Advice for using online backup

Folks, I have an onsite tech support job scheduled, and only have time to repost today. This article contains some important, helpful advice; and first appeared 4/48/08.

Dear Reader, if your hard drive died.. would you lose valuable tax records? Irreplaceable photographs? How about your address book? Or.. have you followed my advice, so oft repeated here, and made two separate backups and stored them in two different locations/media types? If you have, you just may have saved yourself some tears of sorrow and frustration. (And if you run a business, maybe your livelihood.)

A good backup will mean the difference between a couple hours’ of inconvenience –in case of a failure– and total loss. Just recently, I wrote an article on how having the second backup saved my bacon on an XP machine (see Back in the saddle) when its hard drive decided enough was enough.
I cannot say it often enough: computers are complex devices and their parts DO fail (and usually provide little or no warning before they do). Make some copies of your stuff.

Tip of the day: consider storing one of your system backups online. Online backups are convenient, (most are) secure, and most important, offsite. “Off-site” means, literally, “not here”, but “over there”. This is a key element in enterprise “Disaster Continuity” and you can implement it as well by taking advantage of an online storage service.
Think of it as being like your safety deposit box. If your house (God forbid) were to burn down, get hit by a meteor, or swallowed by an earthquake.. and everything inside destroyed, you still have copies of your vital documents in your safety deposit box (right?).

With an online storage service, you “upload” your files, via the Internet, to somebody’s server.. where they sit until you need them. When you need them, (and, I understand, hopefully you never will.. but.) you simply “download” them back onto your repaired machine.

A reader has written to ask me which of the many online storage services I recommend (thanks, Bryan W.) and inspired today’s article. Sorry to say, I don’t have a “favorite”. What I can do is tell you what to look for, and point you to a comparison list. Fair enough?

* Security: the storage service you want will have security in place so that some hacker can’t come rifling through the server, and read all your vital docs. (you wouldn’t want your bank to leave the vault wide open, and all the safety deposit boxes unlocked.. would you?) This is usually accomplished through encryption. Look to see if the data transfer occurs using SSL, that the account is fully password protected and your stored data is encrypted by some method.
* Price: some of these “storage solutions” are quite pricey, charging 10 times as much as others. Why? Shrug. Because they can? While price alone shouldn’t be a deciding factor, be aware that some places gouge.
* Size: These storage services charge you by how many Gigabytes you are going to take up on their server. There are MANY free online storage providers for very small allotments (typically 5GB’s, but some go all the way to 35GB’s), but these really won’t hold a full system state backup.. you need a “plan” that will allow you to store backup copies of each of your hard drives– with a little room to spare. But unless you’re a big corporation, you won’t need Terabytes.
To quickly see how much data is currently on your hard-drive, Open My Computer (just “Computer” in Vista) and right-click on the icon representing your hard-drive(s), and choose “Properties” from the context menu. You will see a pie chart showing the total size of your files and folders.

Today’s free link(s): PC World magazine has two comparison charts of online storage providers: read this first, (reviews 17 providers) then click here, (for 6 more) which will give you their number one pick(s). Then take a look at Tom’s Hardware discussion/article (click here) and, may I suggest, skipping ahead to the Conclusion will give you their results.
* My friend Mike, over on My Tech Talk, has also written about his experiences with online storage.
* And Bill Mullins discusses Mozy here.

[update 5/1/08: PCMag has just published a new article with updated reviews. They say say a new service, SOS, has ursurped the throne from Mozy. To read this updated review, click here. (I still suggest reading the others, as well, though.)]

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Computer Tip of the Day

Baby's first steps. Graduations. Birthday parties. Wedding ceremonies. Today's topic came from a comment during a conversation with a friend of mine-- "That's what life is; an accumulation of memories"--   and it got me onto to thinking about Deep Things.. and yes, I took a little stroll down my own Memory Lane...

But this is, after all, a tech site, and I am a World Renown Tech Journalist, and so I will not get all nostalgic on you. But I will point out to you that more and more frequently, we are coming to rely on our computers to help us 'remember'.

