and specify which folders or files to back up. And some hard drive makers, such as Maxtor, let you back up at the touch of a button.
Although backing up to CD or DVD is definitely an option, it is not ideal, since the cost of discs can add up, organizing and cataloging what is on each disc is time-consuming, and discs are prone to damage and degradation over time. The best option is to use an external hard drive, so your files are safe even if your computer goes Titanic.
What you'll need in an external hard drive depends on a few factors. First, determine what the type and size of files you'll need to back up. If you have a lot of photo, video, and other large graphics files, and you don't need to access them on the road, go with a high-capacity, less portable drive (probably 100GB or more). And if you have a home network and want to access media files from anywhere in the house, look for a NAS (network-attached storage) device.
Finally, you should investigate the included software (or other method) a drive uses to back up. Some drives bundle apps that make backing up a cinch, greatly expediting the process versus dragging and dropping files in Windows. With many of these utilities, you can schedule regular, automatic backup sessions and specify which folders or files to back up. And some hard drive makers, such as Maxtor, let you back up at the touch of a button.
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