Why Back Up?
Studies show that 13% of hard drives fail in their first year. We see failed hard drives throughout the year at the Tech desk. Macs, Lenovos, Dells, HPs, Asus . . . the brand doesn't matter. Sometimes the drives fail because of a drop or a spill. Sometimes spyware or malware infests the machine necessitating that the hard drive be cleared and reimaged.
Sometimes the drive just fails without warning. The Tech Desk will not back up or restore your data if your hard drive fails or your computer needs to be reimaged.
Back Up Options
Since Bucknell uses Google Workspace, storage in Google Drive is unlimited during the time that a student is enrolled. It's the perfect place to store your schoolwork, pictures, and anything else that you need to access from any computer. The Google Drive for Desktop App seamlessly syncs your computer's files with Google Drive online. Note: you will continue to have access to these files after graduation.
- External Hard Drive
Buy an external hard drive and back up your data - it is as easy as that. We can show you which folders you should back up on your PC or Mac at the Tech Desk.
- Network Space
Bucknell offers each student 600mb of public and private network space. This is terrific for academic documents, current projects, etc. It is backed up twice a day to a redundant server, and it is accessible from anywhere, on or off campus. Note: You will lose access to these files after graduation.
- iCloud or Google Photos or other web-based backup options
You can log into your services to be sure that you know what is backing up, and how much storage space you have available.
Take Charge of Your Data
If you think it is important, it should be in at least 2 places (for example, your computer and Google Drive, or your computer and an external hard drive). Save yourself from the brink of disaster - back up your data!