On my repair bench this week is a computer that has suffered a catastrophic Windows XP meltdown. All of the owner’s important files were on the computer, and there were no backup copies. There were thousands of irreplaceable letters, financial records, emails and photos at risk of being lost forever.
Best repair practices dictate that, before attempting a major operating system repair, you first attempt to rescue important files that may be on the computer’s hard drive. I removed the ailing machines hard drive, installed it into one of my computers, scanned the hard drive for viruses and spyware, located all of the important files, and copied them onto CDs.
The owner and I were both blessed that only Windows XP had gone bad, and that his important files were still intact. Many times, things aren’t so happy. Sometimes, operating systems crash and take all of the other files along for the ride. Hard drives can also fail mechanically and become unreadable. Other system failures can turn your files into scrambled gobbledegook.
If you want to keep your treasured digital family memories, business records, letters or emails for any length of time, it is important that you “back them up,” which simply means keeping an extra copy or two in a safe place. Your computer will fail. Your hard drive will crash. Disasters do happen. This is not negative thinking, but rather, the realization that computers are imperfect devices made by imperfect people in an imperfect world. The tires on your car will not last forever, and neither will your computer. Better to only lose your computer, rather than your computer and years worth of work, records and memories.
Abundant options exist to assist you in backing up your files, with the most common options using a CD/DVD recorder (often called a “burner”) or an external hard drive. CD/DVD burners and blank disks are cheap. If your computer doesn’t have one, then get one, and learn how to use it. My favorite CD/DVD burning program is called Nero.
Basic file backup and copying can be accomplished by using programs such as Nero, but for serious system backup most people will want to use a dedicated file backup program. Both Windows 2000 and XP Professional have built-in file backup programs; users of XP Home Edition may need to install the program from their Windows CD. Search Google for “Windows 2000” or “Windows XP file backup” and you’ll find many tutorials on how to use these programs. There are also commercially-made programs available for doing file backup chores.
Slightly more expensive options use external hard drives which plug into a USB port. Common brands available from electronics stores include Maxtor, Western Digital and Seagate. Many external drives come with specialized file backup programs that can work with the press of a button, or even be programmed to work automatically. Start backing up your files now; I guarantee that you’ll be glad you did.