Information on your computer is too important to risk losing. Having an extra copy or two of your important files will give you peace of mind. Let’s discuss how to back up your data to CDs or DVDs.
You’ll want to make at least two copies, and store one somewhere other than in your own home. Perhaps keep one handy at home, store one at a friend’s house, and place a third copy in a very secure location such as a bank safe deposit box.
Apple makes it simple to back up your Mac’s entire hard drive using Disk Utility’s “disk imaging”, which is where you make a complete copy of your computer’s hard drive. If your hard drive totally dies, it is very easy to simply make a new hard drive exactly like your old one. For a disk image, you’ll need to use an external drive, because a CD or DVD is unlikely to have sufficient space for the disk image.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1553
The downside of disk imaging is that when you create your new hard drive, it will have whatever malware infection or software problems you may now have. In cases like this, it is better to back up just your data files and to restore them after reinstalling a new version of your operating system and other software. You can do this easily using a “Burn Folder”. Backing up your data files is also very handy for end of year records.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8924.html
Windows users can run Microsoft’s Backup Utility (Start - Control Panel - Backup and Restore, or Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Backup). Simply follow the prompts in the program to back up your computer. Select your CD or DVD drive for the location of the backup. At one point, you’ll have the option to include a disk image, just like with Macs. You should select this option at least one time, as you never know when you might need to completely restore your computer, such as if your hard drive crashes. If you want regular backups of important files you change often, set your computer to back up automatically every week or month or whatever.
If you want to use a specialized program, check out Active Disk Image. They offer a free 21 day trial - click on Downloads.
http://www.disk-image.net
Always check each CD by opening random files once the data has been copied.
Next time, we’ll discuss how to burn a CD or DVD, so that you can back up individual files or create a photo or music CD.
Backing up your files is important for peace of mind. You should do it on a regular basis.
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