How to save data from iOS and not lose anything. All backup methods. How to save data when reinstalling Windows: simplifying the procedure for installing a new system
Probably every user has encountered the problem of data loss. The reason for this may be reinstalling Windows. To protect yourself from the stress of losing important files, be it personal photos, videos or important documents, you need to make backup copies. Let's consider the issue of backing up data when reinstalling the system.
Using external hard drives and USB drives
The most common option for storing and transferring data is a USB drive. Just a few years ago, a flash drive had a relatively small amount of memory and was very expensive. Today everyone can afford to buy a flash drive. Modern digital media production technologies make it possible to provide large volumes of information backup.
Portable hard drives are also popular. They connect to the computer using a wired or wireless connection. The memory capacity of such media can reach several terabytes.
The advantage of backup storage on external media is the ability to quickly delete or update files, and the service life of the devices is quite long. To ensure reliable data storage, you can pack files into one archive, which will be password protected.
Backup using NAS
NAS (network attached storage) is a server on which you can store data from one or more computers. Connection, depending on the capabilities of the devices, occurs wired or wireless. A significant advantage for NAS is the possibility of constant background data duplication. That is, having made certain settings, the user can safely work with his computer. All data will be duplicated and saved on the server automatically.
CD, DVD and Blue-ray discs
Until recently, this method of storing data was the most common. The discs are easy to work with and easy to store. The disadvantage is the relatively small volume of the disk itself. To store good quality photos and videos, you may need several disks. There is also no point in hoping that recorded discs will store information forever. Disks are sensitive to many external factors (sunlight, moisture, dust), not to mention the high probability of physical damage. Therefore, such media are gradually becoming a thing of the past, giving way to more progressive options.
Backup in cloud storages
Cloud storage is the most modern way to save important files. This storage looks like a regular folder into which the necessary data is transferred. The work is carried out online, data synchronization occurs after each file change. Cloud storage is very convenient because information can be accessed anywhere there is Internet access. All you have to do is log in and you can start working. The disadvantage of this storage method is the relatively small volume offered for free use. The most common cloud services are Google Drive, Yandex.Disk, Dropbox.
Acronis True Image
A fairly effective way to back up a large amount of data. The program allows you to backup an entire disk or individual folders. You can set up automatic creation or updating of copies on a schedule, specifying local or network storage. Restoring files from a copy is done in a couple of mouse clicks. We highly recommend this program for Windows backup and recovery. By making a backup copy immediately after installation, you can “roll back” to it if necessary, saving a lot of time and effort.
Every personal computer user will one day need to reinstall the operating system. The problem does not seem so serious if before installing the OS, the hard disk memory was divided into two local partitions.
In this case, even if the OS crashes, the user's multimedia files will remain unharmed. However, even if the computer has a special partition for the operating system, if it fails, much data will be lost forever.
For example, all files in sections will be deleted: documents, images, music, videos, etc. In addition, the user will lose saves for video games, browser data, saved passwords and everything on the desktop.
This is especially true, because many people store important data on their computer desktop.
One local disk
When purchasing a new computer, you must immediately divide the hard drive memory into two or more local drives. One partition is for installing the operating system, and the second is for storing user data. The OS partition must have at least 70 gigabytes of memory.
If for some reason a person uses a computer with a partitioned hard drive, he should prepare in advance to reinstall the system.
Before reinstalling, a person must save important data in any available way, moving it to another computer, a removable drive, cloud storage, or writing it to optical discs.
In the event that the operating system stops functioning before the user saves important data, the person has only one option: connect the hard drive to another computer and, after booting from the working operating system, remove important data from the old hard drive.
The advantage of this method is that, along with user data, it will be possible to save data that is related to the operation of the operating system, browser data, game saves and files from the desktop. Now they will be located along the path “Local disk:\Users\User\Desktop”.
When is it necessary to reinstall the OS?
Even if the operating system is installed on a separate local drive, the user should not wait for it to fail.
Sometimes, an operating system crash occurs suddenly, regardless of the state of the OS. A person is using a computer and suddenly a blue screen appears on the screen. In other cases, the operating system simply does not start.
With the release of Windows 7 and 64-bit systems, sudden crashes began to occur much less frequently. Most often, before the operating system finally fails, the computer begins to perform poorly. The clipboard stops working, error notifications appear on the screen every now and then, and when launching applications, the computer slows down greatly.
If the user notices at least one of the above problems, he needs to take all possible actions to save his data.
What causes system failure
As mentioned above, an operating system failure can occur spontaneously, and even manufacturers cannot give a definite answer. Each person has their own configuration, different components are connected to the computer, different drivers and programs are installed in the system, which may conflict with system processes.
In addition, certain failures may occur in the RAM and hard disk sectors due to which the operating system will either be damaged or completely fail.
To maintain the operating system in proper condition, it is necessary to regularly check memory sectors and defragment local disks.
