What is data backup? Cloud and Local

Most of us never think about losing our important data until it actually happens and we’re caught without a backup. At some point in our lives, all of us lose data. Sometimes, we accidentally drop the hard drive or spill water on it. Ransomware could also possibly hold your files hostage, or a software bug could corrupt your files. In the worst scenario, your computer or laptop could be burnt, misplaced, damaged, or even stolen.

In all these situations, users lose their precious data if they’re not regularly backing up their files. Since your computer’s hard drive could fail at any moment, it is advised to take regular backups. Whether you accidentally delete a file or your hard drive suffers a crash, an up-to-date backup can save you from unexpected data loss. However, even tech-savvy people often neglect backing up their hard drives because creating and managing data backups is considered to be cumbersome. Backup a day keeps the data loss away.

External Hard Drive

Importance of data backup

To protect data from potential loss, a backup is created, which is simply a copy of the files and documents stored on your hard drive to another location. All your important documents, music, photos, or other files can be easily copied to another data storage device so that they can be recovered in the event of hard drive failure and resultant data loss. So, your computer’s backup means maintaining an exact copy of all files you create. However, this doesn’t mean creating multiple copies of original files on the same hard drive at once. There is no point in making three copies of a document on your computer because if your internal hard drive crashes, you will still lose all three. Data backup is a repetitive process that involves copying files to another hard drive or any other media. Whether you’re using a manual or automated backup option, if the process is not repeated regularly, then new or changed files will not be saved or archived.

Data backup options

Backups are straightforward to maintain and manage. Computer users have plenteous options to maintain backups. There are multiple applications, platforms, and storage media to create, maintain, and manage backups easily. You may choose a manual or automated backup option, but the best backup solution will automatically perform backups once the system is set up.

The data from your computer’s hard drive can be preserved on other hard drives, other external storage devices like USB flash drives or external hard drives, or online cloud storage accounts.

Now as you know, there are numerous options to backup files, and you might wonder which one is right for you. Indeed, many good backup programs exist, but one of the best options is built-in tools that automatically save copies of your data to an external hard drive or a shared network location. Both Windows and Mac OS have great built-in backup utilities that can protect your files from accidental loss. So, let’s find out how to easily back up your hard drive on an external hard drive and then restore data from there.

Backup to a USB drive

Backing up the internal drive to an external drive will keep your files safe if anything happens to your computer. For this, you need first to buy a good external drive. We suggest an external SSD drive that can accommodate all your data. You may get an external drive with at least the same capacity as your computer’s internal drive. This will allow you to mirror your internal drive to your external drive. However, if you intend to make regular backups, then look for an external drive with twice the capacity of your internal drive. Once you get the right drive, follow some simple steps to backup your computer’s hard drive to your external drive.

Backup According to Your Operating System

Your computer’s built-in backup features will allow you to back up your files. When you connect your external drive, the Mac or Windows operating systems automatically recognize your USB external drive. Your system will ask if you want to use the external drive as a backup device. You will get an option to either mirror the entire drive or choose particular files to back up. When backing up for the first, it’s easier to mirror the entire drive. Once you back up all the existing data, you may back up only new or updated files in the future.

Backup tools for Windows

You can manually backup your data by copying them to an external hard drive. Another option is using Windows backup tools similar to online backup services. Windows allows its users to set up backup once and get automatic and continuous backups of their files. The backup utility of Windows 7 is known as Backup and Restore. Windows 8 has divided this backup tool into two parts: File History and a system image tool.

The default option of Windows 7 will back up and Restore data once a month. While File History on Windows 8 works every hour. Windows also allows users to adjust their backup settings. This means that you can choose how often you need backup. The “Advanced settings” of Windows 8 and the “Change schedule” option in Windows 7 can adjust how often you want the backup to run.

