Backing up should be mandatory, but people continue to run the risk of losing their data. However, a poorly thought out back-up plan could prove equally as devastating as following no backup plan at all. The great thing about backing up in 2011 is that it needn’t cost you a single penny in software – there exists a powerful set of free backup tools that gives you all the protection you need.

That’s all well and good, but how do you go about making the most of this essential resource? You read on and follow our tips to make sure you’re completely covered, that’s what you do.

1. Choose back-up device
One backup is good, two is better, particularly if that second backup is housed away from your PC. Consider an external hard drive for your primary backup, with another backup stored securely over the internet. If you’re backing up files that don’t change – for example, video or photos – consider creating another backup on DVD too.

2. Back up remotely
At least one backup should be stored off-site – in other words, in a physically separate location to your computer. The simplest way to do this is using an online backup service. There’s plenty of choice available – if you have more than one computer, you can use services like Dropbox, Wuala or SpiderOak.

3. Online backup on a budget
Can’t afford an online back-up service? Wuala offers cheap rates, plus will “trade” storage on your computer for the equivalent storage space on its servers if you’re online for at least four hours a day.

Another free alternative takes a co-operative approach – BuddyBackup allows you to trade storage space with selected friends and family, so you back up their files in return for them backing up yours.

4. Sync settings
Most online backup tools allow you to synchronise folders between different computers and devices – ostensibly to give you access to the latest versions of your files (plus, of course, you get the added security of using all of the computers in your household as additional backup devices). Online sync tools that allow you to sync any folder on your computer, including Wuala and SpiderOak, can also be used to both back up and sync selected program settings so you’ve got the same preferences set up, no matter which computer you’re sat at. So long as your chosen program stores its settings in a configuration file (typically somewhere inside the hidden AppData folder in your personal user profile) as opposed to the Registry then you’re good to go.

Knowing where these files are stored can take some time and research – check the support forums of the program in question if you’re unable to winkle them out yourself.

5. Take full control
While the Windows Backup tools do a good job of covering most files and settings, can you be 100 per cent sure everything you want to be backed up is being backed up? Control freaks should take a look at GFI Backup Home, which gives you complete control over files, folders, email, selected settings and even your choice of Registry entries.

6. Back up your system partition
Reinstalling Windows is a time-consuming, painful task. Save hours simply by taking a drive image of your system partition using a tool like Paragon Backup & Recovery 2011 (Advanced) Free. This trumps Windows 7’s own drive-imaging tool for features, and restoring a drive image and subsequently updating your system will take a fraction of the time compared to a full reinstall and setup.

Imaging your hard drive like this works best if you’ve partitioned your drive so your data is stored on a separate partition to Windows and your programs. This ensures that when you restore a drive image your data remains untouched. Paragon has all the partitioning tools you’ll need built-in should you need to go down this route.

7. When backing up isn’t backing up
Many people make the classic mistake of backing up their files to DVD, then deleting the originals to save drive space. The very definition of a backup is that it’s a second copy of a file. If you’re simply moving files to another drive or burning them to DVD before deleting the originals you’re archiving, not backing up. If you do need to free up disk space, burn two copies, just to give you that extra layer of protection.

8. Verify your backup
A corrupt backup is no better than no backup at all. Make sure your backup tool is set to verify the backups it creates – GFI Backup users need to make sure they tick “Verify backup” on the Events tab prior to completing the Backup Task Properies wizard, while Paragon users will need to manually check the archive integrity after it’s been created by choosing Archives > Check Archive Integrity.

9. Back up file versions
Most online backup tools will store past versions of files, as will the Windows Backup tool in Windows Vista and Windows 7. However, they frequently miss out key changes, which is where a dedicated backup tool rides to the rescue. Our tool of choice – completely free for personal use – is DocShield 3.0, which now supports 64-bit versions of Windows too.

10. Take a Registry backup
A corrupt Registry can lock you out of Windows completely, and rolling back using System Restore is only an option if you’re running Vista or Windows 7 and have access to an emergency boot disk. XP users are particularly badly served here, as there’s no way of accessing System Restore outside of Windows or Safe mode.

Avoid the potential devastation of a corrupt Registry by downloading and installing eRUNT. This enables you to recover your Registry using the Recovery Console – click here to discover how to create an emergency boot CD with access to the Recovery Console if you don’t have a Windows XP installation disc.