sorgepublishers.com


 
 

< HOMEPAGE

10 PROVEN TIPS TO SURVIVE A COMPUTER CRASH

10 PROVEN TIPS TO SURVIVE A COMPUTER CRASH
By Eve Abbott, excerpted from her new book, How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain TM

COMPUTER CRASH
Do these words strike fear into you? If not, maybe they should! A computer crash is at best time consuming and expensive, and at worst a genuine business disaster. Here are things you can do now to prevent a crash and/or insure a smooth recovery whether you use your computer at work or for your personal life-or both, like me!

The first rule in minimizing computer disasters is backup. The second rule in easier data recovery is BackUp. The third rule in computer organizing is BACKUP. I am astounded at the number of people (in large and small businesses) who do not back up their work regularly. Without good backups, you risk losing everything if your hard drive goes belly-up.

Start by setting all of your programs to save automatically after 2 minutes. This will protect your work against temporary freeze-ups and unplanned shutdowns.

Second, plug your computer, monitor, and other electronic equipment into a UPS Battery Backup unit to protect it from power surges and outages. A unit like this one will give you 5 minutes to save your work and shut down your computer normally if the power goes out.

Then-BACK UP! (If you're not sure what the best way to back up is, keep reading.)

I bought a brand new Hewlett Packard Pavilion XP system and began to back up weekly. Seven months later, I returned from making a cup of tea to hear my computer going click-click-click loudly. My hard drive had just crashed for no reason at all. As is often the case, I lost everything on it.

I felt confident because I had my data backed up by copying my entire working C-drive onto a CD-but even with backups, and even if your computer is still under warranty, let's get realistic about how much time and money a crash can end up costing you.

It took four days for me to get the special shipping box HP sent me to return the computer. They replaced the hard drive, and it was returned within 10 business days at no charge for repair and shipping. This still adds up to three weeks without my computer.

First, I rented a laptop and spent hours installing the programs I normally use. Laptop rental cost me $250.00 for one month, with a $500 refundable deposit. I could have rented a desktop system for a little less per month, but I would have had to wait a week to get the computer. It was great to have the laptop to use until my repaired computer arrived. But, I had to go through the same restoration process again when it was returned with a new hard drive. More time lost and more frustration, too.

Second, I spent hours importing my data from backup CDs. I still lost almost a week's worth of data (Quicken entries, Word documents, calendar and contact information) because that's how long I go between backups.

Third, I spent hours recreating the custom settings on my software. Fourth, I had to install some smaller programs that I'd forgotten I would need.

THE DAMAGE:
Sometimes data can be recovered from a dead drive, depending on what has caused the crash. Professional data recovery services charge from $500 to $1500 to get your data back, and you have to pay whether or not they recover anything.

You can find more information about data recovery services at http://www.drlabs.com/pricing.html and http://www.dtidata.com/data_recovery.asp.

I paid $1,000.00 in computer consultant fees to get the laptop set up, and my computer taken apart and set up again to get it running A-OK. That's apart from data recovery costs, which my backups saved me from having to pay.

The grand total: $1,250.00 and 7 days in lost time.
Pretty expensive considering that I had all my current data backed up onto CDs.

BACKUP OPTIONS

There are many ways to back up information. Diskette, CD, Zip drive, External hard drive and Web (on-line). I will not discuss tape drive backups simply because tape media is unreliable and awkward compared to newer technologies. If you have more than one computer, you can back up from one to another via network drives-but that only protects you in the event that disaster strikes one machine at a time.

There are four questions you need to ask yourself regarding your back-ups:

1) How critical is your data? (My business and life are on my hard drive = critical)
2) Do you add or process high volumes of information?
3) In what time frame do you add enough to make it a real loss? (day, week, per project)
4) Do you work with very large files of any type?
The more information you process or add to your computer hard drive, the more often you need to back up. For high volume or crucial files you need to backup daily.

Diskette:
There is the small file backup onto diskette. For example, you just entered a lot of Quicken data and you don't want to take a chance on losing it but you don't want to do a full back up, or you have a single Word file, just pop it on a diskette. Remember to label any and all backup media with contents and date.

