PSA: go backup your computer!

[zubeneschamali]

Right now! After you read this! So that if your computer suddenly refuses to boot like mine did last night, you won't be wondering if you'll ever see the last few months of fanfic you've been writing but haven't yet published ever again...

Thankfully, my job-related work is all on my work computer and is regularly backed up, but since I feel funny about backing up my personal folder (read: fanfic) at school, and I haven't gotten around to backing it up at home for a few months, there's a fair amount of stuff locked up on that hard drive. :(

Comments

[magisterequitum.livejournal.com]

=(

Anyway they can get it off the hard drive still or is it that bad?

[zubeneschamali.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's the hard drive; it should all be there once I get the machine back, which will take a few more days. I hope.

[aleo-70.livejournal.com]

Ouch! I hope they can recover the data off your drive.

I'm paranoid about this happening so I have multiple copies, backed up pretty much everytime I modify something. I've lost stuff before, not nice.

Good luck!

[zubeneschamali.livejournal.com]

Me too! And paranoia is good.

[kasman.livejournal.com]

Oh my...

BTW, have you thought about investing in a USB h/d to store this stuff? They're cheap and quick and highly portable.

On another note, the monitor on my desktop computer appears to have died last night. I rebooted coz of another issue and now it won't turn on - the switch glows for a second, I see a flash of purple from the opening screen, but then it goes back to black and off...*sigh*...

[zubeneschamali.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have one of those drives at home...that's the thing I haven't backed up with for a while. :(

Stupid monitor!

[kasman.livejournal.com]

Oh dear - to the usb h/d. Thou shalt back up your work - first commandment of computers, lol.

Replaced the monitor with a secondhand one from the hockshop where my daughter works and got a tidy little 10% discount on it (and what's the point of having a daughter who works in a place like that if you can't take advantage of it ;)).

[lark_ascends]

:( Oh, yeah, know that feeling. With the mac I back up regularly now, particularly with the PhD work. *loves Timemachine and my external harddrive*

With fanfic folder, you can always zip that up and email it to yourself as a back up. That's what I've done when I'm panicking at any point. There's also google documents.

Hope you can get the computer working again!

[zubeneschamali.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I have a couple of backup plans available, it's just reminding myself to use them. *needs Gibbs!slap*

[aleo-70.livejournal.com]

There is also Norton's Ghost - set the schedule and it does the rest with automatic back-ups (I use an external drive for these) from just files and folders to complete image of the harddrive. You don't need to remember to do anything other than ensure the external drive is connected.

Harddrive crashes? Install a new one, restore from back-up and hey presto instant clone machine, no messy moving back in or lengthy reinstalling of software needed. At most I'll only loose a week. I've not had to do it (touch wood) but my brother has many times when moving into new laptops and swears by it. My schedule is set weekly to run at some ungodly hour that I'm normaly not using the computer so it is completely painless.

Just a thought.

[zubeneschamali.livejournal.com]

That sounds pretty neat. Great for forgetful people like me. :/

[brainstorm79.livejournal.com]

can i suggest a solution? there is this little program that is called "dropbox." it's sort of a storage for all your important information. you are getting 2GB of free virtual space and some extra if you can convince your friends so sign up. this program will create a folder on your desktop (or where ever you will prefer to put it. mine is in my documents) and when ever you need to save a file just save it in that folder (you can create folders inside it as well.) so, what happens is that all you files will be uploaded to the virtual space on line, you can always get them if your computer crashes and it's password protected. so, i find it a great solution for all my documents. you can also link several different computers and if you have an Ipod or Iphone, the app is free.