Backing up your files

As we use our PCs more and more they become full of valuable data. Many of us now store digital photographs or video clips on our computers or we may have important documents or accounts on our machines. But what happens if a virus gets into your machine and destroys the hard drive? No matter what you store on your computer, it's important that you back-up your files.

Backing up your files means making a spare copy of every personal file stored on your hard drive. Backing up your files regularly means you'll lose less if the worst comes to the worst.

When should I back up?

You should back up your files regularly. Make it a part of your routine. Select a day and stick to it - for example, every Monday evening.

Always back up your computer before it is repaired or before you install new software.

If you've bought a new computer, you must back-up all your files on your old computer so you can transfer them. Any files you leave on your old computer will be lost if you give it away or recycle it.

Which files should I back up?

You should back up any files that you created or modified, such as:

  • documents (for example, files that end in DOC, TXT, WP, WPD, WRI, PDF)
  • photographs or images (for example, files that end in BMP, GIF, JPG, JPEG, PCX, TIF, PNG)
  • video clips (for example, files that end in AVI, MOV, MPE, MPG, MPEG)
  • music you purchased and downloaded from the Internet (for example, files that end in AIF, AU, MID, MIDI, MP3, RA, RAM, RM, WAV)
  • software you purchased and downloaded from the Internet
  • email messages
  • e-mail address book
  • internet browser bookmarks

NB Don't forget to back up any documents you created using other programmes such as PowerPoint, Excel, Photoshop, etc.

Note on Backing up Email messages

Web-based email, such as gmail or hotmail, store emails on the service providers server space. Your email should be secure and you do not need to back it up.

If you use a programme such as Outlook or Outlook Express, then your emails are stored on your PC. If your PC crashes, you can lose all the information. You can back up your emails. This is relatively easy if you use Outlook, but it is complicated if you use Outlook Express. Microsoft offer a support page which will help you through the process of backing up your email messages.

(continues...)