ZIP drives and disks:
ZIP drives and disks can work well for back ups of larger projects. I had a client who was an author and she kept one ZIP disk for each of her books, which contained every file related to the book - not just the text. If you are satisfied using a ZIP drive and disks for your data storage - don't change to another media. Note: many more people have CDs than zips, so if you need to share data you may need to switch to CDs.

CD:
In the same way you archive paper every year after taxes (along with a backup of your accounting program and data), consider backing up entire projects onto CD when you're finished. This keeps the data available and safe, without cluttering your hard drive. You can file a project closeout CD with the matching archived paper files. Or keep a variety of backups in a CD organizer (date labeled) divided up into Projects, Backups and Programs.

The backup CDs I use are 'data only' to safeguard important information in case a problem develops in between system backups. If you are going to archive (e.g., taxes) and may not access the backup for a long time - go with CDs. CDs are more stable, and you are less likely to run into trouble with irretrievable data. Always use premium brand-name CDs (or other media). Discount media is more likely to fail.

Disk 'Cloning':
For $70 or less, you can back up your entire drive (operating system, programs and data) using "disk cloning" software (Norton Ghost, Paragon Drive Backup, or PowerQuest Drive Image. You can store this "image" of your drive on removable media like CDs and ZIP disks, on tape, or on an external hard drive.

You'll still have to spend a lot of time doing the backups and most people will end up with a set of at least 10 CDs for each backup, since the copy of your drive will take up about 50% of the storage space as your drive itself. (That's not the size of your whole drive, just the part you have filled up.)

You can get more information about disk cloning software at:
http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/
http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/
http://www.drive-backup.com/

Web:
There are on-line services (e.g., www.connected.com) which will automatically back up your computer (either totally or just the changed files). This backup and restore option is limited only by the speed of your connection to the internet. Some people leave their computer on all night to do the backups. The reverse process will be more complicated, because you cannot restore directly from the web. Many information technology and graphics professionals use web services because of the massive files they process each day.

Your backup files are stored on their server. This is good because it is off-site in case of disaster recovery. Unfortunately, your data is only as secure as the server it is on. I don't use this option, because I don't think there is any function on the internet that is as secure as doing it myself and keeping control over all the data at all times. If you don't use massive files, you don't need it.

External Hard Drive (XHD):
I chose this option after my crash disaster because I can recreate my entire system without the wasted time of restoring my operating system and settings, downloading programs and data from backups, and resetting application customizations, etc.

An external hard drive ($200) with 'disk cloning' software lets you put your entire drive onto your backups. If you don't use the ghosting software you can only put programs, and data backups onto the external hard drive, not the operating system itself. The ghosting software will enable you to make a 'boot disk' just for restoring from the external hard drive to your main computer.

This option will allow you to completely restore your computer, if necessary (with no hard drive damage). Or, install a new hard drive on your computer and then restore immediately.

Just plug the external hard drive into the computer and start the backup, which verifies the data. Then, you unplug the external hard drive. This takes about fifteen minutes total for my backups. After backing up, I store the XHD in the trunk of my car (in a laptop case for protection). Even if the house burns down I still have my entire computer capability just outside in my car.

First, put an XHD ghost of just your operating system and programs with all the custom settings. Second, do a ghost of your entire system (operating system, programs and data). Third, do regular working drive data backups. Make sure any programs you ever use are in the second XHD backup, and/or in your working hard drive for your 'regular maintenance' backups.

I can get a new computer, copy everything I need and get to work. One possible downside to this; if you have to 'recover' on a new computer with a new system (different configuration and drivers), you will have trouble using the restored system until you reload the correct drivers and eliminate the 'old' ones.

Backup, BackUp, BACKUP!
So, how can you combine these different backup choices to work in your particular situation?
Take the simplest method that will safeguard your information. If all you need is a diskette file box for backups - great!

I use the XHD once a week for a programs and data backup. In between I use diskettes or CDs, depending on the size of the files and how long I want to maintain them. There is enough room on my XHD to put 4 total system-program-data backups of my entire XP system into it. Once, you've done an operating system backup, unless you change your configurations or programs, you don't need to do it again. For regular maintenance, do your working 'data' drive.