What do I mean by that? Well, now that we have digital photography, the odds are pretty good that the pictures you take -- of baby's first steps, graduation, B-day parties, etc. -- are not in a shoebox or photo album, but are on your hard drive. Your "home movies" too.
Perhaps your computer is the only place you have those pictures/memories?

Tip of the day: Loyal Friends and True to this series know that once a month I remind my readers to make a backup copy of their important files and to store those copies someplace else. That's because hard drives fail. (Not all that often, I grant you that, but they do die.) They can also get corrupted by malware, or erased by a virus or hacker, or...

If -- for some bizarre and mysterious reason -- your computer (or, just the hard drive) croaked and started pushing up daisies, would you lose the only pictures you have of Junior's birth? Of your graduation? Of your Grandmother?

Well, don't let your heart get broken because you just "never got around" to making backup copies. Make copies today! Burn some CD's/DVD's and one other form of storage-- another (external, maybe) hard drive, or perhaps online.

To help you, I refer you to two prior articles--
1) Windows has a built-in Backup Utility, found in Programs> Accessories> System Tools and my How To for using it is here, http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2007/07/02/automate-your-backup-and-get-some-peace-of-mind/
Apple has a built-in Disk Imaging ability that is just great, but often overlooked: http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/how-to-use-apples-disk-imaging-tool/.

2) Instead of buying an external drive, you might prefer to take advantage of an online storage service.. of which there are many. My article on selecting one is here, http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/online-storage-for-data-backup/

Folks.. there are many, many reasons to make backup copies, and one reason not to (can you guess what it is?). Almost everyday in my real job I get calls from desperate people in a panic.. they're panicked because they only have the one copy of their important stuff: don't be one of them!

Today's free download: Perhaps you would like a backup tool other than Windows' own.. SyncBack is worth taking a look at. From C/Net Editor review, "This straightforward backup utility makes it a snap to safeguard and synchronize your files, and its freeware price just sweetens the deal. Surprisingly flexible for a free program, SyncBack can save your files anywhere: on external hard drives, in ZIP archives, on network drives, on CDs (using UDF), or transfer them via FTP. Recovering from a drive loss is also cinch, with a convenient restore tool that replicates folder trees along with the files in them."

Today's free link(s):
Also, I remind you of a prior posting here-- the free Windows disk imaging utility DriveImageXML. Read an excellent review and get the download link here.

And Rick Robinette has found a plug-it-in-simple backup tool and describes it, here.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Save Thousands With a Free Tool (You Already Have)

Yesterday I struck up a conversation with a fellow "mature" student while waiting to take a Final at my local JC. He was taking a photography class and he had his gear bag with him, and I asked him about his digital equipment.
(In a former life, I was a photography student too.)

He was a friendly sort, and chatting with him was easy. He explained that he was a professional, and that he had been "all digital" for a while now. And when he discovered my line of work, he told me a very sad story.. and I felt bad for him.

The sad story: It seems this fella kept all his photography on a large portable drive, which he kept referring to as a "jump drive", and a few weeks ago he went to plug it in and, his words, "immediately I heard strange noises, and smelled a funny burning smell". And his computer did a BSOD.

Oops.

He told me he unplugged the drive, and rebooted his computer, which came back up fine, and when he tried to reconnect the jump drive, nothing bad happened (no shooting flames) -- but nothing good did either. His jump drive was dead.
He told me that - at this point - he wasn't worried because he had bought the "extended warranty" for the drive and he was still covered.

Oops.

So he told me how he contacted the drive's manufacturer, and reported his problem, and was told that- yes, they would send him a new drive. And they told him that for recovering the data from the old drive, he was on his own. And that if he did use a 3rd-party to try to recover the photos, they would have to open the hard drive's case, which voids their warranty.
This came as quite a shock to my new friend, and it clearly still upset him.

He went on to tell me that he had no choice in the matter, he had to get those pictures back (one set was a wedding) and so he sent the drive off to a data recovery service.. which was able to get back almost every single file and cost him a bit over $2,500.

