Many of us think it can't happen to us - whatever "it" is. But hard drives do fail, and even worse things can happen (check your homeowner's policy). And when you lose data from your computer without being able to get it back, the losses mount. Depending on what you use your computer for, it could be important data for your work, tax information, priceless pictures and memories, precious contact information, or...well, you get the idea.
So it's really important to back up your data, even though it sometimes seems like one of those chores that's ripe for putting off and putting off again.
We're here to nag you - don't put it off any longer - backup the data on your computer!
There is CD burning software that lets you manually select the files you want backed up and copy them to CD. Here are a few good places to start looking for this software:
There are also more complete backup "solutions" such as Norton Ghost™ that are more robust than simply copying files. But for many people, simply copying files to another source is sufficient.
One relatively simple and inexpensive way to backup your important data is with a USB drive. For many people, this is an excellent option for fast and easy backup. You can just copy and paste the data to this small removable device.
It's also a good idea to have a rotation of backups, whether CDs or USB devices, or a combination. This way, there is no single point of failure.
If you are uncertain of what files you want backed up, uncertain of the locations of files, or just not comfortable using a backup tool, you can always get a service like Geeks on Call (www.geeksoncall.com) or Best Buys' Geek Squad to come to your house and configure your backups.
They can use Microsoft Backup to create a backup file, which could then be backed up (although as your data changes it can get tricky). But going this route can also get a bit pricey.
Finally - how often should you backup your data? Once a week is probably a good start, if you're using your computer fairly regularly. If you have real critical data on it, you can't go wrong doing a backup at the end of every day.
Whichever method you choose and however often you choose to do it, just make sure you do it. The consequences if you don't are too painful to think about.
Volume 1 Issue 9
Welcome to another edition of Keep Your PC Healthy, Raxco Software's newsletter for the everyday computer user. For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, we hope you are having a great summer. For our friends to the south, we hope you're keeping warm!
This month's Cool Tool of the Month winner is Richard Stone from Enola, PA. He nominated' WinPatrol from BillP Studios. To check it out 
Become the very next winner of this fine t-shirt (