If you do nothing, you are guaranteed to have a disaster sooner or later. Choose what works best for you and set a reminder to BACKUP as often as you need to stay sane when it does happen.

For more time saving tips go to http://www.organize.com
Copyright 2005 Eve Abbott. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Copyright, Eve Abbott All Rights Reserved. The Organizer Extraordinaire's new book "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain" TM is available online at http://www.organize.com Sign up for more time-saving tips. Enjoy free brain quizzes to help you work at your personal best! Eve’s guide is the first book to offer easy, online assessments that will help you make your own personal organizing solutions match your individual work style.

Written by: Eve Abbott, the Organizer Extraordinaire

NAVIGATION

10 Easy Steps to Speed Up Your Computer Without Upgrading

10 Power Tips for Presentations with Computer Projection

10 Secrets To A Healthy Computer And A Happier You

10 Tips on Computer Clutter Clean Up

14 Household Ways To Protect Your Computer From Viruses

3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer

3 Summer Computer Tips

30 Secrets Of A Good Computer Lesson

4 Computer Money saving Tips

5 Critical Steps to Protecting Your Computer on the Internet

5 Simple Ways To Increase Your Computer Speed

5 Stress Reducing Computer Tips

5 Sure Fire Tips for Buying a New Computer

5 Tips For Buying The Right Laptop Computer

5 Tips to Color Code Your Way from Computer Chaos to Coherence

5 Ways To Make Night And Weekend Computer Life Rich

5th generation Computers Corporate infrastructure

6 Essential Steps to Protect Your Computer On the Internet For Free

6 tips for Keeping Aurora Away from your computer and 1 tip to Fix it if Aurora has Gotten You

7 Barebones Computer Buying Tips

A Guide to Computer Desks

A Hacker Inside Your Computer

A Look at Computer Desks for Children

Advancement in Computer Technology

Adware Are Your Business s Computers Secure

All About Computer Viruses

An eBay Computer Purchase

Are cyber criminals phishing your identity from your computer

Are You At The Mercy Of Computer Geeks

Are You Being Mislead By Your Current Computer Dealer

Are You Making Any Money With Your Computer Yet

Are You Saving Money With a Computer Support Plan

Avoiding Spam Scams and Computer Viruses

Back that Thang UP Insure the Data on Your Computer

Basic Computer Thermodynamics

Be Prepared in the Event Computer Disaster Strikes

Beat The Bugs Helpful Links That May Help You Combat Annoying Computer Viruses

Becoming a Computer Trainer

Beeps Your computer is telling you something

Broadcasting Mp3 Audio Via Computer The Looney Tune World Of Podcasting

Build your first computer from hardware scratches

Build Your Own Computer

Build Your Own Computer or Buy

Build Your Own Computer What to Look for in a Case

Buy a home through your home computer

Buying a computer Ask these 3 questions

Buying a Used Laptop Computer

Buying computers at a discount with peace of mind

Buying DDR memory for your computer

Buying Guide for Laptops Personal Computers Notebooks

Buying the Perfect Computer The FIRST Time

Career Track Computer Programmer

Career Track Computer Software Engineers

Choosing a Laptop Computer Based on Hardware and Software Needs

Classification of Computers

Combat Computer Spyware An AntiSpyware Program Isn t Enough

Computer Aided Design Contracting Tax Concerns In The UK

COMPUTER BACKUPS

Computer Business Opportunity Provide Huge Profit Potential

Computer Buying Advice For Novices

Computer Career

Computer Case Modding

Computer Cases The Basics

Computer Certification Anticipation vs Nervousness

Computer Certification Become A Utility Player

Computer Cleaning

Computer Cleaning May Be The Best Home Based Part time or Full time Business

Computer Components for Idiots

Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips Part 1 of 2

Computer Consulting Profit Secrets

Computer Controlled LED Signs

COMPUTER COURTESY

Computer Data Backup Data Backup Solution Will Give You A Peace Of Mind

Computer Data Backups Test Now or Cry Later

Computer Data Recovery Options

Computer Disposal Throwing Away Your Computer Money and Idenity

Computer Do s and Don ts

Computer Equipment Disposals and Recycling

Computer Geeks and Garden Gnomes

Computer Graphics They re Not All The Same

Computer Hacks Quacks Looking for Cracks

Computer Hardware Preventive Maintenance Software

Computer Help Desk Stupid Questions brought to you by Computer Service Now CSN

Computer Homeschooling the added advantage in african american children s education Part 1

