Files & Folders:
Backup

 Title: Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101

Now that you have created some documents, you need to consider how to safeguard your files. Nothing is like that horrible sinking, sick feeling that you get when you realize that you've destroyed/damaged/lost the one and only copy of something that took days to create.

Since removable disks are easy to lose or damage, you should have at least one copy of your work besides your Class disk. Such a copy is called your backup, so we will call this disk the Backup disk.

When working with your own computer at work or home, your files will normally be stored on a hard disk. To back up those files, you could just copy individual files to the removable disk as you complete each one.

Backup removable disk: Save one copy to a removable disk and one copy on your  home computer's hard disk. For important data, more than one backup is a really good idea!

Do not use Copy Disk for large capacity disks. It will take a LONG time. It is easier to copy the changed files to the Backup disk. Just look at the timestamp in an Explorer window for the files and copy the new ones to the Backup disk.

If you have a lot of files to backup, you will want to use some kind of backup software that will manage the files so that both disks have the same versions.


Where you are:
JegsWorks > Lessons > Windows

Before you start...

Project 1: Windows BasicsTo subtopics

Project 2: Files & Folders
    ViewsTo subtopics
    Removable MediaTo subtopics
    Names
    FoldersTo subtopics
    Files Subtopics display    
    icon-footprintText: Create & Save
    icon-footprintText: Edit & Print
    icon-footprintImage: Create & Save
    icon-footprintImage: Resize & Print
    icon-footprintBackup Data
    Summary
    Quiz
    ExercisesTo subtopics

    Search
    Glossary
Icon Step-by-Step 

Step-by-Step: Backup Copy

  Icon Step-by-Step
What you will learn: to create a backup copy

Start with:Desktop  Class disk  Blank Floppy disk

Create the Backup Copy

  1. Class disk Insert your Class disk into its drive.
    If necessary, display the contents of the drive in a Computer window.
     
  2. Choose from the menu bar  View  >  Refresh . This refreshes the listing in the window to show the contents of the current disk in the drive.

     Keyboard tip  It is much faster, once you can remember it, to use the F5 key to refresh the file display.

    Be sure that the disk is your Class disk. This is your source disk for the Copy Disk sequence to follow.
     

  3. Blank Floppy disk Insert you other drive into a different USB port.
    If necessary, display the contents of the drive in a Computer window. 

  4. In the display of your Class disk, select the files or folders that you wish to copy to the second disk.
     
  5. Use the key combo CTRL + C to copy what is selected.
     
  6. Switch to the window for your second device.
     
  7. Use the key combo CTRL + V to paste your files to this device.
     
    Message: Folder already exists (Win7)Icon: Trouble Problem: Folder or files already exist
    You will see a message about that. Choose Yes to replace the files to have an exact duplicate. Or, if you wish, you can choose No and go create a new folder on the second device to hold the current versions of your work. That way you can keep the old versions, too. Just be careful to name the folders that hold different versions in a way that makes it clear which is which.

Make it a habit to have at least one backup copy of every important file. Consider just how much trouble it would be to have to recreate it. The minute or two it takes to make a copy can save you from data disaster!