HasYour Computer Hard Drive Ever Crashed? Are You Challenged by Backups?

The following scenario's have probably been repeated thousands of times, on computer systems of all kinds and sizes, operated by all levels of users from complete novice, to expert user.

· You log on and your computer will not boot to your operating system.

· You have installed some piece of new hardware, or some new software, your computer cannot find your operating system.

In more than 20 years of using personal computers, I have experienced all kinds of computer/operator failures. Some were caused by equipment failure, others by me doing something dumb. It really makes no difference, when your computer does not work, the only thing that matters is getting it up and running, and saving as much data as possible

All mechanical devices, will at some point fail, there is no timetable that tells you exactly when they will fail, however it is usually when you can least afford the time lost or the cost of repair, or of course immediately after the warranty has expired. Current computer hard drives are very reliable, they work for hours on end and keep right on ticking, they are however partially mechanical, as such they are subject to unannounced failure. They could fail in 5 minutes, or in 5 years or even longer.

As computer users we have all been admonished time and time again to backup our work on a regular basis, as insurance against losing data. Data can be lost in other ways of course, but if you do have a current backup you will only lose whatever you created or changed just before the failure.

My first experience with a hard drive failure was the classic computer will not boot. My first course of action was to call tech support from the manufacturer. The customer service rep stayed on the phone with me for about 4 hours, as we tried to diagnose where the problem was, after trying every thing she knew to try, she said they would send a technician to replace my hard drive. Of course none of my data was easily retrievable, and I did not have a current backup. Immediately after this episode I began to backup my data frequently. However at this particular time, backup software was not real easy to use, and choosing the media to backup to required the installation of more hardware. I quickly fell out of the habit of frequent backups.

I have experienced logon failures after adding or changing hardware or software many times. Usually followed by a call to customer support, which you most likely will have to pay for. Your support call may be transferred to a foreign country, your support person may or may not be highly qualified, there have been many instances where I felt that I knew more than the support person. There have been many instances that I managed to fix the problem myself, while waiting for support to get back to me. Sometimes I lost information, sometimes it was there but hard to find etc. The times that were most successful were when I did have a current backup.

Backup software has evolved, there are very easy programs to use, they are very easy to automate, the media options are many and easy to set up.

In my current setup I use Norton Ghost 9.0 as my software of choice, and I send my backups to a removable USB 2.0 hard drive. The advantages of this system are an extremely easy to set software program that can do anything form complete backups on whatever schedule you choose to complete copies of hard drives. The speed and safety of using a removable hard drive would be hard to beat. Because of the "set it and forget it" nature of this system, I now have complete backups always at hand.

Peace of mind is a wonderful thing

Jim Newell

Please visit http://www.edotmall2000.com/backup.htm for more information on these products and other solutions to backup and storage problems.

Jimmie Newell is an experienced computer user, and web publisher with many articles to his credit. Jim is the webmaster for http://www.edotmall2000.com an online shopping destination.

---

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - The Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

Essentially, the plan addresses the who, what, where, why and... Read More

Data Recovery: Beginners Tips

Right now you probably in a lot of mental pain,... Read More

Is Your Backup Good Enough?

As someone who has seen quite a few hard drive... Read More

Backing Up Personal Computers

Backup on business computers is typically not the user's concern... Read More

3 Simple Steps To Organize Your Critical Online Home Based Business Directory

If You are running an Online Work at home Business... Read More

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - Risk Analysis and Control

In the risk evaluation phase, there are a number of... Read More

How To Use Spyware Elimination Software

Spyware elimination software is designed to detect and eliminate spyware.... Read More

HasYour Computer Hard Drive Ever Crashed? Are You Challenged by Backups?

The following scenario's have probably been repeated thousands of times,... Read More

Comparing Data Recovery Software

Software programmers recognize the importance of data files, and thankfully,... Read More

Data Recovery - What Not to Do!

Data recovery is a tricky thing, and if you've somehow... Read More

Computer Data Backups: Test Now or Cry Later

If you're like most small business owners, your computer data... Read More

Data Recovery Processes

Six months ago my computer crashed. When I turned my... Read More

Data Backup for Beginners

It's 10pm. Do you know where your data is?Data. Small... Read More

Backup -- But Where To?

We all know we have to backup regularly, but those... Read More

Backup Schmackup: Im Afraid, Very Afraid!

"Why should you be afraid?", I can hear you ask.I... Read More

How to Survive an Operating System Crash

"We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows could not be... Read More

Are The Words Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning Rolling Off Your Lips?

It might be more fun to talk about those free... Read More

Disaster Recovery Made Easy With Online Backups

Whenever disaster strikes the most critical asset that every company... Read More

Data Backups ? One Key to Business Survival

Your customer data is a precious resource that can literally... Read More

Computer Data Recovery Options

Losing files on your computer can be a frightening experience... Read More

I Lost It! Simple Guide To Recovering Corrupted Images And Files

WinUndelete WinUndelete? is an easy to use undelete software utility... Read More

Data Recovery The Easy Way

If you aren't prepared in advance, you will most likely... Read More

Bill Gates Made Data Recovery Easy

Bill gates provided a ready made option in Microsoft windows,... Read More

Data Recovery

Every person who uses a personal computer will eventually face... Read More

Avoiding Hard Disk Data Recovery Services

As a home computer owner, one of the greatest threats... Read More

Backup 101 - How To Pick The Right Backup Software

Vision Backup 10 Enterprise is an advanced and easy-to-use backup... Read More

How To Limit Hard Drive Data Recovery Costs

With the value on information rising day by day, one... Read More

Did You Loose Your Windows XP Password? What Should You Have Done Before it Happened?

There is a common problem that happens with lot of... Read More

Disaster Recovery- Managing the Risk

Helping your business survive in the event of an unforeseen... Read More

Data Backup Solution: Why You Need a Backup Plan in Place ? Part 1

Is a data backup solution part of your computer plans?... Read More

3 Ways Computers Can Hurt Your Ministry - Part 1 - Ineffective Data Backups

Our computers have become almost indispensable ministry tools. What would... Read More

Big Time Disaster Recovery Solutions Available for the Little Guy

There was a time - not too long ago -... Read More

The Importance Of Email Backup

Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures... Read More