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DEL.ICIO.USBorn to die
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If your computer had a tattoo, it would say: “Born to die.”
Maybe the hard disk will go first. Or a lightning strike could turn the whole thing into a paperweight. It’ll die young, or die old, but some day it’ll go.
In some cases, you’ll be able to replace a hard disk, or add a new video card or even just replace a cable to give the computer a second life. But other times, your computer will be gone forever.
It pays to be prepared.
That’s why I harp on making a backup copy of important data. Think for a moment about what your computer holds - photos, family finances, e-mails, recipes and documents that couldn’t be replaced. I don’t know how to put a dollar figure on that, but I’m guessing they’re worth more than the price of the computer.
You can back up your data with an external hard disk, CDs, DVDs or online back-up services. I won’t go into details here but you can find earlier columns about that here on my blog and by using Google to search for what others have written.
But having a backup plan isn’t all you need.
Take some time to find and store all your program installation disks. Even with a good data backup, you’ll need to reinstall favorite programs separately. Also take note that most programs require activation codes. So make sure you have those codes handy. If you can’t find something, now - without the panic in the air - is a great time to look.
I keep most of these disks in a large plastic bin. I’m no neat freak, but I make a point to return the disks to that bin any time I take one out.
A few programs come with really elaborate carriers - applications like PhotoShop with its multiple disks comes to mind - so I keep those programs together on a shelf in my office bookcase. Next to them I have all the manuals.
I also store a list of passwords and codes. I don’t take any special steps to hide them, and I made sure my wife knows where they are. If I shared a house with someone less trusted, I would hide them. Ditto an office environment.
It’s important to save passwords, since most of us have too many to remember. Many of the Web sites I use require passwords and it’s possible I could forget some of them.
My log-ins for Internet service and e-mail accounts are also on the list. I’m not likely to forget them. But there is a reason for saving them anyway. At least four times a year, I get e-mail from a reader who needs to log on to a computer that belonged to a deceased relative. It’s not a pleasant thought, but - just as is true for the computer, there’s a clock ticking for everyone.
Spare yourself
Next, keep in mind that even a small problem - some cheap part failing - can bring your computer to its knees. A bad keyboard or mouse can put you out of business, or at least make doing any work awkward. And if your monitor goes, well, you can’t compute what you can’t see.
That’s why I keep spares around. It doesn’t make me popular with my wife, but having some of those things has helped me out in a pinch more than once.
If you’ve stayed with me this far and plan to follow any of my tips, you’re in better shape than most. But there is one other optional step you can take. I’ve prepared a DVD that contains many of the specialized drivers I need for video cards, printers and the like.
In most cases, Windows will find drivers or you’ll have them on the Windows CD. And you should be able to find them on the Web. But I like having the drivers handy in one place. It would make getting my computer up and running again faster and easier.
You may never need any of these things - odds are you’ll replace your computer before it dies. But if you do find yourself in this sinking boat, you’ll be happy to have a way to bail it out fast.
Permalink | Comments (14) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns
Comments
By Political Foreskin
February 16, 2008 8:05 AM | Link to this
The technobuddy’s right. He’s warned about redundant contingency plans for years and years. Maybe if I had listened back then, the last 48 hours of my life woulda turned out different.
I got a new dell. Shiny, with the new-pc smell, a bigscreen, hell, it even had a superdelegate who’s who screen saver. But I was too busy spamming blogs and trying to be the clever, funny troll to notice a rapidly deteriating hi-tech essential, which, when I look back on it, was giving me all kinds of red flags, warning buzzers, flashing lights, and that unmistakable feint smell of leaking gas. You guessed it. My mouse pad died. Cold. In the middle of a complex series of probably-illegal music and video downloads and dvd burns. Of course I had no backup pad, and my neighbor was out of town. I had to sit there and watch it all happen.
I gave the dell away to a bag lady who wandered by. It fit perfectly in her cart, she gave me a swig of her sterno concoction, and I felt a little better.
Maybe some day I’ll learn to take care of my nice things. Till then I’ll use this 1998 HP 700 pos.
