Why Back Up Your PC?

1. An online backup service is one of the best ways to protect yourself against the loss of precious data, whether it's the result of a crashed hard drive or an unintentional deletion.
2. Watch Online Video of Mac Yahoo backup Tool In this section, the user can view the working process of Yahoo backup software for Mac OS. Here is a step by step process which describes how to backup Yahoo mail account to computer.

In August of 2016, Delta Airlines had to cancel more than 1,300 flights, at a cost of $100 million, not because of weather or mechanical problems, but because the company's computer systems went down. If it can happen to a big corporation like Delta, don't think it can't happen to you. All technology, whether it's a brand new iMac, a spaceship, a hover board, a webmail service, or a ten-year-old PC running Windows Vista, can potentially take a sudden nosedive.

ISkysoft Phone Transfer for Mac ( or iSkysoft Phone Transfer for Windows) allows you to backup phone data in one click.This iPhone backup software can detect and scan your phone data automatically. Then you can check any contents including contacts, messages, apps, videos, musics, photos, and more so that to backup to your computer.

Hard drives are notorious for crashing, and ransomware can make a computer's contents inaccessible. Sometimes it's not even the fault of the technology: Fires, flooding, and other natural disasters can render PCs and other tech hardware inoperable. And laptops get stolen. You need insurance. With digital content becoming paramount for not only business assets—documents, plans, financial spreadsheets—but also for personal assets such as family photos, videos, and music, protecting with backup software is more important than ever.

Both Windows and Mac OS X have beefed up their built-in backup tools in recent years. Windows 10 includes a File History feature and a full disk backup feature, and OS X includes its Time Machine software. Both of these are well worth running, but they both have some limitations, lacking some of the extra benefits you get from running standalone backup software.

How Backup Software Works

The concept behind backup software is pretty simple: Make a copy of your files on storage separate from your main hard drive. That storage can be another drive, an external drive, a NAS, a rewritable disc, or an online storage and syncing service. Should you lose the files, either through disaster or simply by deleting them or overwriting them, you can just restore them from the saved copies.

But in order for this to work, the copies of your files must be updated regularly. Most backup software lets you schedule scans of your hard drive for new and changed files daily, weekly, or monthly, but my preferred option is to have the software continually (or at least, say, every 15 minutes) monitor your drive for changed or new files. Several products here offer this continuous backup option.

More granular options include whether backups are full, incremental, or differential. The first is pretty obvious—all the data you've selected for backup is copied in its entirety. Incremental backup saves system resources by only backing up changes in files from the last incremental backup, and differential backup saves all changes from the last full backup. With incremental, you need the latest full backup and all the intermediary backup data to restore a file to its original state, whereas with differential, you just need the last set of differential backup data and the first full one.

A couple of security options are usually available when setting up your backup: password protection and encryption. Using both of these is a good idea if the data you're backing up is at all sensitive. Another option offered by many backup applications is versioning. This lets you specify how many previous versions of your files you want to preserve, and for how long. I recommend maxing this out, especially when you're storing backups locally, with no annual fee for hosted online backup. In any case, the incremental changes don't eat up a ton of space.

A step further than the simple copying of files is copying the entire hard drive, including system files, as what's called a disk image. This contains every bit of data on the drive and offers stronger protection, since it enables you to recreate a system after a hard drive failure. Some products can even update a disk image nearly continuously. But that extra protection comes at the price of more complexity in setting up and restoring. Usually you'll need to run a pre-boot environment from startup media to restore a system image, since doing so from within your main OS isn't possible.

For another—highly recommended—approach to backup, consider online backup, also known as cloud backup. Services like Carbonite and Mozy securely send your data over the internet and save it on remote file servers in encrypted form. The big plus of this option is that the data is off your premises, and therefore not susceptible to local disasters. The downside is that they tie you to annual fees, and uploading and downloading backups is slower than loading local copies. Some online backup services, such as IDrive and SOS Online Backup, include software for making local backups, too.

Restoring From Backup

How you set up your backup affects how you can restore it. If you've backed up your entire disk image, you'll need to start the system from bootable media such as a DVD or USB stick that you create in the software. (You should definitely create one of these types of rescue media if your software offers it.) You also may need to attach another external drive containing the backup data along with the boot media. Several of the programs included here even let you restore data from one PC to another that has different hardware. This is useful when you simply want to migrate to new PC hardware, as opposed to recovering from a disaster.

For restoring individual files, several of the applications, such as Acronis True Image and Paragon Backup & Recovery, give you the option of choosing among previous versions of the files you've saved. Which file versions are available to restore depends on how frequently you've run backups. This is why the continuous backup option mentioned above is preferable. With that option, ideally, every time you save a file, it's backed up and you can get back to any previous point in time.

