Is This The Age of Disposable Computers?
Hi all and thanks for visiting my blog.
Is This The Age of Disposable Computers?
No of course not, but let me explain this little tale and you’ll see how I got that title….
About 18 months ago I upgraded my PC and gave my daughter my old one for her college work.
Shortly after this I had a bit of a scare regarding my eBook website which made me sit up and think about backing up my system, sites, files, folders and everything else that I have sat on my computers.
I bought myself an external hard drive with a huge amount of storage on it and backed everything up. I then went to my laptop and old PC and moved all of my files and folders onto the external HD, so that all of my work is in one place and safe.
I then went to Acronis and tried their free 30 day trial, so as to back up on a regular basis. I was so impressed that after the free trial I bought the software.
Anyway on with my tale…..
Last week my daughter came to me and said that her PC wouldn’t boot up. I asked if her work was safe. Very wisely she back ups her college work to a memory stick after every session.
I then got onto a friend that fixes my PC’s for me and asked his advice. He came back to saying that it could be many things. He would need to take it away in order to test it. It may be a failed hard disk/memory or it could be a software issue.
He also pointed out that if it’s more than 5 years old, it may not be worth doing as he would need to charge £80 for the diagnostics, plus if it’s the hard disk or memory, that could add another £45 per item to the cost.
He would be able to fix any software virus problems OK, but he would have to do the diagnostics first, to make sure there wasn’t an underlying issue.
The computer is over 5 years old so would cost me at least £80 to find the fault and then more money to fix it. I decided to have a look on eBay and see if there were any towers on offer.
Bingo… I found a Dell, P4 with XP, professionally refurbished and ready to go for £39.99 + £10 P&P, £50 total!! Can you believe that price? It was cheaper to replace the PC than to fix it.
I bought it and waited for its arrival. Two days later it arrived and we entered my daughters room like it was an F1 pit stop, ……well sort of……
The old PC was removed and the new one installed. Total cost £50
If I hadn’t copied all the files and folders to my external HD the PC would’ve had to have gone to the menders and I would have to have repaired it regardless of cost.
So before any mishaps come your way Go and get yourself an external hard drive and protect yourself, your work and your future!
Why do I mention your future? I hear you ask…..
If you lost all of your work from your computer right now, would you, could you, sit at your PC and start it all over again????
So let me repeat: Before any mishaps come your way Go and get yourself an external hard drive and protect yourself, your work and your future!
It’ll be one of the best investments you make.
Until next time, take care..
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Hi Barry,
That’s excellent advice, my techie Adrian told me the same thing last year. I purchased a Medion 1000 GB external hardrive from Aldi at a cost of £69.99.
The biggest problem is remembering to do a back-up!
Regards,
Bill
Hi Bill, thanks for stopping by.
You should be able to schedule your back ups for a weekly one. Acronis places 2 options on your desktop: one click back up and the scheduled one, which you set as required.
Mine is set to back up every Sunday, (i don’t work Sundays as they’re family days).
Bill i notice that you don’t use comment luv. I would recommend it mate, it does help generate traffic as people visiting blogs that use it can just click and connect with you.
Catch up soon Bill, take care Barry
Twitter: learn_to_blog
Very good point, Barry. I just popped over to Acronis too and it looks the business, I’m going to give it a whirl.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy, thanks for leaving your comment. It was D9 Dan that told me about Acronis as i was having trouble with the software supplied with the external HD. I’m so pleased that he did, Acronis is so much better and so easy to use.
Without the back up software i dred to think what this week could’ve cost me.
The free trial is the full version for 30 days.
Its excellent Mandy, and a must for people like us.
Take care my friend, catch up soon, Barry
Twitter: anna_haller
Good lesson learned here Barry! I have a Mac but don’t know too much about it but I bet even with its sophistication that I would have to back up my files as well, something that I definitely need to check out.
Thanks for this reminder!
Anna
Anna Haller recently posted..Are you alone
Hi Anna, thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment.
