NTI> Backing Up

Backup, Backup, Backup, we can't stress this enough. The frequency of your backups should be directly proportionate to the value of your data. If it is priceless...back up every day! A general rule of thumb is to back up at least once a week for general data, word processing documents, pictures etc. For accounting data we recommend backing up every time you add new information to your books. Quicken and QuickBooks have a backup command right on the File menu....so no excuses! Also viruses do not infect "write-protected" disks, so protect your floppies and ZIP's after backing up.

How often should you back up?
How important is your data? If it is very important then backup frequently, if it is not important to you then backup less often. When was the last time you backed up? You should ask yourself that question at least once a week.

Loss of data is something that is ignored until it happens to you, then it is a critical emergency. We see this happen on a daily basis at NTI. People who do not back up until it is too late often losing years worth of work! If your computer blew up right now, how difficult would it be to replace all the information that you have stored in it? Think about it for a minute. Don't wait until it is too late.....get on a stringent backup regimen and stick to it. You will be glad you did when something goes wrong.

Who is responsible for your data?
You are. Although you may have a computer technician help you set up the hardware and maybe even help configure your backup software, it is your sole responsibility to make sure that it works every day, not the technician. You must verify that your backup is working do not take it for granted. If you lose data it is because you are not verifying your own backups, not because a technician did something wrong. They can not be there every day to make sure your backup is working it is up to you. If you have a problem with the hardware, call NTI and we can help.

Automate the Task
Automating the task of backing up takes the worry out of it. For example you can schedule your computer to do a backup every Friday night at 11:00pm. The best part is you don't have to be there....it will launch automatically. Set your Windows Task Scheduler to launch your backup utility for you. Make sure you "Spot Check" your backup whether they are automated or not !

Programs

Windows Backup Utility comes with newer versions of Windows (see below). Windows XP's backup utility works very well and utilizes a very simple interface so it is easy to understand. Wizards walk you through the process and restoring is a breeze. A built in scheduler allows you to automate the task if you wish even across a network. To do this you must assign a password (if you dont already have one) to the "Backup User".

It is extremely important that whoever is responsible for backing up also understands the backup program that is being used. This will not be tested until disaster strikes and you are in the process of restoring data, so make your choice accordingly.

Media
There are also many media types to choose from depending on how big your data files are. Common media types are Zip drive, CDRW, ORB drives, and external hard drives.

These are listed in descending order relative to their size. For example if your data set is small a Zip drive available in sizes from 100MB to 750MB and the time of this writing. If you are a business and data files are much larger, then an external hard drive may be for you. NTI custom builds these drives to suit your requirements. It houses a regular hard drive just like the one that is in your laptop (2.5") or desktop (3.5") so you can get a very large size hard drive big enough to back up your entire hard drive. The best part is that most of them are connected through USB 2.0 (480Mbps vs. 12Mbps for regular USB 1 !) making it very versatile and hot swappable.

Reminders
Set a reminder to backup in your Outlook, or other scheduler so you don't forget to backup.

Verify
Verifying your backup is as important as the act of backing up itself. Too often businesses go for years assuming that their backup is good, until it is late. The computer crashes and they go to restore from their backup only to discover that is has not been backing up like they thought....sometimes for months or years!. Case and point.

Check your backup media, i.e. ZIP, Orb drive, tape drive, Buslink, external hard drive...whatever it may be. Simply open up My Computer, navigate to the location of your backup set, and just look at the date and file size of your last backup. Get in the habit of doing this regularly to avoid disaster.

Know where you data is stored
Which leads me to my next point, know where your important data is at all times! At any given time you should be able to go right to the folder that stores ALL of your data on your hard drive or network. If navigating is difficult, learn how. NTI offers a workshop on how to navigate through your file structure on your PC. No matter how good you think you are at the computer....if you can not go directly to your data you have something to learn.

Outlook Users: Do you know where your PST is located?
Microsoft Outlook is one the most versatile and widely used programs for contact management and business organization. All data is centralized in one convenient location including, email, contact, schedules, to do lists, memos and more. It has become a lifeline for businesses however most people have no idea where their database file called, “outlook.pst” is located. If you lose this file you have lost everything in Outlook...everything.

Important Notes

You can use Backup to back up and restore data on either FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS volumes. However, if you have backed up data from an NTFS volume used in Windows XP , it is recommended that you restore the data to an NTFS volume used in Windows XP , or you could lose data as well as some file and folder features. Some file systems might not support all features of other file systems. For example, permissions, encrypting file system (EFS) settings, disk quota information, mounted drive information, and Remote Storage information will be lost if you back up data from an NTFS volume used in Windows XP and then restore it to a FAT volume or an NTFS volume used in Windows NT 4.0.
To back up and restore Microsoft SQL Server database files, it is recommended that you use SQL's built-in backup and restore utilities. For more information, see the Microsoft SQL Server documentation.
Some tape drives might not support hardware compression.

Notes

You must be an administrator or a Backup Operator to back up files and folders. For more information about permissions or user rights. In addition you must have a password assigned to this user if you want to schedule the backup. It will not start without it.
To start Backup, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.
If the Backup and Recovery Wizard does not start by default, you can still use it to back up files by clicking the Tools menu, and then clicking Backup Wizard.
If you want to back up your system, you should back up all the data on your computer plus the System State data, which includes such things as the registry and the Active Directory directory service database.
You can only back up the System State data on a local computer. You cannot back up the System State data on a remote computer.
Backup files usually have the extension .bkf, although you can use any extension.
Backup operators and administrators can back up and restore encrypted files and folders without decrypting the files or folders.
If you have Windows Media Services running on your computer, and you want to back up the files associated with these services, see "Running Backup with Windows Media Services" in the Windows Media Services online documentation. You must follow the procedures outlined in the Windows Media Services online documentation before you can back up or restore files associated with Windows Media Services.