Backup

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A portable hard drive

This computer was used to store files, before the fire hit

When talking about computers and computer systems, a Backup is a copy of the data. There are different types of backup systems that use different kinds of media. Common backup media includes:

• Different kinds of tapes
• Hard disks
• Optical disks like CDs and DVDs
• Magneto-Optical Discs

Very often, backup media are portable, so they can be easily moved and stored in a safe place.

Backups are usually done for one of the following reasons:

• Prevent data loss if there is a disaster (like a fire or hardware failure, or an intentional or unintentional deletion)
• Computer viruses or other programs make data unusable
• There is a logical error in the data

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