If You Don't Currently Back Up Your Computer, Now is a Better Time Than Ever to Start
I’m one of the more tech-savvy people in my group of friends and family. At least once a month, someone I know will ask me to “fix their computer”, with problems ranging from slow speeds to strange popups to the dreaded hard drive failure. This last one is the worst, because although I can usually help run a virus scan or delete unwanted junk slowing down a computer, a true hardware crash is a scenario outside my – and most experts’ – ability to fix. And unlike temporary problems like spyware or spam, a computer crash is likely to have some pretty devastating effects, bad news I’ve had to break before and will have to break again.
When your computer’s hard drive fails, it can be gut-wrenching. There’s no preparing for a disaster that only happens every few years and comes with no warning. Usually crashes happen out of the blue in the worst possible times, like when you’re finishing up an important project with a tight deadline and forgot to save your documents. Best case, maybe you’ve only lost your music collection and some old notes. But in the worst (far more common) case, you’ve lost all of the pictures from your kid’s childhood and years of priceless, irreplaceable work. There’s a chance you’ll get lucky and be able to recover some of the data, but more often than not, no matter how much you plead with the folks at Best Buy or the Apple Store, there’s nothing even the professionals will be able to do to help. So my advice to my friends and family is always the same: do yourself a huge favor a start backing up your computer NOW.
When your computer’s hard drive fails, it can be gut-wrenching. There’s no preparing for a disaster that only happens every few years and comes with no warning. Usually crashes happen out of the blue in the worst possible times, like when you’re finishing up an important project with a tight deadline and forgot to save your documents. Best case, maybe you’ve only lost your music collection and some old notes. But in the worst (far more common) case, you’ve lost all of the pictures from your kid’s childhood and years of priceless, irreplaceable work. There’s a chance you’ll get lucky and be able to recover some of the data, but more often than not, no matter how much you plead with the folks at Best Buy or the Apple Store, there’s nothing even the professionals will be able to do to help. So my advice to my friends and family is always the same: do yourself a huge favor a start backing up your computer NOW.
Eventually, Your Hard Drive Will Fail
Every hard drive eventually fails – it’s as certain as death itself, and for 43% of us, it will happen in the next two years. Maybe it’ll be from a virus, or a spilled coffee, or natural wear and tear, but the irrefutable fact is that your computer WILL crash – and if you're not prepared for it, you'll lose all of your data. In fact, it’s probably happened to many of you already, and if it hasn’t, well, it hasn’t happened yet.
We don’t usually think about losing all of our irreplaceable digital belongings, which is probably because if you take a second to try it, it can be chilling. But it doesn’t have to be. Personally, I’ve experienced two computer crashes over the past couple of years, and to be honest, neither of them were the least bit stressful because I was able to bring my data back within a couple of hours and could get back to work that same day. You know the old saying: a little prevention is worth a LOT of cure? That's especially true if it’s likely that there is no cure, like in the case of a hard drive failure. As I tell anyone who will listen, you’re making your life a whole lot easier by taking some simple steps to avoid the sleepless nights, screaming phone calls, and numbing feelings of helplessness you’ll end up with if and when your computer crashes and catches you off guard.
Backing Up Isn’t Just For Geeks and Businesses
The shocking thing about essentially all hard drive failures is that when they happen, people generally know they should have backed up their computer, and they instantly regret not having done so. The reality is that people generally know computer backup programs exist – and know the repercussions of failing to use one. Problem is, if you’re like most people you just say “I’ll do it tomorrow.” The obvious issue is that if you keep putting it off, one day you’re going to have pressed your luck too far.
No matter who you are, even if you’re not a business or computer nerd, you have something of value on your laptop. As more and more of us store more and more on our computers, the risks we run from a crash continue to become more severe. Whether it’s your music collection, your important work, or even something as simple as pictures from your trip to Paris with your wife two years ago, it’s definitely worth more to you than a couple of pennies per day. Fact of the matter is, backing up data isn’t just for large organizations or computer geeks anymore; in the 21st century, it’s a necessity for each and every one of us. It’s come to the point where if you own a computer, you need to back up your computer.
Every hard drive eventually fails – it’s as certain as death itself, and for 43% of us, it will happen in the next two years. Maybe it’ll be from a virus, or a spilled coffee, or natural wear and tear, but the irrefutable fact is that your computer WILL crash – and if you're not prepared for it, you'll lose all of your data. In fact, it’s probably happened to many of you already, and if it hasn’t, well, it hasn’t happened yet.
