How Should I Back Up My Media And Data Files?

Question:

You may know the feeling. That sinking feeling you get deep in your gut that tells you something just went horribly, horribly wrong with your computer. It's usually confirmed when you navigate to your photos, music, or documents folder and find... that... it's... EMPTY. Or maybe you try to access the file and get some strange error, or your computer locks up, never to be resurrected again.

Because of this type of devastating occurrence, one of the most common questions I get is: "How should I back up files on my computer?" You'd think it would be easy, but the truth is that there are a lot of ways to safeguard your digital loot - and I'd like to help make a little more sense of them.

Answer:

There's lots of ways, and some are better than others depending on your unique purpose. Read on to discover the variety of ways in which you can back up your files.

1. Internal Hard Drive

This is probably the easiest way to back up your valuable bits and bytes. Basically just an open storage tank for your files, an additional hard drive can solve your backup problems cheaply. If you're short on space, or have the technical knowledge, you can install an additional internal hard drive into your PC. You can use backup software to automate your backups (like Windows' SyncToy, Apple's Backup, or a variety of third party apps) or simply drag and drop the files you need to protect.

Ideal for: Tech-savvy people looking for a simple backup and who need to save desktop space

2. External Hard Drive

This seems to be the choice of many for basic backup needs, since it's super-easy to snag one of these compact units, plug into the USB or FireWire port on your computer, and start copying away. Again, you can use backup software or simply drag and drop. If you're a Mac user, you can use Time Machine to do real-time backup of your files to virtually any external hard drive! Read a review on the external hard drive I purchased, which I've enjoyed thoroughly so far. Read the review of my current external hard drive.

Ideal for: Those who don't want to take a screwdriver to their PC and need a simple or portable backup solution

3. Network Attached Storage (NAS)

NAS, otherwise known as Network Attached Storage, is useful for those who need to share their files across a home network. NAS devices connect to your home's network connection or router, and depending on your settings, can be accessed openly as a network drive. For the more advanced user, products such as NETGEAR's ReadyNAS Duo (compatible with Mac, Linux, and Windows) offer a huge list of features and extensive customization abilities. For example, you can set restrictions on individual folders, set up an online photo share, automate backups with the included software, and even use it as your own web server! Finally, NAS drives often include redundant backup solutions (RAID) where you can install additional hard drives into the unit, to ensure that if one drive fails, your data is still safe. You can also stream media! Read my review of the NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo to learn more.

Ideal for: More sensitive and important data, for those who need to stream media or files across their network

4. HP MediaSmart Server

So much more than a simple storage device, the MediaSmart Server is a true "home server." Even though, in a sense, it is a computer in and of itself, running the Windows Home Server OS, it doesn't need its own keyboard or mouse to operate. It's controlled from a PC on your network. There are a lot of things that make the MediaSmart Server an extremely flexible and powerful way to back up your files. First, you have multiple drive bays and can install different drives of different size, since the data is "pooled." (In contrast, many other NAS solutions will default to the lowest installed drive size.) The backup software integrates flawlessly with your Windows setup, backing up only files that are needed, and not backing up the same files more than once to save time and space. There's a myriad of other features the server is capable of, including media streaming, photo webshare, and others - read more about it here.

Ideal for: Windows users with lots of digital media, multiple PC households

5. SugarSync, Dropbox, And Other Online Services

This is a backup method that's just starting to catch on. While not necessarily ideal for large scale backups, online storage solutions are great if you need to sync documents, photos, music, or other smaller files across multiple computers. There are many online storage solutions out there, including Apple's iDisk (with the MobileMe service), Dropbox, SugarSync, and others.

In the case of Dropbox and SugarSync, you have the ability to install software to your computer that will automatically sync selected files and folders. When you create a new file on your desktop, it's mirrored on the server. Then, if you have your laptop set to sync the same folder, the file will then be downloaded to your laptop - it's that easy!

Ideal for: Laptop warriors, people with multiple computers/laptops/etc, travelers, small data storage needs