Without a doubt, backup is the most important thing to keep in mind when using a PC. However, even though most people consider this task to be difficult to carry out, nothing can be further from the truth.

Since there are a number of ways by which you can back your computer up, there’s only one thing that you should keep in mind when doing so.

Ensure that you have three copies of your files in three different locations. In other words, the original, a backup of the original and a backup of the backup.

That said, here are 2 simple methods (which can be used as a combination as well) to back your computer up:

#1: An online storage service

There are a number of services that one can use namely Carbonite, iDrive, Google Drive, SkyDrive, Mozy and iCloud. Pick a service (which would cost anywhere between $50 to $100) that can sync with most if not all of your devices. Also, use the downloadable app provided by the service you pick and which will create a mirror of all your files online.

#2: Two external hard drives should do

Buy the largest external hard drive that you can possibly afford – in fact, two would be better than one. Now use the Windows built-in app so as to create a system image and a recovery CD or USB drive. Now, Windows Backup to backup your files to the hard drive, be it daily, weekly or monthly.

One advantage of using local backups is that it can be restored as quickly as possible even if using a combination of both methods is successful 99% of the time.