How to backup computer Files Directories and More

The majority of us know that we should be backing up our data.If you've been lucky enough to never have a computer crash on you then realize that you're a lucky fella and there's never been a better time then right now to start backing up your important data.

There's a few tips and items you should familiarize yourself with before you select a backup method to use.Having an idea of the files you want to backup, keeping the process easy, and doing some research on the popular products before you buy are the main items you should keep in mind.

Know what Files and Data to Backup

Before you rush out to buy an expensive piece of software to backup your system you need to know what it is you want backed up.Some of the backup programs are designed to create complete system backups, how ever this is often more then the average computer user needs.

The majority of home PC users need their photos, videos, and Documents backed up but can skip all the system stuff. This is just a bit to technical to get into for the average computer user.

Go for Simple not Feature Rich

More features in a piece of backup software or online service doesn't automatically make that service or program better.Trust me when I tell you to avoid buying a service or program that is very feature rich. Get the features you need but to many features slows down the backup process, this will in turn make it difficult for you to stick to a regular backup routine.

Instead opt for a simple program, more specifically one that backups up your files all on it's own and only requires a one time setup.Two online backup services that meet these criteria are Carbonite Backup and Mozy Backup.

Do your Homework

Before you rush out not to purchase a program or subscribe to a service take a bit of time to read the latest online backup reviews, and ensure you're getting a good product. This just confirms that the software or service you've chosen is every bit as good as it claims to be.

A few minutes doing some research can save you a big headache later on if a service isn't easy to restore files that are backed up, or worse doesn't backup data correctly.

How To Retrieve A Deleted File

Your first reaction if you've just accidentally deleted a file on your computer is probably to go to the recycle bin. Depending on where you deleted the file from, there's a reasonable probability that your file will be showing there and you can just right click your mouse and select "Restore".

But what can you do if the file doesn't show up in your recycle bin? Does that mean that it's been lost forever? Murphy's Law says that files deleted by accident are usually ones that you haven't got a backup of. What a pain!

Forunately it's almost always, it's perfectly possible to get back a deleted file. Even if your recycle bin thinks otherwise. This is because the Windows filing system doesn't delete the file but rather it flags the space occupied as something it can use again when it needs to.

The bad news is that the more you do on your computer, the higher the risk that Windows will overwrite some or all of the lost file, which will make recovering it expensive or maybe not even possible.

So you need to stop what you're doing on your computer. That means stop everything. Including browsing the internet, scanning your iTunes library, and so on. The more time you take to stop, the higher the chance that Windows will think it can re-use the space you've created by deleting the file.

If you can use a different PC, use that to download a file undelete utility like this one. If you can't get hold of a different computer then you may get away with using your current PC (the chance increases if there is a large amount of disk space left unused) but this is definitely not the best way.

Once you've got your copy of a program to undelete files, it's just a matter of pressing "next" most of the time and there's an exceptionally big probability that the software will recover the file you accidentally deleted.

You can download a file undelete program here. It's even got a free trial, so you'll know that it works for you.