ABSTRACT
It is also essential to back up your files after you load them onto your computer. All hard drives will eventually fail, so scheduling regular backups is critical. Manually copying files is not a reliable method of backing up your data. Simply dragging files to copy them on a second drive can leave data behind. It is much better to use a backup utility like SuperDuper or the Windows backup utility. These applications back up your data bit for bit and then verify that the two copies match exactly. Apple’s Time Machine can also be used, but this method creates file archives, keeping copies of every version of every file you create, which takes up much more storage space on your hard drive. How often you back up your data depends on how often you add files to your hard drive. Backups can be scheduled overnight on a regular basis when the computer would be otherwise inactive. Don’t take any chances with an “it won’t happen to me” attitude. Eventually it will, and if you have backed up your data, it will only be an inconvenience rather than an epic disaster. Lightroom’s catalog backup function only backs up the catalog, not the actual images.
