Backup

After a brief discussion of backup we will ask the members of the group how they do backup.  (If they do it at all.)  And any experiences they have had with using a backup to recover files.

Why?
To protect yourself from hardware or software failures, or catastrophes.  A Carnegie Mellon study found disk failure rates at 2 to 4%.  A Google study found them to be at 3%.  These studies defined a failure as anything that caused the user to replace his hard drive. 

Boot Disk
Do you have a boot disk?  A boot disk (a.k.a. recovery disk) will allow you to boot your system from the disk in case it will not start from your hard drive.  (See http://www.computerhope.com/boot.htm for instructions on creating one for various versions of Windows.)

What?
All your data.  This would include data files and photos as well as things like your address book, favorites, email messages, etc.  There is no need to backup your program files because you (presumably) have the installation disks or can download them again.

Where?
To some type of removable storage, CD, DVD, thumb drive and the like.  Or upload to an online storage site.  Or both!  For "free" online storage take a look at:  https://mozy.com/?ref=NU4UTF BUT it can take a long time to upload data to the internet.

When?
That's a tough one.  It depends on how often you create new data and how difficult it is to recreate that data if it is lost.  In general it would be good to do it on a regular basis, e. g. weekly, monthly or even quarterly.

How?

Drive Image vs. File Copy
Drive imagining (e.g., Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image) copies your entire hard drive as a single file, whereas file copying simply makes copies of selected files. Drive imaging enables quick and easy recovery from a catastrophe, but may be harder to recover selected files.
Full vs. Incremental
The first decision is a full backup or an incremental backup.  An example of full backup would be all your word documents whereas an incremental backup would include only the documents that have changed since the last full backup.  Incremental backups would go faster but then the recovery would take longer.  Incremental would be a good choice only if you had very large data files. 
Manual vs. Automated
Manual would you require you to transfer your data files (or folders) manually (duh!).  Automated means you would obtain a program which will do the backup for you.  Windows/XP PRO comes with a backup program, click on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and Backup.  I will list a few that have been recommended in various computer magazines.
PC Magazine Editors Choice products include:  Mozy Remote Backup 1.6 (beta) SOS Online Backup 1.3 (beta)  BackUp MyPC 4.85  Backup Exec Desktop 4.5 
Windows Secrets recommends:  http://www.zipbackup.com/
(Disclaimer:  I have never used or evaluated any of these products.)

Further Reading
●    Your Backup Battle Plan - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1954183,00.asp
●    Painless and Effective Backup - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1911049,00.asp
●    Backup Your Files Online Without Even Trying - http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129786/article.html
●    No-Brainer Backup's Using Windows' Own Tools - http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128135/article.html
●    Backup Tips:  Keep Your Data Backups Safe, Simple, and Fast - http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,123796/article.html