Backing Up Data

Saving a document is a relatively simple step that we have all mastered at this point.  But WHERE you save a document is important!  Below is a list of options to save documents.  Please remember that you will save yourself time and frustration by always making a backup document in the event that something happens to the original document.

Network Drive (H:)

The best way to save files is to save them to your H: drive on the network.  This ensures your files are safe and protected. To locate your network drives, double click on the My Computer icon located on your desktop.  One of the major benefits of saving files to the network is that if the file is deleted or becomes damaged, we can recover it for you!

Removable Media

It is often convenient to save documents to a floppy disk, zip disk, or CD for easy transport, however it is strongly recommended that you only use removable media as a backup.  Sometimes removable media becomes damaged and the information is not retrievable.  

Hard Drive (C:)

Most users like to save their documents to the My Documents folder located in C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\My Documents.  This is a quick, easy way to access documents on your own computer. However, if your hard drive becomes damaged and needs to be replaced, there is a chance the document will be unrecoverable.  If you do save files to My Documents or your hard drive, it is highly recommended you back this data up on a regular basis.  A CD-R would be ideal because of the size.  Your best option, however, is to not take the chance and save important files to your network drives.