Every single day we create new files and store them on our computers. We use some of them on a regular basis, while others are kept either for reference or just in case. But some files are really important, which means that you have to take extra care to protect them from damage, accidental deletion or theft. Here are some tips that will help you.
Organize your folders
The first thing you should do to ensure your important files are safe and easily accessible is organize your folder structure. Simply dumping important files on your desktop is no good because that way you can easily lose them or even delete them by accident. Make sure your important documents have dedicated folders. Also make sure that your software saves files to the right directories and not just to your general Downloads folder.
Back up your files
Everybody knows that backups are important, yet a lot of people neglect them altogether. If you think that backups take too long, think again because there are automatic ways to back up your important files. You can store them on a flash drive or better still – upload them online and store them in the Cloud. There are many online services that are suitable for file backup. Some of them will even do it automatically and sync your files across different devices. Check out Google Drive, Dropbox, DropSend and other Sky Drive.
Encrypt files that contain your details
Everybody has files that contain their personal information, be they bank statements, tax return copies or receipts for online purchases. These files should be stored with extra care because they can do a lot of damage if they fall into the wrong hands. Identity theft, bank account fraud and even terrorist activities are some of the threats. The best way to protect files that contain your confidential information is to use encryption software. Look for an encryption program that uses 256-bit AES encryption.
Install file recovery software
Nobody is perfect and there is always the risk that an important file may be deleted by accident. If you have backups, then it’s not such a huge problem. Actually, it isn’t a big problem even if you don’t have a backup because you can use file recovery software to undelete your files. There are plenty of free programs out there, so you can choose the one you like best. Just remember to run your file recovery program as soon as the file is deleted – that will ensure that it doesn’t get overwritten by other files and can be successfully recovered.
Shred important files instead of simply deleting them
When you delete files, you don’t really think about what happens to them. They files seem to be gone and that’s it. But you can see how easy it is to recover deleted files for yourself – simply run any free file recovery program and your files will be back. And now imagine that someone gets access to your computer and recovers your old credit card statements that have all your details. To make sure this doesn’t happen, shred files that contain your details instead of simply hitting the Delete button. Shredding files is really easy if you have a good file shredder and doesn’t take long. But it does improve the security of your computer.
