Matt Huckabee talks about the dangers of not backing up one's data

I work in the Engineering Laptop Repair Center, and I can’t tell you how many times students come in with a failed hard drive. They ask me, “What can I do to save my data?” Of course, the inevitable question I ask is, “Well, do you have a backup?” Nine times out of 10 the answer is “Well … no.”

We are now in an age where more and more of our daily lives are spent in front of the computer screen. We write papers on them, sure, but we also do our banking and our stocks, we store all of our precious digital pictures, and don’t forget that 30GB MP3 collection! It is no wonder that when we lose this data we lose a part of ourselves. Trust me – it’s happened to me. If it hasn’t happened to you, count yourself lucky. So, on that note, I cannot stress enough the importance of having a hard drive backup.

There are several ways to go about backing up your data. You could run to the store, buy an external hard drive, run home, plug it in, back up your data and call it a day. This is a very common strategy and, indeed, a very effective one. But let me ask you this: What would happen if your room flooded? Your original copy and backup copy would both be ruined… didn’t think of that now, did you?

The second alternative is to use an online backup service. Now, if you’re like most everyone on the Internet today, you have an AOL Instant Messenger account. Well if you do, then xdrive.com is your new best friend. They offer 5GB of free online storage to anyone with an AOL screenname. They also offer an additional 50GB for $9.95 per month. At prices like that, who can say no?! The process is simple, you go to the Web site, log in to the account, and upload your files. It’s that simple! You can even download their desktop client and schedule automatic backups of your most important files.

PC World Magazine ran an article in 2004 that highlighted the various online backup options. Their top picks are: @Backup, DataProtector, iBackup, Iomega iStorage Online, and yes, you guessed it: Xdrive. All of these services offer a variety of different plans and options, so it’s worth shopping around to find the one that is just right for you.

When asked how many backups are enough, I often counsel people to think of the number of backups that they think is enough and add one to that number. It never hurts to have your data secured. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…