Photo by Oskay

If you ask me what is the worst thing that can happen to you and your computer, my answer is losing all your data. Just imagine all your banking, taxes, personal files, music, photos – everything being lost in just one disastrous moment. Sounds scary! The answer is pretty simple – backup your files regularly.

In this post I’m going to share with you 5 ways to backup your data. Choose the ones that you like best.

1. Use a USB Thumb Drive

Everyone uses USB flash drives. They are small, extremely easy to use, and inexpensive. They are excellent for backing up your most important files. However, if you want to backup a lot of data and need more space, an external hard drive is a better option.

2. Get an External Hard Drive

An external hard drive is a great storage solution, that has enough room for all your stuff.  And it’s pretty small, too, so you can take it with you when you’re travelling. Also an external hard drive is very easy to use – simply connect it to your computer using a USB cable and drag and drop your files.

3. Online Storage

In my opinion, two major advantages of online storage are a) being able to access them from any computer with Internet connection and b) protection from any local harm, including theft, floods, fires, etc. There are many free services, including Windows Live SkyDrive.

4. Backup Your Files Automatically

An interesting backup solution is offered by Clickfree – automatic backup. Basically, all you have to do is insert their DVD/plug in their external hard drive or thumb drive and it will automatically find your important files and save them.

5. Get an UPS

Right, this is not really a backup method, but an Uninterruptible Power Supply can save your files. Did you know that a lot of data loss happens because of power cuts and power surges? An UPS will protect you from that. And most of them come with special software that securely shuts down your computer in case of power cut, thus ensuring that it won’t be harmed in any way.