Computer Hygiene Take Out The Trash

Computer In The Shop What Do You Do Now

Computer Insurance

Computer Loans An opportunity to have a computer of your own

Computer Loans Become Techno Savvy the Easier Way

Computer Maintenance and Improving PC Performance

Computer Monitor Buying Guide

Computer Network Designing

Computer Network Installation

Computer Profits From Home What s Right for You

Computer Rental Worth Your Money

Computer Rentals The Best Classroom Computer Training Solution

Computer Running Slow Here s One Reason

Computer Security What Exactly Is It

Computer software Excellent prices

Computer Software Genres That Help Students Think

Computer SOS Inc Release of Upgraded League Management Software Package

Computer Support London Network Support London Network Installation London

Computer Tips that Help Small Businesses Operate Profitably

Computer Traumas

COMPUTER VIRUS THREATENS MY HOME BUSINESS

Computer Virus Writer s A Few Bats In The Belfry

Computer Viruses are Bad Luck

Computer Viruses Worms and Hoaxes

Computers and Internet Inspiring Us to Create

Computers and Web Cams are Taking Communication to Levels Only Imagined in Sci Fi Novels

Computers Are Not Scary

Computers are Running My Life

Computers Freedom and Privacy

Computers Introverts and the Information Age

Computers You CAN Master Any Program

Coping with a Serious Data Loss from your Computer Hard Drive

Corporate infrastructure for Fifth generation Computers

Corporate Promotional Gifts The Fridge Magnet Is Dead Long Live the Computer Desktop

Countering the Spread of Spyware on your Computer

D BUST Your Computer Part 1 Instructions for Microsoft Users

D BUST Your Computer Part 2 for Microsoft users

D BUST Your Computer Part 3 for Microsoft users

D BUST Your Computer Part 4 a for Microsoft users

D BUST Your Computer Part 4 b

D BUST Your Computer Part 4 c

D BUST Your Computer Part 4 d

D BUST Your Computer Part 5

Definitions for Computer Modding and Form Factor

Dell Computer Corporation Recall of Latitude Inspiron Laptop AC Adapters

Detecting and Eliminating Computer Viruses at the Gateway

Did You Ever Want to Completely Erase Everything on Your Computer

Different Categories of Computer Games

Dirty Little Computer Viruses and How To Protect Yourself

Distance Learning and Elearning for Computer Techs

Do The Media Spread Computer Viruses

Do You Feel Used by Computers

Do You Know How To Remove Spyware From Your Computer

Do you know who is snooping around your computer right now

Do you need computer training

Dual core computer processors luxury or necessity

Dusting Your Computer Keeping it Cool

Expansion Slots Cards and Bays Choosing the right computer case

Extending the Life of Your Business or Personal Computer Printer

Finally An Understandable Introduction To Computers

Five Simple Steps to Speed up Your Computer

Focus On White Collar Crime Accounting Fraud and Computer Crimes Creates Need For Qualified Investigators

Gaming Computers and Computer Modding

Get Ahead When You Build Your Own Computer

Get Started in Computer Game Creation

Get Valuable Computer Based Training Online FREE

Getting Started In Information Technology Computer Consulting

Good News Bad News of Computer Security from a Keen Non Techie

Guide on How to Land Computer Jobs

Hackers Given Access to IRS Computers

Hardware for Computer Desks

Have You Invited A Spy Into Your Computer

Healthy Webmasters Choose Ergonomic Computer Products

Heliodisplay Computer Video With No Screen

Help Keep the Computers on Earth Clean and Healthy

Help Keep The Computers On Earth Clean And Healthy Protect Your Techno Friends From Viruses And Sickness

Help My Computer s Being Invaded

Help There s an Intruder in my Computer

Hidden information is stored on your computer about every url you ever visit

Home Computer Desks A Variety of Options

Home Office Tip 2 Computer Health Hazards

How a Computer Consulting Business Can Help Your Company

How Much Money would it cost you to regain the use of your computer after a serious virus infection

