The Easiest Way to Backup Your Hard Drive

Sure, we all know that we should be backing up all of our files regularly. And, given that storage has dropped below a dollar per gigabyte, there are certainly no space constraints anymore. But even using the "system tools" menu on our PC to create a regularly scheduled backup to a good external hard drive (like one of these) is just annoying enough that many of us with the know-how to do it (or the Google-sense to learn) just don't.

Until we can buy an external hard drive that simply plugs into our PC and automatically and regularly backs up everything, the major loss of data is such a rare event that it usually takes a big crash to motivate us to be careful. (Actually, such a hard drive currently exists, but the only commercial version available only saves photos.)

If you're not too squeamish about uploading all of your important files into cyberspace (and in my view, you shouldn't be), download an online backup service that takes you (and your questionable backup habits) out of the equation. My favorite is Mozy, which takes all of my important files and regularly backs them up, but waits until my computer is idle before doing so. If you use the free version, you get two gigs, which automatically saves (and generally has room for) all of my documents and recent photos. If you want everything in your hard drive, you'll have to shell out $5 a month, which is, in the grand scheme of things, a small price to pay for that blissful combination of security and laziness.