Back your data up regularly, keep multiple backups, and store them in a different location from your pc. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU SEND YOUR PC IN FOR SERVICING AS, UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS COMPANY POLICY AMONG MANY COMPUTER MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS TO WIPE ("REFORMAT") YOUR HARD DISK DRIVE, OR "RESTORE" IT TO THE STATE IT WAS IN WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT (I.E. BEFORE YOU ADDED ANY DATA!), WITHOUT WARNING YOU WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR PC FOR REPAIR!!! (I do NOT use this kind of method unless everything else fails, and I would always consult you first before taking such action.)
Windows 98 has a useful backup utility (called "backup", surprisingly enough!) which makes backing up very simple. Click on Start | Programmes | Accesssories | System Tools to find it. If it is not there see if it is installed by going to Start | Settings | Control Panel | Add Remove Hardware | Windows Setup | System Tools | Details. The programme can be installed from here.
What it does, in a nutshell, is allow you to select which folders you want to back up, and then it puts a copy of them all into a single compressed file with the extension .qic. You can save the .qic file anywhere you like. You use the backup tool to restore folders from the .qic file. It's very easy to use with a "wizard" to guide you through the process. However, note that there are different versions of this programme in different versions of Windows, and they are not all inter-compatible.
What you basically need to do is to decide on a backup strategy, i.e. which folders you want to back up and how often, and then stick to it! I would recommend that you store all your documents in the "My Documents" folder.This means that only ONE folder may normally have to be backed up, i.e. "My Documents" (normally backups will incorporate all sub-folders by default).
You may, however, find that some, or many, of your files are not stored in the "My Documents" folder, especially as some programmes set their own internal default folder for saving documents, and you may have used these. It would be a good idea to run a search for all files of the type you normally use, such as image files (e.g. tif, gif, jpg, bmp), using the Windows "Find" facility, and move these files into a folder within "My Documents". Bear in mind that some of your shortcuts may have to be re-created afterwards.
Should you wish to backup your emails if you are using Outlook Express, you can change the store folder for your Outlook Express emails to a sub-folder created within "My Documents".
I would also recommend backing up your "Favourites" or "Bookmarks" folders if you use these a lot when browsing the internet. In windows 98, the Favourites folder is a sub folder of the Windows directory, and is easy to locate using Windows Explorer.
You may save a lot of files onto the Desktop which is also a folder that can be backed up. (Please bear in mind that storing a lot of files and folders on your desktop can slow your computer down and, arguably, even make it more likely to crash.)
Some programmes create backups for you as you go along from which an earlier version of your work can be restored. However, it goes without saying that you should keep saving your work as you go along!! Most programmes have an auto-save option which will regularly save your work automatically. However, this can pose problems if you want to go back to an earlier version of your work. See if there is an "undo" function in your programme which lets you return to an earlier version of your work even if a save has already taken place.
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Disclaimer: Whilst considerable care is taken in this website to present accurate information, no legal responsibility is taken by the author for the result of following any of the advice or recommendations therein.
