Backup to survive computer crashes
Jul 15, 2003
OH no! My computer has crashed — It was past 10:00pm and I had just completed the day’s work. Wednesday morning, no matter what I did, I could not get the PC running
By Vincent Mugaba
OH no! My computer has crashed — It was past 10:00pm and I had just completed the day’s work. Wednesday morning, no matter what I did, I could not get the PC running. It dawned on me my PC had actually crashed. A cold shiver went down my spine.
The Microsoft word dictionary gives a list of non-flattering synonyms to the word crash-failure, system failure, breakdown-the list is long. About.com refers to a computer “crash†as a critical failure in a computer.
A crash can manifest itself in many different ways — the PC freezes, hangs or shuts down and refuses to start. When this happens, you are stumped.
However, you can often recover from a crash by simply shutting down and restarting the PC. Crashes of one kind or another happen to everyone who works on a computer. If it has not yet happened to you, relax my friend it will soon or later. Crashes often occur with little or no warning.
Pray it is not a big one, like the one I had where the operating system had to be reinstalled. “The system files were completed destroyed,†said The New Vision IT manager Michael Mukasa. I had over 95,000 different files on the PC, would I recover all that info? “No†he said, “but we would get some.â€
I wanted to cry.
Many of us keep important personal and official information on our computer. This gives us easy access to them. In case of a crash, all this may be lost. I lost thousands of e-mails and contacts built over the last two years. Gone too, were tools and scripts that automate work.
The month before, I told a colleague I needed to backup my data. But I kept putting it off. I learnt one lesson — backup your data.
For every program you install and intend to keep using, make sure you have the original installation disk(s) and the key codes. Store them all in a safe but easy to find place.
Regularly backup all your data on floppies, zip disks, CDs or tapes. Zips and CDs are probably the safest and store the largest amount of data. CDs go for a song; use them so you can dance when your PC crashes.
If you deal with very sensitive data, consider keeping two copies in two different physical locations. It is no use backing up data, only to lose it to theft or floods.
You should have a system restore disk(s) or CD. When you buy a computer, make sure you get them. Or make a boot disk. There are also tools like the Norton Emergency Rescue disks that you can use to reboot in case of a crash.
Also consider backing up data on the Internet. Several web services are available for this. Personally, I keep some data on my website.
Change the options in Outlook to store email messages in a folder of your choice. Outlook keeps the e-mails together with systems files. When your PC crashes, you are cooked.
If you manage a website(s), print passwords, log in information, IP addresses, URLs, administrator help files, etc and keep them safely. I lost all and I have to begin all over.
Before your system crashes, remember the Ganda saying: Ssekawuka akaali kakulumye, bw’okalaba okadduka(Twice bitten by an insect, twice shy.) So, “ssekakomputa akaali kakrashinze kko...â€
Reach the author at: vmugaba@newvision.co.ug
OH no! My computer has crashed — It was past 10:00pm and I had just completed the day’s work. Wednesday morning, no matter what I did, I could not get the PC running. It dawned on me my PC had actually crashed. A cold shiver went down my spine.
The Microsoft word dictionary gives a list of non-flattering synonyms to the word crash-failure, system failure, breakdown-the list is long. About.com refers to a computer “crash†as a critical failure in a computer.
A crash can manifest itself in many different ways — the PC freezes, hangs or shuts down and refuses to start. When this happens, you are stumped.
However, you can often recover from a crash by simply shutting down and restarting the PC. Crashes of one kind or another happen to everyone who works on a computer. If it has not yet happened to you, relax my friend it will soon or later. Crashes often occur with little or no warning.
Pray it is not a big one, like the one I had where the operating system had to be reinstalled. “The system files were completed destroyed,†said The New Vision IT manager Michael Mukasa. I had over 95,000 different files on the PC, would I recover all that info? “No†he said, “but we would get some.â€
I wanted to cry.
Many of us keep important personal and official information on our computer. This gives us easy access to them. In case of a crash, all this may be lost. I lost thousands of e-mails and contacts built over the last two years. Gone too, were tools and scripts that automate work.
The month before, I told a colleague I needed to backup my data. But I kept putting it off. I learnt one lesson — backup your data.
Before your system crashes, remember the Ganda saying: Ssekawuka akaali kakulumye, bw’okalaba okadduka(Twice bitten by an insect, twice shy.) So, “ssekakomputa akaali kakrashinze kko...â€
Reach the author at: vmugaba@newvision.co.ug