Most of us probably have a large portion of our lives on our computers, so being able to back all of that information is vital. No one wants to lose precious photos, work related articles, or anything else they may have stored on their computer.

That’s why most users realize that they need some sort of backup method, whether it is CDs, a hard drive or these days, storing your files on a cloud drive with Google or some other service. Or, you can even buy a subscription to places that do this automatically for you like Carbonite or Mozy.

Mistakes Users Make Baking up Files

What happens when the files are lost?

One of the first mistakes in baking up data that many consumers make is not having a backup method at all. They figure that nothing is going to happen to them or that their data isn’t really that vital. But that isn’t the case, as it’s common for a hard drive to die or something else to happen to your computer, so don’t make the mistake of thinking that losing valuable files isn’t going to happen to you.

Another thing that some people do that is a total mistake is merely moving a file from your computer to some sort of backup drive. That only makes your backup the primary drive since it is your only copy. The problem with that is that if the backup drive crashes, you lose everything you stored on it. This means that you should always have more than one copy of any file or program you don’t want to lose.

Two Methods are Better Than One

It’s best to have a local backup such as a hard drive and an offsite backup system such as a cloud drive. Some people keep their backup in a safety deposit box, this way if your home or office computer is stolen or damaged in a fire or flood; you will still have your backup and can reinstall everything onto a new computer later on.

Don’t just put your backup CDs or hard drives into a fire safe, as these are only rated to keep paper documents safe, not computer media, which likely will melt and be totally ruined. Keeping it off site in a safety deposit box is a good way to avoid this situation from ruining your chances of replacing all of your valuable computer files.

Verify Your Back Up Methods

Computer users should also periodically check that their data is actually safely being backed up. If nothing else, this will give you some piece of mind if anything happens to your computer or your data. You also need to ensure that whatever backup method you use has the capacity to handle all of your files. This is vital if you are someone who is a heavy user of things like photo files, video files, or any other large file formats. This is another reason to have more than one backup for your precious computer files.

You should also make it a habit to routinely back up your files daily if possible, weekly at a minimum. You never know when a computer may die on you, and if you just uploaded a vital file, then Murphy’s Law says that is when it could happen, so be prepared.

The bottom line is that backing up your computer files is something that we all should do on a regular basis. Not having a backup system is just asking for trouble, and it’s vital to have one, if not two, reliable backup methods that you can check and get the peace of mind you deserve that all of your files will be safe and sound in case you lose them.