As the year wraps up, time to backup your data

As the year wraps up, time to backup your data

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta

vmahmud@yahoo.com

It is that time of year again. The end of 2003 is upon us, and as
usual, I begin the annual ritual of backing up my computer data.

There are countless numbers of papers, articles, interviews,
applications and music files collected over the years, some of
which I created myself, others downloaded from the Web.

Yet, this suppository of data is like a mini library, an
archive if you will, of the various topics that interest me
(Linux, computer gaming, eco-friendly power generators, etc). If
it is gone, it may take more time to relocate and save the
information lost, if you can find it at all.

This all started during the Y2K fiasco. Everyone was in a
panic about what may happen on Jan. 1, 2000. Will the power go
out? Will the banks lose our accounts? Will the whole world
descend into chaos just because computer programmers forgot to
accommodate two extra digits to calculate the year?

In the end, nothing happened, but the fear of losing
everything is still real.

Countless Internet worms, PC viruses and computer criminals
still lurk in the darkest recesses of the Web. Not to mention
hardware failures, software exploits and blue screens of death
that continue to harass us. Can you be really sure that your data
is safe?

We should remember that practically everything we do now is
digital. Most of my articles, stories, photos and music can be
stored on a hard drive, instead of being scattered in boxes
around my room.

Magazine clippings have either been scanned or stockpiled in
HTML format, making it easier to find on my computer. Should the
website for home made solar panel cells close down, I would still
have the files to help spread the knowledge. Such is the power of
information nowadays.

There are many ways for saving your data. The easiest is
perhaps by partitioning your hard drive. This basically means you
divide your single hard drive into many parts. Instead of having
one 30-gigabyte hard drive (seen by the operating system as a
single drive letter C), you could have 2 drives (for example
drive C at 10 gigabytes and a drive D at 20 gigabytes).

I use drive C to install my applications (such as Open Office,
TransTools and iTunes) but store my data (MP3s, office documents
and games) on drive D.

This way, should my Windows operating system crash or become
corrupted (which has been known to happen), I can format and
reinstall with ease knowing that my data is safe on a separate
drive.

You can partition your hard drive into as many parts as you
want, remembering that each division must add up to the total
hard drive space.

Ideally, you should divide your hard disk into at least two to
three sections. One should be for the system files, another for
applications (like Corel Draw or WordPerfect) and another for
your data.

There are software products on the market that allow you to
safely partition your hard drive without totally obliterating
your existing data. Programs like Partition Magic
(www.partitionmagic.com) allows users to carefully consolidate
their data and create another drive letter.

The software runs on windows and is easy to use. But make sure
you have a backup of your data just in case. Be warned, however,
in order to create two partitions, you must delete the original
division first. Consequently, all data will be lost!

Of course, if the entire hard drive breaks down, separating
data into two virtual drives won't help since the main hardware
(the hard disc) is damaged. You therefore should always backup
your data onto a different medium.

Currently, there is an abundance of hardware to choose from.
My favorite backup system utilizes a CD-RW (Compact Disc
ReWriter) drive.

Similar to the CD-R (CD-Writer), the CD-RW allows you to burn
650 to 700 Megabytes of data onto a special compact disc. Unlike
the CD-R, in which data is permanently saved, a CD-RW can be
erased and reused. Prices have now dropped, ranging from Rp 600
thousand to Rp 1.3 million, depending on brand and burn speed
(how fast data is written). The CD-RW disc themselves are about
Rp 20,000 each.

CD-R drives are cheaper, but are rather difficult to find
nowadays. CD-R disks costs about Rp 3,000 each. You can even use
CD-R disks on the CD-RW drive. As such, you can copy VCD movies
if you have the appropriate software, or make your own.

You can also get another hard drive to store your data. With
falling hard disk prices, you can easily get a second hard drive
on your computer that will not only give you additional storage
space but also an excellent backup system in case your primary
hard disc fails.

In that case, you can replace the dead drive and re-install
your operating system and applications without any data loss.

There used to be a time when many websites offered free online
storage space to safeguard your data. However, since many were
abused by software pirates, these online hard drives now charge
for their services.

Sites like www.yahoo.com and Apple Computer's www.mac.com are
popular personal file suppositories that charge a yearly fee. If
you move from computer to computer, or are constantly on the
road, these services are worth it if your notebook crashes or
gets stolen.

You can simply download the data onto another computer or at
an Internet cafe and continue your business meeting.

One should remember that compiling and storing information is
not an easy process. In some cases, what is lost may be gone
forever. There are no negatives to print another photo, no
printed first drafts to retype an essay.

Making sure we have our information at hand is vital if we are
to pass on our knowledge to the next generation. And to prevent
others from making the same mistakes we did. So always make sure
you have a backup of your data!