Computers carry an inherent risk of crashing, so to avoid losing your life’s work it’s important to create a backup copy. This painless method employs free software and–after setup–a few seconds of your time periodically to update the backup copy.

The first step to creating backup is to identify which of your files are the most important. To do this, save the majority of your files in two places: a temporary processing area and an archive folder.

For simplicity, in this how-to I’ll suggest you use a My Documents folder to house file archives and the Desktop as a temporary processing area. If you have documents scattered in different places on your hard drive, move them into a My Documents folder so that there is one centralized location for files you want to keep.

Files you’re using for reference, or currently processing on your Desktop can sometimes be critical as well, so we’ll include that area in our backup queue.

The second step is to hook up an external hard drive. I suggest a USB2.0 drive with at least 180 gigabytes of space. Check Amazon and eBay for current prices, but you should be able to find a decent drive for under $75.

Once you’ve hooked up the drive and Windows has recognized it as removable media, the third step is to download the free software, SyncBack. The application was created by 2BrightSparks, which provides an older version of its software at no charge. Unzip SyncBack and run the install file.

With the backup software installed, the fourth step is to configure 3 batch processes. Launch SyncBack and you should see a screen similar to this:



Here are the steps to set up your batches.

1. Click on the New button.
   
2. The Profile Type window should appear.
   
3. Select Synchronisation.
   
   
   
   
4. Click on the OK button.
   
5. Next, the New Profile window will appear, type in tBackup.
   
6. Click on the OK button.
   
7. Now you should see the Profile Setup: tBackup window.
   
   
   
   
8. Click on the browse button at the far right of the screen for Source and select your desktop folder.
   
9. Create a tBackup folder on your external drive.
   
10. Click on the browse button at the far right of the screen for Destination and select the tBackup folder on your external drive.
    
11. Next, click on the Advanced tab.
    
12. Under the category What to do if a file is in the destination but not in the source, click on the Delete file from destination radio button. This step is optional, it keeps your external drive clean of files you’ve deleted and no longer need to keep.
    
13. Click on the OK button.
    
14. SyncBack will as if you’d like to perform a simulated run of the new batch, click on the Yes button.
    
15. You should then see a Differences for profile: tBackup screen that highlights what the batch would do if you ran it.
    
    
    
    
16. Click on the Continue Simulation button and SyncBack will return to the main screen.
    
17. Now repeat steps 1-15 using the name mBackup (for main backup) for your profile. Remember that your source will be the My Documents folder and the destination will be a folder you’ve created on your removable drve.
    
18. Back on the main screen select both batches by holding CTRL and clicking on them both.
    
    
    
    
19. Click on the Run button.
    
20. SyncBack will compare both sets of directories and ask if you’d like to synchronize them, click on the Continue button if the summary for each set looks accurate. These screens should look almost identical to the simulated runs earlier.
    
    SyncBack will run the copying and deleting (if you chose that option) process in the background while you continue to do other things on your computer.
    
21. After the batches are finished, be sure to turn off your removable drive so viruses can’t infect the files stored there. If you’re really serious about protecting that data it might be a good idea to unplug all of the cords from it as well to protect against electrical surges.

It’s also possible to group several batches together by choosing the Group option from the Profile Type window.



If you need to keep several directories backed up the Group option will be very helpful.

These steps will keep your critical files safe in case of a crash, but it won’t store information in the registry or actual application installations.

In addition to using SyncBack, you could create an image of your internal drive and store it on your external drive using free software like HDClone. That way to restore files you would restore from the image, delete all the files on the desktop and in the My Documents folder and copy them in from the external drive.

For anyone who finds this process tedious, Mozy offers a free plan for home users (with limited file space) and automates the backup process with its software. To store files behind the free space, they offer a paid plan.

Bookmarked!

Sorry, had hosting trouble for the images, didn't know that Yahoo!Geocities has become so draconian with bandwidth....

Nice Guide

Second Copy is also a gr8 sync tool.

Bookmarked as well Thank's! I've been looking for a backup solution but that one seems to be pretty simple to me

I discovered SyncBack last month. It's a wonderful little app.

Very nice guide. i will look in to using this method