# Why Should You or I Backup Data? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 4, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-or-i-backup-data/338391 "2006-01-04T14:18:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-or-i-backup-data/338391/21 "2006-01-04T23:11:19Z")
I rotate two external drives between my desktop and my safe-deposit box. ---
**Author:** ![eveanyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@eveanyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eveanyn)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-or-i-backup-data/338391/22 "2006-01-05T01:11:44Z")
I am still learning how do use a computer, and I don’t mind admitting that I don’t know much, so here goes. I have a 120 gig hard drive and am running XP. How would I go about doing a full system backup on DVD or an external hard drive? How do you get the data on there and how do you get it back onto your internal hard drive if you for some reason have to wipe it all clean? Will the backup contain all of your programs and drivers for your devices or will you have to go through doing all of your updates again? See, I told you I don’t know much! ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-or-i-backup-data/338391/23 "2006-01-05T01:59:17Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > How many of you have an _off site_ backup? The external hard drive in your computer room isn’t going to help you much if your house burns down. I worked for a while with a grad student who had backups of her doctoral thesis at work, at her boyfriend’s apartment, at her boyfriend’s lab, and an extra copy at home on floppies she kept in the freezer, because she’d heard freezers are safe places in the event of fire. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know, though I suspect not. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-or-i-backup-data/338391/24 "2006-01-05T03:21:35Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > How many of you have an _off site_ backup? The external hard drive in your computer room isn’t going to help you much if your house burns down. As I mentioned, I’d be (somewhat) screwed. While my extensive, uh, _art collection_ at home would likely be lost, I like to back up my most important documents to a DVD every now and again. The CD wallet in my car isn’t full, and provides a convenient, remote location to store my data. At that point, I invoke **Q.E.D.**'s contribution. If my car blows up and my house simultaneously burns down, I’ve got bigger problems. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-or-i-backup-data/338391/25 "2006-01-05T08:13:06Z")
Dual hard drives, one in a ‘mobile’ tray. cheapest, fastest, total backup, easy. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-or-i-backup-data/338391/26 "2006-01-05T13:37:59Z")
Likewise, I’ve got an 80 gig USB HD plugged into the computer with all the backup data on it sitting on top of the desk just waiting to be ripped out of the plug in case of emergency. I suppose I should back _that_ up also and have the disks here at work too… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-or-i-backup-data/338391.md?page=1)