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A supplemental backup method that I use, and recommend that others consider, is simple file archiving. What I mean by this is simply making backup copies of files that I use periodically, in case I need them later on. When I am working on a large document over a period of weeks or months, this document is changing far more often than the other files on my hard disk. I want to therefore back it up more often, in case I make a mistake in the document or my program decides to munch it. It's not practical to break out my tape drive several times a day, so I do this by simply copying the file to another location on the hard disk once in a while.

This is a limited form of in-place hard disk duplication, which is not a complete backup solution. In fact, this system only really protects well against accidental deletion, which is why I call it supplemental. However, it can still be very useful to do this. A simple way (which is what I have done) is to create a directory on your C: drive (or wherever) called BACKUP, and then create a simple batch file containing this line: "COPY %1 C:\BACKUP". (Batch files are files that contain commands that are executed when you run them.)

Save the file as say, BU.BAT, and store it in a directory that is in your file execution path, such as C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND. Then, to back up FILE.TXT you just type "BU FILE.TXT". Make sure to clean the directory out periodically.

Next: Comparison of Backup Method Data Risk Coverage

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