If you would like to participate in my Good Boot Backup Nag for novices - Part 5, you can download a trial version of Second Copy at www.secondcopy.com.

Why am I touting Second Copy? Because it meets all the criteria I recommend to novices last week to insure their backup program is novice friendly and their backup regimen is not so intrusive it’ll encourage procrastination.

See if you agree.

1. On your external hard drive, make two folders - ‘Exact Copy Backup’ and ‘Archive Backup’.
2. Open Second Copy from either All Programs or your Notification Area and click on ‘New Profile’ and ‘Custom Setup’.
3. Click ‘Browse’ to find and enter your ‘Source folder’(Windows 7 users - C:\Users\(name) or Xpers - My Documents).
4. Check the ‘Include sub folders’ checkbox.
5. Click Ok and Next.
6. Click ‘Only selected files and folders’ and ‘Select’.
7. Click on the folders you want to back up e.g., Xpers need only click on My Documents while Windows 7 users should click on Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Music, Pictures and Videos as well as any folders they’ve created.
8. Click OK and Next.
9. Click on ‘Browse’, go to your external hard drive and highlight your ‘Exact Copy Backup’ folder.
10. Click OK to enter it into your ‘Destination folder’.
11. Click Next and select a backup frequency. I suggest clicking on the little down triangle and selecting ‘manual’.
12. Click Next and ‘Exact Copy’.
13. Click Next and Type in ‘Exact Copy Backup’ or a name of your choice.
14. Click ‘Finish’

Now for those like me who are backup freaks - initiate a second ‘New profile’ and follow the steps above substituting ‘Archive Backup’ for ‘Exact Copy Backup’ and ‘Simple Copy’ for ‘Exact Copy’.

The first time you click on ‘Exact Copy Backup’ and ‘Archive Backup’ all the folders and files you checked will be backed up to your external hard drive.

Thereafter when you click on ‘Exact Copy Backup’, before Second Copy copies new and changed folders and files to your external hard drive, it’ll delete from your external hard drive’s ‘Exact Copy Backup’ folder any of the checked folders or files deleted from your ‘Source folder’.

And when you click on ‘Archive Backup’ only new and changed files checked in your ‘Source folder’ will be added to your external hard drive’s ‘Archive Backup’ folder. However unlike an ‘Exact Copy’ no folders or files deleted from your ‘Source Folder’ will be deleted from your external had drive’s ‘Archive Backup’ folder.

Here’s wishing you a Good Boot.