What to back up
Consider backing up these:
Files containing documents, letters and any other data you have created, whether with a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a financial program such as Quicken or Money, or a database application.
Digital multimedia files. It is particularly important to backup music files you have bought online. Also, backup photographs you are storing on your hard drive, but have not printed. E-mail files. Certainly back up your address book, and probably any e-mail messages you want to keep. To back up Outlook Express messages, search for files ending in the .dbx extension. To back up your OE address book, search for a file ending in the .wab extension. To back up Outlook, look for a file ending in .pst. The Help section of other programs should divulge what extensions they use.
(Always write down exactly the complete path to the folders in which those files are stored, because you will have to guide the software you use to back up stuff to those folders. A fictional example: C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\mydbx.files
Downloaded programs. If you buy programs online, back them up. If a vendor sent you an e-mail with a special code to open the program, back up that message, even if you ignore all your other ones.
Program and driver upgrades. These are especially important if you have to reformat your hard drive and reinstall your programs and hardware.
Favorites or Bookmarks. You do not want to have to find again the 300 Web sites you have come to think of as special. Use Windows Search to look for the Favorites folder. Again, write down the path to that folder.
Where to back up. My favorite medium for receiving backups is a hard drive. As a class, hard drives are highly dependable. Also, you will not have to worry about keeping track of disks or labeling them.
If you are somewhat daring and handy, install an internal drive. If not, and if you have some spare change, buy an external one. These are particularly handy if you want to shuttle data to another computer.
Second-choice medium is the CD-R disc, which is more reliable and less troublesome than a CD-RW disc. Of course, for this, you need a CD drive capable of burning CDs.
Also consider either an external or internal Zip drive.
What to use. If you opt for a hard drive, the best option is a program that automatically and immediately backs up any file you create or change. Iomega's Desktop Hard Drive comes with such a program. But CMS also makes some good hardware-software backup combos.
Another acceptable program, which you can use to back up to hard drives as well as other media, is Backup MyPC from Stomp.
How to prepare. If you have not already done so to organize your hard drive, create special folders to hold your data, photographs, downloaded programs and music, as well as program and driver upgrades.
Move all the relevant files to these folders, and save new files to them. Remember the paths.
When you configure your backup program, have it look in the folders you created, as well as in folders where your e-mail and Favorites are stored.
Some programs - Quicken or Money, for example - can create backups themselves. Those backup files should also go into a special folder and then be backed up a second time from there.
On the Web
www.iomega.com
www.cmsproducts.com/products_backup.htm
www.stompinc.com