Backup shouldn't be something to do when the drive is exhaling its last breath or even showing first symptoms, it should be done often and in a transparent way. On a laptop the best practice is to arrange a sync with a server (NAS etc.) when one gets home. If done incrementally it requires from seconds to minutes and is fully automatic. Unfortunately making backups still isn't common practice; most users see a NAS or even an external drive as wasted money. They feel safe by "backing up" some data on a USB key only to discover how volatile and unsafe it might be when it's too late (breaks, washing machine, theft, loss, etc.)