It has been said that there are two types of hard drives, “the ones that have failed and the ones that will fail.” For example, have you ever booted up your computer and the “Blue Screen of Death” (aka BSoD for you Techies) appears on your monitor? You know, it’s a screen with a blue background and white lettering that basically translates to “Rut Roh.” Whatever we call it, it’s not a good sign and means it’s time to start thinking about backing up your data on a regular basis, BSoD or not. Why? Because next to having adequate virus protection, backing up your data should be at the top of your computer maintenance list. Without data backup or virus protection, you are running the risk of losing your data. You can decide how regular based upon the importance of the data you want backed up. Daily is good for the “cannot live without” files. Weekly is more in line to what the average user requires. Here are some excellent sites to help you decide what and how to backup.

Go to this link if you need help deciding what you should backup:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/backup.mspx

Go to this link to learn how to back up your files on a PC:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/howbackup.mspx

Go to this link to learn how to back up your files on a Mac:
http://www.mac.com/1/solutions/backup.html

It is important to note that everyone with a BlueNet account has a personal network drive, called the “M” drive. Files stored on the “M” drive are backed up regularly to protect from data loss.

If you need assistance with backing up your hard drive on campus, please call the ITS Help Desk, that’s one of the many reasons we are here.