Imagine if your computer suddenly stopped working. Would you lose important documents, photos, or files? Repairs might fix your computer, but lost files may be gone forever. To avoid this, create backup copies of your files. You can use an external hard drive or an online backup service.

External Hard Drives

You can buy an external hard drive and copy your files onto it. The first backup may take hours, so choose a time when you do not need your computer. Running it overnight is a good idea. Regular backups are important but will not take as long.

One problem is that an external hard drive can be lost, damaged, or stolen. Keep it in a safe place when not in use.

Online Backup Services

You can also save files to an online backup service like Mozy, Carbonite, or Box. These services store your files in the cloud. This means you can access them from any computer with the internet.

The amount of storage depends on the service. You may need to pay for more space. The first backup can be slow and take days if you have many files. But future backups will be faster.