Before doing any operating system upgrade, it is ALWAYS a good idea to do a complete system backup of files and programs on your computer (create a system image). If you do not have an external hard drive large enough to do this, here is what I suggest as a MINIMUM for anybody thinking about doing their own upgrade:

1. Back up each user account on the computer (this will save your documents, music, pictures, downloads, contacts and favorites).
2. Make sure you have the original media (usually a CD) for all the programs you would need to reinstall if you run into difficulties during your upgrade. 
3. Create a Recovery Drive  (click the link for detailed instructions) if you are using Windows 8.1. This will allow you to do a factory reset of your computer if you run into difficulties. 

Number 3 above would be VERY important if your upgrade hangs up during installation. This Recovery Drive (easily created on a USB stick) is the equivalent to your "Windows Disc" which must have to re-install Windows. 

So far I have not experienced major issues upgrading computers to Windows 10, but if your installation hits a snag, you will be GLAD you followed these three steps before beginning your upgrade. As always, if you would like help, More Tech Savvy offers these backups when doing a Windows 10 upgrade. Feel free to use our contact form to ask questions or use the Comment section below.

There are a LOT of articles about the best online storage options. Google gave me about 88,400,000 results  in 0.49 seconds.  While I have tried several options (including Drop Box, Box, Carbonite, Google Drive, iDrive and One Drive) I am currently using One Drive and here is why I would recommend it to anybody for home use.

1. One Drive is priced competitively (see this PC Magazine article for price comparison).
2. Backing up to an external hard drive is a good idea, but if your computer is destroyed by a fire or natural disaster, the backup hard drive you have sitting right next to the computer is gone, too. A local backup is not enough.
3. One terabyte of storage costs just $7/month and includes the latest version of Microsoft Office.

That's right, with a subscription to Office 365 Personal, for just $6.99/month, you get the latest copy of Microsoft Office (I just downloaded Office 2016) and one terabyte of storage. You can configure One Drive on your computer to back up any files you want...not just your Office files. All of my music and all of my photos are included with my documents in my backup folder so if my house was leveled in a tornado, all of my files are safe. I chose the Office 365 Home option and I get 5 licenses for Microsoft Office so I can legally share a copy with my mom, a friend, my daughter and two of my computers.

Here's a few other reasons I like One Drive.

1. I can get a link to share any file or folder full of files. Maybe a file is too large to email. No problem, I simply right-click, select "Share a One Drive Link" and a link is created that I can send to a friend via email, instant message or even text. (Windows 10 gives me the right-click option and Google Voice gives me the option to paste that link into a text).
2. I can sync folders across multiple computers. The way I use this: the laptop I am using now is both my work and personal computer. If it were to go down and I had to mail it in for repairs no biggie, I just grab my backup laptop (currently being used by my daughter...sorry sweetheart), do a One Drive sync and all my files are instantly current on the backup laptop and I am ready to go.
3. There are ways with each version of Windows (7, 8 and 10) to choose which files stay in the cloud and which files sync to my computer. I have some files that I do not need on a regular basis, so they are not on my main computer's hard drive. Others I need, so I work with them on my hard drive and keep a back up copy with One Drive. ALL of these files are available from most any Internet connected device (my phone, iPad, friend's computer, etc).

With five licenses for Microsoft Office (always the latest version) and one terabyte of storage for $9.99/month (1 license for Microsoft Office and 1 terabyte of storage for just $6.99/month), I think One Drive is a great option.

If you have any questions about a backup system (local and/or cloud based) for your computer, please feel free to contact me. As always, if you'd like some assistance setting this up, More Tech Savvy would be glad to help!