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Accidents, hardware failures, theft, or even simple mistakes can cause data loss. Regular backups give you peace of mind and make it easy to recover your important work.
Backup Options
Automatic Backup
Automatic backups save time and reduce risk by continuously protecting your files without you having to remember to do it yourself.
Windows Backup (also known as File History or Backup and Restore) helps protect your user files by creating copies that can be restored in case of accidental deletion, corruption, or hardware failure. An external hard drive is required.
Setup Instructions:
- Open Settings > Update & Security > Backup.
- Select Add a drive and choose an external drive or network location.
- Turn on Automatically back up my files (File History) or use Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7) for full system images.
Mac Time Machine automatically backs up your entire Mac, including system files, apps, and personal data, so you can easily restore individual files or your whole system. An external drive is required and must be connected regularly to maintain recent backups.
Setup Instructions:
- Connect an external drive to your Mac.
- When prompted, choose Use as Backup Disk (or go to System Settings > General > Time Machine).
- Select the drive you want to use for backups.
- Turn on Automatic Backups to let Time Machine back up hourly, daily, and weekly versions of your files.
Google Drive Sync (via Google Drive for Desktop) keeps files on your computer and Google Drive cloud storage up to date, so changes you make in one location automatically appear in the other.
Setup Instructions:
- Download and install Google Drive for Desktop from Google.
- Sign in with your ACE account.
- Choose whether to Stream files (saves space, downloads on demand) or Mirror files (keeps full copies locally).
- Select your desired folders on your computer to back up and sync.
Third-party backup and encryption apps (e.g., Carbonite, Backblaze, Acronis, VeraCrypt) provide additional features beyond built-in tools, such as cloud backups, cross-platform support, and advanced security options. Subscription fees may apply for cloud storage or premium features.
- Verify app compatibility with your operating system and hardware.
- Ensure you understand the recovery process before relying on the app.
- Data privacy depends on the provider's security practices.
UNLV IT does not support and cannot provide assistance with data recovery from third-party applications.
Manual Backup
A manual backup is when you personally copy important files from your computer to another location (i.e., an external hard drive or cloud storage) without using automated tools. It gives you full control over what gets saved and when.
Process:
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Connect your external storage device or log in to your cloud service.
-
Open the folders where your important files are stored.
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Copy and paste (or drag and drop) files to the backup location.
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Safely disconnect your storage device (if applicable).
Since it's not automated, you must remember to save files to your backup location regularly.
Storage Location Options
Compare features to determine which backup location is necessary for your data.
Table comparing backup services and their pros and cons.
| Storage Option |
Pros |
Cons |
|
Google Drive
(UNLVMail and Rebelmail)
|
- Already integrated with your UNLV Google Workspace account
- Protected by enterprise agreements
- Easy to share files
- Accessible anywhere with Internet and offline, if enabled
|
- Storage limitations may apply
- Requires Internet for setup/syncing
|
|
External Hard Drive
|
- Fast transfer speeds
- Works without Internet
- Full user control over data
|
- Can be lost, stolen, or damaged
- Must be manually updated
- Limited by physical capacity
|
| X: or Y: Drive (Network) |
- Centralized and managed by IT
- Secure with permissions and backups
- Shared access for teams
|
- Requires network access
- Storage may be limited
|
| Other Cloud Storage (Dropbox, etc.) |
- Easy to share files
- Cross-platform access
- Simple to set up
|
- Not covered by enterprise agreements
- May pose compliance/security risks
- Paid subscription may be required
|
Other Options
If you'd like to discuss other options for backing up specific types of data, including large data sets, please submit an IT support request with details.