Questions for a One-Page Backup Note
Six questions a one-page backup note should answer so someone else can find and trust your copies.
A backup note is a single page, paper or text, that answers the questions a tired or frightened person will ask. It is not a manual for software. If the page needs a binder, it will not be read on the day it is needed, and it will not be updated on the day you change a drive. Six questions are enough. If you cannot answer one, that empty line is the most useful thing on the page, because it names the hole while the files are still safe.
What are we protecting
Name the folders and devices that hold irreplaceable files: family photos, scans, the club records, the phone. If a thing is not on this list, nobody should assume it is in the backup. This question prevents the classic surprise that the video folder was never included. Be specific enough that a stranger to your habits could find the folder. A word like stuff is not an answer. The appraisal in what to keep and what to let go can help you decide the list. The note itself should stay short. A page that tries to justify every inclusion will not stay a page.
Where are the copies right now
For each copy, say the physical place or the account, and what it is called on its label. Home spare, which shelf. Elsewhere copy, which building or which service. Working copy, which computer. If a copy is on a laptop that travels, say that it travels, so nobody counts it as the separated one. This is where 3-2-1 in plain language becomes a household fact instead of a proverb. Update this section the day a drive moves. A perfect description of last year's shelf is a scavenger hunt.
How current is each copy
Write the date of the last successful copy and what a successful copy means: you opened a file from it. If the elsewhere copy is a month behind on purpose, say the interval so a person does not expect yesterday's photos to be there. The change log can hold the long history. The one-page note holds the latest date and the rhythm. Someone helping you should be able to see the gap without reading the novel. If the date is old enough to embarrass you, the embarrassment is useful. Update the copy or update the date so the page stops lying.
Who can reach them
Name the people who can open the spare, the account, or the drawer. If a password is required, do not print every password on a page that sits in open view. Say where the credentials are kept, or who knows them, in a way your household understands and a casual visitor does not need to. The question matters most if one person is in the hospital and the photos are needed, or if a club treasurer leaves. A backup nobody else can unlock is a locked box with a flattering label. Decide the access while everyone is calm, and write the decision.
What should happen first if the main computer dies
Give the order in three lines. Do not panic-buy a tool. Use the home spare to copy files onto a replacement, or sign in to the account and download the folder you named above. Open a sample before you wipe anything. Point to the longer pieces if you want, such as what to do when a file is missing, but the page itself should be enough to avoid a harmful first move, like formatting a drive because a letter changed. The first hour is when people do permanent things. The page is for that hour. Keep it with the spare's shelf and with the person who would act if you cannot.
Frequently asked questions
Paper or a text file? Both, if they match. Paper helps when the computer is the thing that failed. A text file helps when you are updating the date every Sunday. If they disagree, fix them the same day you notice.
How often should the page change? Whenever a location, a person, or the rhythm changes, and whenever you notice the date is stale. A page you never change is a souvenir, not a note.
What if I do not know the answer to one question? Leave the line blank and answer it with an action this month. An empty where does the elsewhere copy live is better than a fabricated answer. The blank is the assignment.