Linda's Soapbox
Editorial by Linda Johnson

How, What, and Where To Backup and Restore

Well, this is indeed a controversial and diversified subject.  But, a couple months ago when I requested ideas for future articles, this one won, hands down.  Many people sent questions like "How do I know what I need to backup?" and "Where do I back it up to?"  I decided it was way too broad a subject to handle in one article, so I lassoed the Fleet into taking it on as a joint venture.  And, boy oh boy, did they come up with some good stuff.

First of all, let's address the basic questions of what to backup.  Well, if all of your software is legal and you have the original CDs, it isn't necessary to backup your software because you can simply reinstall it from the disks (just make sure you don't lose those registration numbers that are required when you install!).  However, what is not included there are any updates you've made to the software, any special configurations you've made to the settings, and, most importantly, all the files you've created while using the software. THIS is what you need to back up.

Updates to the software:

Let's take Internet Explorer as a great example.  Sure, you can always download it again for free from Microsoft's website, but if you have a slow connection, you might remember the last time you did this and it took about two hours and you were booted by your ISP three times and had to start again.  So, wouldn't it make sense to put those setup/install files in a safe place so next time you do it, you can do it from your own computer instead of having to deal with the slow connection?  And, some of the other updates you downloaded may not be so easy to find now because that version of the software is no longer supported by the manufacture or maybe the company that made the software is no longer even in business.  If so, unless you saved those updates somewhere safe, you may NEVER be able to get them again.  

Special configurations to the software:

A good example of this is Microsoft Office.  How many toolbars and macros have you added or modified in these programs?  Do you really want to do all this work all over again?  Well, Microsoft has a handy little wizard for Office 2000 that you can download for free that lets you save all your settings to a location on the Internet and then retrieve them again from any computer with Internet access.  It's called the Save My Settings Wizard and you can download it here.  (UPDATE: It seems Microsoft has now removed this wizard, since Office XP/2003 users don't need to bother, as it is included in the software.)  Many programs have a file on your computer that stores settings.  I would advise you go to the website for that software and see if you can find out what its called and add that file to your backup folder.

Files you've created with the software:

One of the most disturbing things I hear from newbies when I ask them where that Excel file is located is "It's in Excel, of course."  No. No. No.  No files you create are stored WITHIN the software. Once you save them, they are located somewhere in your computer, but NOT within the software.  And this is a GOOD thing, because, if the software crashes on you and you need to uninstall it, you DON'T need to uninstall the files you created with it.  But, from now on, when you hit that Save button, look where the file is being saved and don't just save your files any old place.  Save them all in one location, then you can simply make a copy of that one folder to include in your backups.  (This is the exact reason Windows includes a folder called My Documents.  It's the place to store YOUR documents.)

So, what do you need to backup?  

Well, just think about it.  What is located on your computer that would cause you major work, heartache, and/or anxiety if you lost it?  THAT'S what you need to backup.  Things like your email addresses, your browser bookmarks/Favorite Places, your financial records, all those great freeware/shareware programs you downloaded (and yes, you need to look at that download box when you download something to see where you are putting it), etc., etc., etc.  Also, if you want to save things like your Dial Up Networking settings or software registration numbers, just type all this stuff in a text file and save that with everything else.

And where do you need to put all this stuff?

There are lots of alternatives.  If you are fortunate enough to own a CD burner, zip drive, or tape drive, make copies of all this stuff and put it on a removable medium.  And, don't take chances. Make more than one copy.  If you don't have any of these devices but you do have multiple partitions or hard drives, store this stuff on a drive or partition that does NOT include your operating system, since this is the drive that is most likely going to need to be formatted and emptied some day.  Or, another alternative for those who don't have multiple drives or partitions is to use free storage space on the internet.  I can't guarantee how secure this is, so I wouldn't put your really private stuff there, but it's certainly ok to put favorite places there and maybe some old photos of your cat.  

The bottom line is you can't keep telling yourself that data loss is not something you will ever experience, because I promise you, you will.  So, take the time NOW to prevent heartbreak in the future.

Here's how I do it.  I have my operating system on my C partition, so I have a folder called "Backup" on my D partition.  In here are copies of all my important stuff.  Every time I make a change to anything that is important, I take a minute to make a second copy of it and put it in there.  Then, once a week, I burn a copy of this onto a CD.  Sometimes it's a pain in the butt, because I'm busy and don't want to take the time, but I DO.  Because this stuff is important to me. 

How do you restore it when you need to? 

Just reverse the process you used to put it there.  So, it's important to remember where it all goes.  Add this information to that text file you have there with your ISP settings and registration numbers.  If you moved a copy of one of your settings files from C:\Application Data\Local Settings\Blah Blah Software to this folder, then when you restore it, you simply need to copy it back to its original location.

One more thing.  You may hear people talking about imaging or ghosting their drives and wonder what this is all about.  This is not necessary if you just want to backup the stuff mentioned above.  This is only needed when you want to create an exact duplicate of a drive or partition.  This requires third party software like Norton's Ghost or PowerQuest's Drive Image.

I hope you will take the time to read all the articles in this newsletter, since many of the Fleet members add their own two cents about how THEY choose to backup.  This is a newsletter that indeed can save you HOURS of aggravation in the future if you read it NOW.

I hope you enjoy it and take some time to drop us a line letting us know if it was helpful to you.

Happy Computing!
Linda

Linda Johnson is a college instructor of all of the Microsoft Office Programs, as well as Adobe PhotoShop and Windows. She also teaches online distance learning classes in Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word at Eclectic Academy. She has worked helpdesk and teaches and lectures at many local businesses and tech schools in her area. Support this newsletter by checking out Linda's eBooks, MS Word MAGIC!, Book I: Fonts, Fun & Formats and Book II: Table Wizardry, How To Get Started As a Software Trainer, and her newest series of MSOffice eBook Tutorials and CD