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How to Back up all my Junk??
by The F@t Guy
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Backing up - Getting Ready... |
Getting Ready: The object of this "Getting Ready" exercise is to make the backup experience as simple and easy as possible. Going back to the "Veracity of the Implementor" section for the moment, I will apply my first rule of human nature: "One is more likely to do something if it is simple and easy, and less likely to do something if it is complicated and hard." -Wisdom of The F@t One (circa 1998). So the general idea is to go into your "My Documents" folder and organize it in a way that makes it easy to access your data and makes it easy to back up as well. Remember that your "housekeeping method" will very likely be transmitted into your backup store as well. If you have a problem with messy folders, it is best to fix it now. I use a method called "front-end folders". This is really a well known method where certain folders are "front-ends" for subfolders within. For more information on this subject see my "Working with Front End Folders" article. Regardless of how you do it, the real advantage is to think about organization all the way along. Then this step is already done before you even start. One way or the other, you should be looking at nicely arranged folders full of data right now. Sizing your Folders: We're not done yet. Now we need to see how big your backup is. Get inside of My Documents. Goto Edit=>Select All. Then goto File=>Properties. See the size changing as Windows determines how big it is? When it stops changing you will have a good idea of how big your entire MyDocs is. Now, most people are going to try and stuff their backup onto CDRom, so we will use CDRom as the example here, but the same theory applies to other media as well. Anything you back up to will be limited by size. The idea is to make sure the size of your "stuff" is less than the size limitation of your backup device. For now, though, lets look at the CD-Rom: Most CDR media is able to carry 700mg of data. To be sure you will fit, figure 650mg. If the resulting size in the "properties" was LESS than 650 mg, then you need do nothing else. All your stuff will fit on one CD. Likely as not though, you will find that your MyDocs is WELL over a single CDRom. Especially with the "My Music" and "My Pictures" folders included. So you will have to cut it up somehow so that you have 650mg "sections". Well, how about putting each front-end on it's own CD? Maybe you are a "downloader" and you can fit everything on one CD except your "My Downloads" front-end. but your "My Downloads" will require two CDs all by itself. Or maybe you like music and pictures so they are both too big... Everything except "My Music" and "My Pictures" fits on one CD. Well, the music is easy, just arrange the folder a-z and determine what letter you can get through on each CD- Say the first cd can handle A-F, the second F-O... etcetera. With a pen and paper, jot down the starting song or folder for each CD, then follow that when it is burn time. *Note* The "My Music" folder uses subfolders to store "albums". You'd be best served *not* rearranging things in here- Arrange them through your Media Player. The pictures, on the other hand, might be better broken up into years... make a folder called 2003. place everything from 2003 within it (folders and all). Then make a 2004.. etcetera. These are all just examples to give you a rough idea of what will have to be done. you will have to figure it out on your own. The main idea here is to get your thinking set up... Once you tend to do things this way, It will be second nature for you. |
