Comments on: Before Your Computer Goes on the Fritz… http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/ Simplify your home. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:35:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Seven Strategies for Going Paperless http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-23869 Seven Strategies for Going Paperless Sat, 19 Mar 2011 23:28:41 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-23869 [...] Backing up your computer becomes even more important.  Have two versions of backups, such as a CD of important documents in addition to an external hard drive. [...] [...] Backing up your computer becomes even more important.  Have two versions of backups, such as a CD of important documents in addition to an external hard drive. [...]

]]> By: Quick Links Saturday | Craft & Found http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-2311 Quick Links Saturday | Craft & Found Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:27:16 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-2311 [...] Learn to protect your computer before it dies, thanks to Small Notebook. [...] [...] Learn to protect your computer before it dies, thanks to Small Notebook. [...]

]]> By: Computer Repairs Blackpool http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-1453 Computer Repairs Blackpool Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:36:45 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-1453 I learned the hard way to back everything up, if your drive fails your files are gone. This is a great tip but many people don't act on it until the worst happens and they lose they're precious files. I learned the hard way to back everything up, if your drive fails your files are gone. This is a great tip but many people don’t act on it until the worst happens and they lose they’re precious files.

]]> By: Alexander Gieg http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-1284 Alexander Gieg Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:59:08 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-1284 I think automatic online backups are the best option as far as small files (documents, photos, scans and the like) are concerned. But I'm not confident in free offerings or in fixed price packages, since their business model is that the less you use, the better for them (money paid/service provided ratio), and as such they have an incentive to develop methods to auto-delete stuff you "might" not be interested in anymore. The solution I found for myself was to use Amazon S3. It charges you for actual space used plus bandwidth, but it's pretty cheap nevertheless. I have all my important stuff there, both personal and work-related, plus backups of all my e-mail folders, and I pay less than $3/month, the best thing being that they won't delete anything you yourself don't tell them to simply because their business model is the more you use them, the higher their profit: http://aws.amazon.com/s3/ Plus, there are many software front-ends out there that allow you to use S3 transparently as an automatic backup solution and/or as a virtual hard drive, my preferred one being Jungle Disk, which works in all my Windows and Linux boxes alike: http://www.jungledisk.com/ As for the optical disks where your huge stuff resides, don't forget that they tend to develop defects such as unreadable sectors over time, so you *MUST* set a schedule to also backup them into new media every few years (say, two or three), or risk losing what you think of as backed up. Do this as one of your "spring cleaning" routines and you'll be okay, not to mention it's a good way to consolidate your older files, those still stored in CD-Rs, into bigger media. DVD-Rs now, BD-Rs in the near future. I'm currently doing this to my CD-R backups and I'll tell you: it's amazing seeing how much less space DVD-Rs take. My, how I'm waiting for BD writers and BD-R disks to become affordable! :-) I think automatic online backups are the best option as far as small files (documents, photos, scans and the like) are concerned. But I’m not confident in free offerings or in fixed price packages, since their business model is that the less you use, the better for them (money paid/service provided ratio), and as such they have an incentive to develop methods to auto-delete stuff you “might” not be interested in anymore.

The solution I found for myself was to use Amazon S3. It charges you for actual space used plus bandwidth, but it’s pretty cheap nevertheless. I have all my important stuff there, both personal and work-related, plus backups of all my e-mail folders, and I pay less than $3/month, the best thing being that they won’t delete anything you yourself don’t tell them to simply because their business model is the more you use them, the higher their profit:

http://aws.amazon.com/s3/

Plus, there are many software front-ends out there that allow you to use S3 transparently as an automatic backup solution and/or as a virtual hard drive, my preferred one being Jungle Disk, which works in all my Windows and Linux boxes alike:

http://www.jungledisk.com/

As for the optical disks where your huge stuff resides, don’t forget that they tend to develop defects such as unreadable sectors over time, so you *MUST* set a schedule to also backup them into new media every few years (say, two or three), or risk losing what you think of as backed up. Do this as one of your “spring cleaning” routines and you’ll be okay, not to mention it’s a good way to consolidate your older files, those still stored in CD-Rs, into bigger media. DVD-Rs now, BD-Rs in the near future. I’m currently doing this to my CD-R backups and I’ll tell you: it’s amazing seeing how much less space DVD-Rs take.