I can stress enough how important it is to cover ourselves and our work. If it wasn’t for a glitch in my modem a few months ago, that made me think i had lost all of my eBook website i never would have done a back up and would’ve now lost everything on the old PC as well.
My back ups now take about 8 minutes a time and are then placed on the external HD just in case they’re ever needed.
Catch up soon Anna, take care, Barry
Hey Barry,
Sound advice my friend I too have an external harddrive on my desk top, and I use it for exactly the same reason,!
That software ‘Acronis’, if you don`t mind please PM with more info on that its sounds like the biz?
Cheers Barry hope your well….Ed.
Ed recently posted..Article Marketing- How to Use Niche Research at Ezine Articles Part 2
Hi Ed, thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment.
I’ve sent the PM with all the details Ed. Its worth checking out. Even if you only use the free trial to complete one back up at least you’ll have something to fall back on, should you ever need it.
I would recommend that you get the full version Ed as we know how busy you are, and your valuables are forever increasing.
Take care my friend, Barry
Twitter: michaelpedzotti
Hello my friend. You are spot on about this. For anyone who is serious about anything they do on a computer it is essential to keep backups. I make an effort to backup my computer files at least once a week.
I also recommend blog backups. It can be done through cPanel reasonably easily. By backing up your ‘home directory’ and ‘WP database’ you’ve pretty much covered it. The files are downloaded to my computer and then they get copied to the external drive with the weekly backup.
Kind regards, Michael
Michael Pedzotti recently posted..You alone are destined for failure
Hi Michael, welcome back my friend.
I back up my blog after every new post by going into tools and then export and download the file to my desktop. Is that enough to cover me or should i be backing more up?
Catch up soon Michael, Barry
Twitter: michaelpedzotti
That will do 100% of the most valuable part of your blog (the content) but not much of the structure of your blog.
Downloading the ‘Home Directory’ using cPanel will include all your theme files, customisations and your plugins.
Grabbing a copy of the ‘wp database’ will pick up all the theme and plugin ‘settings’ as well as everything that Tools/Export includes.
Michael Pedzotti recently posted..You alone are destined for failure
Twitter: michaelpedzotti
sorry … and depending on the rate of change of plugins/theme/settings, I suggest you only do the cPanel home page and wp-database once a month or whenever you do some work on tweaking your site look and feel.
Hi Michael, thanks for popping back and letting us know about the additional back ups.
I thought i had it all covered, i will have shortly.
Thanks again Michael, take care, Barry
Hey Barry, how’s it going? Good I hope. You really got yourself covered. I bet that’s a load off your mind. Everyone who has a lot to lose should pay attention to your post, including myself.
I must take action to protect my work, now!. Thanks for making me realize that it is foolish not to back up your work.
Every car has a remedy for a flat tire. Every computer with valuable files should have a remedy if something bad happens to it.
Terry Conti
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Hi Terry, welcome back my friend.
Your comparison to a car and spare tyre is bang on Terry. If you haven’t backed up your system yet please take time out and do it ASAP. It may take a little time to set up but, as i found out last week, it takes the sting out of any mishaps and once its set up my back ups take 8 minutes.
Best of luck Terry, take care, Barry
Twitter: kathydobson
Hi Barry,
Great advice. I too use an external hard drive…peace of mind. But, I am very curious about Acronis and so will be checking that out tonight…thanks for the heads up.
Hope all is well at home Barry…
Kathy
Kathy Dobson recently posted..Mass Outsource Mastermind Module 3
Hi Kathy, good to see you again my friend.
Acronis is so easy to use, and does the job in minutes. It is peace of mind Kathy, as i found out last week. Its not often a PC crashes and the owner smiles about it.
I have to go back into hospital in August for another operation, so will be away for another couple of weeks from then. I’ll post about that nearer the time.
I’ll be picking your brains soon with regard to outsourcing, seeing as how you’re becoming a master in that area.
