Simple Steps to Avoid the Academic Apocalypse

In all the excitement of starting at Penn State, the last thing you may be thinking about is backing up your files in case your computer crashes. Many people think "oh no that would never happen to me" or "I just got this laptop so it shouldn't break." Well I've got news for you, even with the newest gadgets sometimes hard drives still crash or you accidentally delete some files. Trust me. It happened to me twice since I started college. The first time was my very first week of school!  When your computer crashes during the semester it can seem like the END OF WORLD. You lose all your files with school notes, papers, lecture power points, maybe even electronic text books. Also on a more personal level,  all your photos from family vacations, high school prom, and all the other activities you did in high school are GONE.  Luckily there are a few simple steps you can take to avoid this academic apocalypse. The most important thing to remember is to back up your files.

There are many options on ways to back up your files. Some are free, others cost money. Some methods involve you to manually copy your files to a new location, others do it automatically for you. Below are a few techniques you can use to back up your files:

·         Free Back Up Options

a.       Penn State  "Box"-Every Penn State Student can create their own account for free with Box. This is a secure cloud-based file storage service. Each student has unlimited storage in their account. Once you create a Box account you can copy all of your files to that account so if your personal laptop crashes you can log into the Box on a different computer and access all your files. The downside to this approach is that you will have to be diligent to move your files every time you save something new in order to prevent any file loss during a computer failure. Learn more at http://box.psu.edu/general-info/

b.      Google Drive- If you have a Gmail, you have access to Google drive. Google provides each user with 15GB of free storage on their cloud service. This account works similar to a BOX account and has the same pros and cons. Learn more at https://www.google.com/drive/

c.       Penn State WebFiles- When using the school's computers you can save files to the school's network. You can access this account through Penn State's WebApps from your personal computer. You save copies of your files on both the school's servers and your personal device. This method has the same pros and cons of the above two options.  Learn more about WebApps at http://clc.its.psu.edu/RemoteAccess/WebApps and about WEbFiles at http://clc.its.psu.edu/RemoteAccess/WebFiles

·         Subscription Back Up Options

a.       External hard drive-  You can purchase or order an external hard drive from stores like Office Depot, Staples, or  Amazon. These hard drives are available in different storage amounts as well as  price range and the purchase is a onetime investment.  You can use these to copy your files over from your personal computer  in order to back up your files. This method also requires you to remember to back up all your files frequently in order to ensure you don't lose any files in case of a crash.

b.      Third Party Subscriptions- There are many companies that offer software backup packages such as Acronis, Dell backup, and Carbonite. This involves a monthly or yearly subscription. Each package has slightly different terms which can be found on their websites. The main advantage to subscription backups, and the reason I personally think the subscription is worth it, is your files are backed automatically. Just to reiterate, AUTOMATICALLY. This means that you never have to hold yourself accountable to remember to back up your files or even set aside time to do it. This leaves you with more time to focus on school work and all the other great activities you will want to be involved with on campus. These subscription options are a great idea for graduation gifts so if any family members want to know what to get you, mention a backup subscription. I'm not going to go into detail about every different subscription option, however, I can however discuss that one that I use (Carbonite) to give you an idea of how they work:.

Carbonite is the subscription software options  I use. My subscription to Carbonite has saved my butt twice since I started at Penn State. When my hard drive crashed I was able to access all my files online through my Carbonite account until I was able to get my computer fixed. Once I had a functional laptop, a Carbonite representative helped me re-download and restore all my files to my new hard drive. This subscription costs about $59.99 a year.  It is compatible for both Windows and Macs and will automatically back up all your files to a cloud service. In case of a computer emergency they have representatives available 7 days a week to help you access and restore your files.

Think about what option you want to use to back up you files this year before classes start. And remember hard drives will crash when you least expect it, so be prepared. 

Maxine Taylor is a senior studying Mechanical Engineering and is a Mentor for WEPO'16!