Data Backup

Backup, Backup and Backup

One of the most common issues I encounter when fixing a computer is the lack of regular backup. If the computer that I’m asked to fix has a faulty Hard Disk Drive or SSD, then its likely that some/all data on that drive will be lost… forever.

There are some software tricks we can employ to try and get the data, but if the disk itself simply will not start, then recovery of important thinsg such as family photos, important documents, emails, family videos etc. is increasingly slim and also increasingly expensive, running into £1000s to send the disk away to a special dust free laboratory where engineers will try (and there are no guarantees) to recover as much data as they can.

These days, there really isn’t any excuse not to have some kind of backup in place, whether thats a second USB Hard Disk that you plug in each week or month, or perhaps an online solution such as our own Cloud backup solution, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsofts OneDrive, or even perhaps whats called a NAS (Network Attached Storage is an unassuming box of disks that acts as a kind of central repository for all your backup files across all your devices). I’ll talk about NAS boxes and options in a future Blog entry.

Many of the online solutions (including own own) provide some free space to start you off. If you already subscribe to Microsofts own Office 365, you’ll have 1TB (1 Terabyte or 1000 Gigabyes) of online storage included, so what are you waiting for? Don’t put off setting up a backup until its too late.