One of the main reasons for system failure is viruses. Contrary to popular belief, viruses do not only extort funds from the user. There are a huge number of malicious viruses, many of which do not serve any selfish purpose for their creators; they simply infiltrate the system, destroying files necessary for work.
Sometimes, an OS crash can occur due to physical impact. For example, the operating system may fail when a non-working gadget is connected to the USB connector. Quite often, the system crashes after a power surge or a sudden computer shutdown.
How to protect your data
After installing the OS, many users install the most necessary programs on their computer, after which they save an image of the entire local disk using special applications like Acronis. Thus, after an OS failure, a person simply restores the latest copy of the system, along with all the saved data.
One of the best browsers in terms of data safety is Google Chrome. Using this browser, a person can completely recover bookmarks, website passwords, and even search history. To do this, simply enter your email username and password in the program settings.
In many modern games, when you download the application, you are asked to log in to your account. This is done for a reason. Using an Internet connection and an account, the game regularly sends progress data to the manufacturer’s cloud services.
Many users believe that hard drives and other computer components are a relic of the past. Sooner or later, modern technologies will make it possible to completely switch to cloud services, thanks to which even the operating system will be loaded via the Internet.
Of course, it’s too early to think about this now, however, many users today are actively using cloud services to synchronize individual, important hard drive directories, thanks to which the user’s personal data is safely stored on remote servers.
Good afternoon
In this article I will talk about how to properly save all data from an Android device (phone or tablet) in order to restore this data after flashing it or on a new device.
By important data I mean: contacts, SMS, photos and videos, and, to some extent, applications.
How to save Android device data
How to save contacts on Android:
One of the advantages of the Android operating system is that all contacts are linked to a Google account by default and stored in the cloud. That is, as soon as you enter your Google account information on a new device (or a reflashed one), all your contacts will immediately download and be available.
Just in case, let's make sure that your contacts are actually synced with the Google cloud. To do this, go to your mail via the web at https://mail.google.com/
1. Enter your Google account username and password.
2. At the top right, click the "All applications" button:
3. In the list of applications that appears, select "Contacts".
4. In a new window you will see all your contacts. If they are not there, go to the settings of your Android device and enable synchronization for your Google account (All apps -> Settings -> Accounts -> Google).
Be careful! If your contacts are not in Google and you do not enable synchronization, you will lose all contacts when you reset your settings!
How to save SMS on Android:
Unfortunately, there is no built-in application for saving SMS in the Android system, but there is an excellent alternative - the SMS Backup & Restore application. Install it from the official Google app store and run it (it's free):
Open the application, click the "Make a backup" button, leave all the default values and click OK:
The program saved all SMS and call data into special files in the internal memory. To be safe, we will copy these files to your computer along with photos and videos. More on this later.
How to save photos and videos from an Android device:
1. Connect your phone to your computer or laptop using a USB cable, and the phone must be unlocked.
2. Now on your computer, go to Explorer (My Computer, This Computer), you will see the connected device:
3. Log into this device and copy the following folders and files to your computer from there:
- The entire DCIM folder contains your photos and videos;
- The Download folder in its entirety, these are the files you downloaded from the Internet;
- The SMSBackupRestore folder, in this folder you previously saved data about all SMS and calls;
This is where I will finish the instructions. If you need to save data from a specific application, please do so, and I will tell you how. Unfortunately, there are no universal instructions for saving application data.
The instructions were not very detailed in some places, if you need clarification, just do it.
The computer is broken. Everything was repaired, but... nothing could be saved. Despite the warranty on the computer, the safety of information is the user’s business.
Most network users store information on hard drives. They are quite reliable, but power failure, accidental deletion or a virus and valuable information can be lost. Music, films - all this, in extreme cases, can be bought again, but a home photo and video archive, important documents will most likely be lost forever. To prevent this from happening, information must be saved to external media. If you have a lot of it, then you need to duplicate it, at least the most valuable one.
Believe from experience, the loss of everything accumulated due to the failure of a computer, laptop, etc., sometimes is tantamount to the irretrievable alienation of something near and dear to which so much time, effort and warmth were devoted. The situation is even worse if official documentation, accounting reports, financial or confidential information about your business is lost. Here, the matter will not be limited only to regret about the loss of useful and interesting content, but can turn into a much more disastrous result, up to the collapse of the company, business career or reputation.
What options exist?
- Flash drives are the simplest and most common method used for backup purposes, but the most unreliable.
- Information security is not weak. It’s good if a flash drive with a valuable archive lies on a shelf untouched, but I’ve often seen it used for everyday needs. And even if the flash drive is used only for storing information, there is still a high probability of losing it.
- Improper use of flash drives, fear of their static electricity and electromagnetic radiation (for example, metal detectors, anti-theft scanners in stores) expose the information on them to the risk of loss.
- Optical discs are also a common method for storing important information. Information security is good. They are more difficult to use, not everything can be added, but the information on them is more secure than on flash drives.
- The enemy of optical discs is heat and time. Therefore, store them correctly - away from direct sunlight and heating devices. Over time, the coating on the discs degrades and becomes unusable. Therefore, for reliability, it is recommended to rewrite the archive to a fresh disk once every year or two. Or several. They are also afraid of mechanical damage.
