Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Computer Backup or Climbing Out of the Computer Crapper!

Bathroom Blogfest 2011

Climbing Out -- When You Realize That You're In Deep, What to Do to Get Out of the Crapper. If you can do one thing, and one thing only: Backup Your Computer!

If you have a problem with your computer, you do not have a backup, and you cannot make one, you have been flushed! So before you get to that point, even if you are circling the drain, do this one thing that will save you from every possible computer problem.

Change is good, right! Especially if you are in a bad place! In keeping with the metaphor of climbing out, I do have to say, sometimes we just find ourselves there ... in this case, all of us bloggers, and computer users in general .. where we do not want to be. So, how to jettison the bad and stay out of the crapper yourself? And what happens, if your trusty tool, your computer, isn't? So trusty, that is.

Everything was OK! But then ...

We don't even like to think about it. Your lifeline to the digital universe lets you down -- it's got a Virus or lots of 'em, it's making terrible noises and overheating, Java doesn't work and none of your Flash stuff will display, or suddenly it's HotHotHot! What will you do?

You can't ignore it; it won't go away. You ARE in the toilet. You need to know the quickest and least painful way to get out.

Well, you have 3 choices, actually. First -- You can pay to have it fixed, and put your baby with all of its delicate files and info into the hands of a stranger who will do God-Knows-What to it and will then return it to you. Whew! Stressfull! You are backed up aren't you???  Second -- You can fix it yourself. Well ... you can. If you can. Third -- Some combination of the 2, that is take some steps yourself, and let a pro do the rest.

Now, let me say this again -- You are backed up, right? 

If you are, great. If you are not, and you can still back up, do so, right now, with whatever backup tools you have. You don't have any???!!! See the article Computer Backup -- Simpler is Better in the Working Computers Blog.

A small excerpt makes an important point:

"having a boot or system disk clone is the single most reliable and speedy way to recover from a disk failure or even from an infection.

If your boot disk fails, you can boot from the backup disk. If your boot disk is infected (and you haven't cloned the infected disk to the backup), you can boot from the backup disk and scan and clean the original boot disk. If you lose a file, you can just go get it from the backup disk.
...
my favorite ( program that does disk cloning) is Casper (The Friendly Ghost) 7.0."

The other wonderful thing about such a backup is that it's cheap -- a 2 TB disk and the Casper Software will run you about $100 or maybe a little more depending on what you choose, and that's the cost of a diagnostic at The Geek Squad.

OK, let's assume you are backed up to a bootable disk. Hooray! 
You do, right?
Now, whatever the problem, and whatever course you take in fixing it, you are safe in the knowledge, that you are protected, every article, every email, every photo. And once your computer is fixed, you can boot it right up. 

So if you have just backed up, congratulations! You have pulled yourself out of the John Crapper! If you have been backed up all along, well, you were never there in the first place!


Who knows what's down there?
And don't let the Gremlins getcha!

Happy computing!


~Ted


I'm watching you!
PS Happy Halloween!
PPS Photo Credits: 
Man Getting Pulled In -- www.ebaumsworld.com
I Love My Computer -- sayingimages.com
Sloth in the Toilet -- various
Skull in the Toilet -- various

Here are my fellow Bathroom Blogfest participants. Check out their 'climbing out' posts, too.

NameBlog NameBlog URL
Susan AbbottCustomer Experience CrossroadsCustomer Experience Crossroads
Paul AnaterKitchen and Residential DesignKitchen and Residential Design Blog
Shannon BilbyFrom the Floors Uphttp://fromthefloorsup.com/
Toby BloombergDiva MarketingDiva Marketing
Laurence BorelBlog Till You Drophttp://www.laurenceborel.com/
Bill BuyokAvente Tile Talkhttp://tiletalk.blogspot.com
Jeanne ByingtonThe Importance of Earnest Servicehttp://blog.jmbyington.com/
Becky CarrollCustomers Rock!http://customersrock.net
Katie ClarkPractical Katiehttp://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/
Nora DePalmaO'Reilly DePalma: The BlogO'Reilly-DePalma Blog
Paul FriederichsenThe BrandBiz Bloghttp://brandbizblog.com/
Tish GrierThe Constant Observerhttp://spap-oop.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth HiseFlooring The ConsumerFlooring The Consumer
Emily HooperFloor Covering News BlogFloor Covering News Blog
Diane KazanUrban Design RenovationUrban Design Renovation
Joseph MichelliDr. Joseph Michelli’s Blog http://www.josephmichelli.com/blog
Veronika MillerModenus Blog http://www.modenus.com/blog
Arpi NalbandianTile Magazine Editors' BlogTile Magazine Editor Blog
David PolinchockPolinchock's Ponderingshttp://blog.polinchock.com/
Professor ToiletAmerican Standard's Professor Toilethttp://www.professortoilet.com
David Reich my 2 centshttp://reichcomm.typepad.com
Victoria Redshaw & Shelley PondScarlet Opus Trends Bloghttp://www.trendsblog.co.uk
Sandy RenshawPurple Wrenhttp://www.PurpleWren.com
Bethany RichmondCarpet and Rug Institute BlogCarpet and Rug Institute Blog
Bruce D. SandersRIMtailinghttp://www.rimtailing.blogspot.com
Paige SmithNeuse Tile Service bloghttp://neusetile.wordpress.com/
Stephanie WeaverExperienceologyhttp://experienceology.blogspot.com/
Christine B. WhittemoreContent Talks Business BlogContent Talks Business Blog
Christine B. WhittemoreSmoke Rise & Kinnelon Bloghttp://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/
Christine B. WhittemoreSimple Marketing Bloghttp://www.simplemarketingblog.com/
Ted WhittemoreWorking Computershttp://www.kinneloncomputers.com/
Chris WoelfelArtcraft Granite, Marble & Tile Co.http://www.artcraftgmt.com
Patty WoodlandBroken Teepeehttp://www.brokenteepee.com/
Denise Lee Yohnbrand as business biteshttp://deniseleeyohn.com/bites/
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