I told him he'd got a bargain.. but he didn't seem much cheered. In fact he clearly still felt cheated. He really thought the warranty should have covered his pictures.
I believe a lot of people have this.. gross misconception.

The simple facts are these:
* hard drives die
* nobody is going to make backup copies of your stuff for you unless you pay them. Like you would pay a maid, or chauffeur.
* Windows comes with a copy-my-files-from-here-to-there tool called (can you guess?) Windows Backup; which can be set to run automatically. On Vista, it can now burn-to-disc, even.
* Professional data recovery is $$$$

Please read How To Use Windows Backup Tool and follow the steps outlined. Or run a data backup and recovery tool of you own choosing. And do so often-- a backup dated 12/20/04 is not going to do you any good!

It would have taken my new friend just a few minutes to make a 'sync' of his drive. But he never did, and he's out the drive and $2,500.
I really did feel bad for him.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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More Answers: System Restore, Startup Programs, and Address Spoofing

“System Restore won’t work”, “I’m worried about ID Theft, how do I know if an email is legit?”, “I can’t get this #$*& program out of my Startup folder” — these are examples of some of the questions I have received since posting my articles on these topics. Today I’m going to review, and provide more solutions and answers.

Tip of the day: Since I’m going to cover the questions above, there is not going to be a single “Tip of the day” today. Instead, there will be “Today’s three questions”…

More on System Restore: What to do when System Restore just refuses to work. As I mentioned in my first System Restore post, SR simply is not a failsafe miracle worker. There are troubles that can occur that it simply does not repair — such as a corrupted SAM database. It is however a good place to start. It does undo a lot of the damage you can accidentally do to your machine. This fact is why you should always make a back up of your system — either a “disk image” made with a 3rd-party utility like Acronis True Image, or Norton Ghost, and/or Windows Backup Utility (Start >Programs >Accessories >System tools >Backup).
** My illustrated tutorial for that is here.**

I stated in the prior article, and will repeat here, that you may have to repeat the System Restore process several times before one “snapshot” finally takes. When you use SR, you will see a calendar with available snapshots in bold dates. You should see several. Start with the most recent date and time, and work your way backwards. If you have done this with no luck, you probably have one of those troubles System Restore is not designed for. Either look elsewhere for solutions, or call for some Tech Support (we Tech Support folks need to make a living too, you know).

Legit vs. Phishing: “how do I know if an email is legit?” In my post about the rocket scientist, I discussed phishing and recommended an anti-phishing site toolbar, which combats a form of phishing called “pharming“.
I suggest you take no chances with emails.

* Simply do not click on links in emails.
* Also, realize that your bank will not send you links. They know about phishing, and they figure you already know their url (you should have it bookmarked, so use that…or call them directly).
* Also be aware that just because an email claims to be from a friend or relative, doesn’t mean that it is. If you are not expecting an “executable” (application) or “you gotta see this!” .jpeg from Uncle Fred, by all means don’t open it! Contact him and ask him, “did you send me a..?” It is an easy thing for an Evil Doer to 'spoof' an address.
* And finally, make sure your antivirus definitions are up to date. If it is not already on by default, open your antivirus’ Options and look in “Update Options” for “Download and install new definitions automatically” (or words to that effect) and make sure it’s selected. If available, have it set to scan email and email attachments as well. (And, if your AV cannot scan incoming e-mail.. think about switching to one that does!)

Removing stubborn start up programs: If the methods I described in “My Startup folder is a clown car” proved insufficient for getting rid of a really determined program, there are more methods you can try. The first is using the msconfig tool.

Start by opening the msconfig utility. Click Start >Run and type in “msconfig” (no quotes), and then click on the Startup tab. Here you will see a list of the programs scheduled to start when Windows boots. Uncheck the checkbox next to the program you are having the troubles with. You will need to restart your system for the changes to take effect.
**Vista users: Manage Startup programs in Vista**

If you have already tried the aforementioned methods and simply cannot kill the autolaunch, please consider simply using Add/Remove Programs to “retire” the troublesome program altogether…or install a startup manager program like StartUp Cop.

