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BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM HOW TO
BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM MAC OS
BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM FULL
BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM SOFTWARE
BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM WINDOWS

Open up your Apple Menu (the cute little apple at the top left of your screen).

Your new drive will be wiped and formatted to be compatible with Time Machine backups.

Note that, if you wish, you can encrypt this drive as you format it.

BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM MAC OS

Select Mac OS Extended format (Journaled) and then give your Mac the go-ahead to perform the erase.Be sure to select your new drive, and then select Erase from the top bar of the Disk Utility app. On the left, you’ll see a directory of connected drives. Right up at the top right of your screen, you’ll see a little magnifying glass.Connect your new drive to your Mac via the USB port.

This isn’t a terrible idea, but you will have to pay for that feature! Once you buy your external drive/s, you face no ongoing expense. There are a few reasons for this, but the big reason is that Apple wants you to backup your data to iCloud. Unfortunately, this rule doesn’t apply quite so readily to external drive backup. Mac processes are usually pretty simple and streamlined. It takes a little longer but it keeps your data extra safe. However, if you can, encrypt your backup.

Encrypt where possible – People backup in different ways, and encrypting your backup drive (making it impossible to read or access without a password) isn’t always feasible.

Again, it happens! Make like a cub-scout, and be prepared. At the very least, make sure it’s stored away from your main computer, and somewhere that wouldn’t easily be found in the unfortunate event of theft.

Keep your drive safe – Ideally, you’d keep your external drive off-site.

The more organized your folders are before you backup, the easier it’ll be to retrieve specific files or folders. Spend a little time on file structure as well.

Only backup clean data – Before you perform a backup, it pays to spend a little time cleaning your hard drive of old, duplicate files.

One neat way to do this is to alternate your quarterly backups across two external drives.

Aim for redundancy – External hard drives can fail as well! If your budget will spring for it, don’t just backup to one external drive.

BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM FULL

We’d recommend that, at a minimum, you aim for a quarterly full backup schedule.

BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM SOFTWARE

Some software will handle a regular backup schedule for you, but just to be sure, add a regular reminder to your calendar to check that you’re backed up.

Have a schedule – It’s boring we know, but backing up is something you should do regularly.

There are five rules of thumb you should attempt to follow faithfully: Your first step is to know and understand some basic principles of good backup practice. OK, so by now hopefully you’re convinced that backups aren’t an optional extra in your computing life! So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of how.

BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM HOW TO

How to Protect Yourself with a Backup Protocol If all else fails you can always grab that crucial archive. While you have a range of options for retrieval here, an external hard drive backup is your best final safety net. Accidental file deletion or overwriting happens all the time. This is less common than it once was, but sometimes software fails catastrophically, damaging files you may have been reading or editing.įinally, there’s good old-fashioned human error. You might also face a situation where software failure damages crucial files. That failure could look like a complete and sudden breakdown of your hard drive, or (more often the case) you may have experienced file corruption owing to a gradually deteriorating drive. The first and most obvious reason is in case of hard drive failure. However, an external hard drive backup means you’ll be able to restore your computer with or without a functioning Internet connection.įor many, this is a more convenient and secure option. Keeping a backup on your existing hard drive won’t help you if that hard drive fails! Hard drives are physical devices, and they can destruct. The obvious reason is it’s a contingency plan. So, first up, why might you want to create an external hard drive backup?

BEST HARD DRIVE BACKUP SYSTEM WINDOWS

Then we’ll give you a step-by-step walkthrough for backing up your data to a Mac or a Windows PC. Then we’ll walk you through the five key principles of data backup. We’ll start by giving you the pros and cons of opting for an external drive backup.

So here’s a quick and snappy guide to keeping your data safely backed up on an external hard drive. Nerds On Call Computer Repair are always here to help you retrieve lost hard drive data, but when it comes to keeping your data safe, the simple fact is that prevention is way better than finding a cure! You may well be thanking yourself (and us!) later. Learning how to backup your computer to an external hard drive may not be the most fun way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon, but trust us on this! If only! This is the two-word refrain of anyone who lost hard drive data without having a solid backup waiting in the wings.