Money file backups

I've seen an increase in the number of people who do not have an adequate backup of their money file, and subsequently lose (or almost lose) their data. So it seems appropriate to comment on it.

The first thing to note is that backups are created at the end of a Money session. This can be a real problem, as if some corruption creeps into the file during the session, then this is saved into the backup - which may mean the backup is useless. If this is your only backup, then you're really going to have problems

Consider it being saved at the start - well, I suspect this is not done because of the time it would take to start the application.

So, how else to backup? A memory stick is good and supported within the program. Multiple backups are also supported from Money 2006 onwards (see http://moneymvps.org/articles/backup.aspx for a mechanism of automating it in previous versions).

If you're using certain versions of WIndows Vista, then using the shadow copies functionality is really good too. I looked the other day and had 10 shadow copies of my file going back to early January. In addition, if you have two disks in Vista, then use the automatic backup tool to save to the other disk. If only one, then you should still consider using it to other external media.

I tried Carbonite online backup also recently. This backed up my file on a remote server - it's also another option to ensure you have a safe copy. There are other companies that also provide online backup solutions too.

So, how do I backup my file now?
a) Backup in the file on each close
b) Backup every 7 days to a removable USB drive
c) Weekly backups to a second hard drive
d) Shadow copies based on the default schedule in Windows Vista

Your Money file may be the most important file you have - don't lose it!