• Back up is extremely important
  
• Storage Media
  
• Back Up Software
  

To back up Podiatry Practice Pro (PPpro) copy the whole of the PPpro folder to whatever storage media you prefer.

Don't forget- your back up is no use if it gets stolen/damaged at the same time as your computer so always store it in a safe place seperate from the computer (take it home!).

Restore PPpro by copying or extracting the PPpro folder and pasting it into the Program Files folder within the C drive on your computer. Please note that you do not need to individually copy each file and folder within the PPpro folder. Simply right click the yellow 'PPpro' folder icon, select 'Copy' then right click any white space in the

There are several types of media that you can use to store your back up files:

1. A CD RW that is formatted to behave like a floppy disk (not all CD burners can do that). They can store up to 700mb of data. Inexpensive but limited in memory. If you use this method then you need to first compress the whole PPpro folder. Then copy the compressed file accross the the CD. Copying uncompressed files sometimes results in them becoming 'Read Only'

2. A USB Flash Drive - no software needed- can be purchased from £20- £99 with anything from 36mb to 2gigabytes of memory. Easy to use and very portable.

3. EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE. No software needed. The drive is about the size of a small gents wallet and plugs in to your USB port. It is very portable portable and can have anything from 20 - 120 gigs. From £49- £199 . This is the best option for long term because you'll always have enough memory to back up PPpro and all of your other important files

If you have Windows XP Professional you will have microsoft's back up software already on your computer.

XP Home HAS a back up facility on the installation disk but you need to install it. To install it put the disk in your disk drive and browse to: D:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP (where D is the name of your disk drive). Run (open) the set up file. It is very useful and has a scheduling facility to do automatic back ups. Why not set it to back up at lunchtime and at finishing time.

There's lots more back up software and advice on the internet about back ups.