A backup you can actually restore
· 4 min read · EasyTechdesk
A drive in a drawer is a backup only if a file opens from it.
What to copy
Copy the folders you would hate to lose: photos, tax documents, and scans of IDs if you chose to store them. Skip the operating system. It can be reinstalled. Your photos cannot.
Cloud backup counts when you have opened the site and seen the files there, not when an icon merely says syncing. A paused sync is how people lose a year of pictures.
The restore test
Once a season, unplug the backup drive, plug it into the computer, and open one photo and one document. If the drive asks to format, stop and get help. Formatting erases it.
Keep one copy outside the room if you can, even if that copy is the cloud. A fire or a theft takes the computer and the drive on the same shelf.
A visit
A backup visit copies the folders you choose and verifies files open. We label the drive. We do not take the drive with us.
If you want the old computer wiped afterward, book that separately so the backup is checked first.
Keep reading
- Why a laptop feels slow after a Windows update
The first hour after an update is often indexing and disk work, not a dead computer.
- What a malware removal visit covers
Scan, remove, and a short list of habits. Not a promise that no one can ever phish you.
- How to tell a full disk from a failing drive
A full drive is a cleanup. A failing drive is a copy-first emergency.