Computer Working Very Slowly – Restoration Windows Registry Difficulty
Just imagine it: you've finished a project that has taken you months to complete and it is sitting there on your hard drive. As you are about to send it to your boss or print out your hard copy, your computer decides to flash that notorious blue screen. Before you find yourself shouting “No!” and cursing technology, consider your options with respect to backing up files. Whether you can spend only a few dollars per month on a solution or cannot spare any expense, there are many solutions that fit your needs. Here, I will describe different choices you have and several examples of services or methods within those choices, as well as pros and cons.
* Disc Backup – This method involves burning all important files to CD or DVD (some older computers support saving data to floppy disks, but this is no longer as common).
Pros: Discs are widely available and are becoming increasingly more inexpensive (around $15 for 30 discs on a spindle). CD-RW and DVD-RW allow you to add more files if you need to modify a backup.
Cons: The burning process can be very time-consuming depending upon burner speed. Backup is not automatic and must be set up each time a backup needs to take place. Discs typically only hold around 700MB of data.
* Internet File Hosting – This method involves becoming a member of a file hosting site and uploading each file individually.
Pros: You can access your files from any computer with internet access. Finding sites that provide this service is easy, since there are many available options.
Cons: Space is often limited, especially for free accounts. It is often time consuming, requiring you to specifically find and upload each file. Can be a bit pricey if you need a lot of space.
Examples of sites: Fileden.com (a free host), FileDropper.com, etc.
* Automatic backup service – This method involves downloading a program to your computer that automatically backs up your files.
Pros: You do not need to remember to back up your files, as the service does this for you automatically. You select the folders or individual files you want to always back up and not worry from there.
Cons: You often have to pay subscription fees (which can be a little bit pricey) if you need to back up large files like music and videos.
Examples of services: Mozy (they give you 2 GB for free, unlimited is only $4.95 per month), Carbonite, etc.
One of the above methods is bound to meet your needs. I have had my fair share of computer crashes and file backups have saved my hiney on more than one occasion. Find the option that suits you and you can avoid saying “doh!” when your computer suddenly eats your files.