It is certainly not clever to know that a catastrophe can occur, suffer from it, and then make measures to recover from the loss. If it cannot be avoided for good, being prepared is the key. This is being said with reference to backing up crucial data. The vitality of having backups can never be emphasized enough. You know it is important to backup your data but are too lazy to actually do it. Why not avoid the sinking feeling of having lost your data and then go through the process of recovering it? Instead of living in the fear of impending doom it would be a lot better if you can be prepared and stay relaxed.
Apple knows what we’re talking about. That’s the reason they’ve offered a wonderful utility called Time Machine to Mac users. Time Machine is distributed with OS X as a backup software application. In a way, it facilitates saving a copy of your system. It holds a copy of all your files and remembers how your Mac looked on any given date. Through this application you can rewind your Mac to any date, or in other words, take your Mac back in time. Using Time Machine you can backup your data to an external drive, FireWire, AirPort Time Capsule or OS X Server on your network.
Now, suppose that you’ve used Time Machine to back up your Mac’s data to an external drive. Imagine a scenario where you have just re-installed your OS X and have a fresh Mac awaiting you (that is, completely clean). You plug in the external drive in which you had backed up your data with the intention of fetching some files, but the Mac cannot read the external drive. Even after repeated attempts and workarounds, the status is the same. This can happen due to corruption of that external hard drive. It is then that the unfortunate realization hits you that you have lost your data even after backing it up. Though they are rare, but such conditions are a reality that has happened to many users.
Instead of dreading such a day, a great step to take is to make such a Mac backup plan which places you in totally safe situation. Yes, you will need to actually plan your backup strategy. And that is because, no matter how much you deny or ignore it, data loss will catch up with you sooner or later. So what are the things you can do to make backing up a fool-proof task?
- Sort out the more important from the less important
Categorize your data. Make clear distinctions as to what data cannot be lost come what may, and the loss of which data can still let you live. Another benefit of categorizing data this way is that it helps keep your hard drive clean of unnecessary files. You will need to back up the more crucial data in a more sophisticated way than the other as indicated in the subsequent points.
- Backup your Mac backup
To make your backup more robust, clone it – that is, make a backup of your backup. In case of external drive corruption, as discussed in the sample scenario above, data can be recovered from a second backup. Ideally, you should make at least 3 – 4 backups of your important data in order to be absolutely safe against disasters. You can make a first layer backup with Time Machine and then create multiple copies (further backups) of the original backup manually or using software available online.
- Use different media for making backups
While creating multiple backups, use different kinds of media. For example, if your first backup is stored on an external hard drive, store a second one on a second drive or some other removable media (USB or another hard drive), a third one on a CD / DVD, fourth on a server, fifth over the cloud – you get the idea!
- Always store at least one backup at a different location
If you have stored one or more backups on the same hard drive or over the same network, make sure you store at least one backup at some other physical or network location so as to make it completely isolated and thus safe. That way, you can be sure that even if all copies of the backup at your home location or over one network get corrupted or lost, you will still end up with one intact copy of your data.
Important Note: If you are making multiple backups of your data, make sure you do so only for your most critical data. For example, music files, movies or other data, though precious can be obtained again and are not worthy of backing up multiple times. However, data which is critical for your work or confidential files should definitely be protected properly.
- Change CDs / DVDs regularly
If you are using CDs / DVDs to store your backups, keep changing them. Such media tends to get exhausted with repetitive use. They are prone to scratches and are breakable and should hence be changed after using a couple of times.
Concluding Lines
Stop living under the illusion that data loss can never happen to you. Be prepared. Make solid backups and backup your backups. That’s the only way to be sure, the only way to be safe.
