When you drive, you fasten your seatbelt in the case there is a crash. When you buy a home, you purchase a security system in case there is a break -in. Yet, many people do not back up their computer… and then it crashes.
If you have ever experienced a crashing hard drive, you know how devastating it is. Everything is gone: your pictures from that trip to Italy, all your spreadsheets from work, that paper that you have spent all semester writing, all your favorite music… gone. But there is a solution that can save you from this experience, and it takes about 60 seconds to set up if you’re using a Mac.
Time Machine is an application that comes free with every mac. After setting it up for the first time, whenever your computer is plugged into its external hard drive it backs up every hour without you ever noticing.
Apple states:
Time Machine is the built-in backup that works with your Mac and an external drive (sold separately) or AirPort Time Capsule. Connect the drive, tell Time Machine to use it, and relax. Time Machine automatically backs up your entire Mac, including system files, applications, accounts, preferences, email messages, music, photos, movies, and documents. But what makes Time Machine different from other backup applications is that it not only keeps a spare copy of every file, it remembers how your system looked on any given day—so you can revisit your Mac as it appeared in the past. Time Machine keeps hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups until your backup drive is full.
Are you wondering how you can utilize this easy and life-saving solution? Here is the simple 3-step process:
1. Buy an external hard drive.
2. Connect it into your computer.
3. When this window pops up, click “Use as Backup Disk.”
That’s it. You’re all set up. Now whenever your backup drive is connected to your computer, it will back up once an hour.
Now if your computer crashes, during the set-up of your new or repaired computer it will ask you “Do you want to restore from a Time Machine Backup?” Just connect your backup drive and select yes. When it’s done, it will look like you just turned on your old computer. From your photos to documents, even down to your desktop wallpaper, everything will be restored and in place.
If you want to learn more about backing up your computer with Time Machine, or to find the external hard drive that is right for you, come stop by G2 Computers. We will be happy to assist you in selecting the best external hard drive for your needs. We will even help you set up Time Machine for free when your purchase the external hard drive at one of our locations.
You never think about backing up your computer until there is a crash. Back up now, not after it’s too late.
