Description: This article contains some of the most frequently asked questions about data backup from Winter of 2019.

Q: What is a backup?
A: A backup is a copied set of data and files from a computer that is stored on another external device such as an external drive or an online cloud based service.

Q: What can be used to back up my data?
A: Physical backups can include flash drives, hard drives, NAS devices, and even other computers. Cloud based digital backups are also a common option.

Q: What is a cloud backup?
A: Cloud backups are entirely digital backups done through different services such as OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive. These cloud services have large amounts of space on their servers and drives that is in turn shared by many. They often grant a small amount of storage for free but require paid services for larger amounts of storage space.

Q: How can I back up my files for free?
A: If you have a hard drive or a flash drive available, the simplest way to back up data would be copying files onto the hard drive or flash drive plugged in to your computer. Otherwise, computers often have their own data backup software available. Windows uses File History and Image Backup while Apple uses Time Machine.

Q: How does the Image backup work?
A: A system image backup on Windows creates an image file on a hard drive of your choosing where it creates a snapshot of your computer at the time of the backup. This will store files, software and settings on the target hard drive. If your current hard drive crashes or you need to reinstall Windows on that system, you can restore from your system image.

Q: How does File History work?
A: File History will backup data files on your computer to a connected location of your choosing. You can set up how frequently backups occur and what to backup. File History creates a new folder of backups and maintains several previous versions depending on what settings you select.

Q: Can I back up software on Windows?
A: No. Due to how software is installed on Windows, the best way to back up software is to clone the hard drive.

Q: What is cloning?
A: Cloning is a specific form of backup where it will recreate the hard drive sector by sector to a separate drive. Cloning effectively copies everything from the drive, allowing you to replace the hard drive in the computer with the cloned hard drive.

Q: How do I clone my hard drive?
A: You can purchase software that is able to perform hard drive cloning, such as Acronis Backup and Carbonite.

Q: How does the Time Machine backup work?
A: The Time Machine backup sets up a backup with your computer where it will create system images on an external drive, allowing you to restore your computer settings, software, and data.

Q: How large of a hard drive do I need to back up my data?
A: It is recommended that you use a drive that is at least two or three times the size of your source drive for continuous backing up. If you are doing a one time backup then it would be recommended to at least match the size of the hard drive that you are backing up or larger.