You have been working on adapting your text and now want to backup (copy) your work to protect against loss. In this module you will learn how to backup your files onto a USB key.

Generally, all files that are saved onto the computer's hard drive will remain there unless you choose to delete them. However, if the computer is stolen or damaged in some way then the information can become inaccessible (and be lost forever!). Therefore it is essential that your data be saved in a second place (and possibly even a third) outside of the computer. Saving your files onto a USB key or a CD is called “Backing up your files.”

Many times people have lost valuable data that could have been easily recovered if it had have been stored on a an external disk.

You will backup your work onto a USB key using the backup software MyWorkSafe. If you do not have this software installed on your computer, your trainer/consultant will install it today.

MyWorkSafe is free backup software designed for language workers.

We will make a backup of your linguistic data using the MyWorkSafe software.

• Insert a USB key into your computer.

A dialog will be displayed in the bottom right part of your screen, asking if you want to back up your data to this USB drive

• Click on the Backup button to start the backup.

A dialog will be displayed showing the progress of the backup

• When the process is finished, click on the Close button.

Note: It is necessary to have enough space on your USB key to copy your files - otherwise you will see a dialog box warning you about an error. You can find out more about the error by clicking on the Error Log tab at the bottom of the dialog box for more information. We will talk about how to resolve this in the next section

• Checking the free space on the USB stick
• Checking the size of the language data folder
• Freeing up space if necessary

1. Plug the memory stick in the computer
2. Check the amount of free space on the USB stick
   • Press and hold the Windows key on the keyboard and press the 'E' key at the same time.
     • Explorer will open.
   • Click on the drive of the memory stick (e.g. KINGSTON (E:))
   • Press the ALT key and Enter key together
     • A dialog box is displayed which shows the amount of free space (e.g. 139MB)
   • Take note of the amount of free space available.
   • Click OK

• Move your mouse pointer over the name of the folder for a second (without pressing the button).

A tips box will be displayed showing the size of all the files in the folder.

• Take note of the size of the folder.

If the size of the folder is greater than the free space on the USB stick you will need to delete some files on the USB key first before you can copy the files.

Be sure to label USB stick in some way. You don't want to lose your stick or get it mistaken for someone else's stick.

You need to store your stick in a safe place and protect it from dust. One idea is to keep the stick separate from the computer in case the computer is stolen.