Spring Cleaning Tech Tips: Back Up Your Data

By Ian Bush

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - This week, we've been taking a look at spring cleaning your computers and other tech. We wrap up today with some tips to keep all your pictures, music and documents safe from harm.

Hard drives don't last forever. Just ask Josh Perri, the head tech at SATA Computer Repair in Norwood.

"Oh, we get it about once a week. Everything from school papers to music collections to businesses. They always seem to put it off, and eventually, it's too late."

So if you don't back up, make a pledge to do it today.

"I recommend buying an external drive. The newer ones have the automatic update."

And a terabyte drive is under $100. Companies like IDrive, Mozy, and Carbonite are offsite backup solutions that upload your data in the background or while you sleep.

Cable companies often provide free McAfee or Norton anti-virus, but CNET has found better system performance from ESET and Kapersky. MalwareBytes is a well-reviewed free anti-spyware program -- just remember to update it and run it often.