Backup Hard drive
Overview
It is important for us all to ‘backup’ our files. This simply means it is important to make a copy of our files (every so often) and save it in a different location to where they normally reside.
For example if you have a laptop you may save your work files on there, along with media such as personal photos taken on your digital camera and maybe even photos and videos that have be taken on your mobile phone. If your laptop’s hard drive became corrupted (broke) these files may be lost forever. Furthermore if there is a password on your laptop and you were to die these files may not be accessible to those left behind.
Over the last three years many different organizations have started to offer ‘cloud’ storage software. This can be wonderful in certain circumstances . These range from high ongoing costs to files being hard to access by loved ones after you die. The tutorial below highlights how to backup files on an external hard drive
How to backup your files using an external hard drive
Before you start you will need to buy an external hard drive to back your files up on. You can buy external hard drives from most electronic retailers. If you buy one from a shop you should tell the shop assistant what type of machine you have, a Windows based PC (for Example a Dell, Toshiba, Hewlett Packard etc) or Macintosh.
We have provided a link to one of many external hard drive for sale on Amazon below. It is compatible for both Mac and Windows operating systems. It has attained good reviews and seems to be sold at a reasonable price.
- To buy in the UK click here:
- To buy in the USA click here (& rest of the world) click here
How to connect your external hard drive
The image below shows how to connect an external hard drive to a computer. In this photo it shows it connected to a laptop. However, if you have a desktop computer or a Macintosh the setup is more or less the same. The cable that connects the hard drive to a computer will be provided with the hard drive. Some external hard drives have an extra power cable that will need to be plugged in in order for it to work. However most new hard drives use a USB cable (as shown below) to both provide its power and to transfer the information on your computer, laptop or Mac
Transferring your files and backing them up
Below are three tutorial videos. You only need to watch the one that is suitable for your laptop or computer’s operating system.
The videos have been produced by other third organisations and DeadSocial do not have any affiliation with them. By following the steps in the videos the process becomes easier to carryout.
Backing up your hard drives
- Backup on Macintosh (Macs)
Once you have backed up your files, tell someone. You may also want to consider giving them the hard drive now to ensure that it doesn’t get lost.