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Friday, March 2, 2007
Preparing for a digital disaster
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s talk about what to do when disaster strikes.
I don’t mean the kind that comes with high, shrieking winds. The sound of this disaster is a low moan - the moan that comes from you when you discover your PC is a useless beige doorstop.
Maybe the hard disk has crashed, or maybe there’s some other weirder problem that makes the PC totally useless. We’re not talking glitches here, but rather a full-fledged PC disaster.
I can’t prevent that. In fact, I can predict it will happen to you, just as it has happened to almost everyone who has used a computer longer than three years. But I can help you prepare for the disaster to come.
Your first line of defense is regularly backing up data. If the hard disk goes permanently south, you’ll need the backed-up data to avoid losing all your family pictures, letters, e-mails, financial information and other information on the machine.
Backups are easy, especially if you have an external hard disk that plugs into a USB port. Windows Vista automates the process, but these external hard disks - you’ll find one that works just fine for around $100 - work with earlier versions of Windows and include software that will automate the backup.
The next step in our disaster plan is to organize all the installation CDs and DVDs for the programs you use. If you end up replacing a hard disk, you’ll need to install those programs all over again. Your backup won’t help here : you need the actual installation discs and authentication codes to install them.
So store the critical discs in a box. My guess is that, when it comes to programs you actually use, there will be 10 or so discs.
It’s not really junk
The next step comes naturally to most guys and is learned behavior for females. Create a junk box - maybe a big cardboard box or a large empty desk drawer - and store away components you have replaced. Mine contains a couple of video cards, a keyboard, a hard disk, a couple of - jeez, is it mice or mouses? I also have a monitor tucked away in a closet.
If component failure puts your computer out of business late at night - just when you need to finish a project for work or send a critical e-mail - your junk box can often get you running again. Even a defective mouse or keyboard is enough to stop you from computing. And for those of you with a more technical bent, replacing a video card on the fly might be salvation.
Another reason for a junk box: If you’e unsure of the cause of a problem, substituting devices one at a time can help you diagnose the problem. Lets say your monitor is flickering. That could be caused by the monitor or a video card. If you plug in another monitor and the flickering continues, you have a good idea the problem is with the video card.
Manual labor
Don’t put the junk box away yet. Throw every manual you own in the box - the one that came with your computer, all the manuals for printers and other accessories, and for your software. We’re all so accustomed to getting our help online these days that manuals get forgotten - I admit that many are forgettable. But when your computer isn’t working, you are cut off from online help.
OK, you can put the junk box in the closet. But there are still a few things left to do. Write down - we are talking paper and pen - critical telephone numbers you might need during a computer disaster. Include the help lines for your computer and other devices; you won’t be able to go online and find them.
Finally, make sure your dial-up modem - if you have one - works and you have the dial-up numbers for your ISP. If the disaster involves your DSL or cable service and your computer still works, you may be able to get online the old-fashioned way. Most high-speed Internet accounts come with a limited amount of dial-up time. And many computers, even new ones, include an internal dial-up modem. If yours does not, you can spend $30 or so to buy one.
Now, join me in hoping that all this preparation is a big waste of time. I doubt it will be, but this is one time when I’d be delighted to be wrong.
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