When was the last time you backed up your computer?
No, really? When? A few months ago? A year ago? Never?
If you've never experienced data loss or hard drive failure, you're lucky. The luck will eventually run out. Everyone will experience some sort of data loss in their lifetime.
Take it from me. I've been unlucky. I had an internal die and an iPhone brick, both times the data was unrecoverable. I once had smoke coming out of an external hard drive.
We rely on our computers and mobile devices more than ever before. The type of data that is lost is going to become more detrimental to lose: Your newborn child's first photos, messages from deceased loved ones, the list goes on.
That doesn't have to be you! Let's make a New Year's resolution to back up our data regularly. You need to make that happen.
The rule is 3-2-1.
Some people think that moving files to an external hard drive in order to make room for their computer on their desk means they have a backup.
If you only have one place to keep your files, you don't have a backup. Even if you have your files on two local drives, most data recovery experts wouldn't consider that sufficient.
That's where the 3-2-1 rule comes in.
You should have at least three separate copies of your data, on at least two different places, with one offsite.
What does this mean? Let's take your family holiday video that you shot on your phone. If you have a mobile device, an external hard drive, and a cloud storage account, then you're following the 3-2-1 rule. The video is on two local devices and saved in the cloud.
How to make a backup on a computer.
There is no excuse to not back up your files if you have a Mac. Apple's Time Machine is easy to set and forget. That is important when it comes to backups. It is automated. You have to do it once it's set up.
Time Machine is the easiest way to setup automatic backups on a Mac. The Mashable Screenshot is credit.
You can set up Time Machine with a small, compact Western Digital My Passport drive. Time Machine will save your computer's state after the initial backup.
Have you ever had an issue with data loss? Time Machine can be used to bring your computer back to the moment before the data loss.
I haven't used Time Machine in a long time. It's easy to use. I could have avoided a lot of headaches. I regret it. It took a long time years ago to create a backup. Sometimes it froze and didn't create a backup. Whatever the issues were back then, Apple has fixed them. My Mac Mini is being backed up every hour and it's very efficient. When your Mac is backing up, you won't know.
There are storage tips.
What hardware should you use to back up? What cloud services should I use to store my data?
If you have a lot of data, it's likely you're not storing anything other than active projects on your computer. Time Machine has all of the active files.
I would recommend buying two Western Digital external drives for basic cold storage. I recently purchased two 14 td easystore drives for less than $200 each, so I can use a lot of the storage for less. You should keep a copy of your photos, videos, and other important documents on both drives. You could keep one of those hard drives offsite for extra security.
Consider cloud services.
These are all well-known file storage cloud services. They can get a bit pricey.
Backblaze has a personal storage plan for $7 per month. Backblaze will back up your PC or Mac around the clock, no limit on how much you can store. It will back up external hard drives plugged into your computer if Backblaze can detect them once every 30 days.
Backblaze will automatically back up your files when they are scanned. The Mashable Screenshot is credit.
If you ever need to grab a few files, you can use Backblaze's online interface. If you suffer a total loss, you can request that Backblaze send you a physical hard drive in the mail.
Not a person who subscribes? There are two companies that have been around for a while that offer a one-time payment "lifetime" cloud storage plan.
PCloud has a one-time payment plan that will provide you with backup storage for life. The Mashable Screenshot is credit.
These services aren't strictly for backups. They don't have all the restore options Backblaze has. They have options to automatically back up your files. You can get a 2 terabytes PCloud plan for $245 through sales. The lifetime plans are starting at $29.99. Both services offer yearly plans.
Do you take a lot of pictures and videos on your phone? You should sign up for a paid subscription. It's worth it for the peace of mind that you won't lose your data if you lose your phone. If your phone's files aren't also on your media, they're not necessarily a backup. Make sure to keep your photos on your physical storage devices too. It's a no-brainer that you can get 2 terabytes of storage for $9.99 a month, which you can use to share with other users.
Your hard drive's health should be monitored.
I don't recommend any data recovery software here.
You won't need it because after you read this post, you'll have enough backups to protect you from data loss.
By the time you experience a data loss, you should be going to a data recovery professional because messing with most consumer-level data recovery software will only reduce the chances of recovering your files.
I will recommend DriveDX for Mac.
Why? DriveDX is a preventative. You can take action before data loss occurs if you know the health of your drive.
DriveDX will tell you how worried you should be about the health of your internal storage. The Mashable Screenshot is credit.
It is possible for a drive to die on you without warning. This is possible with the hard drive as it usually suffers from mechanical failures, which can be heard before it crashes on you. If you were using an app like DriveDX, there would be warning signs that could have been caught.
When it comes across bad sectors or other signs of a failing drive, DriveDX will warn you. If your drive is about to die, these warnings can be crucial in making sure that you stop using the drive in order to backup your most recent data and not to store anything new. It is definitely worth it at $19.99.
I will tell you that data loss hurts. Make sure you back up your computer frequently. This is the only New Year's resolution you want to keep.
