creede94 said:
i'm fairly entry-level on my computer other than basics - but do have many
docs/MUSIC/e-mails/programs would not want to lose if it crashed.
possible
to back up my computer (XP Prof) to DVD's in event of a crash? if so, I
wouldn't know where to start - control panel, programs? then what? or
just
not feasible & need to buy external hard drive to back up to (wouldn't
know
where to start there eiterh). any help MUCH appreciated. Huge thouder
storm
last week took out power; thought it fried desktop as it wouldn't
initially
boot up. bad, bad feeling. finally did start up. realize now should
have
put precautionary back-up procedure in place long time ago! lucky so
far.
Sure, if your system has a DVD or CD burner, it's easy to back up to that.
If it doesn't, they are cheap now (I paid about CDN$45 the other day for
one) and trivial to install. They come with the packet-writing software
necessary to make backup programs work - for Nero, that;s InCD, for Sonic
it's DLA, for EasyCD it's DirectCD.
To install the drive, shut down and open your system, remove the old drive,
set the jumpers on the new drive the same way, and put the new drive in.
Attach the power and data cables. Close the system and restart; Windows
will detect the drive and set it up. Now install the software that came
with it. You'll most likely have to restart for the packet software to
start working. From here, you'll need to get appropriate CD/RW or DVD/RW
disks and format them.
For the backup itself, I've had good results with BAckup Plus. The key
for any backup, though, is figuring out exactly what you need to back up,
how often you need to back it up, and verifying that the backups worked and
that the files can be opened.
For files that don't change a lot, such as libraries of pictures or music,
these shouldn't be backed up every day. User data that does change
frequently, like email and financial data, should be backed up regularly.
So, what I do is create two backup tasks. One does the daily backups of
the critical things, and the other is a less automated backup of the other
stuff, to a different set of disks.
Note that Windows helpfully stores a number of key data files in hidden
directories. These include Outlook and Outlook Express email files, and
Windows Address Book files. Be sure that you locate and include these
files in your backup set. Also, note that if Outlook is running, its data
file can not be backed up, and will be missed.
You can do simple bulk copies of the files off to DVD or CD, but this can
take some time. However, it won't require any software other than what
comes with the drive. Take the few minutes learing to use the software;
it's very useful.
HTH
-pk
