Learn how to choose a backup medium
Choose the right backup medium for your backup.
What to consider when choosing a backup medium?
There are several factors to consider when selecting a place where your files will be stored:
the file type(s): some file types are more suitable to be backed up to CD or DVD, than to an external hard disk drive
time you want to spend on backups: backing up to an external hard disk or a flash USB drive is the quickest way to backup
convenience of restoring your files: finding a single file on a CD or DVD of a huge set of discs may be a problem
medium reliability: CDs may be not as reliable as DVD or an external hard disk, for instance
total size of files to backup: the large the set, the larger will be the backup medium
Which backup media to consider?
The following backup media are to be taken into account when choosing where to backup:
CD: good for copying small sets of files
DVD: suitable for storing large sets of files
FTP: fits for keeping file copies to access them from anywhere
WebDAV: great if you want just to drag&drop your files when backing up or employ other advantages of the WebDAV protocol
USB: works best for moving files between distant computers
an external hard disk: ideal for backing up huge amounts of data - backups are quick and an external HDD admits nearly unlimited amounts of data
a flash USB drive: the best choice for keeping your important files always at hand
a local area network computer/drive: a good storage for your work documents and data files
How often to backup?
The backup schedule depends on the choosen backup medium, which, in turn, depend on your needs, or, more exactly, on your backup files. The more important the files are and the more often they are changed, the more often they need to be backed up.
How to backup?
If backing up a fairly large backup set, backup compression will help to save disk space. Backup encryption will be helpful when backing up files, containing sensitive information, to a location, which can be accessible by others. Incremental or differential backup is highly recommended to save time, as when using these backup methods, only changed files are backed up. Some backup programs, though, do not support incremental/differential backup to CD or DVD.
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