Friday, October 1, 2010

Data Backup Day Or...When You Know Just Enough To Be Dangerous-Part 2

We all know the importance of backing up our data. These days I am both thrilled that I have been doing that, for a number of years and scratching my head and asking myself "What happened?"

It all started when I went to write the post for the September 11th anniversary. I was looking through this notebook where I have written notes about various events and experiences from my life, when I noticed a nice printout from Word with some stories on it, the name of the file at the bottom of the page and the date it was printed. I decided since I was typing up and editing my previously handwritten notes about September 11, 2001, I could just add it to this file. Only I couldn't find the file on my laptop. Sigh...Or on my other laptop, or the external hard drive.

I've been through more than one computer and hard drive reorganization since creating this file and thought I had been careful about transferring and backing up everything. I guess I had been sort of careful - I found the file on a CD backup from 2004. Makes one wonder what else has been "misplaced" along the way.

The moral of the story, backup your files in numerous ways. Contrary to most of the advice I've received to toss old backups that are on CD or DVD, I don't recommend doing that. However, I have to clarify that I only backup all of my files to DVD about once or twice a year, so the pile isn't all that big. Just backup your files! Someday you will be glad you did!

© 2010, copyright Michelle Goodrum

3 comments:

  1. Time to backup after I'm done here. Good point about CD's, the last time I did that was years ago. Thanks to you, I'm going to do it today.

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  2. I like to think I'm fully backed up (daily online service, weekly external HD's, qtrly HD stored off site) but recently looked for some pictures I made several years ago at Monticello and can't find them anywhere. I can't imagine how I lost a whole folder of photos. I'm hoping they are on an old CD but haven't looked yet. Like you, I've wondered what else I've misplaced.

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  3. I hate to think what I've left out when I think I've backed up *everything*. Guess it 's one more instance of not being as organized and consistent as I'd like to be/need to be.

    Thanks for the reminder!

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