I engaged "Dave's Computer" to build a new custom build Windows 11 computer as replacement for the Windows 10 machine. I presented my thoughts and needs to Dave about the new unit and he asked some basic questions as to my needs and want for the new unit. We touched on cost for the unit and I left...
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Backup Setup · Dave's Computers, Somerville NJ
Computer Backup Setup Service in New Jersey
Most people who walk in with a dead drive had a backup plan. What they didn't have was a backup. I set up an automatic backup on your desktop tower, test that a restore actually works, and show you how to check it in two minutes a month. Drop-off service at my Somerville, NJ shop, part of my desktop computer repair work for Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Mercer counties.
⭐ 4.8 Stars · 430+ Google Reviews
🏆 On the Bench Since 2011
📍 Somerville, NJ · Drop-Off Shop
🔧 Flat Quote at Drop-Off
📞 Call (908) 428-9558
🚗 Directions to the Shop
On this page
- The 3-2-1 idea in plain language
- What I set up on your desktop
- What backup setup costs
- Which backup layer covers which disaster
- How I test it, and how you'll know it's still running
- What I'll tell you that a sales page won't
- What I see on the bench in New Jersey
- Directions to Dave's Computers
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
The 3-2-1 Idea in Plain Language
Three copies, two kinds of storage, one of them somewhere else.
The rule every IT department follows fits on a sticky note. Keep three copies of anything you care about: the original on your PC plus two backups. Put the backups on two different kinds of storage, so one bad drive or one bad habit doesn't take both. Keep one copy somewhere other than your house, so a fire, a flood or a burglar can't get all three at once.
For a home desktop in New Jersey that looks like this: the files live on the tower's SSD, an external drive on the desk gets an automatic copy on a schedule, and a cloud account holds the folders that would actually hurt to lose. Nothing exotic, nothing you need a server rack for.
Automatic, or it doesn't count. A backup you have to remember to run stops running the week you get busy. Every setup I do runs on its own.
What I Set Up on Your Desktop
Local first, cloud second, NAS when a household has more than one PC to protect.
1
Find where your files really live
Before I touch a setting I go through the tower with you: Documents, Pictures, the desktop, email data files, tax software folders, game saves, and the "temporary" folder on a second drive that's been there since 2019. Two backups of Downloads and none of the tax returns is a common way to end up at my counter with a data recovery job.
2
Automatic local backup to an external drive
This is the layer that saves you when the tower's drive dies or you delete the wrong folder. I use Windows' own tools where they fit (File History keeps versions of your libraries on an external drive or network location, per Microsoft's File History documentation) or the software that ships with the drive when it does the job better. Either way it runs on a schedule and keeps older versions, so a mistake you notice three weeks later is still fixable. Bring your own drive and I'll test it first; if you don't have one, I supply it with the service.
Want the whole Windows install back in one shot? That's an image, and the difference is on my cloning vs. imaging page.
3
Cloud sync for the folders that matter
Microsoft OneDrive comes with Windows 11 and most people have an account they've never set up properly. I point it at the folders that would hurt most to lose, check that your quota is big enough, and keep local copies on so a slow internet day doesn't leave you staring at placeholder icons. If a true cloud backup service fits better than sync, I'll say so and set up that instead.
4
A NAS option for families with several PCs
Three or four desktops with one external drive each gets messy fast. A small network storage box in a closet can be the backup target for every PC in the house, with its own copy going to the cloud. Details on my Synology NAS setup in New Jersey page.
5
A real restore test before you pick up
A backup that's never been restored from is a theory. I pull files back from each layer and open them. Your pickup sheet lists what's backed up, where, how often, and how to check it.
What Backup Setup Costs
One flat number, given at drop-off, before any work starts.
I quote the job at drop-off once I've seen the machine and what's on it, and nothing is charged until you approve the number. The quote is flat, not hourly, and covers the configuration, the restore test and the walkthrough at pickup. If I'm supplying the external drive, that's in the number too.
Most backup jobs are done in 24-48 hours; the first full copy of a large photo library is what takes the time. Same-day rush is available if you ask at drop-off. Like most of my work, the setup carries a 30-90 day labor warranty.
Compare it to the alternative. Data recovery starts at $199, goes up with how badly the drive is hurt, and some drives don't come back at all. The same setup also covers a surge-fried tower in NJ storm season.