Until then take care Kathy,
Respect and Regards, Barry
Twitter: johnmcnally54
Excellent advice Barry. I’m an Acronis convert as well, it makes backing up simple, easy and quick – which means it gets done regularly.
It was interesting that you found a computer on eBay for £50, I shall definitely check that out when I need to replace mine.
Thanks for the tip.
John
John McNally recently posted..Low Fat Diets – The Downside
Hi John, thanks for leaving your comment.
Yes, Acronis is easy and simple to set up. Just out of interest John, did you try another service first? I tried the free ones that came with the external HD and they were hard work to get on with, hence my swap to Acronis.
The computer from eBay was £50 including delivery. There a couple cheaper, but either their feedback score was low or they were not registered as a business. Not saying there was anything wrong with them just that i was happier buying from a seller with history of similar sales.
Take care John, catch up soon my friend, Barry
Twitter: johnmcnally54
I have tried other back-up methods, but like you I discovered they all seemed to be hard work, so I ended up not using them.
Keep up the good work Barry.
John
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Hi John, thanks for getting back to me.
It seems that many of the back up services are hard work to set up, but everyone i know that has gone over to Acronis is more than pleased with it.
After all John it’s $49.00 for a lifetime of cover.
Hope you’re well John, catch up soon.
Barry
Hello Barry One Kinobee,
Excellent post, pal.
I checked Acronis out and an online back up is definitely in my immediate future.
Good point about how long it would take us to redo some of this stuff. That would be heartbreaking, indeed.
Thanks mister, have a grand day.
Barry
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Hi The Other Barry, I hope all’s well.
Thanks for popping back and leaving your comment. I’m really pleased that this post has made you aware of how important it is to back up your work.
Everyone i know that is using Acronis is happy with it. Don’t forget Barry that you can have a 30 day trial, which will give you the opportunity to complete a back up to fall back on even if you don’t buy it after the free trial has expired.
Best of luck, Barry
Twitter: aussierob7
Hi Barry,
Great post with a very important warning that we should all listen to. We all know what we should do but sometimes we are so ‘involved’ in what we are doing we forget the most important things.
I’m off to Acronis to check them out and then Ebay to find an External Hard Drive.
Take care.
Robyn
P.S. Hope everything goes well with your operation.
Hi Robyn, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
You’re absolutely right about us forgeting to do the important things.
Earlier this year i had a scare that really made me sit up and get things done, you can read the full story here:
http://barry-wells.com/how-valuable-is-your-work-and-the-time-it-takes/
I’m really pleased that this post has made you take action and protect yourself, before its to late.
Thanks for the well wishes on my next operation, i’ll keep you posted.
Thanks again, Barry
Twitter: sallyneill
Hey Barry
Bargain of the century with that find!
So ebay still has it uses then, even if they wont let us sell digital downloads ha ha.
I always back everything up now, I learned that lesson the hard way after I lost everything when my daughter accidently knocked over my pc and broke it beyond repair.
Thanks for reminding me about this, had not backed up in a little while, better go do it now.
Sally
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Hi Sally, good to see you again.
Wasn’t it just a bargain. It certainly made us smile this end, especially my daughter as it so much faster than the old one.
Sorry to hear that you learnt the hard way, it must have been a major set back to you. I had a scare ealier this year and thought i’d lost it all, hence my getting covered. It was heart breaking, but turned out to be a glitch in the modem, thankfully.
Take care Sally, catch up soon.
Regards, Barry
Hi Barry,
That is a great story! And the fact is 10 years from now you’ll be telling the story to your grandchildren and they will be like: “WHAT?? You paid £50 for a PC? That was expensive!”
Because technology evolves so fast that we almost can’t keep track of it. And PC’s are getting cheaper and cheaper every day.
Thanks for your advice also. I don’t know if I could start all over again if something would’ve failed.
Cheers, Remi
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Hi Remi, thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment.
