Samsung MZ-5PA256C User Manual - Page 56

56 Best practices for backing up your data About selecting a backup destination About selecting a backup destination You should review the following information before deciding where to store recovery points and file and folder backup data. Note: If you choose to use CDs or DVDs as your backup destination (not recommended), you cannot back up to a sub-folder on the disk. Backup data must be created at the root of CDs and DVDs. The following table contains information that you need to consider when selecting a backup destination. Table 5-1 Selecting a backup destination Backup destination Information to consider Local hard drive, USB drive, or FireWire drive (recommended) The benefits of this option are as follows: ■ Fast backup and recovery ■ Can schedule unattended backups ■ Inexpensive because drive space can be overwritten repeatedly ■ Off-site storage is possible ■ Reserves hard drive space for other uses Although you can save the recovery point to the same drive that you are backing up, it is not recommended for the following reasons: ■ As the number or size of recovery points grows, you will have less disk space available for regular use. ■ The recovery point is included in subsequent recovery points of the drive, which increases the size of those recovery points. ■ If the computer suffers a catastrophic failure, you may not be able to recover the recovery point you need, even if you save it to a different drive on the same hard disk.