A backup checklist you can actually verify
PC FIX-IT Perth,
The useful question is not just 'Do I have a backup?' It is 'Could I recover the files I need if this computer disappeared today?' This checklist helps you examine an existing setup before an emergency. It is not a recovery procedure for a damaged drive.
List what you would miss
Start with the information, not the backup product. Photos may be in several folders. Business records may be in an application, a shared drive or a cloud account. Email may be stored online, locally or both. Write down where each important item lives and who owns the account.
Include files outside the usual Documents folder, such as scans saved on the desktop, exported invoices and project folders on a second drive. Do not assume an application or cloud subscription includes the recovery history you need.
- What would be difficult or impossible to recreate?
- Which devices and accounts hold those files?
- How much recent work could you afford to lose?
- Who would need to restore it if you were unavailable?
Check the copy and the recovery options
Look at the backup's completion status and the actual folders it includes. Check how older versions are retained and how you would retrieve them. A sync service and a backup can behave differently when a file is deleted or overwritten; check the service's recovery controls rather than relying on its name.
Consider the same incident affecting both the computer and its copy. A drive kept beside a laptop may also be stolen or damaged. Ask how your arrangement deals with loss of the device, accidental deletion and unwanted changes to files.
Restore a harmless sample
Choose a non-sensitive file and restore it to a separate test folder so you do not overwrite the working original. Open it and check its contents. For an application database, a file appearing in a folder may not prove that the application can use it; agree a safe test with the responsible person.
Record what you restored, which backup it came from and whether the result was usable. This turns a green status message into a practical check. The ACSC's guidance below explains backup protection and recovery testing.
Make the next check easy
Keep brief instructions for finding the backup and obtaining authorised access, without putting passwords into a shared checklist. Decide who checks failures and when the setup needs another look, particularly after replacing a computer, adding staff or changing where files are saved.
If you discover missing coverage, preserve any existing copies and get advice before changing retention settings or deleting old backups. If files are already missing from a failing drive, stop using that drive and discuss recovery separately.