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Backup, Probably The Most Important IT Operation

While the internet is full of possibilities, it also brings various challenges that you may want to overcome. One of the things you need to keep in mind is the fact that malware attacks (in particular, ransomware attacks) are increasingly common nowadays. Ransomware encrypts files on the infected computers making them inaccessible. In the last two years, the WannaCry, Petya and Bad Rabbit ransomware attacks spread across the world and generated millions of dollars in losses. They even put human lives at risk by making hospital computer systems nonfunctional and unable to help patients – see all the details here. If you want to stay safe online and keep yourself away from this type of attack, you should consider taking some precautions:

Keep your operating system and installed software up to date

You always want to update all your software if you want to stay away from malware attacks. Every time a vulnerability is discovered and reported, software developers update their programs to fix it. So, try to update every piece of software you use as often as you can. This will help keep you away from potential issues.

Use licensed software

Whenever you deal with cracked software, you might be putting your computer at risk. Many malware infections come from unwanted software, installed from disreputable sources. That’s why you should consider using only licensed software.

Install security software

Installing security software helps you avoid malware infections or attacks. There are multiple antivirus solutions on the market you can rely on. Plus, you can choose to install an internet security software that includes additional features, depending on your needs.

Create a backup of your data

While the options listed above create additional layers of security, having a backup for your data is the only guaranteed way to ensure your data’s safety. You can opt for either a local or a cloud backup, ideally both.

Local backups mean that you’ll be keeping the data on a computer or external storage that’s not connected to the internet.

Cloud backups mean storing data on secure servers from companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Dropbox or other cloud storage providers.
Either way, creating a backup of your data is crucial for recovering from any malware attack or hardware failure. Investing in a proper backup solution is a must.

If you are a Windows user and you want to learn how to protect your files, I recommend this book: How To Backup & Recover Your Windows 10 or Windows 7 64 Bit Computer In One Hour

Upgrade The SSD’s Firmware

SSD firmware is the software that works as an interface between your PC hardware and the SSD. Fixing performance and compatibility issues or bugs is done by firmware changes. That’s why you need to keep the firmware updated.
You’ll need to go to the official site of your SSD manufacturer and follow their guide to
update the SSD’S firmware. If the SSD is not empty, back up your data before updating the firmware. Sometimes it may end up in a drive failure because of the conflict between the hardware of your PC and new firmware.

When possible, is a good idea to reduce unnecessary writing on SSDs. This is the key to maximizing an SSD lifespan. The following tips help you accomplish that.

Do Not Use Data Wiping Software On SSD

When a user performs a delete command, the data will be deleted entirely. There is no possibility to recover it. Using a data wiping software on SSD to write with 0s and 1s your SSD’s empty space, will consume a full write cycle and will reduce its lifespan.
On HDDs, the delete command marks sectors as deleted. A data recovery software can quickly recover data from these marked sectors. A data wiping software will overwrite these sectors with 0s and 1s making them free from recovery.
Though, there is an exception. Recent research shows that data will not be permanently destroyed when you delete an entire drive. You need to use specialized data eraser software that supports SSDs.

Do Not Store Large Files On SSD 

I do not recommend you to use your SSD for your large media files such as movie files.
Every write counts for an SSD’s lifespan, and larger files will consume your writing cycle quota faster.
Your media files don’t need the speed provided by an SSD. There’s no noticeable difference in speed when you play movies from HDD or SSD.

Set The Temporary File Location On HDD

Your operating system, your browser and other programs installed on your PC create temporary files. Since these files are created very frequently, it can be a burden to your SSD if they are written on it. If you use two drives on your PC, I recommended you to set temporary files to be written on HDD.

The last three tips are for Windows OS users.

Disable Hibernation 

Every time you hibernate Windows, the memory currently in use is saved to a file. If this file is written on an SSD, it can stress your SSD and degrade its lifespan.

Turn Off Indexing

Unlike conventional HDDs, SSDs don’t need any indexing for finding files, because they are fast enough.

Do Not Store The Page File On SSD

Windows may write several gigabytes in the paging file, depending on the size of your RAM. If you use your SSD as the location for the page file, it can degrade your SSD life.
Add more RAM to your PC and turn off the page file, or move its location to an HDD if you have a secondary drive in your PC.