- An external hard drive is easy to use, just like a flash drive, it works faster, and it’s easy to write and erase information. Information security is top notch. Information can be stored on a hard drive for years without deteriorating over time.
- The hard drive only deteriorates during operation. But if you connect it only to record important information and then turn it off, then this storage method is quite reliable. The hard drive is afraid of heat and mechanical damage. Keep away from the sun and heating devices. You can't drop it. But this method is more expensive compared to the previous ones.
Let's sum it up
The most reliable method of preservation is a combination of all of the above at the same time.
When you install Windows, you format drive C, after this operation you should copy the data to other hard drives so that later you can return everything to its place. Or if you have a lot of memory or other media, then you should archive the entire disk and move the archive to a safe place.
When will you install Windows 7, do everything as you did, and at the end of the installation, when you are asked to Leave a copy of windows in the windows.old folder, click yes.
So you save your previous windows data, which will be located in the Windows.old folder.
As stated above, you need to have two or more hard drive partitions, but if you don’t have them, then download the Acronics disc program, split it into sections and transfer all the files to a new, clean partition and calmly demolish Windows
If you are concerned about the question, then simply copy the information you need from drive C to a flash drive or external hard drive. You can also transfer the data you need to drive E or D, because when you reinstall Windows, only drive C is changed. In extreme cases, after installing the new OS, you will be left with the windows.old folder, in which all the data from the previous operating system will be saved. Lost information can be restored.
To save data when reinstalling Windows 7, you need to copy all the necessary files from drive C (when reinstalling, all data from it will be erased) to drive D (since reinstalling the system does not affect it). Namely from these places: files that are important to you from your desktop (if any). Please note that there can be both files and shortcuts on the desktop that link to files (shortcuts have an arrow in the lower left corner of the icon). Copying a shortcut does not copy the file, so if the shortcut refers to an important file on drive C, you should click on the shortcut properties and on the Shortcut tab, click on the name - File location. After clicking, the file itself that the shortcut refers to will appear; it should be copied to drive D.
Now we transfer browser bookmarks(if there is). In the browser, in the bookmarks option, select: save bookmarks or export bookmarks (depending on the browser) and save it in some folder on drive D.
Now go here: Start - open your account folder (usually users call it by their name when installing Windows) and copy the contents of the folders to drive D: My Documents, Downloads, Pictures, My Videos, My Music, Saved Games.
That's it, now you can reinstall the system, but before doing this it is advisable to download fresh drivers for the chipset, video card, sound card and network (network driver) so that everything is at hand and immediately ready for installation on a fresh Windows. Well, and antivirus, of course.
Important! When installing Windows 7, you must select Full installation and format the C drive.
Before reinstalling Windows 7, to ensure that all data is preserved, you need to write all important data to hard drive D, since this disk is usually not involved in any way in the reinstallation.
But in order to have peace of mind in general, you need to duplicate the recording of data on a flash drive.
After reinstalling Windows 7, you need to check the safety of your data on drive D and then just clear the memory of the flash drive.
But personally, I had a problem with some purchased programs; despite saving them, I had to reinstall them, since they have certain keys.
We insert the disk into the drive, go to My Computer, click on the shortcut to the disk with Windows 7 and select Open, run setup.exe and Install.
The system will offer two recovery options, we need recovery using the Windows installation disk.
Windows will backup your system files and the installation will begin.
A window should appear where you need to select the installation option Windows Update with saving settings.
All system parameters will be reset, but settings and program files will be retained.
All user settings and files are moved to temporary folders, and then they are restored to their places.
Always have 2 disk partitions in your system. As a rule, this is drive C and drive D, OS = is always placed on drive C, save your works and files on drive D. If you rearrange the OS, drive D will remain intact.
To save data when reinstalling Windows, usually two partitions are created on the hard drive in advance, C and D. The system is usually installed on C, and drive D is used for data storage. In this case when reinstalling Windows it is affected only drive C, and the data remains unchanged.
If the disks were not partitioned, then problems often arose when reinstalling the system, so the question is: how to save data when reinstalling Windows, habitually arises every time you have to do this.
However, the operating system Windows 7 It’s just different in that when you reinstall the system, the data files are not affected, but are stored in the windows.old folder.
Besides, Windows 7 allows you to reinstall the system with the possibility of recovery, that is, the ability to save data is almost guaranteed.
I don't store work files on the system disk. My Maxton browser, all tabs, passwords, and much more that can be added to it, is stored in the cloud. An email client, from which I extract passwords Portable Multi Password Recovery. It can also extract passwords from many browsers. Basic programs in the form of installers on the working disk. Reinstalling the OS won't be too difficult for me. When the system starts to slow down, I prefer to reinstall rather than spoil my nerves when it freezes..
Before reinstalling, copy or move important data to another hard drive partition. If there is no room for important information, flash drives and external hard drives will help.
