If you need advice on how to backup your mysql data, you should read this one:
Read the full story here: http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=04/12/23/2320205
If you have ever pulled your hair out in frustration over data loss, no doubt the word 'backup' has special meaning in your life. Databases offer a nice way to catalog data, but with the amount of data being trusted into MySQL databases these days, the after-effects of an unwise DROP DATABASE command, an unlucky system crash, or a failed hand-edit of the table structure are catastrophic and can be unrecoverable -- unless you have a backup to restore from.
Read the full story here: http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=04/12/23/2320205