Backup my PC: a potted history
If in 1943 he did say
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers", former chairman of IBM Thomas J Watson Sr got it wrong!
(To be fair to the man, this is most likely an urban myth!)
It isn't just the huge numbers of computers that are now in use, it's the range of things that we get them to do. And over time we have become increasingly dependent on them.
Which compounds the problem when they either cease to work or are stolen and "I don't have a current backup for my PC"! (Or "a current backup for my laptop" - as the case may be.)
Floppy Disks
Hard disks used to be swapped in and out of computers: they looked and felt like heavy desk drawers! So floppy disks were quite a revolution in their time. And they were indeed floppy, first came the 8" (or 20cm) version, before the 'small' 5 1/4" disks, which soon gave way to the 3 1/2" (much less floppy!) disks. Programmes used to arrive on a single floppy disk, and a box of 10 floppy disks provided pretty good storage capacity for backups!
That's history, but it doesn't answer how to backup my PC with today's data requirements!
Tape backup
With the relatively limited size of the 3 1/2" floppy disk, it is not surprising that a new backup medium soon came on the scene: the computer backup tape. Formats have changed over the years, but the method still remains current today.
The problems are not necessarily in the technology, but in the human aspect of it: somebody has to remember to change the tapes, set the backup going, and take the tapes off-site in case of fire. Then - because they are off-site - restoring a file to its most currrent version can be an issue.
CD ROM
The advent of the CD ROM changed how software companies delivered computer programmes: often on 1 CD, replacing a whole number of 3 1/2" floppy disks. With the arrival of low cost CD writers, CDs also became a backup medium.
If you have ever fancied a career as a disk jockey, here's a good way to get in training - use CD ROMs to backup your PC!
Internet backup
If you have been looking up for today's way to "backup my pc", you have found it right here. It takes moments to download free software, and the shortest of times to set up which files and directories you wish to keep backed up.
The great thing is that you can start with FREE backup and then expand to the paid service if your backup needs to be more than the impressive 2Gb which you get free. And it really is low cost to expand to a 30 Gb facility.
sign up for free backup now
