Before writing the long article

The suggested backup strategy if you are using MS Word.

To avoid the word file corrupted

Save each revision to another file (the file naming rule ex: file_name_date.doc each day)! The larger file size and the more possible the file corrupted.

• auto-backup solution: Dropbox - How do I recover old versions of files?[Last visited: 2014-06-09]
• Troubleshooting: Word無法讀取此文件，此文件可能已損害。 (Word2003, 2002/XP)

Modify the options of file saving

• Enable the option of "Fast Save/快速儲存": Tools menu -> Options -> Save -> Allow fast saves (Word2003, 2002/XP) Cited from How to enable the Fast Saves feature in Word 2003
• Faster the "AutoRecover Save duration/儲存自動回復資訊時間間隔": (howto: WD97: Why You Are Unable to Recover a Lost Document)
  • Troubleshooting: How to recover a lost file in Word 2007 or in Word 2003

To avoid the word file using too much CPU resource

• The reviewing symbol always take many CPU resource. Save each revision to another file or decrease the amount of the reviewing symbols!

Other backup strategy

• Backup to different location:
  • device: USB disk and
  • service: the large Gmail Email Service or Google Docs space.
• Social backup: Send each revision (with the same subject[1]) to your good friend if s/he also using Gmail.

Reference

• Topics: Reducing Word's CPU Load
• (word技巧) 寫論文必讀的16個 WORD 技巧 - 硬是要學！網路資源學習站 2009-01