Each of us has experienced some form of data loss." From the trivial, "Oh shit, I forgot to save it for 20 minutes," to the catastrophic, "Everything I've ever saved is gone forever!" to the catastrophe of "I've lost everything I've ever saved forever! It's easy to dismiss that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you should back up your computer, but today is the day to embrace it.

March 31 is World Backup Day, just one day before April Fool's Day. If you don't want to fall prey to the hardware's cruel pranks, take time out of your busy evening lockdown to back up and avoid catastrophic damage.

Some might think that since there aren't that many valuable files on your PC that need to be backed up, you don't need to worry about it. All your saved games are in the cloud, and in the worst case scenario, it will take you half a day, depending on your Internet speed, to re-download the epic open-world AAA game you have stashed away in your internal storage. Then you have cloud gaming services to get you through the worst of it.

But there are other things to consider here. It may not be only storage devices that break. You could be hit by a power surge or something a little more dramatic, such as a lightning strike or a typhoon, which could render your PC completely unusable.

You may not care if you lose a few photos from college, an old rental agreement, or tickets to a concert you couldn't go to because the world no longer turns. Still, let's say you were using an earlier version of Windows and upgraded to Windows 10 for free. If you still don't have your product license key, you'll be out more than you would have spent on a new PC. And with all the settings you've perfected, it's a good idea to back up your OS along with your preferences.

Even if you decide not to back up, it may be time to invest in a power surge protector socket or sandbag for your PC. You never know what might be waiting to destroy your files.

If you are worried about data loss, there are several options for backing up your PC. For the few files you're worried about losing, or for mirroring your OS, just get one of the best flash drives you can find. For a more serious backup, you may need a larger external storage device. Having one of the best external hard drives gives you more storage space to play with, but it's not the best option if you want super-fast access to your files. If that's the case, check out our guide to the best external SSDs.

Then there's the cloud. Online, file-based storage solutions are a great option, and there are reliable services to choose from. You can also store a significant amount of storage for free, but you will always be subject to the vagaries of network conditions. It's easy to take your Internet connection for granted, but if your router breaks down too, you're in a bit of trouble until it's fixed.

For a complete backup of your PC, read here.