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Pen
drives |
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AKA:
usb drive, flash drive |
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Cost:
£15 - £100 |
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Space:
128mb - 2gb |
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Method:
Plug it into a usb port. Just drag & drop files, using the
Windows Explorer to the new drive letter. No software drivers
needed. |
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Difficulty:
Very easy. |
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Pros:
Easy to install & copy data. Can be reused indefinately.
Small & portable. |
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Cons:
Easy to lose or get stolen. Limited space. May run out of usb
ports (buy usb
hub). |
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Advice:
Use to move files around, & for easy backups. Make sure
important data is stored offsite as well. |
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Backup
over the Internet |
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AKA:
offsite backup, online backups, FTP server backup. |
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Cost:
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From
£3/mth. |
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$30
(£20) for HandyBackup software. |
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Space:
500mb - 10gb+ |
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Method:
Use HandyBackup to backup to an Internet server. Easy to setup
up & to automate nightly backups. |
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Difficulty:
Easy. |
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Pros:
Offsite (so your data won't be stolen with your laptop). Flexible
space. Easy. Can access your data from anywhere. Secure (data
can be encrypted). Easy to automate nightly backups. Will be
virus scanned on the Internet server. |
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Cons:
Need internet access, ideally adsl. Uploads of large amounts
of data can be slow, however once stored, the nightly backups
will be fast, as only files changed will be uploaded. Monthly
fee. |
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Advice:
Use for important data backups. Use HandyBackup software to
schedule a backup every night. |
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Burn
to CD |
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AKA:
CD-R, CD-RW, cd writer, cd rewriter, cd burner. |
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Cost:
20p per CD-R. £30 option on Dell laptops. |
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Space:
CD = 700mb. |
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Method:
Insert CD-R & use the CD burning software that came with
your laptop, eg nero, sonic, roxio, etc. |
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Difficulty:
Can be problematic, especially CD-RW |
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Pros:
Cheap. Can store CD's offsite. |
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Cons:
Not easy to use, can be slow. |
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Advice:
Use for data you don't change much eg photos. Or monthly backups.
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More
info & Buy |
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Burn
to DVD
|
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AKA:
DVD writer. DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD rewriter. |
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Cost:
25p-50p per DVD. |
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Space:
DVD = 4-8gb |
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Method:
Insert DVD & use the burning software that came with your
laptop, eg nero, sonic, roxio, windvd, etc. |
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Difficulty:
Can be problematic. |
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Pros:
Cheap. Can store DVD's offsite. Useful as DVD disc copier. |
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Cons:
Not easy to use, can be slow. |
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Advice:
Use for data you don't change much eg photos & videos. Or
monthly backups. |
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Iomega
external DVD writer More
info & Buy |
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Copy
to external disk drive
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AKA:
usb drive, external HDD, usb disk drive. |
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Cost:
£125+ |
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Space:
100gb+ |
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Method:
Plug it into a usb port. Just drag & drop files, using the
Windows Explorer. Or use HandyBackup to backup to this drive
every night automatically. |
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Difficulty:
Very easy. |
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Pros:
Very fast, huge space, easy. |
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Cons:
Expensive, bulky, could be stolen. |
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Advice:
Use for very large backups of data that change often. Use HandyBackup
software to schedule a backup daily. Make sure important data
is stored offsite as well. |
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| Advice |
| Why
backup? |
| Losing
all your data is easy, & lots of people do it. Read this
guide & don't let it be you! |
| Data
loss is usually caused by: viruses, hardware failure, theft
or accidental deletion. |
| How
do I backup my data? |
| There
are many options, depending on how much data you want to save,
how frequently the data changes & your technical confidence. |
| 1st
step is to gather all your data you want to save, eg essays,
photos, into one directory structure, such as the 'my documents'
folder. |
| If
you use Outlook, then search for outlook.pst. |
| If
you use Outlook Express I suggest you buy the HandyBackup software
with the Outlook addin. Or manually export your emails &
address regualrly. |
| Remember
you can't copy or backup files that are open. |
| When
all your data is in one folder structure. Right click on the
folder > Properties & note the size. This will guide
you on which backup method to use. |
| If
you are not sure where your data files are, then use HandyBackup
to copy your whole disk drive to an external usb disk drive. |
| HandyBackup
software? |
| Allows
you to backup folders, & save them to: another drive (eg
pen or usb drive), multiple CD's, or an FTP server. It also
automates the backup, so it could run every night. There are
Outlook & Outlook Express add-ins to help save email &
contacts. Try
it for free. |
| Why
store backups offsite? |
| If
your PC/laptop is stolen, then your backup devices (pen drive,
pcmcia drive usb drive, etc) may be stolen too. Same applies
if there is a fire. |
| If
your data is important, then make sure you store it offsite
as well. On a CD, zip disk, 2nd pen drive or Internet server.
You may want to encrypt this data in case it is lost of stolen.
HandyBackup can do this easily. |
| Burning
to CD? |
| This
is a cheap way to backup your data, but burning CD's can be
tricky sometimes. CD-R are blank record once CD's, if set to
multi-session, then you can add files later on. CD-RW is read
& write, worth trying, but they can often be a real pain
to get to work. |
| A
good option for saving photos. |
| Use
HandyBackup software to copy data across multiple CD's. |
| Glossary |
| AKA
- Also Known As. |
| PCMCIA
- Credit card size slot on side of laptop. |
| USB
- rectangular slot on side of laptop. |
| FTP
- File transfer protocol, the method of moving files across
the Internet. |
| ADSL
- Same as broadband. |
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