File safety

Losing files after disaster hits because you didn’t back them up is hugely frustrating, but it can be easily avoided. To create a backup, buy an external storage drive (larger in size than the data you want to store on it). You can copy your files across to this disk manually, or you can set up File History in Windows. To do the latter, ensure the drive is connected to your PC, left-click the “Start” menu, then click “Settings.” Click “Update & Security,” and navigate to “Backup.” See the “Add a Drive” button next to the “+” sign? Click this. Windows scans for available drives, and you should select the one you want to use from the list it brings up. The OS now gets to work; an “On” toggle button shows that the feature is active and automatically backing up your files (and will continue to do so as long as the drive is connected).

If a physical drive doesn’t suit you (maybe you’re worried about a fire, for instance), there are plenty of online backup options. Backblaze ( www. backblaze.com) has received some very good reviews, and comes with various tiers suitable for single PCs right through to businesses. Alternatively, you could simply use a cloud storage locker, such as Dropbox or Microsoft’s OneDrive, which is tied in directly with Windows 10.

Whichever online option you choose, do be warned that sending all your files over an Internet connection could be a slow process—although that obviously depends on the quantity of files you have and the speed of your broadband. Also, be careful if you have data allowances on your broadband plan. It can be a good idea to have both a local backup on an external storage drive and a further online backup, even if the latter only holds critical files, not everything.