If you do not backup your files and documents on a regular basis, you are being careless with your documents.  You should always back up your files on a regular basis and not just when you are changing computer workstations. Any one of the following occurrences could mean the loss of important work unless you have backed-up your files:

• Accidental Deletion: One of the most common problems with any computer is that people occasionally delete files accidentally. This can happen at home as well as at school. 
• Hardware Failure: Hard drive failure can occasionally happen. If your hard drive fails there may be no way to recover any of the data on the drive. If you did not have those files copied to a back-up disk all your work may be completely lost.
• Computer Viruses: Computer Viruses can be very malicious; erasing or rearranging information in files can be only the beginning. Although we are taking efforts to protect our systems from viruses, there is no such thing as being 100% protected since new viruses are created daily.
• Theft or Vandalism: If someone steals or damages your computer, your files may get damaged or stolen too. We can replace the hardware, but can you replace your work?

Backup your files

Backup your files at least once to a floppy disk or CD, and backup all important files on two different floppies or CD's. Do not wait until the document is completed before you make a backup. Backup your documents as you create them. You should backup your files on a regular basis and you should keep a copy of your most important documents in an off-site location like your home in case there is fire, vandalism or theft of equipment in your classroom.

You decide what's important, but grade reports, letters, etc. are considered important by most people. Tests, study guides, worksheets, and other class-related information would be important to me, and probably will be to you too, if for no other reason than not having to re-invent the wheel each time you create a document like these. I would have two backups of important documents where one is kept at school and one is kept at home.

Backup daily, or weekly, or as often as you feel your changes warrant it. Just make sure you back up your documents! Label everything so you know what you have, and then store everything in a safe place. Please remember, if a computer fails for some reason, the damage may be so severe that we may not be able to retrieve any of your documents. There have been instances where a computer has failed and the user lost everything because they did not have a backup for any of the documents.

Do not forget your Outlook Express address book and Internet Explorer Favorites

Many of you have address books in Outlook Express you might want to backup. Don't forget, you may also have a number of websites listed in your Favorites folder that you would like to keep safe as well. We have created some step-by-step instructions on how to save your Address Book to a floppy disk as well as how to export all of your Favorites out of Internet Explorer so you can keep a backup of these important items.  You can find these instructions in our Tech Tips section of our website.

Exporting and Importing Internet Explorer Favorites (Bookmarks)

Exporting and Importing your Outlook Express Address Book