Backing up your data?

[dandysmom]

I just read a very interesting article in this week's Newsweek...seems that the majority of home computer users don't! If you have a hard drive crash you can lose all your photos, address book info, etc, etc! When I was working we always backed up everything every night before we left, but that was back in the days when you just inserted a diskette. I haven't the remotest idea how to do this now!
I think it would be interesting to see how many of us do backup data...do you?

[yola]

We do at work, religiously. If the data was lost so would the business be

I back up at home sporadically onto CD. Mainly the key thing for me is photos - especially of children and cats! Address book is less of a problem as I use work email all the time anyway; just via remote access from home

[Fran]

I learnt a very valuable lesson when my laptop crashed a couple of years ago now, all my puppy pack info, pedigree database, photos, important letters the lot I thought I'd lost. Luckily, I found 'a man that can' who managed to rescue my data from my hardrive. Since then, I purchased a removable hard drive and back all my important data onto it just incase it should ever happen again

[dandysmom]

We learned the hard way at work also, Yola: had a major crash and lost almost all of our billing/subscriber info! Fortunately our consultant was able to get it back, but it was a very, very scary event!
I only have about 1/4 of my photos on Photobucket; would hate to lose them...

[Grete]

Thankfully my husband backs all personal stuff up on DVD (bigger capacity). I wouldn't have a clue where to start

[angieh]

I currently have an external hard disc to backup to but this relies on my remembering to do it of course!

However this coming Monday, my computer guru is coming to install a new backup program which can automatically run a backup when I shut down the computer. Evidently, you shut down as normal then the backup program runs a backup of the computer and then switches it off as normal, so you can just shut down and leave it be. It also takes a copy of the entire computer set-up and can restore Windows back to the exact state, which greatly helps if a critical part of Windows is broken.

The software and installation is costing me £50. If anyone would like further details about this please let me know. I can put you in touch with the expert I use. This would probably only be possible in the West Sussex/Hampshire area.