Tips To Back Up Your Data Safely

We are featuring some useful internet tools to secure your data so that if some tragedies strike happen to your hard drive , you’re better prepared for that. So lets start.

Windows Backup

Many people simply do not know that Windows operating systems have an in-built backup programme which is extremely easy and handy. Go to the Start menu > Accessories > System Tools and then the Windows Backup tool. The cool thing about this tool is that you can back up the files anywhere, i.e. in another partition or in an external storage media, and if the misfortune befalls, you can easily use it to restore. The good thing about this is that you can not only backup your data in an external media, which is probably the best form of back up, you can back up the data (which includes the OS as well as the programmes) in another partition, which will be handy in case your OS crashes.

Use Google!

It’s free, it’s efficient and it’s easily accessible for all, can you find a reason not to love them? If you want to store data in cloud (into a remote server in a faraway place), Google has many options. For your documents, spread-sheets and presentations, there’s the Google Docs, and for your pictures and videos, there’s Picasa.  You’ll need a Gmail account beforehand, of course (and if you don’t, it’s high time you do). But remember: Google will allow you to upload only about one gigabyte of documents into your Google Docs account. The best part about Google Docs is that not only will you be able to access these documents from anywhere, but you will also be able to share them with friends and edit the documents together in real-time.

Flickr

You must be wondering why we didn’t feature Picasa instead of Flickr. Certainly Picasa is great for uploading and sharing photos but Picasa limits your uploads to 1 GB as well, which is not all that much when it comes to pictures and videos. Meanwhile, Flickr allows you to upload 300MB of pictures and videos a month, which is better if you’re planning periodic back-ups of your photos. This way you get unlimited space, albeit with a monthly limit. Another added advantage is obviously the ubiquitous nature of Flickr which makes it very easy to share pictures.

Online Storage Services

Dropbox

If you’re paranoid about losing your data (and you should be), there are many free options available online which will help you keep your data safe in the cloud. One such free and simplistic service is Dropbox all it requires is for users to download an application which is basically just a folder on your computer where you can place files you want to back up. However, like other services online, it comes with a price tag, although you do get 2GB of storage for free. 

Windows Live SkyDrive

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Windows Live SkyDrive service is probably the best free service available online right now. With 25GB of free storage for anyone with a Hotmail account, it lets you share hundreds of files at a time without ever having to worry about pesky attachments and email size caps.

Amazon Cloud Drive

Another promising new player in Cloud storage service is Amazon’s Cloud Drive. It gives every amazon.com account holder 5GB of free storage. The best part, however, is its compatibility with Cloud Music another one of Amazon’s services making it possible to stream any music files uploaded to the Cloud Drive from any computer, or from the mobile app for Android-based devices.

ADrive

‘ADrive’ is also creating storms in this sector by providing 50GB of free online space to people. However, you’ll have to be careful about the number of services that wind up after some time leaving you in disarray with much valuable data online.