Some facts about making backups

Here are some points to remember when backing up your company file:

• The process of making a backup of your MYOB BusinessBasics company file is usually as easy as copying the company file to another location-a standard task that's quickly performed on any computer.
• The time you spend making backups of your company file pales in comparison to the amount of time you may need to spend reentering data lost as a result of a damaged company file.
• If you use the Backup command, you'll back up your company file only. Any custom forms, reports and spreadsheets you've created won't be backed up because they aren't stored in your company file. You don't have to back up custom information as often as your company file, but you should keep a copy of your FORMS, CUSTOM, SPREADSHEETS and GRAPHICS folders in another location. These folders are in the location where you installed BusinessBasics.
• A location for your backup is displayed automatically in the dialog box that appears when you choose the Backup command. You can change the location, if you wish.

Make a note of the name and location of the backup so that it will be easy for you to find the file if you want to restore it at a later time using MYOB BusinessBasics

• If you don't want to use the BusinessBasics Backup and Restore commands, other software programs are available that automate the entire process of making backups-not only for your BusinessBasics company file, but for your entire hard disk, as well. If you don't want to take the time to make backups yourself, consider purchasing such a product.

(If you decide to use another software program for making backups, be sure to use the MYOB BusinessBasics data verification feature to ensure your company file isn't damaged before you back it up. If you use a backup program other than the BusinessBasics backup program, you won't receive automatic reminders to verify your data, so it's very important that you remember to perform this important task regularly. See Verifying company files to learn more about using the data verification feature.).

• The MYOB BusinessBasics Backup command creates a backup of the company file you're currently using, and compresses it to a smaller, more manageable size.

We also recommend that you make multiple backups of your BusinessBasics company file -- that is, more than one copy of your company file -- and store them at different locations. The purpose of multiple backups is simple: Backups can fail as easily as computers can. If you've made one backup of your company file and a computer problem damages the company file on your hard disk, your sole insurance is the backed-up file. If the diskette containing the backed-up file is damaged, as well, you're in just as much trouble as you would be without any backup at all.

Warning: We usually can't help if you don't have a backup Not everyone makes backups of their BusinessBasics company file, and we at MYOB often hear from these people as they attempt to recover from damaged company files. As much as we'd like to help, the most common way to regain lost data-if a backup doesn't exist-is to reenter the lost data, which may take hours, days or even weeks. Since you don't have time to waste, we suggest that you strongly consider making a commitment to making regular backups of your company file.

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Some facts about backups
Following a system of making backups

Step by step
To make a backup