When was the last time you stopped and thought about all the cool stuff you keep on your computer--quilt photos, family photos, software you've downloaded, tax files, business files, and so on--and what the consequences would be if you lost it all?
Two of my friends recently had major issues with their computers that rendered their data files inaccessible. They were able to recover all or most of them, which was good, because some of those files were irreplaceable.
Folks, if you haven't backed up your files lately, get yourself an external hard drive or some CDs and take the time to back them up. Make it a habit to do a back up at regular intervals, depending on how often you use your computer. I need to make myself do this as well. I checked, and the last time I backed up my hard drive was last November, so I sat down this evening and did it. I have an external hard drive, so I click and drag everything I want to keep, and it didn't take nearly as long as I anticipated.
Don't procrastinate--do it now.
Good advice! An external hard drive makes it very easy, and this is a lot less expensive than hiring a tech to recover lost files!
ReplyDeleteCleaning up the hard drive now and then is a good idea too... amazing the stuff you find that you forgot you had... which reminds me, I plan to clean up my stash this week... who knows what is hiding in those shelves!
I say AMEN to LC comment....I also send some things to aol account...because I use outlook express and would lose mail files......
ReplyDeleteAs one who unexpectedly lost a hard drive in a 5-month-old laptop with all my photos from a family reunion which was not recoverable, I agree wholeheartedly. I back up to an external drive, PLUS I back up to an online service, Backblaze, for $5 a month. Yes, I'm that paranoid so I have a redundant backup plan. My husband uses Carbonite for the same price, I believe.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how much I grieved over the loss of those photos. Besides the ones from the reunion, I had also scanned a ton of old pictures from my late aunt's photo album. I think my son's high school graduation was also lost. And probably lots of other non-reproducible pics.
Oh, Robin, I'm so sorry that happened to you. All of us in my family have lost important files before, and sometimes it really feels devastating. I guess I'm a little paranoid too--I never thought of an online service, so I backup some of my files to CD, in addition to the external hard drive. Truly, it's not a question of *if* your hard drive will fail, it's a question of *when*. Thanks for writing.
ReplyDeleteGood advice, Sue. My nephew actually has a business online doing just that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder, need to do that more often.
ReplyDeleteHubby has ours saved in about three different places which is nice to know. I would be devastated if I lost all my info and photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning--I backed up stuff last July--just before we bought the new computer last August--and though many of the pictures are still on the memory card in the camera, some are not.
ReplyDeleteLove your new header!