How Protected are You Safeguard Your Small Business from Computer Viruses

How Safe is Your Critical Business Data on Your Computer System

How Spyware Blaster Can Protect Your Computer From Harm

How to backup your computer data

How to Backup Your Computer Files

How to Become a Computer Consultant

How To Buy The Right Computer

How to choose a new hard drive for your computer

How to choose your computer

How To Deal With Computer Problems

How to Get a FREE Computer Scale Printer from DHL

HOW TO GET THE COMPUTER YOU WANT WITHOUT SPENDING A FORTUNE

How to Have Your Computer Cake and Keep Your Family Too

How To Keep Your Computer Virus Free

How To Optimize Your Online Time Through Efficient Computer Use

How to Prevent Computer Security Risk and How to Keep Your Small Business Safe

How To Prevent Spyware Attacking Your Computer

How To Recognize If Your Computer Has A Virus Or Trojan On It

How to reduce Computer problems

How to safeguard your computer

How To Save Big Bucks On A Laptop Computer

How To Stop The 1 Cause Of Computer Slow Downs And Crashes

How To Take Care Of Your Laptop Computer

How To Take Good Care Of Your Computer Even If You Are A Clueless Newbie

How To Work At Home Using Your Computer Even If You Can t Type

How Viruses and Spyware Get In to your computer

HR MANAGERS USE COMPUTER FORENSICS TO INVESTIGATE EMPLOYEE ALLEGATIONS

Hurricanes Wilma Katrina And Rita Force Businesses To Rethink Computer

I Spy Something Terribly Wrong In Your Computer

If You Had Problems in the Past with a Computer Virus Then You ll Want to Know How Easy it is to Setup Firewall Protection

Image conversion In Computers

Important Steps to Protect your Computer from Hurricanes

In Computer Memory what is CAS Latency

Is DVD Storage An Attractive Alternative For Your Computer Backup

Is Spyware Slowing Your Computer Down To A Crawl

Is your Computer a friend or a Dirty Name

Is your Computer Infected with Spyware

Is Your Computer Sick

Is Your Computer Slow and Sluggish Take These Steps To Speed It Up

Is Your Computer Strong Enough For A work From Home Internet Business

Jobs Online How To Get Your Computer to Work For YOU

Keep A Diary Of Your Computer

Keep Computer Training Simple Please

Keeping your Computer Spyware Free for Free

Laptop Computer Extras for the Mobile Traveler

Laptop Computers and the PVP Effect

LCD Touch Screen Computer Monitor

Learn How To Hide Files and Folders On Your Computer

Learning Math and Dosage Calculations Using a Computer Program

Local Company gains Four Nominations in Computer Trade Oscars

Make a place for computers in children s world

make alot of mney using ur computer

Make your computer read selected text from any application with a single keystroke

