Set up a rock-solid backup strategy so that you can restore quickly and completely, no matter what catastrophe arises.

In this comprehensive book, backup guru Joe Kissell helps you pick the best backup strategy for your needs and understand the whys and hows of what you are doing, helping you go far beyond the false security of turning on Time Machine or copying a few files to CD. You'll find an at-a-glance comparison of different backup strategies (low-cost, easy, safest), along with advice for backing up digital photos and massive video projects.

You'll learn the pros and cons of many types of backup media; discover how to pick the best backup software for your needs; and find time-tested recommendations for setting up, testing, and maintaining backups, complete with the essential instructions on how to restore after a crash.

Set up a rock-solid backup strategy so that you can restore quickly and completely, no matter what catastrophe arises.

In this comprehensive book, backup guru Joe Kissell helps you pick the best backup strategy for your needs and understand the whys and hows of what you are doing, helping you go far beyond the false security of turning on Time Machine or copying a few files to CD. You'll find an at-a-glance comparison of different backup strategies (low-cost, easy, safest), along with advice for backing up digital photos and massive video projects.

You'll learn the pros and cons of many types of backup media; discover how to pick the best backup software for your needs; and find time-tested recommendations for setting up, testing, and maintaining backups, complete with the essential instructions on how to restore after a crash.

Find answers to questions such as these:

• How can I maximize the benefits of using Time Machine?
• What's a hard link, and how does it relate to Time Machine?
• What are the important gotchas relating to Time Machine?
• How do I migrate an existing backup system to Time Capsule?
• I'm running Windows on my Mac-how do I back up my Windows files?
• How can I back up easily and safely while traveling?
• Should I use an online backup service to back up to a different location?
• What do I need to know to create my own command-line-based backups?
• How do I minimize the amount of downtime I might suffer if my boot drive fails?