Backup Basics - Protecting Your Data

CITES recommends that all computer users regularly back up their data in order to prevent losing information in the case of a disk failure. We recommend at the very least backing up files that are frequently changed, especially if they are important (e.g., term papers, resumes). This page outlines some strategies that can help you to avoid losing any of the data stored on your personal computer.

A basic backup strategy involves copying important files to a location separate from your hard drive. Having more than one copy of important data is insurance against the loss of that data in an event such as a hard drive or system failure. To make your backup strategy more complete, you should try a trial restore of your backup so you will be comfortable enough with the process to use it before you experience the loss of data.

There are many options available for backing up your data. The option you choose will depend on what your backup needs are and how much effort you are willing to put into data backup. Choose a backup scenario that most closely matches your needs:

I would like to back up only my most critical files to a device that I can carry around with me.

Description	Flash drives that plug into a USB port are a convenient technology for backups. They do not generally require any extra software and are very portable. A flash drive can serve as an external repository for important data as a protection against an event such as the failure of your hard disk. However, flash drives do not have the storage capacity to perform full backups of a hard disk or file system or to keep archives of past backups. To back up files using a flash drive: 1. Plug the flash drive into a USB port. The flash drive should appear in your file system view (e.g. My Computer). 2. Copy the files you want to back up to the flash drive's location in your file system by dragging and dropping or using a file copy command. To retrieve or restore files from a flash drive: 1. Plug the flash drive into a USB port. 2. Drag and drop (or copy) the files from the flash drive's location in your file system to a location on your computer. There are also external disk drives available that use interchangeable disks that can have a higher storage capacity than a flash drive. Usually the procedure for backing up and retrieving files from an external drive is similar to the backing up and retrieving procedure for flash drives.
Pros	Very small and portable Can be reused many times
Cons	Relatively small storage space
Requirements	Available USB port Flash drive

 

I would like to back up 500 megabytes or less to a secure Internet location.

Description	CITES NetFiles is a file storage, file sharing, and web publishing service provided by CITES to faculty, staff, and students at Illinois. Five hundred megabytes of storage are provided at no charge. If you use CITES NetFiles to back up your data, you can access the data from any computer with an Internet connection, and you don't have to keep track of any extra hardware or external storage media. Each CITES NetFiles account has a quota, the amount of disk space available for use by the owner of the account. You should be aware of how much space your backed-up files take up so that your backup doesn't get cut off when it exceeds your quota. CITES NetFiles will not work for full system backups or for archiving previous backups. There are two ways of connecting to CITES NetFiles. You can use a web browser or a desktop client (e.g., Windows WebFolders). To back up files, follow the directions for uploading files given on the page corresponding to the method you used to connect to CITES NetFiles. To restore or retrieve files that have been backed up to CITES NetFiles, follow the directions for downloading the files.
Pros	No extra hardware or software required Files are accessible from any location with an Internet connection
Cons	Limited to 500 megabytes of storage space Requires an Internet connection to access data
Requirements	Illinois NetID and Internet connection

 

I would like to back up a large amount of data (but not my whole hard drive) to a CD or DVD.

Description	A CD or DVD is a convenient format for backing up data. Large amounts of data may be stored on a disc. On average, a CD can hold about 750 MB. A DVD can hold either 4.5 GB (single layer) or 8.7 GB (double layer). Because of this, it is possible to back up an entire system to CD or DVD by spanning multiple discs, but this is a time-consuming process and could require many discs. To back up files to a CD or DVD: DVD+RW and DVD-RW drives are used to burn DVDs; most DVD-burning drives can also burn CDs. However, CD-RW drives can only burn CDs; they can't burn DVDs as well. If you have a RW (read-write) drive but your operating system does not support drag-and-drop CD or DVD writing, you must use special software to copy your files to a CD or DVD. This software is provided with your RW drive at the time of purchase; look through the package for instructions on installation and use. To restore or retrieve files from a CD or DVD: You can use any DVD drive (whether or not it's RW) to restore files from DVDs or CDs. CD drives (whether or not they're RW) can only restore files from CDs.
Pros	Can be stored offsite to protect against the case of physical damage to the area surrounding the computer Large amounts of data may be backed up on multiple disks
Cons	If rewritable CDs or DVDs are not used, a new disc must be used for each backup Requires proper storage and handling to avoid data loss
Requirements	Writable CD or DVD drive and write software

 

I would like to back up my whole hard drive.

Description	Data can be backed up to various kinds of external drives. Often, commercial backup software can allow you to have as much control as you want over how and when backups are done. If you need to back up your entire computer, including the operating system, on a regular basis, you may want to consider using a tape drive.Tape drives can have a much higher storage capacity than external drives and CDs or DVDs. There are many software products available to help you schedule regular backups and maintain archives of your data with a tape drive. CITES offers a centralized tape backup service that may meet your needs. See TSM Backup Services for more information. Please note that TSM Backup is only available to individuals whose computer is managed by CITES.
Pros	Can back up your whole system, including the operating system Stored offsite to protect against the case of physical damage to the area surrounding the computer
Cons	Tends to be the most expensive option Requires scheduling for up-to-date backups
Requirements	External hard drive or tape drive, magnetic tape media, and backup software, or a service provider