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<\/a><\/p>\nUnfortunately, when it comes to backing up ones (very important) files on their computer system, a all-to-high number of us simply don’t do it (at all or regularly) until it is far far too late, usually when the disastrous system failure we have been dreading, has already happened.<\/p>\n
The concept of backing up home PCs has most definitely been around since the 90s, but back in those days, it wasn’t the most easiest of tasks.<\/p>\n
There weren’t commercially available hardware, such as external hard drives, or software such as the many backup tools available on the market today, that were in reach (both in financial and availability terms) of the general public.<\/p>\n
However, nowadays, its a much different story. \u00a0And considering how relatively inexpensive and low on time it is to set up, it’s something that we all should be really doing (unless, of course, you couldn’t care less about any<\/em>, not even one<\/em><\/span>, file on your system).<\/p>\n Firstly, we’ve got to the hardware. \u00a0There will be a number of factors that influence this, namely:<\/p>\n The first major choice to make regarding hardware is whether its going to be your hardware in your own home, or someone elses (usually a companies) hardware in a data centre.<\/p>\n If you choose to use your own hardware, its a one off payment, usually between \u00a330 to \u00a3120 depending on the size of the space you require for backups.<\/p>\n If you choose a companies hardware (by using a cloud based system, such as Mozy<\/a>) then its usually a recurring fee.<\/p>\n There are pros and cons of both (too many to explore in this particular article) but to sum it up, a cloud based backup system will be more secure and reliable but will be more expensive. \u00a0Conversely, a home backup system will be less secure and probably less reliable (depending on your outlay on hardware), but will be less expensive – usually a one off (ish) cost. \u00a0This ‘ish’ comes into the fact that hardware used for backups is fairly prone to fail after prolonged or intensive usage.<\/p>\n If the budgets big enough, we say go for a cloud based hosting solution with a reputable company – they can be obtained fairly cheaply these days (sometimes a few pounds a month – again, the cost goes up with the increase in storage space required).<\/p>\n The other advantage to a cloud based solution is that you don’t have to specifically consider the hardware. \u00a0If you go with a reputable company they’ll usually pick some top quality enterprise quality hardware – because its easy to afford that when you divvy up the space between customers and buy in bulk. \u00a0Therefore, a cloud based backup solution definitely give you the most bang for your buck.<\/p>\n If your going for the slightly less expensive and glamorous option, check out Amazon for some of the best deals on hardware<\/a>. \u00a0Ensure that you pick a reputable brand (such as WD [Western Digital<\/a>] or Seagate<\/a> – there are more, research for any particular brands or models that are top of the pops at the moment). \u00a0Also ensure that, obviously, you have enough space for your needs.<\/p>\n Space wise, whether you go cloud or home based, you could need anything from a few gig to a couple of thousand gig (GB). \u00a0There’s no true way to estimate this for individual systems without knowing the size of the system and what you actually want to backup. \u00a0For an extremely rough estimate, probably half the space of your hard disk(s) will be more than enough – with a bit of room to grow. \u00a0Remember, we’re backing up files that we can’t replace (or replace easily). \u00a0Things like programs can be reinstalled – don’t back these up, there’s no point (although its worth noting that some data files from programs you may want to backup).<\/p>\n The worlds your lobster with this one. \u00a0Again, budget and reliability-required dependent. \u00a0Anything and everything from expensive and robust to free and potentially not as robust.<\/p>\n Lets look at a few options:<\/p>\n Reputable – check.<\/p>\n Free – check.<\/p>\n Fairly reliable – check.<\/p>\nHardware<\/h2>\n
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Software<\/h2>\n
Windows Backup<\/h3>\n