 Protect
your personal information. It's valuable.
Know who you're dealing with online.
Use anti-virus software, a firewall,
and anti-spyware software to help keep your computer safe
and secure.
Be sure to set up your operating
system and Web browser software properly, and update them
regularly.
Use strong passwords or strong
authentication technology to help protect your personal
information.
Back up important files.
Learn what to do if something goes
wrong.
Protect your
family & children online. |
Back up important files
There are many ways you can unintentionally lose
information on a computer. A child playing the keyboard like
a piano, a power surge, lightning, floods. And sometimes
equipment just fails.
If you regularly make backup copies of your files and keep
them in a separate place, you can get some, if not all, of
your information back in the event something happens to the
originals on your computer.
Deciding what to back up is highly personal. Anything you
cannot replace easily should be at the top of your list.
Before you get started, make a checklist of files to back
up. This will help you determine what to back up, and also
give you a reference list in the event you need to retrieve
a backed-up file. Here are some file suggestions to get you
started:
Bank records and other financial information
Digital photographs
Software you purchased and downloaded from the Internet
Music you purchased and downloaded from the Internet
Personal projects
Your e-mail address book
Your Microsoft Outlook calendar
Your Internet Explorer bookmarks
Types of external storage
The following are some storage devices and locations to
consider.
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External drives
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A Zip drive is a disk drive
that uses removable Zip disks to store hundreds of
megabytes of data. |
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Includes backup
software |
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Range of storage
options |
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Portable |
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You must invest in the
hardware, and in some cases, disks as well |
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CD-RW* *You need a CD-RW drive to burn
files onto CDs.
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A CD-RW is a compact disc onto
which you can burn information if you have a CD-RW
drive. (RW stands for "read-write.") |
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Many newer computers
come with a built in CD-RW drive |
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CD-RW discs can hold
up to 700MB |
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Portable |
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CD-RW discs can be
used over again |
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Discs are relatively
inexpensive |
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You need to buy a
CD-RW drive if your computer doesn't come
with one |
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Its possible to
accidentally write over data on your CD-RW
disc and lose your backup files |
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Older CD players
cannot read CD-RW discs |
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DVD-RW* *You need a DVD-RW drive to burn
files onto DVDs.
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A DVD-RW is a DVD onto which
you can burn information if you have a DVD-RW drive.
(RW stands for "read-write.") |
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Many newer computers
come with a built in DVD-RW drive |
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DVD burners double as
CD burners, offering more flexibility |
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One disc stores
gigabytes of information |
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Portable |
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DVD-RW discs can be
used over again |
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Discs are relatively
inexpensive |
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You need to buy a DVD-RW
drive if your computer doesn't come with one |
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The drive might not
come with backup software |
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Its possible to
accidentally write over data on your DVD-RW
disc and lose your backup files |
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USB flash drive
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A USB flash drive is like a
small hard drive, about 2-3 inches long, that plugs
into your computer through a USB port. You can
download information onto it for storage. |
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Portable |
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Can hold up to 2
gigabytes of data |
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Files can be saved,
modified, or deleted as often as you want |
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Prices start
relatively low as hardware prices go |
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USB flash drives,
because of their size, are easy to misplace |
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Online backup and storage
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An online storage service lets
you save files online. If you have Internet access,
you can get your files from the online storage site
whenever you need them. |
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Stores your
information out of the house or office |
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Includes download and
backup software |
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Offers the potential
for a larger amount of storage space than
some other backup devices or locations |
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You might be required
to pay a monthly fee for backing up and
storing your files (prices vary according to
each provider and service) |
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If the company's
servers fail, you might not be able to
access your files |
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If the company is
hacked, your information could be stolen |
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If the company goes
out of business, you lose your backup
resource |
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