Today’s free link:  GIMP Open Source digital image manipulating tool. This completely free application is a bit tricky to install but is well worth it as it offers a full range of tools for adjusting your digital images, and it does that in an interface that’s comfortable to folks with Photoshop experience.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

How To Use Windows Backup Tool

Wizard Automatically Copies Your Daily Changes

You’ve all heard it; you can’t say you haven’t been told, can you? You want to back up your data. A back up copy of your music, pictures, records, and correspondence [your memories] can be a lifesaver (well…maybe not a life-saver, but how about a tears and sorrow-saver?).

In my previous article on defragmentation, I showed you how to use Windows’ built-in Task Scheduler to solve the problem of file fragmentation using a ”set it and forget it” method. Today I’m going to show you how to use basically the same tool to create a backup of your system, for use as a means of recovering from a “really bad” glitch.

Tip of the day: If you follow the steps I outline next, you will set up an initial system backup, and then, and this is the best part, Windows will each night make a backup of any changes and additions you’ve made during the day-- automatically.

[note: One thing you should know before we begin is, it is pretty important that you store this back up copy some place other than your Windows drive (usually, your “c: drive”). This can be on another “partition” on your hard drive (not so good), or on a seperate hard drive — such as a “storage drive” attached to your machine with a USB cable, or a network drive (best). For this example, we will use an USB-attached drive identified by Windows as “e: drive”.

If you do not have another partition or attached storage available, you can use the first steps of this article to create a system backup, and then use a utility like WinZip or WinRAR to make CD (or, better, DVD)-sized subdivisions which you can burn to disc(s), after that, make a routine of monthly (or more often) backups of your My Documents folder to disk as well.]

Step#1: open the Windows Backup utility by clicking Start >Programs >Accessories >System tools >Backup. A window will open welcoming you to the Backup Wizard.
* Click "Next" and it asks if you want to make a backup (default) or restore from a back; we’re making a backup so click next.
* Now we’re asked what we want to back up, and here you want the bottom option, “Let me choose what to back up”. Click "Next" again.
* On the next screen, expand the My Computer on the left-hand panel, as shown below.

Look to the left-pane again and you will see that I have placed a check in the box next to Local Disk (C:) [my hard drive] and System State. That causes all the other checks to appear. That’s what we want, so now you do it — click on the plus sign next to My Computer, and then click inside the Local Disk and the System State boxes. Now click next.

* Now we’re asked which location you want to store the backup copy at. Click on the browse button and navigate to the (hypothetical) (E:) drive (your actual location will vary). The default file name is acceptable, so hit next.
* Follow the Wizard all the way through the next few “next” buttons until you get to Finish, and you’re done with Step 1.

You now have a copy of your whole computer that you can use to restore it to this moment in time, should disaster strike…or should you buy a larger hard drive as a replacement, load the new drive with your settings and data.
[note: It is a very good idea to also burn this to disc(s). Use a zip program, in conjunction with your burning software, to get the Backup.bkp onto your CD’s or DVD’s]

Step #2: Here’s where we use launch the Backup Wizard again and this time use the Advanced Mode to schedule an automatic daily “incremental” back up. An incremental backup will look at your files and folders and make a copy only of the new, or modified files you added since the last incremental backup. In this way, you’ll always have a complete copy of your present set up ready to come to your rescue should you ever need it.

To begin, once again open Windows Backup, Start >Programs >Accessories >System Tools >Backup, and this time click on the blue link that says “Advanced Mode” when the Welcome window appears.
* Then click Next, and then click on the top button of the new Backup Wizard Advanced Mode page, the one that says “Backup Wizard (Advanced)”. Then click Next.
* Now choose the middle radio button, on the What to back up page, that says, “back up selected files, drives, or network data” and click Next.
Here again you want to expand My Computer and check Local Disk and System State. Click Next, and again navigate to (hypothetical) drive “e:” and click next again.

