How to Back Up the Data on a Laptop
- 1). Burn all of the data onto blank CDs or DVDs. This serves as a good option for data temporary back up, but should not be your only option, as CDs or DVDs can scratch, rendering the data impossible to restore. CDs and DVDs also become unreadable eventually.
- 2). Purchase an external hard drive and back up all of your data from your laptop's hard drive to the external hard drive. An external hard drive is a more permanent option than CDs or DVDs. They connect to your laptop via a USB cable. A window showing the external hard drive's contents will open once the hard drive is successfully connected, and you can simply drag the entire contents of your laptop data onto the external hard drive. Be sure to purchase an external hard drive that has enough space to store your laptop's entire hard drive. Once your data is backed up on an external hard drive, be sure to keep it in a safe place where it will not be damaged physically, such as a high counter or drawer in your office.
- 3). Use an online data back-up service. This type of service stores all of your laptop's data online, so you can always access it from any computer connected to the Internet. No hardware is required, though most services charge a monthly or annual fee. Several different online data back up services exist; two popular options are Mozy and Xdrive. Mozy allows you to store an unlimited amount of data online for about $5 per month, while Xdrive allows you to store up to 50 gigabytes of data for about $10 a month (as of July 2010). Most online data back-up services sync your data regularly automatically, so you do not have to do it manually. The two primary disadvantages of this option are: you have to trust a third-party service to back up your laptop data, and the data upload speed is often painfully slow, taking many hours or even days if you have a lot of data.
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