The best way to avoid losing all the content stored on your PC is to make regular backups, either by using a cloud storage platform where you can synchronize all the changes you make on your computer or by using an external hard drive connected to your computer.
This last option is the most recommended since it is not only cheaper in the long run, but it is also the fastest way to recover the content and where it is not necessary to have an Internet connection.
When it comes to making backups, we can use different methods and applications. We can manually copy the directories where the content we want to save is located, use an application to synchronize the data on the hard drive and the external storage unit where to copy it, or we can use the Windows backup function, the latter being the recommended option.
And we say that using the Windows Backup function is the recommended option, because it is designed so that we do not forget any content that we have stored on the computer, an forgetfulness that can be a tragedy if the PC stops working and does not we remember to make a copy of a certain directory.
The Windows backup function displays, by default, all the directories that are commonly used, so we only need to review them and confirm that we want to make a copy of all the content stored within them. In addition, we can configure it to make the copies automatically, so we do not have to worry or remember to do it periodically.
How to make backup copies in Windows
As we mentioned above, this is a native Windows function, so it is not necessary to install any application. To start using it, first of all, we must access the Windows configuration options (Win + i) and access the Update and security > File backup section. In the right column, click More options in the Backup with File History section.
In the next window that appears, we must review all the directories shown and which are the ones that will be included in the backup. If any folder that we are interested in having a copy of is not shown, click on the Add a folder button in the Make a backup copy of these folders section. From this same section, we can also exclude the folders that we are not interested in copying through the Exclude these folders section.
Right at the top of this options menu, the space that the backup will take up is displayed along with the time that must pass before Windows makes a new backup. In addition, it also allows you to set the time that you want to save the backup. This last point is important to check if you do not want the hard drive where you store the backups to fill up quickly.
Once we have established all the configuration options, the directories we want to save, how often we want the copy to be made and the time we want to store it, to make the first copy we will click on the Make a backup now button.