My, how I’m waiting for BD writers and BD-R disks to become affordable! :-)

]]> By: Marcia Francois http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-1180 Marcia Francois Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:54:57 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-1180 Ha! Rachel, here's the weird thing. I'm a time management and organising coach who writes a weekly ezine. I plan out my topics at the beginning of the month so...i'd planned to write about backing up your computer this week Wed. Well, my flash drive (I work a full-time job so use lunch hours to work on my business, hence the flash drive) just died on me on Monday! Can you believe it? I actually can't! But it only took me about an hour, maybe two to redo the bits that had been recently updated because thankfully, I do back up! Ha! Rachel, here’s the weird thing.

I’m a time management and organising coach who writes a weekly ezine. I plan out my topics at the beginning of the month so…i’d planned to write about backing up your computer this week Wed. Well, my flash drive (I work a full-time job so use lunch hours to work on my business, hence the flash drive) just died on me on Monday!

Can you believe it? I actually can’t! But it only took me about an hour, maybe two to redo the bits that had been recently updated because thankfully, I do back up!

]]> By: Christi~berrymomma http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-1126 Christi~berrymomma Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:33:48 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-1126 I would have been devestated to loose all my photos. I now have a free account at Walgreen's. They allow more you to kep more pictures than I've ever taken and only require you to order once a year to keep your account active. They also offer the added bonus of printing them anywhere. My mom picked up photos 3 states away the very next day. Woohoo, for fast delivery and no shipping costs. I would have been devestated to loose all my photos. I now have a free account at Walgreen’s. They allow more you to kep more pictures than I’ve ever taken and only require you to order once a year to keep your account active. They also offer the added bonus of printing them anywhere. My mom picked up photos 3 states away the very next day. Woohoo, for fast delivery and no shipping costs.

]]> By: smallnotebook http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-942 smallnotebook Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:29:13 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-942 Y'all are so prepared! I'm glad there won't be sad stories of loss with this group. Y’all are so prepared! I’m glad there won’t be sad stories of loss with this group.

]]> By: copyeditorsdesk http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-939 copyeditorsdesk Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:37:32 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-939 Funny you should mention this... I just brought home a large flash drive, to which I intend to copy my photos and (if there's room) word processing files. Quicken data files, PDFs of Quicken registers (because I stupidly converted 12 years' worth of data to Mac format and now learn that, contrary to what Apple employees promised, it can't be converted back to a PC format), and Excel files are already backed up to a smaller flash drive. My plan is to store one of these flash drives at the office, so at least most of the data will be saved in case of a fire, and carry the other on my keychain, so it will be with me if the house is burgled. Not foolproof, but better than nothing. Funny you should mention this… I just brought home a large flash drive, to which I intend to copy my photos and (if there’s room) word processing files.

Quicken data files, PDFs of Quicken registers (because I stupidly converted 12 years’ worth of data to Mac format and now learn that, contrary to what Apple employees promised, it can’t be converted back to a PC format), and Excel files are already backed up to a smaller flash drive. My plan is to store one of these flash drives at the office, so at least most of the data will be saved in case of a fire, and carry the other on my keychain, so it will be with me if the house is burgled. Not foolproof, but better than nothing.

]]> By: Malory http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-941 Malory Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:10:04 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-941 great reminder! as a photographer it would be extremely painful to lose any images, especially a clients! going to go back everything up now! great reminder! as a photographer it would be extremely painful to lose any images, especially a clients!

going to go back everything up now!

]]> By: hopeathome http://smallnotebook.org/2008/08/28/before-your-computer-goes-on-the-fritz/#comment-940 hopeathome Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:00:33 +0000 http://smallnotebook.wordpress.com/?p=929#comment-940 Just been getting myself into this habit of "backing up" too... Procrastination and pretending it would never happen to me ended up being old excuses. I think my main problem is coming up with a good way to organise my files on the computer so they're not such a hassle to back-up. I like Leah's suggestion of organising by year... might try that next! Just been getting myself into this habit of “backing up” too… Procrastination and pretending it would never happen to me ended up being old excuses. I think my main problem is coming up with a good way to organise my files on the computer so they’re not such a hassle to back-up. I like Leah’s suggestion of organising by year… might try that next!

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