| nk"> | | | | complete backups. Ideally, you should back up your |
| Don't wait for disaster to strike before you decide to | | | | data on a daily basis. This guarantees that you won't |
| do backups. Take action now to avoid losing all your | | | | lose more than one day's work if your hard disk |
| data when your hard disk crashes. | | | | crashes. In the strategies below, it also means you |
| Organize your data so it is easy to back up. | | | | aren't completely dependent on any one disk or tape |
| You want all your data files (e.g. Word documents, | | | | for your backups. Removable disks and tapes also go |
| Excel documents, email, etc.) to be in folders that are | | | | bad. |
| all inside a single folder on your hard disk. Windows | | | | Strategy One: Gives you one work week of daily |
| provides you with a folder named "My Documents" | | | | backups. |
| designed for this purpose. In Windows 95/98/ME | | | | Label five media (disks or tapes) Monday, Tuesday, |
| there is a single My Documents folder shared by all | | | | ..., Friday. On a Monday, put Monday's media into its |
| users while Windows NT/2000/XP creates a | | | | drive then copy/backup your "My Documents" folder |
| separate My Documents folder for each login | | | | or "Documents and Settings" folder to the media. |
| account. Backing up the "WinNTProfiles" folder in NT | | | | Remove the media when all the files have been |
| 4.0 or the "Documents and Settings" folder in | | | | saved to it. Repeat step 2 daily using the |
| Windows 2000/XP will back up the My Documents | | | | appropriately labelled media for each day. Erase the |
| folders for all users if you are logged in as an | | | | data on the backup media from the previous week |
| administrator. | | | | either manually or through the backup program you |
| Many programs default to saving files in the My | | | | are using before performing a new backup to it. |
| Documents folder and programs that can’t | | | | Strategy Two: This is an extension of Strategy One. |
| can usually be set to do so. You will probably want to | | | | It gives you one work week of daily backups plus |
| create new folders under the My Documents folder | | | | one month of weekly backups. |
| to keep data from different applications or projects | | | | Label four media Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, |
| separate. You may need to read the documentation | | | | Friday. Label five media 1st Monday, 2nd Monday, ..., |
| to learn how, but you should set each program to | | | | 5th Monday. On the first Monday of the month, |
| open documents from and save documents to the | | | | delete any data already on your 1st Monday media |
| appropriate folders you have created under the My | | | | then backup your data to it. Backups on Tuesday |
| Documents folder. If you do this consistently you will | | | | through Friday will be the same as in Strategy One. |
| know where all your data is on your hard disk and | | | | On the second, third, fourth, and fifth (if there is |
| won't accidentally miss backing up important data. | | | | one) Monday of the month you would delete |
| Choose what device you will use to back up your | | | | previous data then perform a current back up to the |
| data. | | | | media labelled for that Monday. Strategy Three: This |
| The most common devices to back up data have | | | | is an extension of Strategy Two. It adds a year of |
| been tape drives, zip drives and flash drives. More | | | | monthly backups. |
| recently, CDRW drives (CD read/write drives) are | | | | Replace the 1st Monday media in Strategy Two with |
| being used for backups. Your decision will be based | | | | 12 media labelled January, February, ..., December. On |
| on how much data you need to back up, what | | | | the first Monday of each month use the media |
| devices you already have that could be used for | | | | labelled for that month erasing the data from the |
| backups, and whether or not you can purchase a | | | | previous backup to that media. All other days of the |
| new backup device. | | | | month are as in Strategy Two. Strategy Four: This is |
| The least expensive devices are Iomega zip drives | | | | the minimalist backup strategy and is a cut down |
| and disks. Zip disks come in 250MB and 100MB sizes. | | | | version of Strategy One. Use two media rather than |
| You must buy a zip drive designed for 250MB disks | | | | five and label them A and B. Back up your data files |
| to use 250MB disks. All zip drives can work with | | | | daily alternating between the two media. This |
| 100MB zip disks. Zip drives come with software for | | | | protects you against hard disk failure but not against |
| backing up data to zip disks or you can copy the | | | | viruses. Destructive viruses often go undetected for |
| folder that all your data is under ("My Documents" or | | | | relatively long periods of time and you may need a |
| "Documents and Settings" to a zip disk if it will all fit. | | | | backup that goes back days or weeks to recover |
| Jaz drives come in 1GB and 2GB sizes and are similar | | | | data damaged by a virus. You should never use only |
