It can happen to anyone: a hard drive failure, a computer virus, a burglary, a flood in the basement, a fire in the attic or storm damage and suddenly years of your genealogy research are gone.
How long has it been since your last backup?
While it is important to keep a copy of your data in some other location than where your computer is, it is not always convenient to access that remote data when you accidentally delete a cherished family photograph or have a problem with your hard drive and lose your genealogy data. The best solution is to keep more than one backup copy of your files, having one copy at home and at least one copy securely located somewhere else. A good acronym to remember is LOCKSS – Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe!
Published in Family Tree Magazine August 2013
