The problems with hard drive backups
What happens if you get a virus and need to wipe your entire PC to restore it? Restoring from a backup hard drive might be simple enough… unless that hard drive has corrupted data too! There are no protections on most external drives, which makes this scenario very possible. Restoring a backup might re-infect your entire computer!
Another problem with backing up to a physical hard drive is redundancy. There is none! If your hard drive becomes damaged or corrupted, that’s it for it. You might be able to salvage some data here and there, but for the most part, it’s going to be a problem.
Worse still, a hard drive can be stolen. If someone walks off with your backup drive, they instantly have your data and information.
Why you should back up to the cloud
The solution to hard drive backup problems is simple: Backing up to the cloud! The cloud addresses the shortcomings of a physical backup, while bringing in a few great benefits:
The benefits of the cloud go on and on, including being able to automate and organize your backups. When everything is in the cloud, you don’t have to worry about the challenges of managing a traditional backup.
Back up often and consistently
Just because a cloud backup is better doesn’t mean you should skimp on scheduled backups. Keep backing up your data consistently! Weekly is the smartest, however bi-weekly or monthly might work better for some PC users. In fact, another core benefit of cloud backups is being able to pay for more space as you need it—usually very cheaply!
Another smart thing to do is clean up your PC before or after backing up. Cleaning up before a backup will ensure you’re not backing up clutter; cleaning up after gives you a fresh start until your next backup. Run a PC cleaner like MyCleanPC and perform a deep clean as part of the backup process, for maximum benefit for your operating system.