I’ll save you some time.  If you don’t backup your computer now, and nothing anyone says is going to change that, stop reading now and start printing out those photos you’re going to lose someday.

If you are already backing up, or are willing to entertain the idea that someday you WILL have a computer failure or worse (like theft or fire) and will lose everything you have on your computer, then keep reading.

Peter Krogh is a professional photographer and an expert in digital asset management.  He teaches the “3-2-1 Rule”, which goes like this: You need to have 3 copies of your digital data, on 2 different types of media and 1 copy off-site.

Let’s start with WHAT you should be backing up.  Your copy of Windows or OS-X or Linux (whatever operating system you use) can be replaced, so can your Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs.  Just go to the store and buy another copy if you need to, or re-install from the discs if you have them.  I’m talking the digital data YOU have created, either with a program, or perhaps with a camera.  Maybe you have lots of spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations you’ve created for work.  Or you have school papers you’ve written, and have a couple of papers currently in process.  Maybe you’re a music lover and have LOTS of music you’ve downloaded (legally of course) at considerable expense, and of course there is email that sits on your computer.  Last but not least are your photos from your digital camera.  Everyone has that ONE picture or video that would just kill them to lose – maybe it’s Emily singing in the talent show, or Michael crossing home plate after hitting his home run, or Jacob’s first baby picture.  THIS is what you want to be backing up, things you NEVER want to lose.

It’s important to start with knowing where your originals are.  I’ve seen people who have their music on the computer’s hard drive, their photos on an external hard drive, and keep the work files on a USB flash drive.  Just because your data isn’t on your primary hard drive doesn’t mean you’ve backed it up, so KNOW where your originals are so you can be sure you’re backing them up.

Having a 3-2-1 strategy isn’t hard.  Knowing where all your originals is the first step, NOW we can back them up.  3 copies means just that, 3 copies.  2 different types of media means 2 different types of storage technologies, that could be CD’s or DVD’s, USB flash drives, even old floppy discs or zip drives.  The reason for this is because one type of technology may be more susceptible to a particular type of accident or disaster than another.  If your house is flooded and your computer is underwater, that hard drive might never spin again, but you can probably clean those DVD’s and read from them again.  In a fire, those DVD’s are going to melt pretty quick but the hard drive MIGHT last long enough to still work.  Disasters like fire and theft are why you need ONE copy off-site.  Perhaps in addition to copying your files to an external hard drive, you copy and new or changed files to a DVD and mail it to a friend or family member to file away for you, or you can take it to your office, getting it out of the house.  Another option is for off-site backup is a fast-growing category known as online backup.  There are lots of players out there, the two best known are Carbonite and Mozy (full disclosure – I’m a Carbonite reseller.)  Both Mozy and Carbonite offer unlimited storage for a flat fee of about $5 a month, and the backups occur in the background automatically, so you don’t have to remember to do anything.  I really like this method because all you have to do to backup your data is turn on your computer (and be connected to the Internet of course.)  The downside to the online backup method is that it can take a LONG time to get your data initially up to the internet, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on just how much data you have.  And if you DO lose your original and local back to fire or theft, it might take a full day or two for all your files to download back onto your computer (but you can always immediately get the important files you need.)

For your local backups to an external hard drive, the best way to do it is just drag and drop the files from the computer to the external drive.  If you want to use software, I like SyncBack SE on Windows and ChronoSync on the Mac.  For backup up to CD’s or DVD’s use your burner’s software. 

I hear about people every week who encountered a computer failure and DESPERATELY need to retrieve their data, and of course they have no backups.  PLEASE don’t become one of those people.  One day it will happen to you, and it’s much cheaper and easier on your nerves in the long run.