As the year wraps up, time to backup your data<\/p>\n
Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
vmahmud@yahoo.com<\/p>\n
It is that time of year again. The end of 2003 is upon us, and as
\nusual, I begin the annual ritual of backing up my computer data.<\/p>\n
There are countless numbers of papers, articles, interviews,
\napplications and music files collected over the years, some of
\nwhich I created myself, others downloaded from the Web.<\/p>\n
Yet, this suppository of data is like a mini library, an
\narchive if you will, of the various topics that interest me
\n(Linux, computer gaming, eco-friendly power generators, etc). If
\nit is gone, it may take more time to relocate and save the
\ninformation lost, if you can find it at all.<\/p>\n
This all started during the Y2K fiasco. Everyone was in a
\npanic about what may happen on Jan. 1, 2000. Will the power go
\nout? Will the banks lose our accounts? Will the whole world
\ndescend into chaos just because computer programmers forgot to
\naccommodate two extra digits to calculate the year?<\/p>\n
In the end, nothing happened, but the fear of losing
\neverything is still real.<\/p>\n
Countless Internet worms, PC viruses and computer criminals
\nstill lurk in the darkest recesses of the Web. Not to mention
\nhardware failures, software exploits and blue screens of death
\nthat continue to harass us. Can you be really sure that your data
\nis safe?<\/p>\n
We should remember that practically everything we do now is
\ndigital. Most of my articles, stories, photos and music can be
\nstored on a hard drive, instead of being scattered in boxes
\naround my room.<\/p>\n
Magazine clippings have either been scanned or stockpiled in
\nHTML format, making it easier to find on my computer. Should the
\nwebsite for home made solar panel cells close down, I would still
\nhave the files to help spread the knowledge. Such is the power of
\ninformation nowadays.<\/p>\n
There are many ways for saving your data. The easiest is
\nperhaps by partitioning your hard drive. This basically means you
\ndivide your single hard drive into many parts. Instead of having
\none 30-gigabyte hard drive (seen by the operating system as a
\nsingle drive letter C), you could have 2 drives (for example
\ndrive C at 10 gigabytes and a drive D at 20 gigabytes).<\/p>\n
I use drive C to install my applications (such as Open Office,
\nTransTools and iTunes) but store my data (MP3s, office documents
\nand games) on drive D.<\/p>\n
This way, should my Windows operating system crash or become
\ncorrupted (which has been known to happen), I can format and
\nreinstall with ease knowing that my data is safe on a separate
\ndrive.<\/p>\n
You can partition your hard drive into as many parts as you
\nwant, remembering that each division must add up to the total
\nhard drive space.<\/p>\n
Ideally, you should divide your hard disk into at least two to
\nthree sections. One should be for the system files, another for
\napplications (like Corel Draw or WordPerfect) and another for
\nyour data.<\/p>\n
There are software products on the market that allow you to
\nsafely partition your hard drive without totally obliterating
\nyour existing data. Programs like Partition Magic
\n(www.partitionmagic.com) allows users to carefully consolidate
\ntheir data and create another drive letter.<\/p>\n
The software runs on windows and is easy to use. But make sure
\nyou have a backup of your data just in case. Be warned, however,
\nin order to create two partitions, you must delete the original
\ndivision first. Consequently, all data will be lost!<\/p>\n
Of course, if the entire hard drive breaks down, separating
\ndata into two virtual drives won't help since the main hardware
\n(the hard disc) is damaged. You therefore should always backup
\nyour data onto a different medium.<\/p>\n
Currently, there is an abundance of hardware to choose from.
\nMy favorite backup system utilizes a CD-RW (Compact Disc
\nReWriter) drive.<\/p>\n
Similar to the CD-R (CD-Writer), the CD-RW allows you to burn
\n650 to 700 Megabytes of data onto a special compact disc. Unlike
\nthe CD-R, in which data is permanently saved, a CD-RW can be
\nerased and reused. Prices have now dropped, ranging from Rp 600
\nthousand to Rp 1.3 million, depending on brand and burn speed
\n(how fast data is written). The CD-RW disc themselves are about
\nRp 20,000 each.<\/p>\n
CD-R drives are cheaper, but are rather difficult to find
\nnowadays. CD-R disks costs about Rp 3,000 each. You can even use
\nCD-R disks on the CD-RW drive. As such, you can copy VCD movies
\nif you have the appropriate software, or make your own.<\/p>\n
You can also get another hard drive to store your data. With
\nfalling hard disk prices, you can easily get a second hard drive
\non your computer that will not only give you additional storage
\nspace but also an excellent backup system in case your primary
\nhard disc fails.<\/p>\n
In that case, you can replace the dead drive and re-install
\nyour operating system and applications without any data loss.<\/p>\n
There used to be a time when many websites offered free online
\nstorage space to safeguard your data. However, since many were
\nabused by software pirates, these online hard drives now charge
\nfor their services.<\/p>\n
Sites like www.yahoo.com and Apple Computer's www.mac.com are
\npopular personal file suppositories that charge a yearly fee. If
\nyou move from computer to computer, or are constantly on the
\nroad, these services are worth it if your notebook crashes or
\ngets stolen.<\/p>\n
You can simply download the data onto another computer or at
\nan Internet cafe and continue your business meeting.<\/p>\n
One should remember that compiling and storing information is
\nnot an easy process. In some cases, what is lost may be gone
\nforever. There are no negatives to print another photo, no
\nprinted first drafts to retype an essay.<\/p>\n
Making sure we have our information at hand is vital if we are
\nto pass on our knowledge to the next generation. And to prevent
\nothers from making the same mistakes we did. So always make sure
\nyou have a backup of your data!<\/p>",
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