Congratulations, the journey is just about over. Throughout this series of reports we’ve discovered the need for backing up mission-critical user data stored on your computer honestly, the need to back stuff up should be pretty obvious, but I’m sure some people just needed a little encouragement to make sure it gets done. We’ve also dug deep into the Windows file and folder stretcher system to see where important information is stored. And we’ve done a little investigative work to find out exactly how much storage space will be needed to back up all our important business and personal information. We’ve considered hardware options talked a little bit about software, and even looked at some online backup options as well.
Now it’s time to copy-and-paste our way to backup success! As I’ve mentioned before, some external hard drives will come with backup software already installed on them, ready to use. We can’t really go into too much detail in this report on how to use that software, since all the different brands do things in their own way. But honestly, I feel that simply using regular Windows copy-and-paste techniques is all you need to successfully and effectively back up that “mission critical” information on your PC. Let’s get to work.
When you plug in your external backup device (either USB flash drive or external hard drive), Windows automatically detects the new hardware, and in the case of a storage device, opens a dialog box giving you some options. Choose the option, “Open Device to View Folders and Files.” Next, you’ll see a new window, showing the contents of the device. Of course if there’s nothing on the drive, the window will be completely empty.
Let that window stay open on your Windows desktop. Now click on the Windows start button. Click on the “user account” name at the very top of the right-hand column of the start menu. That may be your name, or something generic like “Administrator” or “Owner.” Inside, you’ll see individual folders for My Documents, Pictures and other data-filled folders. The My Documents folder is the most important, and will certainly be the one to back up often, and on a regular basis.
At this point, it’s simply a matter of copying the folders you wish to back up, and pasting them into the empty window of the external storage device. Here’s how to do that: you should still have the user account folder open in front of you on the Windows desktop. Simply roll your mouse over the top of the My Documents folder, and give it a single right mouse click. This opens a menu of options. Look for – and give a single left-click – on the word “Copy.” You’ve probably used similar techniques to highlight and copy chunks of text or pictures on your computer. Now we’re simply doing the same thing with an entire folder, filled with information.
Now navigate back to the open window of the storage device. You may still be able to see it on your Windows desktop, but it may also be hidden or “minimized.” Look for it along the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the desktop screen. In Windows 7, you’ll see old-school looking manilla folders, usually directly to the right of the start button (your PC may be configured differently). As you roll your mouse over those buttons small images of the folders will appear above the taskbar. When you see the one for the storage device simply give it a single left mouse click. That will open the empty folder on your Windows desktop, on top of any other folders or programs that are also open. At this point simply click on the button that says “Organize” in the upper-left corner of the open window. There’s a small down-pointing arrow to the right of Organize. You can click on either the word or the arrow. On the menu that opens underneath, you’ll see the word “Paste.” A single left mouse-click on Paste, and the Documents folder will be pasted into the storage device. (Of course, if you’ve selected a different folder, that’s the folder that will be pasted into the storage device, but you already knew that.) Repeat this process for all the folders you wish to back up on the external device.
Why do I like this copy and paste method? Honestly, it’s simple and easy to do, almost a total no-brainer. Of course it will be your job to remember to do this procedure on a regular basis. One of the good things about using commercial backup software is that it does the “remembering” for you. Once it’s set up, it runs on a regular schedule, and backs up your information each time. But again, the reason I like my method is that it’s so simple. And if you’re using a USB flash drive, you can easily take it with you if you travel with a laptop PC. Also, some backup software uses of data encryption when it copies information to the storage device. While that’s very secure, I don’t like it. I much prefer the ability to have easy access to my backed-up information. Data encryption software is just another potential stumbling block. You may lose a password, or have other problems with the software that might prevent you from backing up or restoring your information when it’s most needed. That’s probably just my own prejudice, but hey, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Once you’ve copied all the information you wish to backup to the external device, you can unplug the device from your computer. Just make sure you keep that device – no matter what it is – in a safe place, somewhere you can find it in the future when needed!
How often do you need to backup your information? That depends on you and your business. If you are adding new information, such as client records, inventory lists and other data to your computer on a regular basis, you’ll want to backup more often, maybe every day. If most of your business is done over the Internet or by e-mail, you don’t need to backup as often, and once a week may be more than enough.
Well, we’ve reached the end of the journey. You’ve got all the information you need to know what to backup, where to find it, how to back it up, and how to keep it safe. For those who would prefer an automated solution, I’ve got one more special report up my sleeves. The newest version of Windows – Windows 7 – includes a built in bit of software that automates the backup process. It’s up to you, if you want to use it or not… but I’ll give you the basics of using it, coming up in the next report.
