If you've got any important data on your PC, it's a good idea to back it up once in a while.

I'm at work using my laptop and I've just formatted an external 80gb hard disk full of personal data by mistake.
I can re-create it from my desktop PC when I get home, but it will take some time over a USB connection

If you're struggling with USB1 speeds, a good option is to go out and purchase an inexpensive USB2 or Firewire card - 480MBits/sec vs. 11MBits/Sec for USBs 1 & 2 (!).

About £8 for a USB2 PCMCIA card, and £12 for a Firewire PCMCIA one. (This is presuming that it's the laptop that's holding you back with it's USB1 port - PCI cards for regular desktop PCs can be got for even less.)

I tell ya, when you've just lost all that data, that sort of time frame rarely matters! I once had a SATA disc flip out on me and it took 29hours to extract the data off of it. Ages yes, but the fact that i could get at it at all was a godsend.

I did have it backed up but still, this had all my apps and stuff on it.

That tune - 'Back up, bitch; unless you want nut in your eye - back up!!' comes to mind....

Keye.

The laptop and the external hard drive are on loan from work. The laptop is a dell which I'm not too happy with and it is fairly basic. It will be returned when I buy myself a laptop, but I'm not in a rush to buy one. I am reluctant to buy a USB2 or Firewire PCMCIA card as it may not be needed on the laptop which I buy. I've even been considering an Apple laptop.

The data on my 80gb external hard disk has now been restored. Last time I copied it, I connected it to my PC through the USB and used Ghost to copy from an 80gb drive inside the PC and it took over 24 hours. This time I formatted the external hard disk then just used copy in Windows to copy the folders which I needed,

I only lost one file which was a torrent that I downloaded at the weekend and I hadn't made a copy of it, but I can download it again tonight while I'm asleep.

I learned the hard way 160 gb of goodies gone .

unfortunately i can second this idea - i to learnt it the hard way yrs back now but i lost some travel films broke my heart - its was worst than a fire!! honestly thats how i felt!!

I nearly lost my 62gig music collect the other week when out of no where one of my HD fucked up.

I managed to fix it with scandisk but the thought of loosing all my music was a little harsh as its taken me 4 years to collect and I doubt I'd be able to replace it all.

It's all now nicely backed up on a new 500 gig external HD that cost £99.

If you don't want to lose it back it up!