Backup data to an external drive using Windows backup

1. Get a backup USB external hard drive and plug it into the computer. If you don’t get a backup prompt, you can just go to the Start Menu, Search for “backup” in Windows to find the backup tool, and click on “Backup and Restore.” To start the process, click on the “Set up backup” link in Backup and Restore. If you’re using Windows 8, you can search for “backup” on the start screen and then choose “Save backup copies of your files with File History.” Now select the “Turn on” button in File History.

External Hard Drive

2. The next step is to choose the location for your backups. Since you’ve already connected a USB drive, Windows will automatically recognize the connected drive. Now you need to select the backup external drive. Windows 7 users should click the “Save on a network…” button to choose a specific drive. While for Windows 8, click on the “Select drive” link in the menu at the left.

External Hard Drive

3. Finally, a user needs to select the folders and files to back up. Windows users have the option to either allow Windows to perform backup or select their own folders. Unless you want to select only specific folders, you may allow Windows to choose. Your system will automatically create a system image and save the files in your libraries, desktop, and default Windows folders. The File History feature of Windows 8 will also automatically save files in your Desktop, Libraries, Contacts, and OneDrive folders. Once the needed data is backed up. You need to click the save your settings button, run the backup, and you’re done. Whenever you need to restore a lost file, go to the Start Menu, type backup, and select “Backup and Restore”.

Full system backup of your computer

Windows backup tools are used to make copies of the most important data, such as documents, photos, and videos. However, some users may also need a backup of other programs like system settings, applications, and all other files. In this case, users need to create a system image of their computer, which is nothing but an exact copy of everything on your hard drive. This helps in restoring everything back to normal if the hard drive or entire computer crashes. However, unlike Windows backup tools, system image backups can’t be scheduled for automatic backups. Also, it allows users to have only one system image on a drive at a time.

To create a complete backup of your hard drive, you need to first type “backup” in the search box and click on the “Create a system image” in Windows 7 and “System Image Backup” in Windows 8. Now select your backup external hard drive and click the “Start backup” button to create the system image.

External Hard Drive

Backup tools for Mac

If you use a Mac, you can use Time Machine, which will run every hour and check for changes. The easy-to-use Time Machine helps back up as well as restore files. This system automatically creates a backup of your entire hard drive when running.

To backup data from your hard drive to an external drive, plug in your drive. Your Mac system will ask if you want to use that drive as a backup disk. Select the “Use as Backup Disk” option to start the backup process. If your operating system does not prompt the backup option, then Mac users should go to System Preferences, open the Time Machine option, click “Select Backup Disk” and choose the external drive. Keep your computer turned to take your first backup. To restore a file, you only need to click on the Time Machine option and select “Enter Time Machine” to search through your old backups.

External Hard Drive

Cloud backup

The significant advantage of cloud backup is its compatibility with any operating system, making it a flexible solution for individuals and businesses. Additionally, setting up a scheduled backup ensures that essential data is regularly saved without requiring manual intervention. By selecting a specific day and time for backups to run, users can feel confident that their data is protected and easily accessible in case of a system failure or data loss. Overall, cloud backup offers a reliable and hassle-free solution for safeguarding important information.

Conclusion

Backing up your data is crucial for not losing important files and information. Regular backups will prevent data loss and recovery situations. It’s essential to choose a backup method that works for your specific needs and to schedule backups to avoid regularly losing recent changes or updates. Whether you back up to an external drive, a cloud-based service, or a combination of both, the most important thing is to make sure you have a plan in place and stick to it. By taking the time to back up your data, you can have peace of mind knowing that your important files are safe and secure.

Robert Clark
About author:

IT professional who strongly believes that technology should serve people, not the other way around. He shares his knowledge by writing articles that simplify technology and makes it understandable to everyone.

David Green
About reviewer:

Engineer with a passion for solving complex problems and keeping up with the latest technology trends. With years of experience in the industry, he has become an expert in data recovery, using state-of-the-art tools and techniques to recover data from damaged or corrupted devices.