Q: What is a backup?
A: A backup is a copied set of data and files from a computer that is stored in another external device such as a hard drive or 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 available.
Q: What is a cloud backup?
A: Cloud-based backups are entirely digital backups that are done through different services such as OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive. These cloud-based services grant a small amount of storage for free but may require paid services for larger amounts of storage.
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 into the computer. Otherwise, Windows and Apple computers 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.
System image backup
Q: How does File History work?
A: File History will backup data files on your computer to a hard drive of your choosing. You can set up when backups occur and what to backup. File History creates a new folder of backups, keeping previous versions.
Windows 10
Windows 11
Q: Can I backup software on Windows?
A: Yes, a system image copies your whole system including the software and all its file paths, however, this would require restoring from the image to get the software back.
Q: What is cloning?
A: Cloning is a specific form of backup where it will recreate the hard drive point-by-point to a separate drive. Cloning effectively copies everything from the BOOT files to software, 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. They can set up cloning with an external hard drive afterwards.
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 of settings, software and data.
Time Machine
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’s at least two or three times the source drive for continuous backing up. If you’re doing a one-time backup, then it would be recommended to match the size of the hard drive that’s on your system.