Which Backup Layer Covers Which Disaster
Each way to lose data has a layer that stops it, and one that doesn't.
| What goes wrong | What you lose with no backup | Local external drive | Cloud sync | Disconnected or NAS copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive death | Everything on the tower; recovery from $199 if the drive is still readable | Covers it | Synced folders only | Covers it |
| Ransomware | Everything, plus any drive plugged in at the time | Only if it was unplugged when the infection ran | Encrypted files sync up too; version history gives a limited window | Covers it; this is why the layer exists |
| Theft or fire | The tower and the drive next to it | Gone with the tower | Covers it | Covers it if the copy is off-site |
| Accidental delete or overwrite | That file, often unnoticed for weeks | Covers it, older versions are kept | Deletion syncs; recycle bin and version history give a window | Covers it if versioned |
This is why I don't sell a single "backup drive" as a complete answer. Two layers cover almost every row; three cover all of them.
How I Test It, and How You'll Know It's Still Running
The restore is the product. The schedule is just the delivery.
CISA's ransomware guidance tells organizations to keep offline backups and regularly test that they can be restored (CISA #StopRansomware Guide). The same advice fits a family desktop. Before you pick up, I let the first full backup finish, pick files from different folders, rename the originals, and restore them from the external drive. I open them to make sure they're real files and not zero-byte shells, then do the same from the cloud copy. If I set up an image backup, I confirm the recovery media boots on your tower and can see the image.
After that, keeping it running is on you. Here's the check I show every customer at pickup; do it on the first of the month.
✓ The two-minute monthly check. Open the backup tool and check the date of the last successful run against the schedule I set. Open the external drive and find a file you changed this week. Open the cloud folder in a web browser, not on the PC, and confirm the same file is there. If any of the three is stale, call me.
What I'll Tell You That a Sales Page Won't
Some setups look like backups and aren't.
A backup drive that stays plugged in all the time doesn't protect you from ransomware. Ransomware looks for every drive letter and network share the PC can reach and encrypts those too; CISA's guidance says to keep backups offline for exactly that reason. If ransomware is what worries you, the plan needs a copy the PC can't reach: a drive you unplug after each weekly run, a NAS with snapshots the PC can't rewrite, or a cloud backup service with real version retention. I'll tell you which one you need. If the tower is already infected, that's a virus removal job first, because backing up an infected machine just preserves the infection.
Cloud sync isn't a backup if it syncs deletions. OneDrive and similar tools make the cloud match your PC. Delete a folder on the desktop and it's deleted in the cloud a minute later. The recycle bin and version history give you a recovery window, but a true backup keeps old copies on purpose and sync does not. For some customers, sync plus a local versioned backup is enough; for others I'll recommend a cloud backup service on top of it.
Sometimes the answer is a smaller job. If your desktop holds nothing you'd miss, I'm not going to sell you a three-layer setup; a single external drive with versioning may be all you need. If you're about to replace the tower anyway, it makes more sense to fold the backup into a data transfer to the new machine. And if you've already fixed the common backup mistakes yourself, good; call me if your restore test doesn't go the way you expected.
If the drive is already clicking or showing "not accessible", don't start a backup. Every full read of a failing drive uses up what life it has left. Power it down and bring it in; that's a data recovery job first.
What I See on the Bench in New Jersey
Composite examples, built from the kinds of jobs that come across my Somerville counter.
A Bridgewater customer's family desktop with ten years of photos. They had an external drive and a backup program whose last successful run was fourteen months back; the drive had been moved to a different USB port and the software never found it again. Nothing was lost yet. I set up File History to the same drive, added cloud sync for the Pictures folder, and ran the restore test.
A Hillsborough customer's home office tower after a ransomware note. The "backup" was a second internal drive, encrypted along with the first. Cloud version history is what saved the important documents after the virus removal. The setup I built afterward added a weekly external drive that lives in a desk drawer between runs.
Bring the tower to Somerville and I'll quote the backup setup at the counter once I've seen what's on it. Nothing is charged until you approve the number.
📞 Call (908) 428-9558Drop-off shop at 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ · Mon-Fri 10-5, Sat 9-2
Directions to Dave's Computers in Somerville, NJ
Downtown Somerville, one block off Main Street, behind Bank of America.
Dave's Computers, 75 N Bridge St, Somerville, NJ 08876Drop-off shop, Mon-Fri 10-5 and Sat 9-2. Street and municipal-lot parking around Main Street.
Directions to the ShopFrom Bridgewater
3 miles · about 10 minutes
Route 22 or Route 202/206 to the Somerville Circle, then Route 28 east (West Main Street) into downtown. Left onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsFrom Hillsborough
5 miles · about 12 minutes
Route 206 north into Somerville, right onto West Main Street, then left onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsFrom Bound Brook
4 miles · about 12 minutes
Route 28 west straight into downtown Somerville. Right onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsFrom Piscataway
10 miles · about 20 minutes
I-287 north to Exit 17 (Route 202/206 south), then Route 28 east into downtown Somerville.
