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What do you mean by backing up your computer?

Chiara Corsaro
Phone & Computer Repair Technician
Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN).

Chiara Corsaro

Phone & Computer Repair Technician

Expert Answer

Backing a computer up is just the process of copying the files over so that you have a duplicate in case something happens to your computer.

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Question

What is the best way to backup your computer?

Chiara Corsaro
Phone & Computer Repair Technician
Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN).

Chiara Corsaro

Phone & Computer Repair Technician

Expert Answer

Using a service that will take literally everything over from your computer without a lot of effort is going to be ideal, like Time Machine. It takes a lot of time to drag individual files over to a disc or external drive. Cloud-based services are another good way to back things up.

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Question

Can I use a 128gb plug-in storage device to back up my computer?

Community Answer

Yes you can. You can even automate the process in Windows and set it to backup regularly at certain time intervals. If using Windows, simply go to CONTROL PANEL (from the START button) and then click BACKUP AND RESTORE (if you can't see it, type "backup" in the search bar to find the appropriate setting menu). From there it should be fairly straight forward.

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Question

How do I back up my computer online?

Community Answer

You need some cloud storage like Google Drive, One Drive, Drop Box, etc. Some provide for free of cost but in such a case, you only get limited storage. For paid services, you can choose the storage size, etc. It's based on your decision whether to backup online or in spare HDD/pen drive, etc. Often a combination of both is best, depending on how sensitive the material is.

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Can I move my computer from one room to another without having to back up my system?

Community Answer

Assuming you don't have an extremely old computer with a fragile hard drive, you should be fine. If it's a desktop, just make sure to turn it all the way off before moving it. (Of course, this is no excuse not to perform regular backups!)

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Question

How do I know for sure my computer is making backups?

Community Answer

If it is backing up to an external device, open that device in a file browser and check to see that there are files in the backup folders. For cloud backups, log in to the service and check when the last backup was made and how large it was.

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How do I use a 128 gb plug-in storage to back up my PC?

Community Answer

On your PC computer, search for Backup, and the tool should pop up.

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Question

I have backed up a Toshiba computer (home use) using an external storage unit. The computer motherboard failed. How do I use this backup on another computer?

Community Answer

Plug the backup drive into another computer and restore the backup. If it ran Windows, use the same backup tools that the old computer had to restore the backup. For Macs, simply open Time Machine and choose the "restore" option.

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Question

Are the steps to backing up a laptop any different?

Community Answer

No, they are not. Follow the instructions above to back up your laptop.

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Question

Can I erase a memory stick?

Community Answer

Yes, you can. Plug the USB stick into the computer and open your file explorer if you right-click on the name of the stick, the option to 'format drive' should show. Formatting the stick erases all storage on it.

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