backing up files?

emamum · 01-04-2008, 09:36

i want to make sure i have a backup of my files incase anything happens to the pc, if i get an external hard drive, will that do the job?

Is there anything i need to know before i buy one like sizes etc?
anyone know where i can get a cheap but decent one?

Ber999T · 01-04-2008, 09:41

Good questions will keep an eye on this for information.

Tony Ireland · 01-04-2008, 13:17

I have just bought a maxtor external hard drive and I back everything up on there and you can select the frequency at which it does it and trust me its easy
tony

janet · 01-04-2008, 13:39

I bought a Phillips 500gb external hard drive from Argos, £75. stored all my music on it. I thought that was a good deal.

Retlaw · 01-04-2008, 16:58

Hi emamum.

When you go for an external backup drive, you don't need one any bigger than the hard drive in the machine. Most of them come wth a setup cd that allows you to schedule the type and time of backup.

Retlaw

Quote:

Originally Posted by emamum23

i want to make sure i have a backup of my files incase anything happens to the pc, if i get an external hard drive, will that do the job?

Is there anything i need to know before i buy one like sizes etc?
anyone know where i can get a cheap but decent one?

Neil · 01-04-2008, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by janet

I bought a Phillips 500gb external hard drive from Argos, £75. stored all my music on it. I thought that was a good deal.

Is the music on just the external drive? If so you will loose it all if it dies on you. The idea of a backup is to have your data saved in more than one place at once.

Neil · 01-04-2008, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by emamum23

i want to make sure i have a backup of my files incase anything happens to the pc, if i get an external hard drive, will that do the job?

Is there anything i need to know before i buy one like sizes etc?
anyone know where i can get a cheap but decent one?

If its just a backup of your data what about DVD, do you have a dvd writer on your PC?

emamum · 01-04-2008, 19:39

no i dont...theres data and photo's that i dont want to lose.

Neil · 01-04-2008, 19:40

Then a DVD writer might be the best and cheapest way. How much data do you need to backup?

entwisi · 01-04-2008, 20:40

also make sure you have a copy in another location. If your house burns down it usually takes all the stuff thats there

burn pictures to disc and leave teh copies at a friends. online storage is a good idea, see ksh's thread for one option

Neil · 01-04-2008, 20:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by entwisi

also make sure you have a copy in another location.

Which is why DVD is a cheap option

jambutty · 22-05-2008, 13:25

Backing up to a DVD is the most cost effective option if your data is measured in gigabytes and a lot of them.

The next best option is a 2GB memory stick (if you have a spare USB port). They are probably cheaper and larger now but my 2GB memory stick cost me £15. I use it for backing up data that changes daily.

Failing all that it can only be a series of CD’s. You should be able to store two or three hundred pictures on a CD but that will depend on the picture sizes. But not many tunes.

I’m looking forward to the day when the “Memory Stick” is developed into humungous sizes (a few hundred gig) with a super fast USB port, thus making a traditional hard drive obsolete.

My OS partition is backed up using Paragon imaging software and a copy of the image is burned to 2 re-writable DVD’s once a month.

My data partition is also backed up to 3 re-writable DVD’s as standard files also once a month.

emzy · 22-05-2008, 13:37

I got a new 8gb memory stick off ebay (well won it, just waiting on delivery) and it cost me £10 so might be worth investing in one of these instead of cds / dvds etc

flashy · 22-05-2008, 15:51

this is going to sound sooooooooo stupid but....i backed my photos up by sending them all to my email addy, i can then access my pics wherever i am

entwisi · 22-05-2008, 15:52

flash is available in large sizes now. 16 gig is easily achieveable. some PCs are now coming with Flash instead of a Hard disk. Asus Eeee Pc being one of the first.