Page 84 - April 2016 Life In Naples Magazine

naples mac help

If you don’t back up,

you can’t get it back!

T here are two kinds of people: Those who back up, and those use the service provided by CrashPlan (crashplan.com). They allow
who will. backup of not only your computer but also connected external hard
That is one of my favorite expressions about the importance of drives, so if you keep photos or music on a separate drive, that will
backing up the data that is stored on your computer. be safe as well if a local crash occurs. You can also backup multiple
Computers store data – all files, photos, music, emails, etc. – on the computers under their affordable family plans. Another feature I
internal hard drive inside laptops and desktop. Studies show that hard like is the App for tablets and smartphones. It allows access to any
drives will fail. It is not a matter of ‘if ’ but ‘when.’ Most hard drives backed-up files from anywhere using your portable device. So if you
contain small discs that spin, and like all moving parts, the day will need a photo that is on your desktop in Naples, and you are in New
come when the discs will spin no more. Will you be prepared? York, just open the app on your device and you can display, save and
It is important to understand that backup is a process. As long as new print that photo!
data is being created and changes are being made, backups also need
to be updated. WHICH BACKUP IS FOR YOU?

There are two types of backup plans, local and off-site. A local Local backups using a connected drive are fast, inexpensive and
backup is usually kept attached to your computer via a wired convenient. However, if a disaster such as flood, fire or electrical
connection or on the local network. Off-site, or online backups, are surge occur, both your computer and backup could be damaged.
stored on a server that could be hundreds or thousands of miles away, Online backups are becoming faster and also less expensive. They are
and files are transferred via the internet. Each has advantages and convenient as they can be accessed with any online connection, but be
disadvantages, which I will explain. sure to make sure that the service’s default backup plan includes the
documents and settings important to you.
LOCAL BACKUP
In closing, remember that a backup is only as useful as the last
This is becoming easier, as prices of external hard drives are still time it was performed – if your computer crashes and the most recent
falling as their capacities increase. External USB drives are available backup you have is from 2010, that may not be of much help.
at any office supply or electronics store. You will want to buy a drive
that has a storage capacity that is at least the same as your computer’s May you have 1,000 backups and never need one.
hard drive. For example, if your laptop has a 1TB hard drive, get an
external USB Drive that is 1TB or larger.This extra room will be used Jeff Bohr
for incremental backups and will assure that you do not run out of Naples Mac Help
space. Most USB drives have software that will automatically backup 239.595.0482 | jeff@jeffbohr.com
your computer, and allow you to select the files to be backed up and
the frequency of backups. A 2TB external hard drive can be found for
under $90, and external drives as large as 5TB are now available for
under $120!

If you have a Windows PC, you can find the backup program by
going to the Start Menu > All Programs >Accessories > System Tools,
and then click Backup.

If you have a Mac, the built-in Time Machine software will open
when you connect an external drive and ask you if that is the drive
that you want to use for backup.

OFF-SITE BACKUP
There are several services that offer online backup services, you

can search for ‘online backups’ and see what is available. Costs start
at around $30 annually and are usually based on storage capacity, so
the larger the storage needed, the higher the annual cost. I personally

84 Life in Naples | April 2016