And we must bear in mind that our files are always exposed to any problem that may happen. Whether it is a human error, virus infection or any electronic failure can cause us to end up losing our most precious files. This is something that we can avoid by making a backup of the most basic data that we have on our computer. And of course, if we decide to make a backup, we must know the different types that exist.
Steps to take before making a backup
If we have decided to make a backup, we must consider a series of previous measures. Starting with deciding what data we want to have a backup on will be. This is important, since not all the content on our hard drive may be essential, but only part of it is. For example, we may not be interested in a backup of a program installation file. Since over time there will be new improved versions, so our installation file may become obsolete.
It is also important to know that backup copies, in general, must be made periodically, because it is possible that, if we do not update it, when we want to make use of it, it will not have the appropriate files. In addition, it is always advisable to have a backup in different places that we can easily access. This is important because if we make a backup copy in a cloud service such as DropBox or Google Drive, we may not be able to access it if we do not have an Internet connection, so it is also interesting to have a copy on a disk external hard.
What type of backup to use
In general, when making a backup of our most precious data, we will depend on different types among which we must choose based on the one that can best adapt to our needs.
We started talking about the full backup With which we can make a 100% backup of all the content of our equipment, so it is ideal if we do not have the luxury of losing any files and we want to have all our data fully protected. With this type of backup, we must also know that it requires a high time and space to be carried out satisfactorily.
We can also choose the Incremental mode. It is always advisable to use when we already have a backup of our data previously made. Therefore, we want to update it with those files that have been modified. In this way, only files that have been modified after the backup has been carried out will be copied. In this case we are talking about a quick process to carry out.
Another option is to make a backup Differential, which will allow us to add new files to a previous backup that we already have saved. Like the Incremental mode, it is a very useful option to be able to have our copy updated with new essential data without having to make a complete copy again.
Finally, we find the copy in mode Mirror, which is quite similar to the full copy. Its main difference is that when making the copy, the files cannot be compressed, which will make them take up more space and offer less security. It is used especially by companies, since its use is recommended to have a copy outside the place where the original files are located.
