Hassle-Free Backups

Backup vs. Backup

Backup means different things to different users. In its traditional sense, a "backup" is a copy of everything on your PC's hard drive, including the operating system, your applications, and your data. If your hard drive fails, you should be able to install a new drive easily, restore all your files, and quickly be up and running as if nothing happened.

A backup involves more than data, however. Another key consideration is when the data was backed up. The more time between your last backup and a drive failure, the more data you lose. A classic backup procedure (the type most corporate computer installations rely on) uses ten backup tapes and calls for a full backup every Monday, alternating between the two master (full backup) tapes. In addition, from Tuesday through Friday, the IT department performs an incremental backup to protect changes from the day before. Though you can probably automate this system (depending on your backup hardware and software), we recommend it only for the most conscientious PC users or people who can't afford even a little data loss, such as accountants or clerks tracking sales orders.

For most people, a more reasonable alternative to daily tape-based backups is once-a-week full backups. Even more conveniently, you can focus on backing up data but not the operating system and applications, which you can reinstall if necessary (although doing so can be a hassle). Backing up only documents and data files usually requires far less storage than a full backup, except when making heavy use of audio or video applications.