Make Your Fortune in Computer Services

Make your own Computer Software without Programming

MCSE CCNA How To Choose A Computer Certification

More Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips Part 2 of 2

My Computer is Making a Strange Noise

My dad listens to music all day on his computer

Newbie Of course you can make money working from home on your computer

No Computer Sound

Notebook or Desktop Computer Which Should You Choose

One Way to Solve Memory Problems with your Computer

Optimize Your Computer For Peak Performance

Organization Tips How to Organise Your Computer Files

Organizing Your Desktop Computer Desktop That Is

Paranoia or Are Public Internet Computers Dangerous

Performance Computer Chips For Cars And Trucks

physical topology of a network refers to the configuration of cables computers

Preventing Malicious Spyware or Adware from Hijacking Your Computer

Protect and Secure Your Computer Life

Protect Your Computer

Protect your Computer and Internet Privacy

Protect Your Computer and Your Business

Protect Your Computer And Your Personal Information From Spyware

Protect Your Computer System With A Comprehensive Security Policy

Protecting Your Computer from Adware and Spyware

Quick Guide to Computer Training

Rackmount Computer Keyboards

Rackmount Computer Monitors Provide Dependability

Read Chinese Online How To Configure Your Computer To Display Chinese Characters

Real Estate Records In The Computer Age

Refurbished Computers on the Internet

Reinstall Windows XP On Your Computer

Removing Bargain Buddy Adware from your Computer

Reviving Old Computer Games

Secrets to SpyProofing Your Computer In Four Easy Steps

Secure Your Data Windows Data Backup Computer Software

Securing your Computer to Keep Up with Internet Threats

Security necessities to prevent your computer from Spyware

See How To Revive A Dead Computer

Setting up Your New Computer How To Move Your Old Files to Your New Computer

Should You Buy A Cheap Computer Desk

Some Computer Forensics Basics

Speed Up Your Computer Inner cleansing tips for your pc

Spyware Protection A Must for Any Home Computer

Starting A Home Computer Business Is Still Smart

Success at Work Techniques Computer Literacy

Survival Without Computers

Ten Great Careers For Computer Geeks

The ABCs Of Computer Memory

The Benifits of Assembling Your Own Computer

The Charm of an Oak Computer Desk

The Complete Guide To Spotting Computer Spies Recording Devices

The Computer Friendly Resume

The computer virus that could take advantage of you

The Cost of Spyware on your Computer

The Evolution of Technology The History of Computers

The Flexibility of Roll Top Computer Desks

The Future Of Computer Certification Exams

The Great Underutilized Computer

The Hidden Benefit Of Computer Certifications

The History Of Laptop Computers

The Need for Rackmount Computer Cases

The Newbie s Guide to Personal Computer Maintenance

The Secret Computer Virus That is Virtually Undetectable

The Single Least Expensive Yet Most Valuable Way to Upgrade Your Computer s Performance

The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore by Kai Chandler

The Trials and Tribulations of A Confused Computer

The Trials and Tribulations Of Learning A New Computer Skill

Thinking about earning your computer degree online

Three Things You Can Do to Keep Your Computer Running at Maximum Performance

Tips for Buying a First Computer

Tips For Finding Great Deals On Computer Accessories Supplies

Tips For the Late Blooming Computer User

Top 10 things everyone must know about computer viruses

Top 10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Computer Viruses

Transfer The Digital Camera Images To Your Computer

Twelve Things You Should Know to Save on Computer Software

Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore

Types of computer infections

Ultimate Checklist On How To Revive A Dead Computer

Understanding Computer Memory

Understanding the Software Layers of a Computer

Unleash The Dragon Inside Your Computer

Update your computer system with bad credit computer financing

Use Internet Resources To Get Rid Of Computer Viruses

Use Your Computer For Your Entertainment Needs

User Friendliness Do Computers Have to be Clinical and Boring

WARNING Do not buy a computer until you read this

Watch Out For eBay Automobile And Computer Scams

Watch out for spyware programs that slow down your computer system

Watch Out For Spyware Programs That Slows Down Your Computer System

What are Rackmount Computers

What is a Protocol the communications between computers on a network

What Is Computer Programming Anyway

WHAT IS SPYWARE AND HOW DO I REMOVE IT FROM MY COMPUTER

What Paper or Computer Files Should You Keep

What s in a Computer Name

What to look for in a Computer Classroom Rental

When to rent a laptop computer

Which Notebook Computer Has Your Name On It

Who s Peering Into Your Computer

Why Build Your Own Gaming Computer

WHY CONSULTANTS DON T TELL ABOUT COMPUTER SECURITY

Why Do I Need Anti Virus Software For My Computer

Why More Women Should Consider a Career in Computer Programming

Wireless The new trend in Computer Rentals and Projector Rentals

Work A Home Computer Jobs Are Plentiful

Work At Home Computer Jobs Can Give You Freedom

Work From Home Using Computer

You Can Stop Computer Viruses

You Voice On Your Own Computer

Your Affiliate Business Peripherals Software Computers

Your Computer Can t Keep Time

Your Computer May Be Infected Here s how to check

Your Computer May Be Infected Here s How To Check NOT about virus

YOUR PRIVACY EXPOSED Computer Forensics International uncovers secrets about recycled hard drives

Zen and the Art of Buying Computer Parts

© sorgepublishers.com - All Rights Reserved