Now you’re on the “Completing” page but do not click “Finished” just yet; instead click on the Advanced button. Now you’ll see the Type of backup (By default it will say “Normal”) page — use the drop-down arrow to set it to “Incremental” and hit next. Put a check in the checkbox marked “Verify data after back up” and hit Next. Leave the radio button on “Append this data to existing backups” and hit Next.

Now we set the schedule. Select the radio button labeled “Later” and the schedule windows will activate. Give the “job” a title, like ‘daily’, and click the Set a schedule button.

Set it to Daily, and set a time that won’t interfere with your using the computer…say during your lunch hour. Click on the OK button and a “run as” window will open. Make sure the user name is an account that runs as an Administrator, and give this job a password (and ‘confirm’). Hit next. Verify, and hit Finish.

Done!

I realize that this may seem like a daunting number of complicated steps, but really all you’re doing is following a wizard. Once you’ve done this process though, you can rest in the comfort of knowing that there is an up-to-date copy of all your important files and folders available to you in case of digital dire straights. If you’ve ever had to wipe a hard drive and reinstall Windows, you’d know just how valuable a backup like this can be!

Today’s free link: I have located a Startup Manager that passes muster, which I added as an update to my “answers” article, and will repeat here in case you missed it. Ashampoo StartUp Tuner 2

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Will System Recovery Delete My Programs?

Most computers today come with manufacturer software and a partition on the hard-drive to provide the ability to do a "System Recovery", oftentimes accessed through a program called "Recovery Center".

I have received several inquiries recently as to whether or not running a "recovery" will remove ("delete") installed programs and files.

A: Well.. Yes and no. It will "delete" your installed programs, and no, it probably won't "delete" your files.

Huh?

What the recovery software -- when launched -- will do is offer to copy the files on your machine to a backup location,{usually, it depends on the manufacturer, but most do} and them restore them again after it wipes out your C:\ drive and re-Installs Windows.
(Actually, a factory "image" of your machine taken right before it left for market.)

[note: you already have a copy of your files.. right? You do make backups.. right?!? If you answered, "uh.. no, not yet.." please read this.]

Your computer will basically be "restored" to factory defaults, and you'll have to reinstall all your programs, and visit Windows Update, and tweak your Desktop.. deja vu all over again. But, the contents of your Documents folder will be copied back.

Because of this, you should consider this type of recovery a method of last resort, not to be tried until other methods -- such as the built-in Windows' System Restore -- have been tried first. http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/how-to-use-system-restore-to-fix-windows/
Maybe.. call a Pro first?

Today's free download: Digsby helps you manage all your IM, e-mail, and social network accounts from one easy-to-use application.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

You'll Thank Me One Day*

Baby's first steps. Graduations. Birthday parties. Wedding ceremonies. Today's topic came from a recent conversation with a friend of mine-- "That's what life is; an accumulation of memories"--  and it got me onto to thinking about Deep Things.. and yes, I took a little stroll down my own Memory Lane...

But this is, after all, a tech site, and I am a World Renown Tech Journalist, and so I will not get all nostalgic on you, nor 'share' some of my favorite recollections. No, I won't. But I will point out to you that more and more frequently, we are coming to rely on our computers to help us 'remember'.

What do I mean by that? Well, now that we have digital photography, the odds are pretty good that the pictures you take -- of baby's first steps, graduation, B-Day parties, etc. --are not in a shoebox, or photo album, but are on your hard drive. Your "home movies" too.
Perhaps your computer is the only place you have those pictures/memories.

Tip of the day: Loyal Friends and True to this series know that once a month I remind my readers to make a backup copy of their important files (Ahem), and to store those copies someplace else. That's because hard drives fail. (Not all that often, I grant you that, but they do die.. and not just from old age.) They can also get corrupted by malware, or erased by a virus or hacker, or...

If -- for some bizarre and mysterious reason -- your computer (or, just the hard drive) croaked and started pushing up daisies, would you lose the only pictures you have of Junior's birth? Of your hard-earned graduation? Of your Grandmother?

