|
12 Things Must to do When You Get A NEW PC -7
7. Prep for Data
Backup
No doubt you've heard this a
zillion times, but in case this advice hasn't taken, I'll repeat: A
simple backup regime is great for peace of mind. Online backup
services like MozyHome (www.mozy.com/home) make it painless. You can
start with a free account that stores up to 2GB of data. Perfect for
your unfinished novel or other small projects. (You can get
unlimited online storage with Mozy for $4.95 per month.)
If you've got multiple machines, consider one of the many new
services that synchronize files between computers and add online
backup in the middle, so you can get to files when you're at someone
else's PC. Dropbox (www.getdropbox .com) is an up-and-comer that
supports sync between multiple Windows, Mac, and even Linux PCs.
Basic service is free and gives you 2 gigs of online storage; it
costs $9.99 a month to get 50 gigs.
Local backup of your data gives you more control. One option is to
partition your hard drive into multiple drives—C: for the system and
programs, D: for data, E: for items you don't need to back up. That
way, you can tell Vista's built-in Backup and Restore Center control
panel to look at one drive only. Buy an external hard drive that's
at least 1.5 times larger than the data partition (a 500GB external
drive to back up your 300GB partition, for example) as a target
drive. Now even huge video and photo files are no big deal to back
up. Simply put them in the same spot every time—always "D: for data"
(for example)—and let the software do its job.

|