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8 Ways to Back-Up Your Computer (and Keep Your Stuff Safe)

by Terrence O'Brien on February 26, 2009 at 02:01 PM


External hard drives with backup software

The most common method for backing up your data is an external drive, like those from LaCie and Seagate, which come prepackaged with software for easily duplicating your files. Many drives come with a one-click solution, meaning all you need to do is press a button on the front of the drive or your desktop to begin an automatic backup. Of course, you can use any backup software you choose, such as Acronis True Image, Time Machine, or the built in Windows backup tool. As a bonus, some models, such as the Seagate FreeAgent Pro series, have a Web interface for accessing your files even when you're away from your PC.

Prices on external drives have plummeted recently and, with a little searching, you can find a one-terabyte (that's one thousand gigabytes, or more than eight iPod classics) USB drive for under a hundred dollars. With prices so low, there's no reason to settle for less than that amount of space, which is so large that you'd have to really try to fill it.

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