If you ever lose those files and need them again, you can restore them. Backblaze is the well-known online backup service we like and recommend since CrashPlan no longer serves home users (although you could pay for a CrashPlan small business account instead.) There are also competitors like Carbonite-we also used to mention MozyHome, but it’s now a part of Carbonite. For a low monthly fee (about $5 a month), these programs run in the background on your PC or Mac, automatically backing up your files to the service’s web storage. Back Up Over the Internet: If you want to ensure your files stay safe, you can back them up to the internet with a service like Backblaze.

Cons: If your house gets robbed or catches on fire, your backup can be lost along with your computer, which is very bad. Occasionally connect the drive to the computer and use the backup tool, or leave it plugged in whenever your home and it’ll back up automatically. Back Up to an External Drive: If you have an external USB hard drive, you can just back up to that drive using your computer’s built-in backup features.Here are the strengths and weaknesses of each: There are many ways to back up your data, from using an external drive to backing up those files on a remote server over the Internet.

If you’re the type of person that likes to play around with system files, edit the registry, and regularly update your hardware, having a full system backup may save you time when things go wrong. You don’t have to back them up, necessarily, but it can make your life easier if your entire hard drive fails. Your operating system, programs, and other settings can also be backed up. If you’ve spent hours painstakingly ripping audio CDs or video DVDs, you may want to back those files up, too, so you don’t have to do all that work over again.

Any personal documents, photos, home videos, and any other data on your computer should be backed up regularly.

Best personal backup option