I never did get a new mouse pad, instead I converted an old oven mit by duct-taping it over the cardboard my shortlived dell came with. My cat likes to play in the dell’s box. Why didn’t I listen? Why? Why?
By Laurie
February 17, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
Bill,
I don’t know if you have covered this before, but if you have not - please let people know that they also have to make back-up discs for their i-tunes. When my system “crashed”, I was only able to retrieve a couple hundred of over 1200 songs that I had downloaded - plus TV shows, etc. And, you cannot transfer songs from your i-pod to your i-tunes - only vice-versa. So, I had to download all my songs again!!! Believe me, I have learned my lesson!!!
By Bill
February 17, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this
Hi Laurie, you’re right - and I’ll add that to my list of things to mention next time.
By Phyllis Sweet
February 17, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this
Technobuddy, is it true that if you have an older ten year old HP 700 that if you buy a 24 inch flatscreen you wont get a full screen image because there’s some sort of chip you have to install into your older PC’s to make the image you see go the full 24 inches? My friend told me not to buy the big flatscreens unless I’ve got a newer PC. True? Or is he just jealous that I might have a bigger screen than he does and he’s one of those guys that has to have the best stuff over his friends or he cant stand it? There are people like that, you know.
By Bill
February 17, 2008 7:02 PM | Link to this
Phyllis, I would replace the computer before I bought a 24-inch monitor. For one thing, at the least (unless you did this somewhere along the line) you’d need a better video card. But at 10 years old, I suspect that you’d be better off just replacing it.
So maybe that’s what your friend meant about the new chip.
But I do recommend the big screen - it’s been really kind to my aging eyes (although I just have a 20-inch wide screen on my computer).
By Michael
February 18, 2008 10:56 PM | Link to this
Buy Mac OS X Leopard and a big external hard drive, then set up time machine. Unless your external drive dies at the same time as your internal one, you’re set.
By Hank
February 19, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this
About your password list: I just bought RoboForm to try to tame this stuff. I got the “to go” version which includes a flash drive that (I hope) will hold my list from computer to computer. Further - when I have it with me - no chance of unauthorized use. Any thoughts?
By Bill
February 20, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this
Hello Hank, yes, that’s a good solution. For one thing, too many people use the same password on all of their accounts. That’s asking for trouble since, if one account is breached, all are.
Using a program like that makes it more practical to come up with secure (and hard to remember) passwords and to use different passwords for each account.
By Hank
February 20, 2008 8:06 PM | Link to this
Have you looked at RoboForm? Any problems? I am carefully letting it generate passwords in some cases but ….
By Bill
February 21, 2008 8:18 AM | Link to this
Hank, I haven’t used RoboForm - I have read about it, seen good reviews and can’t recall anything negative being said about it from any of the sources I trust.
By Rick
February 22, 2008 8:55 AM | Link to this
Some comments on posts: 1. iTunes usually stores it’s files in the “My Music” folder in “My Documents”, so if you back it up, you will have them. 2. I usually use the same easy-to-rememeber password on non-monetary accounts that won’t be distrastrous if someone gains access and then unique and more complicated PW’s on my bank accounts. I then store them in a very-unique-password protected Excel spreadsheet. 3. I use a standard audio CD case to store my computer CDs - more compact and organized.
By D
February 22, 2008 11:30 AM | Link to this
Here is an indirectly related question. If you back up your data and image your hard drive, and have a RAID redundancy, I think you are pretty well covered. My concern is for older programs where I have the CDs (or in come cases, a floppy disk!), but I have no idea where the Key number might be. I once made the mistake of storing all of my old program CDs in a CD case without saving a list of what key codes go with what disk. (Older and wiser now) If the drive crashes, or is replaced, or I want to transfer them to a new computer, is there any way to re-install without the original key numbers?
By Bill
February 22, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this
Hi D, checkout Belarc Advisor (free) at this address: http://www.belarc.com/
It should show most, if not all, of your activation codes.
I was introduced to this program many years ago by a police officer who was a specialist in forensic computing. It has a lot of uses, but this is one that really can save your neck.
By D
February 25, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this
Thanks! If it can do all that, its a really useful program!