Well, don't let your heart get broken because you just "never got around" to making backup copies. Make copies today! Burn some CD's/DVD's and one other form of storage-- another (external, maybe) hard drive, or perhaps online.

To help you, I refer you to two prior articles--
1) Windows has a built-in Backup Utility, found in Programs> Accessories> System Tools and my advice for using it is here, http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2007/07/02/automate-your-backup-and-get-some-peace-of-mind/
Apple has a built-in Disk Imaging ability that is just great, but often overlooked: http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/how-to-use-apples-disk-imaging-tool/.

2) Instead of buying an external drive, you might prefer to take advantage of an online storage service.. of which there are many. My article on selecting one is here, http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/online-storage-for-data-backup/

Folks.. there are many, many reasons to make backup copies, and one reason not to (can you guess what it is?). Almost everyday in my real job I get calls from desperate people in a panic.. they're panicked because they only have the one copy of their important stuff: don't be one of them!

Today's free link: Perhaps you would like a backup tool other than Windows' own.. SyncBack is worth taking a look at. From C/Net Editor review, "This straightforward backup utility makes it a snap to safeguard and synchronize your files, and its freeware price just sweetens the deal. Surprisingly flexible for a free program, SyncBack can save your files anywhere: on external hard drives, in ZIP archives, on network drives, on CDs (using UDF), or transfer them via FTP. Recovering from a drive loss is also cinch, with a convenient restore tool that replicates folder trees along with the files in them."

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

How to retrieve old copies of files- Ultimate style

From time to time Vista creates 'snapshot' copies of your files with a service called "Shadow Copy".  This allows you to retrieve older versions from files you accidentally delete or alter.

To go back to a prior version of your file/document, you simply right-click on the file and select "Restore previous versions".

Using the Shadow Copy service is a far easier way to recover your files than opening a backup you've made, and can get you out of some nasty jams. (For more on recovering deleted files, click here.)

Shadow Copy is enabled on all versions  of Vista, but Microsoft grants user access to these copies only in Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise editions. (Clearly as a method to try to sell more copies of the pricier Ultimate Edition. Shame on you Microsoft; backup and recovery should be free.)

Tip of the day: Users of the "Home" editions of Vista can use Shadow Copy too.
The odds are pretty durned good that if you bought a new computer, and it came with Vista, it came with Vista Home Premium. I say that because if you walk into a store selling computers, I dare you to find the one that has Ultimate Edition on it. It seems to me that they all come with Home Premium!

Remember how I said Shadow Copy was "enabled" on all versions? Yes? Well, for owners of Vista Home Premium and Vista Home Basic, the service is running, but you need a way to "interface" with it (sometimes called a "front end"). To do that, download and install ShadowExplorer, and gain some of Ultimate Edition's functionality. This cool piece of software is free, but donations are accepted.

Today's free link: People who are using Windows 2000 or XP can get an almost identical file functionality with FileHamster from Mogware. This program is designed for people whose talents lie in the Creative Arts, so you don't ave to be a geek to use it. There's helpful user forums, too.

Please note: This ability is by no means a substitute for regular system backups. This is for small "oopsies", not recovery/restoration.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

How To Install Backup on XP Home

If you have photographs, and/or a music collection, and/or important documents on your computer, you simply must make backup copies or risk losing them forever.

Windows users can take advantage of the built-in Windows Backup utility. I have published a detailed How To for using it to automatically make backups and keep them up-to-date here http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2007/07/02/automate-your-backup-and-get-some-peace-of-mind/.
(Apple users can make an image backup using the Disk Management applet, which I describe here.)

That said, it should be noted that for some inexplicable reason, the Backup utility is not (usually) included in the default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. To use Backup, you have to install it manually.
Don't worry, it's a quick and easy thing to do; the files are on the XP CD-ROM in the "Valueadd" folder.

Tip of the day: Manually Install the Backup Utility

1. Insert the CD which came with your computer into your optical drive. Close any windows that open.
2. Open My Computer and right-click on the CD/DVD drive (usually "D:\") and navigate to CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP
3. Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file to start a wizard that installs Backup.
When the wizard is complete, click "Finish". You will now find Backup in All Programs >Accessories >System Tools.

