One of the most important assets some of your most valued devices have is that they store your information. For example, when you turn your computer on, you can open a document from yesterday and begin typing right where you left off. Pictures you took years ago are still waiting for you whenever you want to take a trip down memory lane.
Unfortunately, some people have to deal with situations where their devices lose this data. At that point, having a backup or knowing how to use data recovery software is vital.
The Easiest Way to Create a Digital Backup of Anything
There are a number of different ways to back up your important files. Much of this has to do with the type of device in question or the program.
Fortunately, there’s also an easy approach that is perfect for any version you favor and the best part is that it doesn’t cost a fortune to leverage.
In short, you can now use the cloud to create backups. There are some free cloud backup tools to help with this, too.
One popular example would be Dropbox. You can use up to 2GB for free. If you refer enough people, you can even go all the way up to 16GB. An entire terabyte is just $9.99 a month, though.
Another option to consider is Google Drive. It has the same monthly cost for a terabyte, but 100GB of storage a month is just $1.99 and it will give you 15GB for free.
Either way, these cloud options essentially work the same. Whenever you have something – a document, photo, etc. – that you want to make sure will never disappear after a crash, you move it to these platforms. This is an incredibly user-friendly task. You can literally drag and drop whatever you want to these cloud platforms in a matter of seconds.
In case you’re concerned, generally speaking, the cloud is more secure than devices and even traditional on-premise servers. So you don’t need to worry that this form of backup is going to leave you at risk.
Digital Wireless Backup Options
Furthermore, you can take advantage of the cloud with your digital devices, too.
For example, if you have an iPhone, back it up to the iCloud.
If you an Android device, there are plenty of cloud storage services and apps at your disposal that will make it just as easy to effortlessly create a digital wireless backup.
The one important thing to keep in mind with a digital wireless backup, though, is that you need to connect to a network to access those things you’ve stored. If you’re not connected to the internet, you won’t be able to log into any storage platforms.
Recovering Lost Files After a Crash
Of course, it might be too late for the cloud. Maybe your computer has recently crashed and you’re currently on your phone trying to figure out how to get to all the files you were storing on it.
Once again, the recovery process will differ by device.
However, there are a number of best practices we can cover.
Check Simple Solutions
Before you do something like go out and purchase data recovering software, you should take a moment to check and make sure there isn’t an obvious reason your device isn’t responding. For example, if you’re using a desktop, make sure a cable hasn’t come lose. If you’re using a laptop, check to see if the battery became unseated.
Restart in Safe Mode
With any luck, the problem simply appears worse than it seems. You’ll be able to restart your computer in safe mode and access your system that way.
If you’re using Windows, you can access safe mode by restarting your computer and pressing the F8 key as it boots. This will take you to the boot menu, where you can choose safe mode.
If you’re using a Mac, completely power down your computer. Then, hit the start button and, after you hear the initial start-up tone, hold down the Shift key. Once you see the Apple icon, you’re in safe mode.
Use Data Recovery Software
There are a number of free data recovery software platforms that can help with this problem. Often, the issue is a new program or one you may have deleted by accident. This software helps recover it and, just like that, your computer is back to life.
Executing a Memory Card Recovery
Thanks to the aforementioned cloud storages, memory cards are becoming less and less popular. Still, if you can’t access yours for some reason, the answer will, once again, be recovery software. In order to use it, though, you must be able to hook up your memory card to a computer to then run the program.
Better to Back Up Now Than Need to Recover Later
It’s never fun suffering the anxiety of a crash. Even if you’re fairly confident you can pull off a recovery later, don’t risk it. Take a moment now to use one of the cloud options we mentioned and create backups of all of your important files.