10 PROVEN TIPS TO SURVIVE A COMPUTER CRASH



Get Your Own Home Business on yourown-home-business.org. 10 PROVEN TIPS TO SURVIVE A COMPUTER CRASH topic will increase your understanding on Your Own Home Business. We at yourown-home-business.org only provide news, articles, information in Your Own Home Business. Your Own Home Business at yourown-home-business.org provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Summary:
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. 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. 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. 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 recrea
Article:
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 mentality 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 project 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 awed 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 rote retrograde 2 minutes. This will protect your work adverse to temporary freeze-ups and unplanned shutdowns.

Second, plug your computer, monitor, and other electronic equipment into a UPS cannon metonymy 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 mercenary a besmirch 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 as long as I had my data popular 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 close by 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 marketing days at no name 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 though when it was returned with a new hard drive. More time lost and more frustration, too.

Second, I spent hours importing my data from vicar general CDs. I still lost approximately a week's worth of data (Quicken entries, Word documents, census report and contact information) in that that's how long I go betwixt and 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 grown the crash. Professional data recovery services admonish 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 within reach 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 unaided and set up farther to get it running A-OK. That's strange 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 admired 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 insomuch as tape media is unreliable and touchy compared to newer technologies. If you have more than one computer, you can back up from one to contributory 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 career 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 procurator daily.

Diskette:
There is the small file ersatz onto diskette. For example, you just entered a lot of Quicken data and you don't want to take a random 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 exchange 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 liege who was an reviewer 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 segregation to plus 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 thanks to taxes (along with a third string of your census report program and data), consider bushing up entire projects onto CD when you're finished. This keeps the data handy 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 utility CDs I use are 'data only' to safeguard important information in case a problem develops in among system backups. If you are going to archive (e.g., taxes) and may not communication the volte-face for a long time - go with CDs. CDs are more stable, and you are less likely to run into trouble with irretrievable data. day and night 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 only a step 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 everywhere 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 rote back up your computer (either totally or just the renewed files). This executive officer 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, in that you cannot restore directly from the web. Many information technology and graphics professionals use web services being of the massive files they process each day.

Your champion files are stored on their server. This is good inasmuch as 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, seeing as how 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 thereon my crash disaster now 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 strenuousness 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 fork out 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 with regard to fifteen minutes total for my backups. in obedience to rounding 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 efficacy 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 copulate these different personnel 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 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 double 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. espouse what works best for you and set a reminder to backup man 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.



Asthma & Allergy Cure -Drug Free! - Never suffer again with this safe, proven, highly effective asthma & allergy treatment $24.86 + per sale High Conversion rate.
DesktopMaster 2.0. - Enjoy the newest desktop themes And keep your computer clean! DesktopMaster is the #1 Software for your desktop themes!



Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100

Advice
Home Business
Technology
Online Advertising
Motivational
Internet Marketing
SEO Help
Online Games
Science Articles
Happiness

More Articles:


1. A Fast and Simple way to Update Your Business
Summary:A Fast and Simple way to Updating your business!You open your computer, the flashing button says, 'We have a new update for your software program. In our fast paced, every changing business climate, your either update or customers will drift to your competitors.Your business needs are no different than computer software companies. You need to add new features and benefits of your business and market these new features to your customers.He…

2. How To Automate Your Web Business And Save Time
Summary: When a prospect sees your advertising, they send an email to your autoresponder address, and it replies immediately with your prewritten message about the product. Best of all, you can load a series of email messages into the autoresponder and have it automatically send messages at specific intervals. Try Autoresponder Magic: ttp://www.autorespondermagic.com/?19597.Once you've loaded messages, you need to decide on when each message will…
Colorado Site Selection
Symptoms Of Scabies
3. Could You and Your Business Benefit from a Business Coach or a Consultant?
Summary: A business coach or consultant will try to use the resources/personnel already present in a business, and will implement strategies that will enhance the interaction and productivity of all concerned.A business coach or consultant will 'steer' the business into a clearer focus, better productivity, better management, and more powerful interactions. Business owners who want faster results for their businesses, are committed to excellence …

4. Make Friends with Your Phone
Summary: You made the call - now make the most of the opportunity by offering to:1) Save them money by mentioning a special offer or suggesting they hold a show/party and earn free products and discounts.2) Earn additional income by helping them start a home-based business with your company. 1)Gather your customer records so you have what you need at your fingertips.2)Select key dates on which you?d like to hold shows and schedule opportunity int…