If all or some of this has sounded like a foreign language to you, you should definitely check out PCMag's Beginner's Guide to PC Backup, which offers help and detailed information on the different kinds of backup available to you. The article makes recommendations on what you should back up and what media you should back it up to.

Below are links to our latest local backup software reviews. Have you got a story about an occasion when backup software saved your bacon or an opinion about one of the applications we've reviewed here? Let us know in the comments below.

Featured Backup Software Reviews:

• Acronis True Image Review

  
  MSRP: $49.99
  

  Pros: Combines backup, disk-cloning, rescue-disk creation, and more system utilities. Clean interface. Fast. Excellent mobile backup app. Lots of extra disk tools.

  Cons: Cloud options still in the software even if you didn't buy the cloud service. Runs lots of backup processes. Doesn't restore directly to Facebook.

  Bottom Line: Acronis True Image 2017 brings some unique capabilities to backup software, including Facebook and mobile backup. Its interface is the friendliest in the game, yet it still lets experts dig into very detailed backup options.

  Read Review

• StorageCraft ShadowProtect 5 Desktop Review

  
  MSRP: $99.95
  

  Pros: Fast image-style backups of disk partitions or whole disks. Enterprise-level reliability. Multiple options for restoring or viewing files. Powerful hardware-independent restore feature smoothes recovery of data to different machines.

  Cons: Dated interface. Sparse explanations of advanced features. Expensive.

  Bottom Line: ShadowProtect Desktop, the consumer version of the leading enterprise-level backup software, is the most reliable disk-imaging local backup software available.

  Read Review

• NovaBackup PC Review

  
  MSRP: $49.95
  

  Pros: Solid security. Highly customizable. Fast backups. Unlimited file versions retention. Can create disk images.

  Cons: Cluttered interface. Annual subscription model. No Mac support. Lacks File Explorer integration.

  Bottom Line: NovaBackup is a solid local backup solution with a good set of security features and customization options, but it's not as intuitive as top competitors and it lacks ransomware protection.

  Read Review

• Paragon Backup & Recovery 16 Review

  
  MSRP: $39.95
  

  Pros: Simplified interface. Lots of advanced backup options. Includes Paragon's powerful disk-management tools.

  Cons: No continuous backup option for folders. No hosted online or mobile backup.

  Bottom Line: Paragon has finally created a backup utility that's accessible to home users, but the product still lacks some usability and tools of the competition.

  Read Review

• Genie Timeline Home Review

  
  MSRP: $39.95
  

  Pros: Clear, simple interface. Easy to set up backups. Good set of backup options. File versions saved. Free trial.

  Cons: No encrypted backup option. Disaster recovery download prompted a security warning. Weak mobile app.

  Bottom Line: Genie Timeline Home is easy-to-use, capable backup software that lets you get back to previous file versions and folders.

  Read Review

• NTI Backup Now 6 Review

  
  MSRP: $69.99
  

  Pros: User-friendly interface. Continuous backup. Drive migration. Fast folder backup. Creates startup rescue USB drives and discs.

  Cons: Slow full disk image backup. Expensive. Recovery USB creator doesn't work with Windows 10 systems.

  Bottom Line: NTI Backup Now 6's interface is improved, and it can protect your PC's folders and files, including system files, but it falls short of the competition when it comes to usability and speed of some operations.

  Read Review

Everyone loses data at some point in their lives. Your computer’s hard drive could fail tomorrow, ransomware could hold your files hostage, or a software bug could delete your important files. If you’re not regularly backing up your computer, you could lose those files forever.

Backups don’t have to be hard or confusing, though. You’ve probably heard about countless different backup methods, but which one is right for you? And what files do you really need to back up?

It’s All About Your Personal Data

Let’s start with the obvious: what do you need back up? Well, first and foremost, you need to back up your personal files. You can always reinstall your operating system and redownload your programs if your hard drive fails, but your own personal data is irreplaceable.

Any personal documents, photos, home videos, and any other data on your computer should be backed up regularly. Those can never be replaced. If you’ve spent hours painstakingly ripping audio CDs or video DVDs, you may want to back those files up, too, so you don’t have to do all that work over again.

Your operating system, programs, and other settings can also be backed up. You don’t have to back them up, necessarily, but it can make your life easier if your entire hard drive fails. If you’re the type of person that likes to play around with system files, edit the registry, and regularly update your hardware, having a full system backup may save you time when things go wrong.

