You have spent many hours on your research. You have probably spent a fortune as well.
But do you have all your research results in one place? All those eggs in one basket?
How many times have you read a post saying that someone has had computer problems and lost something important?
DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU!I work in the IT industry. I know that most people think that disasters only happen to others. You only become paranoid about backups when you actually lose something important. It's now 30 years since that happened to me.
Computer hardware is not infallible. Disks do actually wear out, even solid-state ones. Your computer might even get stolen. There will come a time when you won't be able to access all those hard-won zeros and ones. So PLEASE make backups.
You need to sort out what needs backing up. I suggest the following as a start.
- Installation media for your genealogy software and any key needed to unlock it
- The contents of the folders where your genealogy software puts your data. Some software makes this difficult to find
- All those image files for certificates, photos and other documents
- The software you use to do the backup
- Usernames and Passwords for the sites you visit (including RootsChat!)
You may be one of the people who trust their research results to the likes of Ancestry, and hope that they will take care of backups for you. You think you can get away with just the last item in the above list. Fair enough, but what if you fell on hard times or could no longer afford an increase in the subscription? What if they stopped providing the service because it was no longer profitable? Can you download everything and keep it locally? Why not try it out now?
So once you have your hands on your data, you need to make a copy.
You could burn CDs or DVDs, but that takes time. The scheme most likely to be used is the one which takes as little time as possible.
What works for me is a memory stick which is kept on my key ring. If you are doing something similar, work out the total size of the stuff you intend to back up, and buy a stick at least four times that size. My 64GB stick has a metal case so it survives attacks from my keys, and cost 24 quid from Tesco. It gets used for a lot of other stuff too, but I know that I always have my data with me. You will probably get away with something much cheaper.
Data is copied to that stick using FREE software. We all like that price! Because I'm a Windows user, I use SyncToy, downloaded from Microsoft. To use it, you specify a folder you will back up from (on hour hard disk), a folder for the backup (on your memory stick), and a simple rule. "Echo" gives a straight copy of the source. You can set up several folder pairs if needed.
The first time it runs, everything is copied, so that might take a while.
On subsequent occasions, SyncToy checks the date and time on each file, and copies only the ones which have changed.
What I end up with on my stick is a copy of each file from my research. It's not hidden away inside a big archive file but is ready to use if needed.
Mac and Linux users no doubt have similar software available, and at a similar price.
I don't care what software you use. I don't care what software you use to back up. I DO want you to be able to carry on this wonderful hobby of ours after your computer goes in the recycling bin.
So
BACK IT ALL UP TODAY!