Igor...

These days many of us have more than one computer - a desktop and a laptop, and many other devices besides.

Across these devices we'll create documents, take photos, make movies, send and receive emails and much, much more.

So it is no wonder that we get confused when we need to think about what important information is where and how we are going to protect it.

There can be different versions of documents in many places...which one is the latest? Which one did you send to which person?

Many photos that look similar...or the same, but may not be - which one did you Photoshop and like the best? Which one is high resolution and therefore the one to keep?

Did I download that PDF invoice on my phone, my laptop or my desktop? Did I pay it? Where's the receipt?

It can creep up on you and even if you think you've got a handle on it, suddenly ...you haven't.

One simple strategy that serves me well is to declare one machine "the master".

If you decide that your PC with the most power, the most storage and is the easiest to use IS the master machine, then that's where you should systematically and regularly put all your important things.

...regardless of which device you took a photo on, make sure it goes into the MASTER PC's Pictures file as a matter of course.

...regardless of where you downloaded that PDF, make sure it gets onto your MASTER PC's document folder ASAP....filed correctly and logically of course.

...and so on.

Once you have one target for all your important stuff, and you do actually put that important stuff on it, then you only have ONE MASTER machine that you need to backup properly.

If you've been paying attention, or indeed have had a go at backing up properly, you will know that it isn't as simple as it sounds...so having ONE MASTER PC to backup greatly simplifies your backup problem and therefore reduces your risk of data loss (valuable/important data loss).

This one simple decision made my life easier. I hope it does for you too.

David [not pictured below].