Open in Google MapsFrom Flemington
15 miles · about 25 minutes
Route 202 north to the Somerville Circle, then Route 28 east into downtown. Left onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsFrom Princeton
18 miles · about 30 minutes
Route 206 north through Montgomery and Hillsborough into Somerville. Right onto West Main Street, then left onto N Bridge St.
Open in Google MapsTimes are typical drives outside rush hour. Call 908-428-9558 before a long drive if you want to confirm I'm at the counter.
Google Reviews
What Customers Say on Google
Live from the Dave's Computers Google listing. Tap any review to read it on Google Maps.
4.8
★★★★★★★★★★Based on 434 Google reviews
I have been going to Dave's Computers for years because he always fixes my problems. I also use his anti-virus and it is as good as any, if not better, than others that I would have to pay much more for. If you're having problems, go to Dave's. He doesn't break the bank and he solves the problems.
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Over the last decade or so, whenever I had a computer problem, I went to Dave. I recently had a very worrisome crash; the system failed to boot up. (I hadn't needed to use him for about 3 years.) I paid the "rush fee" on Saturday when dropping the machine off with the weekend agent. By Monday...
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"As a Broker of over 40 years in New Jersey I rely on my computer help", which is the artery to my success and business. Thank goodness Dave's is here for me with the messes I get into with scammers, land grabbers and just uneccesary things that I pick up. The most effective virus program have ever...
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I had previously tried to build my own PC to no success. Even though right now it is really tough to get a PC built due to the price increases with RAM’s, GPU’s and other parts because of AI, I still really wanted to get one for myself. I came across Dave’s Computers online and went in for a...
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Backup Setup Questions From NJ Customers
The ones I get at the counter, answered straight.
What does a computer backup setup service include?
An automatic local backup of your desktop to an external drive, cloud sync for the folders you can't afford to lose, and a NAS option for households with several PCs. Before you pick the tower up, I run a real restore test and show you how to check the backup yourself each month.
How much does backup setup cost in New Jersey?
I quote the job at drop-off once I've seen the machine and what's on it, and nothing is charged until you approve the number. It's a flat quote, not hourly. If you already own an external drive, bring it; if not, I supply one with the service and the quote includes it.
Do I need to bring my own external hard drive?
You can, and I'll test it first. Plenty of backup drives people bring in are older than the computer they're protecting, and a worn-out backup drive gives you false confidence. If yours doesn't pass, or you don't have one, I supply a drive with the service.
Is OneDrive a backup?
Partly. OneDrive keeps a copy of your synced folders off-site, which covers theft, fire and a dead drive. But sync mirrors what you do, so a deleted or encrypted file gets deleted or encrypted in the cloud too. Version history and the recycle bin help for a limited window. I treat cloud sync as one layer, never the only one.
Can a backup drive get hit by ransomware?
Yes, if it's plugged in when the infection runs. Ransomware looks for every drive letter it can reach, including USB drives and mapped network shares. That's why I set up more than one layer and tell you which one covers that case. A drive you unplug after the weekly backup is the simplest fix.
How long does backup setup take?
Most jobs are done in 24-48 hours, and the first full backup of a large photo or video library is usually what sets the pace. Same-day rush is available if you ask when you drop off. Bring the tower and its power cord; you don't need the monitor, keyboard or mouse.
What if my drive already failed and I have no backup?
Stop using the computer and bring it in. Data recovery starts at $199 depending on what the drive needs, and every minute a failing drive keeps running lowers the odds. Once the files are back, I'll set up the backup so you're not in this spot twice. Details are on my data recovery page.
Sources and further reading
- Microsoft Support, Backup and restore with File History: how File History keeps versions of your libraries on an external drive or network location.
- CISA, #StopRansomware Guide: keep offline, encrypted backups and regularly test that they can be restored, because ransomware tries to find and encrypt reachable backups.
Set Up a Backup That Actually Restores, in Somerville, New Jersey
Bring the tower, its power cord and any external drive you already own to 75 N Bridge St, and I'll quote the setup at the counter before any work starts. My drop-off guide covers what to bring, and the rest of my desktop computer repair services in New Jersey are one page over.
📞 (908) 428-9558Mon-Fri 10am-5pm · Sat 9am-2pm · 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ · Drop-Offs Welcome