It is almost a certainty that every one will face data loss some day or the other. What is not certain, however, is, whether every one will get back what they have lost. This is why it is important to create system backups. They are the best insurance against data loss.

A back up utility is a program that makes copies of your data on a specified destination even as you continue to do your work. It may be inbuilt into your operating system like Windows XP or you may buy a third party product. In any case you have to tell the program what all it needs to save and where to save it.

Your backup destination should ideally be external to your own hard drive. High-capacity detachable media, like CDs, tape drives or DVDs are good choices. Auxiliary hard drives and RAID set ups can also be considered.

Data back ups can cost much, so you need to be selective about what you really need to save. Typically the following are what usually need to be backed up:

– Career and personal projects
– Financial records
– Digital music collection
– Photo and video files
– Web browser bookmarks
– Address book
– Email and other correspondence
– Downloaded software purchases (remember you do not get an installation CD)

You also need to know the kinds of backup methods that can be installed. Some of the popular ones are:

1. Full or archival backup: In this, a full copy of your data is made every time, regardless of change. This is the most comprehensive type of backup, but also the most time, space and power consuming.

2. Differential backup: This backs up only the files that have been modified since your last full backup. This is almost as good as a full backup, and requires less time and space. However, there is redundancy in subsequent backups, because the same changes get stored over and over again with the most recent ones.

3. Incremental backup: This backs up only the files that have been modified since the last backup of any kind. This is quick and takes less space. It is very useful if your target is to save changes made on recent active files.

4. Periodic backups: These backs ups are made at regular intervals. This is a very simple option and just right if you deal with files.

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