There are problems with backups of the human sort. It pains me to say some people (even professionals) are lazy or inconsistent when it comes to backups. They either forget or simply don't bother until it's too late because the backup was not updated to include their current data; this oversight can ruin a business! Some people will also neglect to have in place having any sort of labeling system for past and current backups with dates, times or other crucial information. If you are backing up onto magnetic tapes like floppy disks (these are not practical anymore because they only hold about 1.5mb of data), you should keep them away from anything that can produce a magnate field like motors, phones and power supplies; also keep them away from excessive heat, cold and moisture.

When anyone buys a computer today they are most likely to be using windows, the most widely accepted operating system on the market. Windows comes with a software utility called backup that lets the user copy all their files and other data onto various media. It is recommended to backup your computer once a week, but if a lot of data is added within a couple of days or so you may consider so daily. First and foremost a backup should include your system settings and important files, and then you can pick and choose to copy e-mail, favorites, pictures, ect. Or make a full backup to cover everything.

The media used depends on factors like cost, time, type, and connivance of use. The most common type of media backup used is cd-r and cd-rw; the first is cheap but you will use a lot of them for a full backup because they hold only 650 MB of data and you will not be able to hold video files. The second is more expensive and has the same limitations (as CD-R's), but has the ability to be written on again and again (Re- Writeable).

Another way to go is by using a DVD-R or DVD-RW disks that can hold around 5 GB(GigaBites) of data an can hold digital video files as well. (That's my personal favorite).

Zip drives are also a preferred storage device that can hold 750 MB and also external hard drives that up to 150 GB. There are other types of data storage media, these are just a few.

What it boils down to is use the best media for your present needs, but also try to anticipate what you might need in the future.