The Many Ways to Back Up Your Files

There are many ways to back up your data, from using an external drive to backing up those files on a remote server over the Internet. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each:

• Back Up to an External Drive: If you have an external USB hard drive, you can just back up to that drive using your computer’s built-in backup features. On Windows 10 and 8, use File History. On Windows 7, use Windows Backup. On Macs, use Time Machine. Occasionally connect the drive to the computer and use the backup tool, or leave it plugged in whenever your home and it’ll back up automatically. Pros: Backing up is cheap and fast. Cons: If your house gets robbed or catches on fire, your backup can be lost along with your computer, which is very bad.

• Back Up Over the Internet: If you want to ensure your files stay safe, you can back them up to the internet with a service like Backblaze. Backblaze is the well-known online backup service we like and recommend since CrashPlan no longer serves home users, but there are also competitors like Carbonite and MozyHome. For a low monthly fee (about $5 a month), these programs run in the background on your PC or Mac, automatically backing up your files to the service’s web storage. If you ever lose those files and need them again, you can restore them. Pros: Online backup protects you against any type of data loss–hard drive failure, theft, natural disasters, and everything in between. Cons: These services usually cost money (see the next section for more details), and the initial backup can take much longer than it would on an external drive–especially if you have a lot of files.

• Use a Cloud Storage Service: Backup purists will say this isn’t technically a backup method, but for most people, it serves a similar enough purpose. Rather than just storing your files on your computer’s hard drive, you can store them on a service like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or a similar cloud storage service. They’ll then automatically sync to your online account and to your other PCs. If your hard drive dies, you’ll still have the copies of the files stored online and on your other computers. Pros: This method is easy, fast, and in many cases, free, and since it’s online, it protects you against all types of data loss. Cons: Most cloud services only offer a few gigabytes of space for free, so this only works if you have a small number of files you want to back up, or if you’re willing to pay for extra storage. Depending on the files you want to back up, this method can either be simpler or more complicated than a straight-up backup program.

While backup programs like Backblaze and cloud storage services like Dropbox are both online backups, they work in fundamentally different ways. Dropbox is designed to sync your files between PCs, while Backblaze and similar services are designed to backup large amounts of files. Backblaze will keep multiple copies of different versions of your files, so you can restore the file exactly as it was from many points in its history. And, while services like Dropbox are free for small amounts of space, Backblaze’s low price is for as big a backup as you want. Depending on how much data you have, one could be cheaper than the other.

Backblaze and Carbonite do have one big limitation you should keep in mind. If you delete a file on your computer, it will be deleted from your online backups after 30 days. You can’t go back and recover a deleted file or the previous version of a file after this 30 day period. So be careful when deleting those files if you might want them back!

One Backup Isn’t Enough: Use Multiple Methods

RELATED:You’re Not Backing Up Properly Unless You Have Offsite Backups

So which should you use? Ideally, you’d use at least two of them. Why? Because you want both offsite and onsite backups.

“Onsite” literally means backups stored at the same physical location as you. So, if you back up to an external hard drive and store that at home with your home PC, that’s an onsite backup.

Best Backup Storage For Mac

Offsite backups are stored at a different location. So, if you back up to an online server, like Backblaze or Dropbox, that’s an offsite backup.

Onsite backups are faster and easier, and should be your first line of defense against data loss. If you lose files, you can quickly restore them from an external drive. But you shouldn’t rely on onsite backups alone. If your home burns down or all the hardware in it is stolen by thieves, you’d lose all your files.

Offsite backups don’t have to be a server on the Internet, either, and you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription for one. You could back up your files to a hard drive and store it at your office, at a friend’s house, or in a bank vault, for example. It’d be a bit more inconvenient, but that’s technically an offsite backup.

Similarly, you could also store your files in Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive and performing regular backups to an external drive. Or you could use Backblaze to back up online and Windows File History to create a local backup. There are a lot of ways to use these services in tandem, and it’s up to you how to do it. Just make sure you have a solid backup strategy, with onsite and offsite backups, so you have a wide safety net against ever losing your files.

Automate It!

All that may sound complicated, but the more you automate your backup system, the more frequently you’ll be able to back up and the greater the odds you’ll stick with it. That’s why you should use an automated tool instead of copying files to an external drive by hand. You can just set it up once, and forget it.

That’s one reason we really like online services like Backblaze. If it’s backing up to the internet, it can automatically do that every single day. If you have to plug in an external drive, you have to put in more effort, which means you’ll back up less often and you may eventually stop doing it. Keeping everything automatic is well worth the price.

If you don’t want to pay anything and want to primarily rely on local backups, consider using a file-syncing service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive to synchronize your important files online. That way, if you ever lose your local backup, you’ll at least have an online copy.

Best Backup System For Mac

Ultimately, you just need to think about where your files are and ensure you have multiple copies at all times. Ideally, those copies should be in more than one physical location. As long as you’re actually thinking about what you’ll do if your computer dies, you should be way ahead of most people.

Image Credit: Mario Goebbels on Flickr

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