"There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers."

Over the next week I hope to look at some ways of protecting your computer and your data. I will cover some of the basics that most tech people agree on doing or using. The reasons for the upcoming posts are simple: data is fragile. And as we go into the holidays people have days or sometimes weeks off. This means your work computer goes unattended and your home computer goes without maintenance.

Let's start with a procedure that like flossing is usually skipped by most people until they have an emergency. Backing up your computer is essential. Many people feel that this is overdoing it. But things happen: electrical surges, viruses, and accidents happen. A friend had a power surge go through the house and destroy every last electronic device even though he had surge suppressors plugged in.

Even if you do not back up your writing or mp3s, think of your digital pictures. Resumes can be rewritten and music can be found again but pictures are electronic data that can never be reshot. Once a photo is gone it is gone. Here are two instructional websites that have tried to clarify backing up. Lifehacker explains the process in plain English and Microsoft does it in a more technical way. I will talk about other options in the future like online backups and so forth.

Don’t put this stuff off. Unfortunately the only people that backup currently are people that have been burned already. Never think your computer is unsinkable. Chances are that you will hit a proverbial iceberg sooner or later.Give them a try!