Get Organized: Back Up Your Most Important Data

We all know we should backup our computers, but who has the time? The initial setup could take hours when you include all the research that goes into choosing a backup method, learning how to put it in place, configuring the settings, and making sure it works.

If backing up your computer is a chore you've put off for too long, this article will speed you through some of the most time-consuming steps and hopefully convince you to backup at least part of your computer: the stuff that matters most to you.

This article refers only to desktop and laptop computers (or "personal computers," whether they're Windows PCs or Mac). Next week's Get Organized article will explore backing up mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

A Manageable Approach to Backing Up
The reasons to backup your computer are clear. Our PCs house some of our most precious data, from photos to financial records to research and creative work. Losing those things can be devastating. It can disappear in a heartbeat if your computer is damaged in any number of scenarios: a fire, theft, virus, a spilled soda, or an inexplicable hard drive failure.

Most of know that we should backup, but we put off doing it. Losing valuable data is a threat rather than an imminent danger. Plus, the project seems overwhelming.

To get yourself organized and motivated, imagine that the most important data on your computer—be it emails or the video of your child's birth—is at risk right now. If figuring out your entire backup strategy is biting off more than you can chew, just focus on the files or information that have the most value for you. Let's start there. (Note: I really do advocate a more thorough backup regimen to save not only your files, but also your drivers, settings, and more. But I also understand the reality and am taking the approach that "something is better than nothing" for the purpose of this article.)

How to Back Up Your Most Important Data Quickly
The first rule of backup is redundancy, so once you have identified the most important data you want to backup, you'll need to choose two methods. So, if you're not backing up your entire machine, just selected files, I recommend using a cloud based file-syncing service and a USB flash drive or discs (alternative options are listed on the next page). This combination is extremely cheap and takes mere minutes to use.

Cloud service. For cloud-based storage, or Internet-accessible storage, I would start with a simple (click the link for recommendations). Pick a service (SugarSync and Dropbox are two of my favorites), surf over to the website, and signup. With most providers, you'll get anywhere from 2.5GB to 10GB free space, which is probably all the space you'll need if you're only backing up some files and not your entire PC.

All file-syncing services have some kind of "get started" literature or video—pay attention! The most important thing to know about file-syncing services is if you delete files from your PC, they will also be deleted from the cloud. Syncing is different than making a one-time copy of a backup. Setting up this service should easily take less than 15 minutes, plus additional time for all the files to make their way to the cloud (though you can do other things while that's occurring in the background). When it's all said and done, your files will be accessible to you from any nearly any Internet-connected device. If your laptop incinerates, the files will still be online, and you can download them as a ZIP files to make a new copy on a new PC.

Discs and USB drives. You can buy USB drives and blank CDs or DVDs at any office supply store, many chain pharmacy-marts, and even at some large grocery stores. Pop one into your PC, drag files you want to back up into the device's folder on screen, and give it a few minutes to process. Voilà. Two backups done.

You can also use a USB flash drive to back up your entire PC, which is surprisingly quick and simple, but you have to make sure you buy a flash drive that has more space than your computer.

That's the quick and dirty way to back up selected files. But different kinds of backup solutions work better for different kinds of data and your ability to retrieve them.

I highly recommend Eric Griffith's thorough article, "," which explains in much greater detail the pros and cons of different types of backup options, lists the basic how-to steps, and names recommended backup products and service providers. For even more recommendations, see ."

PC Backup Solution Options
If the suggestion on the previous page doesn't sound like it will meet your needs, here are some more options for backup solutions, with notes on the pros and cons of each below:

• the cloud (i.e., Internet-accessible storage, including )
• disc (CD, DVD, Blu-ray)
• USB flash drive
• external hard drive
• network-attached storage (also known as NAS or home server)
• file/folder copy and transfer to another computer
• online backup service

The cloud. Cloud-based backup solutions (meaning a company lets you host copies of your data on its servers, uploaded through the Internet, and you access them via the Internet) have several benefits. Many services offer a good chunk of storage for free. Setup is quick (minutes). They're perfect for files you need to access regularly, as you can reach them from any Internet-connected device. And the data is hosted in a separate location from your PC, so if your house burns down with your laptop in it, your cloud-hosted files won't be affected.

The downsides: If you need to pay for extra storage, expect it to be a subscription fee rather than a one-time cost. You should also check that the service you choose is safe and encrypts your data. Plus, if the hosting company goes out of business, the destiny of your files isn't certain.

Disc. Burning data to discs may sound out of fashion, but it's an inexpensive and reliable option for certain kinds of files, particularly original copies (pre-editing) of photos and videos. It's also a good option for files and entire folders you need to archive and save, but rarely need to access, like PDFs of old tax returns, as retrieval is straightforward. One problem with discs is you will probably store them near your computer, so in the event of a physical disaster (e.g., fire), they'll be subject to the same conditions. They're portable objects, and thus subject to being misplaced or damaged by other means. Discs also aren't ideal for files you need to change, anything in-progress, that is. And the biggest disc you can find will still fill up quickly with data.

USB flash drive. USB drives share many of the same benefits and disadvantages as discs: good for files and folders, inexpensive, fairly reliable, easy to retrieve information from them, likely to be stored near your computer and thus subject to physical disasters. One noticeable difference: USB drives are a better option for storing active files because they're slightly more portable and typically a little better for read/write.

If you buy a large enough USB flash drive, you can use it to backup your entire machine. It's simpler than a lot of people realize. Just plug it in, and when prompted, choose the option to use the device for backup. Your PC should walk you through the rest in a few minutes.

External hard drive. External hard drives are big, offering a lot more storage capacity than USB keys and discs, and therefore are better for backing up the entire machine rather than just selected files. Like USB keys and discs, external hard drives are likely to be kept near your computer, especially because you have to physically connect them to your computer to use them. Most external hard drives are pretty rugged, though, and hence less likely to be scratched, cracked, or broken. Retrieval, again, is convenient.

External hard drives cost a bit more than the other options, but it's a one-time fee, unlike buying more cloud-based storage which will be billed as a subscription. Aside from reading up on (or just see our picks of ), setting up an external hard drive takes only a few minutes. They're basically plug-and-play ready. You can copy to them files to store as-is, or you can turn on the settings on your PC to back up files to the hard drive on a regular basis.

Network attached storage (NAS). NAS devices are the next step up from external hard drives. They share many of the same pros and cons as external hard drives, except they are often wireless and can be used easily by more than one computer at once. An entire household of users can back up their computers to a single NAS.

Another computer. For people who use more than one PC, another method of backup is to simply store copies of all your data on both machines, similar to using an external hard drive or NAS. You can connect two computers with a cable or wirelessly by networking them. Again, if you store both PCs in the same place, they're both exposed to the same physical risks.

Online backup service. Finally, you can pay an online backup service to manage the whole kit and caboodle. The advantage is specialty services are thorough, and they're physically separate from your computer. Getting your data back may be trickier. It's in your best interest to test the process of retrieving your data before you sign on for a long-term subscription with any provider.

If you do decide to do a complete backup (disk imaging), which doesn't take all that much more time than a partial backup, you'll still need to choose a type of storage space, whether it's a very large USB drive, an external hard drive or cloud storage space. But the "work" part of the backup can be done using Window's built-in backup utility or Mac's Time Machine, and as I said, it doesn't really take that much time.