I know what you mean about the prices coming down Remi, i found it hard to comprehend how a business could sell these towers so cheaply. It wasn’t like i got one with a low bid, it was a fixed price item.
I can picture the scene with my grandchildren, and it reminds me of the Smash advert, with all the little robots rolling around laughing ha ha.
Catch up soon Remi,
Regards, Barry
Hi Barry,
I read your post to Terry Conti and decided to come see what you are up to.
You are right on! I actually had my computer crash. Get this: “I used to back up monthly”. Somewhere along the way, I seem to have forgotten to continue that automatic pilot.
My techie friend and his buddies played around and could not fix the computer, but passed the hard drive around and finally got a small portion of info back for me.
Ultimately though, I had already started over… Keeping to the task at hank. Can’t waste time!
Now, I back up before I shut down = EVERYTIME I USE MY COMPUTER! Why wasn’t I doing this before? I use a memory stick to keep my most important and current work saved, keep it with me at all times. I can work on ANY computer and save to my memory stick. I save it all again on my main computer at home. So I have it in two places (sometimes more than once a day).
I just don’t have time to start over EVER again! I also back up the monthly things (all that stuff I just can’t part with, but is’nt active or changing much) on the external hard drive.
You know, some things always “appear” to “happen to other people, but not me”…. WRONG!
Anyone else out there reading this, take Barry’s excellent advice and get that weekly back set up on auto… you won’t have to remember to forget to do it!
Dj
Enjoy every day, it only comes once in a lifetime.
Hi Dj and welcome to my blog. Thanks for coming over from Terry’s blog and leaving a comment.
That sounds like an experience none of us want to go through. Its a good job you have some techie mates to help sort you out.
I back up every week unless i have installed new software then i back up straight after installing it as well as the weekly back up.
My daughter saves all of her work to her memory stick and moves about as you do Dj, ie college, mates house and home. That is what saved me the expense of a full repair.
You’re absolutely bang on Dj, things do appear to happen to others. Its that old saying “it’ll never happen to me” but as we know it does happen to us all.
I’ll visit your blog soon Dj, catch up.
Take care, Barry
It happened to me just a few months ago Barry. I had a blue screen failure and I lost almost everything on my C drive. “AHHHH” What a nightmare!
I still find months later that I still need to install a software program that I use only now and again, to get my operation back to how it was.
I had a partitioned hard drive and I didn’t know what the heck this was at the time. The guy who installed it said, “you need this” and I said “awwww whatever just gimme my shiny new PC”
I unfortunately discovered that if you get a ‘blue screen attack’ i.e, total failure, the D drive can still be recovered and all the C drive important stuff cant be recovered, Oh Dear?!
(If only I knew this at the time)
It reminds me of something someone once said to me about TV’s. The manufacturers who make the TV’s don’t make TV’s to last 50 years, otherwise they would not be able to replace them when they break in 5-10 years time.
I now backup every two to three weeks onto my D drive that I know can be recovered just in case the ‘Planned, Chinese Micro-Chip Failure’ kicks in. LOL
Thanks Barry,
I’m with you in the war against hardware failure – it’s a real pain in the a**.
John B
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Hi John, thanks for leaving your comment.
It sounds like a nightmare John. I haven’t heard of a blue screen attack but i’m not that techie to be honest. I know its bios but thats about it my friend.
Using Acronis backs up your complete system so when you get a failure you can replace the hard drive and boot up from your back up file, which re-installs all of your software as well. Acronis is also set to automatically back up once a week and also places a one click back up button on your desktop.
I totaly agree with you John, goods these days are made to last a shorter life. If they weren’t then why would the sales person offer 5 years extended warrenty on everything they sell?
I recently had a new monitor that lasted 13 months and was cheaper to replace than to repair. I tried getting onto the company to see if they would honour their product for the extra month but alas they didn’t reply to any of my emails. Another make on my blacklist.
I hope that you mange to retrieve the rest of your data without to much hassle John, best of luck with it my friend.
Catch up soon John, Regards, Barry