Backing up your Data (Windows)

We’ve all been told how important backing up our data is – but are you actually doing it?

If you’re running a Windows-based computer or laptop, backing up your files is probably easier than you think! Windows File Backup is included on every installation of Windows and requires no specialist knowledge to get it working. While Windows does allow you to back up your main hard drive/solid state drive to itself, this is not a great idea. If your main storage drive was to fail, and your backup is on the same device – you can quickly see what the issue will be. Likewise, if a disaster was to occur to your physical hardware, having a copy of that valuable data outside of your main computing system will massively increase your chances of getting the data back.

So, once you’ve connected that all important external hard drive to your computer, navigate over to Windows settings and we’ll get started. This is usually found with the cog icon on the left of your start menu.

1. Once you are in your system settings, search for backup in the search bar and click on ‘Backup settings’.
   
   
2. You’ll need to tell Windows which drive to back up to, so click on ‘Add a drive’ and select the external hard drive you should already have connected.
   
   
3. Now the drive is selected, the ‘Add a drive’ option should have ‘Automatically back up my files’ set to ‘On’.
   
   
4. Click on ‘More options’ below this to configure your backups and run an initial back up of your documents.
   
   
5. On this page, you will be able to chose how regularly Windows backs up your files, and how long it retains copies of these backups for. These settings vary from system to system dependent on the amount of data and the criticality of it. The defaults are usually okay for most home users.
   
   
6. We recommend running an initial backup by pressing ‘Back up now’ – this may take some time to complete based on how much data you have.
   
   
7. Make sure you always test your backups, before you need them!

At time of writing (January 2023) a 1TB (1,000GB) external USB hard drive costs in the region of £50.00. We really like the Western Digital (WD) Elements drives, and often carry these during in-home/on-site visits.

It is also worth noting that although Windows File Backup does (as the name suggests) back up your files, should your entire system corrupt it does not back up your applications/programs or system configuration (wallpapers, screensavers, etc).

Would you like some help getting started, or further information? Just get in contact and we will arrange to help you out.

This advice is provided as-is and has no warranty. Black Owl are in no way responsible for your data in any way, whether a backup misconfiguration, or anything else.