There is nothing worse when your computer crashes and you realize that you haven't backed up your data ... documents, pictures, music files etc. Make no mistake, it's not a case of if your computer crashes, it's a case of when!

A proven and reliable backup process is absolutely essential for both home users and particularly businesses. If you haven't got a backup scheme, create one NOW!

Backup Media - Where to store your data...

	Floppy Disk - Not recommended, limited space
	Zip Disk - Not recommended, unreliable
	CD-ROM - Use good quality CDs otherwise ok
	Flash Drive - Good but limited space at this time
	Tape Drive - Good but expensive
	Portable Hard Drive - Excellent and cost effective
	Local Network Computer - Good but security issues
	Offsite Computer via network - Excellent but expensive and complicated

My own method of backing up the data in my office is via a Portable Hard Drive. These compact drives plug into the USB port of any computer, are immediately recognized by all versions of Windows above Win98, don't require any setting up and are very reliable and cost effective. You can store as much data as you will ever want to on these large capacity drives. I recommend the Lacie Porsche drives available from Harris Technology.

You can buy a 160 Gigabyte portable hard drive for about $270 and take it with you wherever you go. Personally I take my portable drive to my clients premises where I only have to connect it to any computer with a USB port and can then work on my projects as if I was using my development computer in my office.

Ok so you have chosen your preferred backup media... how do you backup the data? There are several ways but my preferred method is to use the Synchronize Directories function of Total Commander which is worth getting if you don't already have it.

Click the icon below to view the detailed steps

Other Backup Software

Personally I use and recommend an excellent program called Ace Backup. It takes a little time to get used to the user interface but once you get the hang of it, your backups will be a breeze. Because I spend so much time on program development I need to backup every time I make significant changes to a program and that can be 20 or 30 times a day. My portable hard drive plus Ace Backup is easy and reliable. Ace Backup was also available as a freebie on a cover CD of Australian Personal Computer.