Backing up your Computer Files

For a personal computer user, creating data backups is essential. Data backups protect data against computer attacks and also can protect against hardware malfunctions, user errors and software corruption.  However most users take for granted creating backups or they consider it too inconvenient to regularly back up their computer data. Today there are several ways to make backups easier. Since versions of all new operating systems can perform the task with automated backups. When creating a personal backup there are four question need to be answered. First what information should be backed up, how often should it be backed up, the media it should use, and finally where should data be stored.

There are three different approaches to determining the information that should be backed up:

Back up only user files: this approach only backs up user created files that cannot be easily or quickly recreated. Programs installed on the computer, such as word processor are not backed up because the program can be easily reinstalled from the original installation disc, or from the internet. Personal documents that were created with the program such as manuscript for a book created using a word processor, should be backed up, along with digital photos, personal financial information, and other information that can’t be easily replaced. The advantage to this approach is that backups can be performed more quickly because only a smaller set of data is being saved. The disadvantage is that it may be easy to overlook an important file that should be backed up.

Backed up all files: this approach backs up everything stored on the computer, including the operating system and all application programs. Although this ensures that all data is captured, the downfall performing a full backup can be time-consuming depending of the size of your files being backed up. Select a time when you don’t have to access your computer overnight usually works the best As an option, once a full backup is performed then only those files that have changed are subsequently backed up. This can be achieved through the use of archive bit. Software can internally designed which files have been backed up by setting an archive bit in the properties of the file: a file with the archive bit cleared (set to 0) indicates that the file has been backed up. Any time the contents of that file are changed, the archive bit is (set to 1) indicates that this modified file now needs to be backed up. Once a full backup is finish, then a differential backup or incremental backup is created.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES:

Full backups offers the most comprehensive and ideal to use when creating computer backups. This gives the best and easiest solution in data protection. A single backup can provide the ability to completely restore all backed up files. However this has vulnerability security issues if the backup media were to be illegally accessed and stolen by criminals. Advantages: fastest way to copy all files and creating backups. Disadvantage: the process takes several hours, and the copied data might be stolen or misplaced. Jeopardizing your sensitive information.

Incremental backups provides a much faster method of backing up data rather than repeatedly running full backups. During the backup process incremental backup only copies the file that have changed since the most recent backup was made.Advantages: backing up take less time it depends on file being backed up, and low storage space needed for backup. Disadvantages:  system restore is very slow.

Differential backups offers a middle ground by backing up all the files that have changed since the last full backup was done. Advantages: restore faster than incremental backups, and the storage space requirements are higher than full backups if more than one full version is kept. Disadvantages: backing up is slower and storage space requirements are higher than incremental.

TYPE OF BACKUP	DESCRIPTION	USED	ARCHIVE BIT AFTER BACKUP
FULL BACKUP	COPIES ALL FILES	PART OF REGULAR BACKUP SCHEDULE	CLEARED
DIFFERENTIAL BACKUP	COPIES ALL FILES SINCE LAST FULL BACKUP	REGULAR BACKUP  SCHEDULE	NOT CLEARED
INCREMENTAL BACKUP	COPIES ALL FILES CHANGED SINCE LAST FULL OR INCREMENTAL BACKUP	REGULAR BACKUP SCHEDULE	CLEARED
COPY BACKUP	COPIES SELECTED FILES	COPIES FILES TO A NEW LOCATION	NOT CLEARED