| to zip drives but are bigger and cost more. They use | | | | one disk or tape for backups. All media can fail so |
| the same Iomega backup software as zip drives. You | | | | you should have at least two backups in addition to |
| can also use DVD disks which are 4.7gig in size. | | | | working copies of your data. |
| CDRW drives can be used like a 650MB floppy disk | | | | Strategy Five: This is the easiest strategy if it's |
| when using CDRW disks and packet writing software | | | | available to you. If you are faculty or staff at a |
| that comes with the drive. The disks you create will | | | | university and your computer is on a LAN (local area |
| be readable only on other CDRW drives or CDR/DVD | | | | network), you may be able to keep your files on a |
| drives that support the multi-thread standard. All | | | | LAN file server where files are backed up to tape |
| drives capable of reading CDRW disks require | | | | every night. Check with your local computer support |
| software to be installed that supports reading CDRW | | | | group to see if this is the case and what restrictions |
| disks. You should use software that supports the | | | | or costs might be in place. |
| UDF standard (most current CDRW packet writing | | | | Which strategy to use depends on how far back in |
| software does) when writing files on your CDRW | | | | time you want to be able to restore data from and |
| drive and install UDF reader software on computers | | | | how much effort you are willing to devote to |
| with multithread CD or DVD drives that you want to | | | | backups. Strategy Three is no more work than |
| read CDRW disks. Drives with early implementations | | | | Strategy One, but requires more media and slightly |
| of multithread may not be able to read CDRW disks | | | | more organization. If you use backup software you |
| even with UDF reader software installed. Free UDF | | | | may be able to use partial backups that are called |
| readers are available from Ahead Software and | | | | incremental and differential backups. Both start by |
| Roxio. CDRW drives may come with backup or | | | | doing a full backup followed by: |
| disaster recovery software but you should look | | | | Incremental backups: They copy only files that have |
| carefully at the software bundled with a CDRW drive | | | | changed since the last backup into a new backup set. |
| before purchasing it. | | | | This is the most space efficient backup type but is |
| Unlike the previous devices, tape drives are designed | | | | the most difficult to do restores from. You might be |
| specifically for backing up data. They hold more | | | | able to do a full backup plus four incremental backups |
| data, 4GB to more than 40GB, and require running a | | | | on a single media. If so, you would only need one |
| backup program both to backup or restore files. A | | | | disk or tape per week but might need to look in five |
| tape drive cannot be used like a large floppy disk. | | | | different backup sets to find the right one to restore |
| Windows 95/98/ME does not come with backup | | | | a file from. A complete restore requires restoring all |
| software so you must use the software, if any, that | | | | five backup sets. Using incremental backups this way |
| comes with the tape drive, or purchase backup | | | | would lose a week's worth of backups if the media |
| software. Windows NT has a backup program that | | | | goes bad. |
| works with most SCSI tape drives. Windows 2000 | | | | Differential backups: They copy all files that have |
| XP has a backup program that works with any | | | | changed since the last full backup into a new backup |
| removable media that can be written to from within | | | | set. This means you only need to look in the full |
| Windows (e.g. zip, jaz, CDRW) and most tape | | | | backup set and the most recent differential backup |
| drives. Tape is the least expensive media for very | | | | set to find the most recent version of a file. You |
| large amounts of data. | | | | only need to restore the full backup set and the |
| Develop a backup strategy. | | | | most recent differential backup set to know you |
| You can just copy the files you need backed up | | | | have the most recent version of all your data. Like |
| onto removable media. This cannot be done with | | | | the incremental backups, you might be able to put a |
| tape, but works with zip, jaz, and CDWR disks. It | | | | full week of backups onto a single disk or tape and |
| only works well if all your data fits on a single disk. | | | | risk losing a full week of backup files if the media |
| Using a backup program allows using tape and can | | | | goes bad. Complete backups on a daily basis are |
| span more than one disk or tape if necessary. | | | | easiest to restore from. You use your most recent |
| Backup programs also allow special backup series | | | | backup to recover the most recent version of a data |
| starting with a complete backup followed by backing | | | | file or go back to the previous backup that is |
| up only files that have changed. Initially, assume doing | | | | appropriate if you want an earlier version of the file. |