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Computer Crashes!

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judow

judow

Darth Vader - R.I.P
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Seems my puter went viral and the operating system ceased to operate. Got it back today and now I am struggling to reload drivers and programs. I really need to quit now and start again tomorrow. I don't like change and I'm as mad a wet hen at having to redo what I've done over the past 3-4 years. I am making my favorites list and logging in and renewing my user names and passwords. I use different user names and different passwords but thankfully I have a list!

Enough complaining. Time for bed.!
 
Hint: Use Firefox and get X-Marks.

Hint2: -or- back-up that stuff to a USB memory stick on a regular basis.

Doesn't solve the problem, just makes it a ton better to recover from :smile:
 
Back up, Back up, Back up! No need not to with all the options that's out there today. An external HD isn't that expensive anymore and the whole computer can be backed up on one. You don't need a large one for a back up. I also use memory sticks for everything. I rarely use CD discs anymore. PJ
 
PAUL161 said:
Back up, Back up, Back up! No need not to with all the options that's out there today.
Click to expand...

What Paul said! When we can by megagigaterabyte hard drives now for less that the cost of a new set of floor mats, there is no reason not to have your entire PC backed up! Then restoring becomes a relatively easy exercise.
 
Talk about a dinosaur, I am still using a Zip drive to back up my office computer. Tell me, all you geeks, what is a better way. Am using an old Dell Dimension 4550 that still runs well. What should I add on?
 
Any good external USB storage device. AKA external hard drives. Get two, rotate them daily or weekly so one copy of your data is off-premises.
 
TR6BILL said:
Talk about a dinosaur, I am still using a Zip drive to back up my office computer. Tell me, all you geeks, what is a better way. Am using an old Dell Dimension 4550 that still runs well. What should I add on?
Click to expand...

I have been a life-long PC guy (and that is still what I use), but recently bought my wife an iMAC. I must say there is a lot to like about the iMac. For one thing it is really a beautiful piece of engineering with very good form-fit-function. It is designed to be user-friendly (which it is, but can take some getting used to for people used to the PC way of doing things). But the more I use it the more I like it. If you have a ton of PC software (as I do), you can run Windows on the new iMac. in fact, you can run both Windows and the MAC OS at the same time using software called "Parallels." The iMac comes with software called "bootcamp" that allows you to load both Windows and MAC Operating Systems, but with boot camp you have to boot into one or the other when you turn on the computer, but at least you can run either or whenever you need to.

We also have the MAC "Time Capsule" which serves both as a wireless device and a wireless hard drive. The iMac has software called "Time Machine" that makes backing up and restoring data absolutely painless.

One of these days I intend to get an iMAC for myself, but until then I'll need to sneak onto my wife's iMAC from time to time.
 
Just one more thought... My ISP offers free on-line backup. The first 2GB's are free and if you exceed that you have the option of paying for the service. I've never exceeded the 2GB's.
It runs once a day during idle time. Just another option.
 
I did have a back-up but the problem I'm having is how to get the data back into its proper program. I've loaded all the programs. I am sure that I will be able to figure it out but right now my brain is fried. Still have about 6 more programs to load. I'm not sure but I really think I need a nap. Way too much to do today to be trying to put the puter back together in order.
 
A pricey but very good idea for external backups is a Drobo box.

Even if you back-up things on an external drive you still run the risk of drive failure. The Drobos let you snap-in any size or variety of sizes of hard-drives. It automatically configures the drives and adds error-correction data so that even if one of your back-ups fails the other drives will retain all your data. It'll alert you when it thinks a drive is failing or failed and "fixing" it is as easy as popping another drive in it's place. The boxes are small enough that you can grab your back-up and run with it in case of a fire, hurricane, whatever.

Once you plug it in you can just copy stuff to it like it's a single hard drive, or use whatever your back-up system is - there are <span style="font-style: italic">lots</span> of those programs out there that make the whole thing work in the background so you really don't have to do anything except install it and let it work.
 
DrEntropy said:
Any good external USB storage device. AKA external hard drives. Get two, rotate them daily or weekly so one copy of your data is off-premises.
Click to expand...
USB!?! I have an external drive that does both USB and eSATA. For copying whole hard drives, me like the SATA.
 
I use a Thermaltake BlacX but was thinking of ease of plug-n-play portability in Bill's situation.
 
I've used enclosures with my own drives, but I've got a Fantom 1TB drive with USB/eSATA that has been on continuously since early spring serving video to my home theater PC. Newegg had them on sale for $69 when I got it.
 
We have 4 computers in the house, 3 are network connected, all with W-7. One is has Linux installed. Takes much less space to back up a Linux system. If Linux came up with a way to except all windows files and most programs, I'd switch all our computers over. I like Linux, but with tons of information created in windows format, it's not practical. PJ
 
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