OK- so I have a few questions. But, here's some info that you may need to know.
(1) I want to make sure that all my pics/important documents/ etc are saved in case somehting should happen to my computer.
(2) My CD/dvd drive isn't working- So, I can't back up to a CD
(3) I have a USB card reader/writer
*** QUESTIONS ***
(1) Can I back up everything on my computer & is it recommended? Or, should I just back up pics & important documents?
(2) Is "backing up" the same thing as saving to a disk?
(3) Can i save anything (esp. pics) to my USB card? And, if so- how do I do it?
2007-11-14 03:03:14 · 6 answers · asked by Mrs.know.It.All 3 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Add-ons
1. back up just the stuff you need (documents and whatever you can't afford to loose) and maybe the few programs you bought online or don't have install disks for or can't download for free online.
2. yes and no. You can backup stuff also by saving it to a second partition on your hard drive, which should protect it from viruses and other accidents but if your hard drive fails then your lost so save anything uber important off the hard drive also. Also cds and falash drive do not last as long as a hard drive so be ready to replace cds about ever couple years (or more depending how often you change the data on them) and flash drives ever 10 years or so (hard drives last about a life time give or take a decade or so)
3. Just copy them from the folder they are in and paste them to the usb drive. You can put anything on the drive so long as it fits.
2007-11-14 03:13:33 · answer #1 · answered by zspace101 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can backup your whole system, but that usually requires allot of space on the backup medium. Most just backup their important data, pictures, etc. The best advice would be to save everything in the My Documents folder, then just copy and paste the complete folder to any type of external medium, or a second hard drive. You can use "flash" memory cards, but they are usually too small to contain all of your personal data. DVDs work well, if you have a burner.
There is another option. You can backup or save your data to online storage. Google offers about 100 gigs of storage for free, and there are other sites that do the same. Do a Google search for "online data storage.
2007-11-14 11:15:08 · answer #2 · answered by Ron M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best thing for backups is an external hard drive. Western Digital has created a line of drives called My Books. They are the size of a paperback book. They use USB cables to connect to your computer. You could backup just your documents or you could get some backup software and have it do your entire system onto the external drive. In the event that something bad should happen the software is designed to get your backup files from your external drive and restore your computer to when it was working fine. This is the most recommended process.
2007-11-14 11:10:32 · answer #3 · answered by Wild Bill 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah USB's work great. However. I would recommend something with more storage capacity. Such as a portable hard drive. I have one that is 120GB, I got it off amazon.com. IT works great, I have more than 1 computer, so it all fits on there nicely.
As far as what to save-it is up to you. If you want to pack up the program files & installation files-if you have the space I would recommend it. That way if something does happen, you don't have to try so hard to remember what programs you had installed.
Yeah-backing up is pretty much the same as saving to a disk. Computers have "restore points" that save what programs have been installed. And it saves your documents. This is a form of backing up. It is safer to save it to a different location in case something happens to your computer.
2007-11-14 11:10:36 · answer #4 · answered by -Sarah- 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can save your data to a site that does archiving. there area few free ones out there all you have to do is sign up.
www.filefactory.com is the one i use. (very easy to use)
To answer your 2nd question---Yes....backing up and saving to disk is pretty much the same thing.
Lastly- you can save "anything" on your computer to your usb card as long as there's enough space.
2007-11-14 11:09:37 · answer #5 · answered by C B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
an easy way to backup your data. insert your flash drive. right click your start button. on the left you will see your profile. (the user name that you log into the computer with) right click on your desktop folder click copy scroll down until you see your flash drive right click on it and click paste. repeat this for your favorites folder as well as your documents folder
2007-11-14 12:21:53 · answer #6 · answered by mustang72295 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