Reporting by XinZhiyuan
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How to gain a sense of security in your digital life? Xiaobian teaches you 3 effective backup methods, don't be bothered, 3 kinds to go on at the same time, "be prepared"!
Backups are very boring, but it can make your data "surviving".
There is an old Chinese saying called "be prepared", multiple backups can make your digital life feel safe.
Here are some ways to back up, it doesn't require a special device, it costs almost nothing, but it requires you to raise your awareness of backups.
Manual backup of the removable hard disk
The first backup method is the easiest!
Buy an external hard drive and copy your data inside regularly.
When choosing a hard drive, consider not only the hard disk manufacturer, but also the size and model that suits you.
However, don't think that with a mobile hard drive, everything will be fine, even well-known brands such as Seagate will face the embarrassing situation of drive failure.
In addition, each backup should be taken as an incremental backup, only the changed files need to be backed up, which can save disk space.
Even so, you'll need a hard drive larger than your computer to back up. The rule of thumb for choosing a mobile hard drive is that the mobile hard drive is 2-3 times the size of the computer's storage. (One is not enough, a few to make up ~)
Now, some software can automate all backup tasks without the need for manual backups.
For example, Apple's Mac has a Time Machine that makes daily backups of your external hard drive.
This "time machine" is smart enough to only back up files that have been changed, and it doesn't take up all the disk space.
For example, Microsoft's Windows 11 provides a Windows backup function that can back up most of the personal data to Microsoft's personal account, but it cannot fully restore the system in the event of a hard drive failure.
What's more, Windows doesn't have a handy tool like Time Machine that simplifies local backups, often resorting to third-party software.
Technological advances are constantly meeting the needs of users, hitting pain points and making backup easier.
Cloud backup
Even if you already have a portable hard disk backup, there will be problems, so you have to double insurance, that is, there must be at least 2 backup schemes: 1 local backup and 1 remote backup.
"I once threw an 80-page novel on a bad hard drive, and I didn't back it up remotely." Wired magazine contributor Scott Gilbertson recounts his experience.
"If that hard drive were still alive, I'd be able to have a cocktail on the beach right now." He said.
Scott's story tells us that a local backup is not enough, because you may face the embarrassment of "a broken hard drive".
At this time, it is necessary to turn on remote backup, that is, the current popular cloud backup.
Offline backup is the storage of personal data "on someone else's computer"
Doing backups is boring, and doing two-sided backups is even more troublesome, but losing data is a "pain" that no one wants.
At the very least, for most people, two-sided backup strikes the best balance between security, cost, and effort.
Offline backup away from the personal data server, you can avoid the physical destruction of the hard disk, for example, when your computer suddenly lost all the data due to lightning strikes, and the mobile hard disk can not be opened, if the data has been backed up to the cloud, you can get it back.
It should be noted that cloud backup is not cloud collaboration, cloud backup generally requires downloading applications and then registering for use, while cloud collaboration is only limited to office storage when collaborating, and is not suitable for specialized data storage.
Connect multiple storage services
"Now, I have to back up the same data at least 3 times in 3 different places." Scott learned his lesson and started 3 backup options.
This may seem redundant, however, Scott argues that "if there is a perfect backup, then 3 may be redundant, but there is no perfect backup".
Mobile hard drives are afraid of the risk of physical damage, and cloud backups seem safe, it can use data anytime, anywhere, regardless of space and device restrictions, what risk will it face?
If the cloud service function is stopped, the cloud service provider cannot continue to run due to lack of funds, and there are security risks in cloud backup.
At this time, you need to enable the third backup method, that is, to apply backups in multiple storage services.
Although this will cost you some extra effort, it's relatively easy to move from one app to multiple online services.
With a free backup tool like Duplicati, you can connect to almost any cloud-based backup service and handle everything from external hard drives to cloud services.
Some tips and suggestions
An important caveat is that you can't really trust any backup system.
It sounds silly, and you'd better practice recovering data on your own before you really need to recover it.
Suppose, a personal computer suddenly has a problem, how do you want to quickly find that data.
Also, backups need to distinguish between primary and secondary.
Generally speaking, the important content of backup includes work files, study materials, personal creations, life photos and videos, etc., as well as some minor things, such as downloaded media resources and software.
"I've never backed up downloaded materials, but when something goes wrong with my computer, that's exactly what I lost." Scott talks about his backup habits.
"Luckily, only one document of these downloads is really important, and I can continue to download them online." He added.
This is the most important part of doing backups, which is to make sure that there is a backup that is categorized in your own way.
Do you remember the above 3 backup schemes?
Resources:
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-back-up-your-digital-life/