"Make the inevitable a lot less painful. Give yourself some peace of mind in this unpredictable business. MAKE BACKUPS."

You heard it and read it about a thousands times:

MAKE BACKUPS

As you know, to backup means to make copies of files and software. You create backups so that you will have them at the ready in case you lose important data or need to re-install/restore software programs. I would assume you could imagine for yourself scenarios where you'll need backup copies. Whatever the scenario, you are aware that backups are a good idea.

The best way to create backup copies of software and files is with a CD RW drive. Back in ancient times, when files and software were smaller in size, we used floppy disks. If you tried to use floppies today, you would need hundreds of them for backups. A CD RW drive holds much more information. There are other ways to backup files and software such as with a removable hard drive but for most folks a CD RW drive will do just fine. All you have to do is copy the stuff you need to CD and you'll have piece of mind. Easy and pie.

Now comes the not-so-easy part. What exactly should you copy? What should you keep on your trusty backup disks? This are questions only you can answer. It's your stuff.

However, there are certain files and programs that every webmaster should backup, regardless of the differences among us. Here are some backup suggestions:

VITAL SOFTWARE

Bad things happen even to the best of PCs. Odds are, you will face a total hard-drive crash one day. Not only will you need to restore your operating system software; you'll want to re-install all the other programs you use in your webmaster business. Your Internet connection software. Your web browser. Your email client. Your image and HTML editors. Open your program menu and take an inventory of all the software installed that you use as a webmaster. From your ftp client to that cool link checker you downloaded off some forgotten site, take account. Do you have the original installation files? Are they sitting on your hard drive? Put them on disk.

SCRIPTS AND CONTENT

Just because you paid for it that doesn't mean you're going to get a free replacement copy if you lose it. All those images and video clips. All those scripts that you spent hours configuring. If something were to happen to them, chances are your vendors won't cut you any slack because your house was struck by lightning. If you paid for it, for heavens sake, back it up. If you don't, you take the chance that you have to re-purchase your lost content, scripts, licenses and 2257 documentation.

YOUR WEBSITE(S)

Sure, your host is good and secure. Of course, you have .htaccess and other protections in place. Naturally, you've done everything possible to insure that your site is safe from hackers, script kiddies and leaches. Still, you just never know. Your website(s) are precious. Don't ever take the chance of losing them no matter how safe you feel. Pop a RW CD in your drive, open your FTP client, log into your server and send copies of everything to disk. Do it with your main site. Do it with all your little sites and gallery pages.

YOUR INFO

Passwords. Account information like User Names and linking codes. All your important email addresses. You ICQ contacts and their UIN numbers. Take all those notes and little snippets of information you've got stored on your hard drive and copy them to disk. Maybe you have a great memory but why take any chances? Never forget that you are running a real-life, grown-up business. Your clients, vendors, and peers are as important to your success as your files and software. You took the time to collect all that info, take some time to guarantee that you will never lose it.

Nobody likes to think about awful things like viruses and hard-drive formats. No one wants to imagine they could lose countless hours of hard work, valuable files and software. Nobody likes to think about it but the possibility is always real and probably inevitable.

Do yourself a favor. Make the inevitable a lot less painful. Give yourself some peace of mind in this unpredictable business. MAKE BACKUPS. Make them regularly. Make them now so you won't cry about it tomorrow.