back up for my computer

[lankeela]

I keep hearing that my documents etc that are on my computer should be 'backed up' but I don't know exactly what this means and how to achieve it. Without going into gobbledegook technospeak, can someone please explain what I have to do?

[peanut]

backing up means to make a data disc of all of your important files in case your hard drive crashes. basically what you are doing is making a cd with all your stuff on it so it can be reinstalled on your computer.

[peanut]

if you have cd burning software you can use it to make whats called a data cd. you then can either browse for files to add to the cd from the program or drag and drop them from the folder containing the files you want to back up to the open window in the burning software. you may need to use more than 1 disc. does this make sense to you?

[lankeela]

How do I know if I have cd burning software?

Where do I get a disc and what do I ask for?

[fo3nix]

backup just means copying your important personal files (letters you've written, pictures you've taken, anything like that, which can't just be downloaded from a website again).

this is because for 1) they're stored right now on your hard drive inside your computer's case, which is just a mechanical device and can (and they do) go wrong and mess your stuff up. and for 2) that you may accidentally delete something on your hard drive or get a virus that deletes something, etc.

you can copy your files to any medium you like. a CD is one option as peanut says, if your computer has a CD writer. if it's a DVD writer, you could backup to DVD.

if you have a lot to backup, then you can also get external hard drives -- just a hard drive like what's in your machine right now, but in its own metal box). these typically store a lot more than a CD or DVD, so you could even backup your entire hard drive to it.

[lankeela]

Apparently I have Windows XP Professional, and that has its own back up system (I knew that). I now know how to find the instructions for this, but I have to have a floppy disc, which has to be put into 'slot A' - my question now is, where do I get a floppy disc, can I get just one, and is there more than one type, if so which do I ask for?

Next question will be, which is 'slot A'? LOL

Thanks for all your help, its difficult when instructions assume you have prior knowledge of a subject.

[fo3nix]

DO NOT use a floppy disc!!

They are far worse than the hard drive itself. They can corrupt and mess things up very easily. Do you have a CD burner/writer on your computer? Look at the CD drive; on the front (the front of the CD tray), does it say "CD-R" or "CD-RW"? What does it say on it?