Hey Guys...I just really don't want to mess up my dad's PC so....I just want to know if I should back up my PC before I update because we literally have allour data on this pc and I don't want to lose it. Thanks.
No, updating doesn't really wipe your data. You should be fine if you mean like one of those small updates.
Are you installing a new version of Windows? If so, it wouldn't hurt although it shouldn't cause problems. If you are just using the automatic updater to apply patches, no need to back things up.
You should back up the PC every once in a while anyway. So if you haven't backed it up somewhere yet, go ahead and do it.
To be honest, you should be backing up your computer fairly often whether you're updating it or not. The reason I don't is because I'm an idiot and probably should be
When I first started programming, I had been trying to work on a program during a thunderstorm and the power kept going out. I kept losing my work. I was also saving my work to cassette(yeah, it was that long ago...) and it took some time to save even a small amount of data so realized I needed to find some balance between spending all my time saving and not getting anything done. A few days later I asked a friend who already was a programmer how often I should back up my work. He didn't give me an immediate answer and seemed lost in thought for a few moments, then answered my question with a question that I have asked myself and used as a guideline ever since. He said: How much work are you willing to lose? If you feel there is some risk to your data or if you have files on your computer that cannot easily be replaced, back them up. I've made a habit of regularly backing up my work and important files, and in thirty years of programming and using computers have rarely ever lost anything that caused more than minor inconvenience.
Um. First of all he is asking if backing up his computer is necessary and I was giving him helpful advice. It is always a good idea to back up your computer before a serious update or upgrade because you never know whether the computer might not work anymore. What he is going to do, I would definitely recommend backing up his computer. Especially if he doesn't have one already. Second, I wasn't commanding him to do anything. It was just a suggestion. So that statement was uncalled for.
The only reason I remember is because my computer automatically does it for me at like, 3AM everyday Also, Cole, your dad should be the one deciding whether or not you back up his data on his computer.
Back up what you do not wish to lose. Whether you are upgrading or not, back up what you do not wish to lose. You can get a portable 1TB drive for under $100, and a 500GB drive for around $60, so no reason not to. Its just like flossing. Only floss the teeth you wish to keep. Someone I know, did not heed this advice, and lost all their pictures of their kids growing up, as they would take pictures, and dump to their computer. Eventually the hard drive disk head came loose and physically damaged the disk. They lost everything, however still hold on to the paperweight just in case some day, they will find a company that specializes in data recovery. (Yes, they shipped it to a few places that specialize in data recovery for bad hard drives, however each shipped back saying 'no way') Moral of the story, you should always back up anything that is important to you whether you are upgrading or not.
Cole, I say let your parents decide. Since it's not your computer yet, you should let them make those kind of decisions. I do recommend backing it up though. Don't even ask why my grammar is all good and stuff, I'm at school and don't want to get in trouble for not using proper grammar. Also, I'm online at school because I'm done the assigned work and have nothing else to do.
You should ask your parents permission before you do anything to their PC, It is not yours as of yet Since we are on the subject, does anyone have any recommendations for external hard drives? I was looking into buying one as my old one is almost full. The cheaper the better, as long as it is over 1TB Thanks
