On 'World Backup Day,' here are five simple strategies to safeguard your data.
It's no wonder that you're running out of capacity on your devices now that your world has become increasingly digitalized - from images and movies to music and podcasts to videogames and ebooks.
What method do you use to back up all of your crucial files?
Backing up your information frees up space on your laptop or tablet, but it also protects them against risks like a nasty virus, a harmful power surge, theft, fire or flood, and so on.
Losing years' worth of priceless images, home movies, and work-related data might be very upsetting.
We offer some low-cost options, and you don't need a degree in computer engineering to accomplish it.
The following are five options for laptops and desktops and their benefits and drawbacks.
A portable hard drive
An external hard disc drive (HDD) is for you if you have a lot of files.
For as little as $59, you can get a 2 terabyte (2TB) external drive (approximately 2,000 gigabytes) from the WD Easystore or the Seagate Portable. That's a lot of bang for your buck, coming from industry heavyweights.
An external hard drive is appropriate for material such as videos, which might be large files.
Some versions mentioned above are "portable" drives, meaning they're smaller and powered by the computer's USB connector. Others are "desktop" drives, which require an AC outlet and are intended for stationary usage.
Some drives are known as NAS (network-attached storage), and they connect to your router or modem over Wi-Fi, acting as your cloud.
Hard drives are fantastic for huge data, but they aren't as quick as solid-state drives (see below), and they might fail over time, so having copies or triplicates of these external drives – and keeping them somewhere else than near your PC – is essential. Why? Backups may be destroyed together with the original in the case of a fire or flood.
Driven by solid-state technology (SSD)
A solid-state drive (SSD) has various advantages over a traditional hard disk.
For starters, SSDs are substantially quicker when saving and retrieving data from the disk. Part of this is because, unlike spinning magnetic platters within hard drives, SSDs have no moving elements.
SSDs are quieter to operate than hard drives since they don't have any moving parts. Solid-state drives are smaller, lighter, and need less power, resulting in longer battery life on a laptop between charges.
SSDs are more robust and less prone to damage than HDDs, which is important if you're backing up your taken photographs while on the road, such as on vacation.
SSDs are more expensive than hard drives, but they can't store as many files.
Recommended: The WD My Passport SSD starts at $105 for 500 GB and goes up to $449 for 4TB. Connect it to a PC or Mac through USB 3.0 for 1,050MB/second data transmission rates. They're resistant to shock and vibration and drop up to 6.5 feet.
Backing up to the cloud
Cloud services, such as Apple's iCloud, Microsoft's OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon Photos, can secure your data from attacks since your files are kept offsite.
From practically any internet-connected computer, tablet, or smartphone anywhere globally, you can safely access all of your backed-up data. The majority of cloud providers offer free applications that simplify downloading and uploading data from your mobile device.
When compared to, for instance, trying to send a 25MB file, the cloud can lessen congestion in someone's inbox.
Cloud services, although handy, only provide a few gigabytes for free, leaving you with the option of paying a monthly membership to a firm to store your information. This may build-up, and if you don't pay, you'll lose access to your data. You're renting a room.
For example, Apple's iCloud+ costs $0.99 per month for 50GB, $2.99 per month for 200GB, and $9.99 per month for 2TB.
You'll need an internet connection to view your files, so keep that in mind.
USB stick, SD cards
If you don't have a lot of files, get a few cheap USB thumb drives (also known as "jump drives," "flash drives," or "USB sticks") or SD memory cards with 16 or 32 gigabytes. Drag critical data from your computer onto these disks before putting them away in a secure location.
If your laptop has an SD (or smaller microSD) slot on the side, insert a card and keep it there all the time.
A SanDisk Cruzer Glide 32GB USB drive costs $8.99, but you'll need a USB A connector on your computer or laptop, not the newer and smaller USB Type-C port.
Some USB flash drives, like the Lexar USB 64GB ($12.69), come with USB A and USB C connectors (on each side of the drive).
Reuse instead of recycle