Think about all the essential files you store on your computer.
Think of all those Hawaii vacation pictures. Think of your massive jazz collection. Think about all those files you’ve saved for work– or for your online college degree.
Now imagine all those files being erased.
What would you do? Could you live through your own personal digital Armageddon?
Computers crash. It’s an unfortunate fact of owning an electronic device– they can fail, be destroyed, or get stolen. What’s a savvy computer user to do?
Back up your files.
Ways to Back up Your Data
- On an external hard drive. These are especially handy, as they generally have tons of storage space. Remember to use a hard drive as a back up and not an archive, as a hard drive can fail just like a computer can. The only downside of having an external hard drive? They’re generally on the pricy side.
- On flash drives. They’re portable. They’re slim. They’re cheap. And they’re virtually indestructible (as long as you treat them correctly). Remember to eject them properly instead of yanking them out of your computer’s USB slot.
- On CDs. Only slightly more modern than the old floppy disks, CDs are a favorite backup source for many as they’re cheap and can be easily labeled, much the same way as a physical file would be labeled. Be forewarned that CDs can take up a lot of physical space in your house if you’ve got a lot of files, however.
- Online. Plenty of online storage space and backup services abound.