We don’t usually think about losing all of our irreplaceable digital belongings, which is probably because if you take a second to try it, it can be chilling. But it doesn’t have to be. Personally, I’ve experienced two computer crashes over the past couple of years, and to be honest, neither of them were the least bit stressful because I was able to bring my data back within a couple of hours and could get back to work that same day. You know the old saying: a little prevention is worth a LOT of cure? That's especially true if it’s likely that there is no cure, like in the case of a hard drive failure. As I tell anyone who will listen, you’re making your life a whole lot easier by taking some simple steps to avoid the sleepless nights, screaming phone calls, and numbing feelings of helplessness you’ll end up with if and when your computer crashes and catches you off guard.
Backing Up Isn’t Just For Geeks and Businesses
The shocking thing about essentially all hard drive failures is that when they happen, people generally know they should have backed up their computer, and they instantly regret not having done so. The reality is that people generally know computer backup programs exist – and know the repercussions of failing to use one. Problem is, if you’re like most people you just say “I’ll do it tomorrow.” The obvious issue is that if you keep putting it off, one day you’re going to have pressed your luck too far.
No matter who you are, even if you’re not a business or computer nerd, you have something of value on your laptop. As more and more of us store more and more on our computers, the risks we run from a crash continue to become more severe. Whether it’s your music collection, your important work, or even something as simple as pictures from your trip to Paris with your wife two years ago, it’s definitely worth more to you than a couple of pennies per day. Fact of the matter is, backing up data isn’t just for large organizations or computer geeks anymore; in the 21st century, it’s a necessity for each and every one of us. It’s come to the point where if you own a computer, you need to back up your computer.
Backing Up Is Easier Than You Think
Hopefully by now you agree that backing up your computer is something that’s worth doing – now you just have to stop pushing it off until tomorrow! If you don’t know where to start, we’ll even give you a recommendation to get you going, which you’ll be able to try out for a month, for free, so even if you don’t have time to think, you’ll still have time to get SOMETHING in place. Here’s everything you need to know in two minutes.
Generally speaking, you have two choices when it comes to backing up your computer.
Hopefully by now you agree that backing up your computer is something that’s worth doing – now you just have to stop pushing it off until tomorrow! If you don’t know where to start, we’ll even give you a recommendation to get you going, which you’ll be able to try out for a month, for free, so even if you don’t have time to think, you’ll still have time to get SOMETHING in place. Here’s everything you need to know in two minutes.
Generally speaking, you have two choices when it comes to backing up your computer.
- Back up to the Internet (recommended) with a program like SkyVault360. This is highly recommended for a number of reasons. First off, it’s your simplest option. Even if you’re still learning how to turn on your computer, you can be backed up and ready to go within the next 30 seconds. Also, SkyVault360 is nice because it’s “set it and forget it.” Once installed, the program runs quietly and continuously in the background, backing up new documents and photos as you add them to your computer with no action needed on your part. And because it’s in the cloud, you don’t have to worry about losing your laptop or your house flooding – everything is backed up online. Finally, SkyVault360 grows as you do – their service includes unlimited backup for life.
- Back up to an external drive. External drives will work most of the time, but they have two main drawbacks. First: they can be a bit expensive, and as you add more files you’ll need to buy more or bigger hard drives. Additionally, you’ll often have to remember to plug them in manually every night, which can be a huge hassle and, speaking from experience, rarely happens. Also, keep in mind if your computer gets stolen or your house floods, you’re out of luck. If you choose this option, we still recommend a program like SkyVault360 for your more important files.
STOP SAYING “I’LL DO IT TOMORROW.”
DO IT NOW.
Convinced it makes sense to back up? If so, stop what you’re doing RIGHT NOW. Don’t just put it on your to-do list and tell yourself you’ll take care of it this weekend - click here, and get started with a free month from a reliable provider. It couldn’t be simpler, and there’s never a good time, so take 30 seconds and get it over with.
Equally as importantly as backing up your own computer: pass it on. Whether it be a family member or just an acquaintance, if there’s someone you care even remotely about, help them understand how easy it is to back up their computer. If you don’t, it could be you who has to explain that there’s nothing you can do to bring their computer back. Help spread the prevention; don’t tell them you don’t have a cure.
DO IT NOW.
Convinced it makes sense to back up? If so, stop what you’re doing RIGHT NOW. Don’t just put it on your to-do list and tell yourself you’ll take care of it this weekend - click here, and get started with a free month from a reliable provider. It couldn’t be simpler, and there’s never a good time, so take 30 seconds and get it over with.
Equally as importantly as backing up your own computer: pass it on. Whether it be a family member or just an acquaintance, if there’s someone you care even remotely about, help them understand how easy it is to back up their computer. If you don’t, it could be you who has to explain that there’s nothing you can do to bring their computer back. Help spread the prevention; don’t tell them you don’t have a cure.
