Computer Software

System software is related to the workings of your computer.

For example, Windows is an operating system that may be installed on your computer. You may have Windows XP, Windows Vista or maybe you recently upgraded to Windows 7. Windows supports the running of programs by you - being the user of the computer.

Another example of system software is a device driver.

If you wanted to purchase a printer to connect to your computer, you would need to install the driver or printer software on your computer so that the printer and computer can communicate and work together.

As an example, Microsoft Office is software that has 3-4 individual software programs which are bundled together to form an application software package.

By using Microsoft Word, you can type, create a letter, resume or other word processing/typing function. Microsoft Powerpoint allows you to create presentations, flyers and slides. Microsoft Excel allows you to create spreadsheets and Microsoft Access allows you to create and maintain a database.

Another example of application software is the popular ITunes. With this software program, you can download, copy, transfer music as well as make your own music CDs.

If you see and hear of words such as: software, application, program - these are all referring to basically the same thing.

Any time you deal with computers, the information stored on the computer is very important because it's YOUR information.

In my last 3 IT positions, part of my job was to backup and restore client's information or data that was installed on their computers and in most cases, they didn't know to do it themselves-:(

While you may expect and rely on a IT professional to do what they can to help you, it's really in YOUR best interest to make sure you can do it YOURSELF and guess what? It's not hard!

First, you need to be familiar with how your data is stored on your computer. This is called the file structure.

I have the Windows XP operating system installed on my computer.

This is a screenshot of what is on my computer:

Everytime you log on to a Windows computer, the file structure is set up in a way that while more than one person can log on to the computer, a separate profile is created for that person. Notice the next screenshot:

This also is good in regards to security. If I log on to my computer, I would not be able to see what is in your profile and you would not be able to see what is in my profile.

In other words: one profile per person!

Makes sense?

So now that you understand the file structure, now you want to see if you can backup your data. You have choices to make.

In my previous jobs, sometimes I would back up the client's entire profile, that is, the folder that has their name and other times I would backup folders within that profile or name. It all depends on the person and their situation.

Here's another screenshot of what is in my profile:

My Documents, Desktop, Favorites, My Downloads, Music Downloads

If you notice there are some hidden folders, Application Data, Local Settings, etc. Application Data may store folders that are associated with a program. Depending on the type of software program, you may need to back-up this folder.

Local Settings is associated with your profile. Although you may not need to back up this entire folder, there are folders that are associated with Microsoft Outlook that may need to be backed up. Outlook is a folder under Local Settings that is set up to be the default location for your email information.

I can share many horror stories of clients who did not back-up this folder and they lost all of their email information. If you're still not sure, be on the safe side and go ahead and back up these two folders as well or you can still back-up your entire profile or folder that has your username. I like to call it the 'username folder'.

Software programs and applications should not be backed up, they need to be reinstalled again.
For example, backing up a program such ITunes is not really saving that program. You can save the music that you downloaded to a folder in ITunes, BUT you still need to reinstall ITunes again.

Here is a screenshot of all my software programs and applications:

Every single program and/or application you have installed on your computer is located in this folder.

Now that you have idea of the file structure of what's ON your computer, how can you save it or back-it-up?

There are many companies that offer data back-up solutions and ususally they will keep your data stored on a server, which basically is a larger computer that stores companies' programs and applications - including your data.

Doesn't sound like something that would be free, would it? Think also too, would you really want to store YOUR data on someone else's computer or server? Of course, the decision is yours.

Would you want to pay $$$ to a company per month to back up your data when you can do it yourself for much less, even free?

You have many choices. There is the common 'cut & paste', 'Ctrl C & Ctrl V' to a blank CD or DVD.

You can also back up your data to a USB flash drive or an external hard drive

Microsoft Windows has a back-up utility called System Backup which you can use to back-up your data. Notice the screenshot below:

Your Data - When?

That all depends on YOU. How much time do you spend on your computer, creating and saving new files? If you do this every day, it would be good to back-up your data once a week.

During slower times that you're using your computer, backing up your data every two weeks or even once a month is sufficient.

When it comes to YOUR data, it's not just about the what, how and when - it's about being aware, being safe, and being mindful and making sure that......YOU BACK UP YOUR DATA!