Mac OS X 10.4 Help
Backing up your important files
Be sure to back up the important files on your computer frequently. Then store your backup in a safe place, preferably away from your computer and in a separate location. For example, you could store backup discs of your home computer at your office.
One method for backing up is to create a burn folder that contains all your important files. Whenever you want to back up the latest versions of those files, simply open that burn folder and click Burn.
To back up important files with a burn folder:
- In the Finder, choose File > New Burn Folder. Give it a name like "Files to Backup".
- Drag your important files to the burn folder. The Finder places aliases to the files in the burn folder.
- Open the burn folder, click Burn, and insert a disc when asked.
For example, to back up all your documents, drag the Documents folder to the burn folder. To back up the preferences for the applications you use, drag the Preferences folder in your Library folder to the burn folder.
The original files that the aliases point to are burned to the disc.
If you're a .Mac member, you can use the Backup utility to copy specified files to your iDisk, CDs, or DVDs. For more information, see the .Mac website.
If you need to back up more files than can fit on a single CD or DVD, try one of the following:
- Use Disk Utility to create a compressed disk image with those files.
- Use the Finder to compress them, by selecting them and choosing File > Create Archive.
- If you're a .Mac member, use Backup to create a backup that spans multiple discs.
If you have a second hard disk or your hard disk is divided into partitions, you can back up files from one hard disk to another, or from one partition to another. This solution is not as safe as other options because your backup may be lost along with the original files if something happens to your computer or the hard disk.