How to Tell How Much Online Backup You Need

The only guarantee with electronics is that one day, it will eventually falter or fail altogether. This problem could be limited to just one computer, or the user may be hit with a plague of electronic dysfunction and realize the data stored on their external drive is also corrupt. The most convenient way to ensure safe file storage is to utilize an online backup server. On this server, files can be accessible from any computer with an Internet connection, making file restoration a breeze after a hard drive calamity befalls the user. But how can you tell how much online backup you really need?

Determine the Space Used on Your Computer

The first step to determining how much online backup you'll need is to take a look at how much space you're currently utilizing on your hard drive.

For Windows Users

• Double-click on the "My Computer" icon

• Right-click on your hard drive

• Select "Properties"

• Statistics will pop up, including an illustrated pie chart showing the amount of space used vs. amount of space available

For Mac Users

• Open the "Finder" window

• Right-click (control + click) on the hard drive image

• Select "Get Info"

• Various stats should pop up, including the drive's capacity, the amount of space available, and finally, the amount of space used

After you've completed these steps, you could estimate that you'll need at least this much online backup space - although in reality, you're probably only updating a small percentage of your files on a regular basis. In order to get a more accurate number, it's best to figure out the types of files you're actually updating the most.

Consider the Kind of Files You Need to Back Up

Documents & Text Files

If you're like the majority of computer users, you likely will not need to update every single file located on your computer's hard drive. If you're constantly updating or making documents, spreadsheets, or PDFs, then obviously, these should be the files you back up. These files do not take up that much space - thousands of text files and word documents can fit on a 4GB flash drive with room to spare!

Images, Music, & Video Files

If you're a musician, photographer, or videographer, the amount of online backup space you'll need is far heftier. There are also various file types that take up more room. Are your songs in .wav format, .aiff format, or .mp3? AIFF files are true to the audio on a CD and are a bit large; MP3s are more condensed and will stream faster, but quality is lost. For videos longer than 30 minutes, sticking to multiple external drives may be the easiest solution, as uploading to a central server can take hours, even with the fastest of Internet connections.

Tip

Save all frequently updated files in one or two master folders. Instead of having to track down files located across the board, all of your important documents, images, or videos will be in one central "master" folder.

Jason Kay recommends using a Carbonite offer code to save 10% off Carbonite online backup subscriptions.

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