Make Backup Copies of Your Files

A problem that you may occasionally encounter is the unexpected loss of some of your work and settings for one reason or another. The causes of such data loss are many and varied; it could be anything from a power failure, to accidentally deleting a file. It is highly recommended that you make regular backup copies of your important files so that, if you do encounter a problem, you will not have lost those files.

It is wise to store back up copies of files separately from your computer; that is, you should make use of some form of file storage which is not permanently attached to your computer. Options include:

A simple way of backing-up your files is to manually copy them to a safe location (see above) by using the File Browser.

Alternatively, you can use a dedicated back-up application, such as luckyBackup:

[Note]

There a numerous back up applications available in Ubuntu Software Center and Synaptic Package Manager.

  1. Install the luckyBackup package from the Universe repository.

  2. To make a backup, click ApplicationsAccessoriesluckyBackup.

  3. Press the Add button.

  4. Enter the Name of the task, select the Source (which files you want to back up) by pressing the folder button on the right side, and select the Destination (where you want to save the backup of files).

  5. In the Type list, you can select the type of backup you would like to create.

  6. Press the Advance button to reveal additional back up options such as Preserve permissions under the Command Options tab or select which files and/or folders you do not want to back up under the Exclude tab.

  7. Select the Also create a task for restore purposes option if you want to create a task to restore your files and/or folders.

  8. Press the validate button to check whether your proposed backup is a valid one, then press OK.

  9. Press the Okay button and the task you have created will appear in the Task list. If you selected the Also create a task for restore purposes option, a RESTORE - name of task task will appear also.

  10. Once the tasks have been created in the Task list, select the tasks that you want to perform and you can simulate the back up by selecting the simulation option and pressing Start.

    [Note]

    The command output will display information about the performance of the back up such as how many files were backed up and transferred and how much time elapsed to back up the data to the Destination. The Information window will display whether the simulated tasks were completed and if any errors were found. Press Done, if the displayed information is satisfactory, proceed to the next step, otherwise, adjust the options to obtain the desired result and perform the simulation again.

  11. Press the Schedule button or click ProfileSchedule.

  12. Press the Add button.

  13. Select your profile from the Profile list.

  14. Input how often you would like the back up performed by selecting the time (hour:min), day of the week, month and/or day of the month.

  15. Press the Okay button.

  16. Press the cronIT !! button and your scheduled back up has been created.

To restore a backup created with luckyBackup, select the RESTORE - name of task task and create a scheduled task as described above.

Some general advice on how to keep good backups is given below: