How to Backup a Computer Hard Drive

Learn how to backup your computer's hard drive and data with these 10 easy ways.

Most computer users recognize the importance of backing up key files on a regular basis — be it documents, music, irreplaceable photos and camcorder footage — but not everyone is aware of how to go about doing it, and which products are needed to pull it off. Here we look at a handful of top-rated backup solutions to help you make a suitable choice based on your needs and budget.

External Hard Drive

Ideal for laptops or desktops, an external hard drive – recommended manufacturers include Maxtor, LaCie, Seagate, Western Digital and Iomega – simply plugs into an available USB port and lets you drag and drop important files over to the storage solution. The benefit of an external hard drive compared to other solutions is you can fit a lot of data on them: A 500GB drive, for example (about $100) can store about 440 days worth of MP3s.

Iomega External Hard Drive