Number 220 - September 2001
Saving, Copying & Backing Up. What's the Diff?
from Ask Leo by Leo Laporte, Access Magazine Apr 15, 01
    Q What's the difference between copying, saving and backing up a file to a storage device other than the hard drive?
    - Dave Smith, Laughlin, Nev.

    A The difference is mostly a semantic one. In all three cases, you're making a copy of a data file. And, in the words of Martha Stewart, that's a good thing. Making a copy of your data is the only way to protect it from disaster.

    When you copy a file-or save an original file to another location--you're making an exact duplicate. That's the best kind of backup because you can easily verify that you have a good copy by opening it.

    Backup programs automate the process, but typically copy all of your data into one large file, You'll need the same backup program to restore your files. Backup programs will verify the contents of the backup so you can be reasonably sure you've got a good copy. They are best for copying large amounts of data on a regular schedule.

    The key to any backup procedure is to do it at least weekly; and to make multiple copies of every file in case one is lost or goes bad. Furthermore, it's important to keep some of those copies off-site where they will be safe in case of a major disaster like a fire, flood or tornado.

    LEO LAPORTE hosts "The Screen Savers" and "Call for Help," which both air daily on Tech TV. For a daily answer from Leo, visit www.accessmagazine.com
TOGGLE Editor's Note:

    Here's another opportunity for us to put on our PedanticCap. A goodly number of file-saving problems are caused by not saving the file properly in the first place. A concept that seems to elude many beginners is that, unlike the written page, just because that deathless prose you have newly written appears on the screen in your word processing (or database or spreadsheet) program doesn't mean that it is saved anywhere--and available for later retrieval--unless you first SAVE it with an appropriate filename.

    The text displayed on the screen is sitting in volatile memory and if you exit the program or shut off the computer without saving it with a recognizable filename, it is gone. Some, but not all, programs save the last entries on a periodic basis, like every minute or so, or when the program terminates with no other instruction--but most don't, so don't count on it. Sometimes those that do save periodically will--in the absence of a designated filename--save it as File1.txt, File2.txt, ... or some such nondescript name. The only way you can find what you just wrote is to open those files and look. Upon finding it you can then rename it to something more recognizable or mnemonic.

    Also, saved files and their copies take up a lot of disk space. This can be greatly reduced by using one of the many file compression utilities such as WinZip. If you, as a beginner, don't know what that is, ask a member, or call the Help Line.
   
  Number 220 - September 2001