The importance of making regular backups can’t be stressed highly enough. Unfortunately, many of us don’t realise just how important they are until it is too late.When it comes to making backups, personal documents, digital photos and music files usually take priority with email not getting a look in. The perception is that it’s time-consuming and complicated. But it can be straightforward.In this Workshop we’ll show you how to back up messages from popular email programs such as Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Mail. We’ll even show you how to make backups of messages stored in Gmail and Hotmail webmail accounts. Before starting, though, decide where you’re going to store your backups a USB memory key, perhaps, or burned to a recordable DVD.Keep in contact Remember it’s not just email messages that need to be backed up. It’s also worth making a copy of your contacts as well.For Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows Mail you’ll find an Export option under the File menu. This will put all your contacts in a single file which you can store somewhere safe.Hotmail users can sign into their accounts and export a copy of their contacts using a setting found under Options. In Google Mail, go into Contacts and click on Export to save them to a file.
