16 November 2002

Backup and Save Your Sanity

What is the worst thing that can happen to your computer? A hard drive crash can cause you to lose weeks of work in a heartbeat. All of that data - the stuff you create, not the programs - are stored in billions of itty-bitty magnets.

Here's the reality of it. The average, contemporary hard drive contains more than 50 billion (that's five followed by 10 zeros) magnets. For simplicity sake, let's say that each bit - a computer 1 or 0 - requires one magnet. It takes eight bits (one byte) to make a single character (numbers, letters, and symbols) in a file. The word "hello" contains five characters (40 bits) and, therefore, is stored on 40 magnets. It is easy to see that it takes many magnets to store a simple text file. Word processing documents, spreadsheets, and databases require extra bits to store formatting commands. So, that report on the financial status of the company conceivably could be stored on millions of magnets. It would take just one magnet on the drive pointing in the wrong direction to mess up the entire file.

The directory is the part of the disk that keeps the list of files stored on your hard drive. The File Allocation Table (or FAT) is the map to those files. Should a magnet in one of those regions go awry, it could mean the loss of all of the drive's files.

Now that you're completely paranoid about your computer (and who's to say you shouldn't be), let's talk about protecting yourself from disaster. In a word, the answer is "Backup!" You do not need elaborate programs nor fancy drives to back up your data. Your options are plentiful.

Save, Save, Save

While working on your document, database, picture, etc., save the file frequently. How often should you save? It depends on the importance you place on the file and on your time. Save the file to your hard drive. In most programs, that means clicking on File, then Save. Many programs have shortcuts to saving - usually Ctrl-S (that is, hold down the Control key and press the letter "S"). When you finish with the file or take a break, save it to a floppy disk (if it will fit). Choose File, Save As from the menu. Retain the file name and select the floppy drive (be sure there is a disk in the drive). Close the file. When you resume working on the file, be sure to open the copy from the hard drive. It is unwise to work from a floppy disk. In addition to being very slow, there is a chance you could lose the data on the disk during a save.

Most financial applications automatically save to the hard drive. Do a backup of the file to a floppy before exiting the program. If the file is too big for a floppy, save to a Zip® disk, Jaz® cartridge, or CD-RW (rewritable CD). You can also burn a CD-R (recordable CD).

Backup, Backup, Backup

Do complete data backups on a regular basis. If you have a Zip®, Jaz®, or CD-RW drive, you can do a simple drag and drop to the disk or disc. A CD-R does a nice job, too. You'll notice that I haven't mentioned a tape backup. I'm not fond of tape backup devices. They are either unreliable or expensive (sometimes both). They also require a specialized program to backup and restore. If you need to backup more than a couple hundred bytes of data, consider removable hard drives. A 40GB drive costs about as much as a good backup tape or Jaz® cartridge.

Whatever method of backup you choose be sure to use more than one set of media. Depending upon your needs and budget, two sets of disks or discs will suffice. Alternate the backup media. Use set A this week and set B next week. If something happens to next week's backup, you'll still have this week's data. Some businesses that backup daily will have a disk for each weekday that they rotate on a weekly basis. They will use another disk for weekly or monthly archive backups that are stored permanently. By the way, you should store your backups away from the office in case of a fire or burglary.

Now that you have a backup methodology selected, you will be able to sleep at night in the knowledge that you've protected your data. Of course, if the magnetic poles of the Earth shift or the laws of physics suddenly change ... well, that's another story.