Most people understand the importance of backing up their computer data, but many of us make some serious mistakes when we are deciding what, exactly, to include on those data backups.
It is really not necessary to include every single thing that is on your computer when you are doing a backup.
Many people set up an automatic backup schedule and think they are done .
They’ve dealt with their data storage needs and don’t have to think about it anymore.
It is not quite as simple as that.
You should think carefully about what you include in your storage, since you don’t want to waste storage capacity.
What You Can Safely Omit:
Instead of just backing up everything on your computer,
you can choose some types of things that can safely be left out since you could easily download them again.
You can safely exclude things like movies or music you have downloaded,
unless you have items that are extremely rare and hard to find.
Temporary files can also be left out of your backup, as they are not really needed.
Windows or Mac files don’t need to be uploaded ,
because they would already be installed on a new computer, so you don’t need to duplicate the operating system.
What Data Backups You Should Include:
When you are doing a data backup, you should make sure that you include all the data that you cannot replace in any way.
Always include things like photos, home videos, and important documents.
The best thing you can do with your important documents is to put them all in one file
so you can be sure they are all included in your backup.
It may take some time and effort to make sure you’ve got all your important documents in the file and properly sorted and organized.
But it will be well worth it if you ever need to retrieve that data and install it in a new computer.