How good are your backups ?

Quite frankly, I think I have the makings of a web designer

Sorry Stavros, couldn't resist it

But not to detract from the OP, backing up your data is a serious issue!

its ok everyone he has had his afternoon power nap he is back to his normal less grumpy self.

and I concur backup and then back it up again.

It's relatively cheap to buy a 500gb external hard drive and something like Norton Ghost these days. No excuses for not backing up a complete Windows system. Some computers now come with an extra hard drive that just slots in so you can easily take it with you at the end of the day.

I was concerned about losing my data, so recently purchased a 2nd hard drive which cost less than

Like Nick says, an external drive is peanuts.

If its business data (or irreplaceable personal data), regardless that you are in a home office, get it saved off site.

This can be leaving an external disk once a week with Frank 5 doors down, Mum, a mate, or online backups with a 3rd party.

In this day and age, with so many low cost solutions theres no excuse for data loss. IMHO

My laptop died last summer.

Time to check that the most critical files were safe and sound on USB stick: about thirty seconds.

Time to check that the more general backup (which included additionals of the files on the stick) on the server was okay: maybe ten minutes.

Time to buy a new laptop: including research and shopping around, about 24 hours, plus another 24 hours for delivery.

Time to get laptop out of the box, up and running, open up a couple of files to check they'd transferred across okay: couple of hours.

Time spent swearing at Vista: still going.............

Lol lmao :d

also worth mentioning that some of the online storage options are free or at least so cheap you don't have to think about it too much.

eg BT Digital Vault - 5Gb included with all BT Total Broadband Options

Dell - 2Gb Free - 5Gb

I dont know the workings inside my magical box on the floor next to me

I dont have to many files to back up as my home pc is for home, the one i have at work, is mainly for invoices. and statements. i also print 2 copies, one for customers and one for there boxfile.

anyway, my mother has many many files on her comp as she teaches computers as her job. she has many different classes and writes her own work books.

so when buying her new pc, she had 2 extra hard drives fitted, one to back up, and another to back up weekly, its does it automaticly.

thats the jist of it i think from what i know, so when bying a pc, when its important for your daily work. you dont do the same.

sean

Thats the sort of thing that would make me nervous. She obviously has a lot of important data on the PC, but the backup is kept on the same PC

Think Disaster recovery. Or in simple terms, what if one day that PC was no longer there, how much of a problem would that be?

I think we are in an interesting period of history, we are becoming more and more dependant on computers, for home (digital photos, music) and business, but the tools we are using aren't really that far down the evolutionary tree.

I wonder if in the future, backing up the data will become part of the buying process. ie I need a computer, MS Office, and online back area etc. Maybe it will be home insurance companies that will become the guardians of our data, and you get xyz storage space when you take out your home policy...