Data is among the most precious commodity humans now have and value. Any form of data is valuable and the fact that you can easily lose them because of neglect is always a reason for concern for all tech users. You can lose your data either because of a malfunctioning device or an intrusion from a third-party hacker that is out to steal your money or information. Some even use your data to demand ransom from you through malwares that one can’t easily detect corrupting their system. The threat and problem of data loss is something experienced by all regardless of the device you are using. You may own a Mac or a Windows device like most people do, you are not immune from data loss.
Now, the question is what can you do to protect yourself and save your data from vanishing off your device? As usual, the answer lies with precaution. Making sure you only access safe sites and don’t just open suspicious emails are just one of them but the best precaution of all is to back up your data. Now, we know the cloud is popular nowadays but it is even better if you can have a separate copy of your data in a physical gadget you have at home that is specifically built for that purpose. What are we talking about? It’s actually an external hard drive. I’m sure you’ve heard of one. The thing is not all computer users own one.
MAC OS X: TIME MACHINE
If you’re on a Mac, then you already have a great backup tool at your fingertips called Time Machine. In fact, there’s probably an icon for it that’s been waiting at the top of your menu bar. Simply take an external drive (see above), plug it into your computer, and open up Time Machine to configure it as a backup drive. Time Machine will more or less handle the rest, backing up individual files, folders, and apps. And if you get a new machine or need to reset your computer completely, OS X will prompt you to provide a Time Machine backup to restore from. Just make sure to be good about plugging in your drive regularly to actually do the backups; a backup that’s three years old is better than nothing, but the more often you back up, the better covered you’ll be in case of an emergency.
WINDOWS 10: FILE HISTORY / BACKUP AND RESTORE
Microsoft has added integrated backups to Windows 10, and it works pretty much the same way as on a Mac. Plug in your external drive, and navigate over to File History. (You can either search for this in the Start menu, or find it in the Settings app in the “Backups” portion.) There, you’ll be able to select specific folders to back up, and how often you’d like Windows to back things up. Just like on a Mac, though, you’ll need to actually plug in your drive for your files to actually get backed up.
Imagine the peace of mind you can enjoy knowing you have another copy of your precious files in an external hard drive that you only use for that very purpose. There is a very minimal risk of it getting corrupted and you can easily access your files whenever the need arises. It’s also convenient to use and store for safekeeping. Aside from shelling out the money upon purchase of the device, it does not have any more upkeep. Yet it does so much more for you in terms of protecting your data and saving you from the hassles of a costly data recovery or having to endure the pain and regret of losing files you can no longer replace.
The Many Ways to Back Up Your Files
There are many ways to back up your data, from using an external drive to backing up those files on a remote server over the Internet. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each:
Back Up to an External Drive: If you have an external USB hard drive, you can just back up to that drive using your computer’s built-in backup features. On Windows 10 and 8, use File History. On Windows 7, use Windows Backup. On Macs, use Time Machine. Occasionally connect the drive to the computer and use the backup tool, or leave it plugged in whenever your home and it’ll back up automatically. Pros: Backing up is cheap and fast. Cons: If your house gets robbed or catches on fire, your backup can be lost along with your computer, which is very bad.
(Via: https://www.howtogeek.com/242428/whats-the-best-way-to-back-up-my-computer/)
Make it a habit to back up all files you constantly add to your device especially with photos and other documents that mean a lot to you and can spell disaster once lost. You can’t replace photos so better be safe and have a duplicate copy in a hard drive rather than risk having a single digital file in your device that is often exposed to the dangers of the web. While there are other storage options for you, it won’t hurt if you invest in a handy lifesaver like an external hard drive so you no longer have to purchase flash drives often or rely on cloud service. No need to ask yourself this: https://www.harddrivefailurerecovery.net/external-hard-drive-recovery/.
By buying one, you are almost 100% safe from most tech worries. As amazing as it may seem, though, owning an external hard drive still has a major drawback. If you live somewhere where the elements can be a bit harsh sometimes, be more careful with your external hard drive too as it is not fool-proof from the elements. In case it gets damaged by water, here’s what you can do: https://www.harddrivefailurerecovery.net/hard-drive-gets-water-damaged-what-to-do/.