How to back up your data before a repair

Most repairs don't put your files at risk, but backing up first is always a sensible habit — and it gives you real peace of mind. Here's a simple way to do it.

What to back up

  • Photos and videos
  • Documents, spreadsheets and PDFs
  • Browser bookmarks and saved passwords
  • Anything in your Desktop and Downloads folders
  • Email, if it's stored locally rather than online

The easiest ways to do it

  • An external hard drive or USB stick — copy your important folders across. Quick, cheap and offline.
  • Cloud storage — OneDrive (built into Windows), Google Drive or Dropbox will sync your files automatically and keep a copy off-site.
  • Both — the gold standard is one local copy and one in the cloud.
Three ways to back up: an external drive or USB stick, cloud storage such as OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox, or — best of all — both, one local copy and one off-site.
The safest approach keeps one copy locally and one off-site in the cloud.

A quick word on passwords

Make a note of any logins you'll need afterwards, and remember your Windows or Microsoft account password — it's often needed when setting a machine back up.

How I protect your data

When a device comes in for repair I treat your data with care, and for drive replacements or upgrades I copy everything across so it looks exactly as it did before. If a drive is failing, stop and read about data recovery first — backing up promptly is especially important — get in touch sooner rather than later and I'll help.

Need a hand with this?

I'm based in Newtownards and cover North Down & the Ards Peninsula — with a clear, fixed quote before any work begins.

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