*4. Now, scroll up and click the first link to read how to use the Backup Wizard and set your machine to run automatic incremental backups.

BonusTip+Today's free link: Make another backup using another backup tool.. of which there are many different types. You might wish to use an "imaging" tool like Norton Ghost, Acronis TrueImage Home, or the free DriveImage XML (Bill Mullins talks about this program in a recent post, to read it, and see the appropriate download links, click here.)

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

Life is an accumulation of memories

Baby's first steps. Graduations. Birthday parties. Wedding ceremonies. Today's title came from a friend of mine-- "That's what life is; an accumulation of memories"-- during a recent conversation; and it got me onto to thinking about Deep Things.. and yes, I took a little stroll down my own Memory Lane...

But this is, after all, a tech site, and I am a World Renown Tech Journalist, and so I will not get all nostalgic on you, nor 'share' some of my favorite recollections. No, I won't. But I will point out to you that more and more frequently, we are coming to rely on our computers to help us 'remember'.

What do I mean by that? Well, now that we have digital photography, the odds are pretty good that the pictures you take -- of baby's first steps, graduation, B-Day parties, etc. --are not in a shoebox, or photo album, but are on your hard drive. Your "home movies" too.
Perhaps your computer is the only place you have those pictures/memories.

Tip of the day: Loyal Friends and True to this series know that once a month I remind my readers to make a backup copy of their important files (Ahem), and to store those copies someplace else. That's because hard drives fail. (Not all that often, I grant you that, but they do die.. and not just from old age.) They can also get corrupted by malware, or erased by a virus or hacker, or...

If -- for some bizarre and mysterious reason -- your computer (or, just the hard drive) croaked and started pushing up daisies, would you lose the only pictures you have of Junior's birth? Of your hard-earned graduation? Of your Grandmother?

Well, don't let your heart get broken because you just "never got around" to making backup copies. Make copies today! Burn some CD's/DVD's and one other form of storage-- another (external, maybe) hard drive, or perhaps online.

To help you, I refer you to two prior articles--
1) Windows has a built-in Backup Utility, found in Programs> Accessories> System Tools and my advice for using it is here, http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2007/07/02/automate-your-backup-and-get-some-peace-of-mind/ 

2) Instead of buying an external drive, you might prefer to take advantage of an online storage service.. of which there are many. My article on selecting one is here, http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/online-storage-for-data-backup/

Folks.. there are many, many reasons to make backup copies, and one reason not to (can you guess what it is?).

Today's free link: Perhaps you would like a backup tool other than Windows' own.. SyncBack is worth taking a look at. From C/Net Editor review, "This straightforward backup utility makes it a snap to safeguard and synchronize your files, and its freeware price just sweetens the deal. Surprisingly flexible for a free program, SyncBack can save your files anywhere: on external hard drives, in ZIP archives, on network drives, on CDs (using UDF), or transfer them via FTP. Recovering from a drive loss is also cinch, with a convenient restore tool that replicates folder trees along with the files in them."

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

How to recover your lost files

You have deleted some old files and now you need them back.
Or, you disconnected your thumb drive by pulling it out of the machine without bothering with that "Safely Remove" thingy, and now your machine cannot "see" the thumb drive at all-- it's dead.

Your files are gone and you need them back.. what a nightmare! How do you get them back?

I cannot count the number of times I have advised my readers to make regular backup copies of their files (in fact, Automate your backup and get some peace of mind was one of the very first articles I wrote). Having copies of your files on some place other than your hard drive (such as a CD/DVD) is the surest way to make sure that some unfortunate mouse click, mechanical failure, or glitch doesn't permanently rob you of important documents, irreplaceable photographs, or costly music downloads. (There. I've nagged you again. Now, will you please run a Backup program and burn some discs?)

But you don't have backup copies of these files... you didn't think you'd ever need them.. but now you do. OK.
As I mentioned in Delete does not erase your data--preventing recovery, if the reason you no longer have access to the file you want is because you emptied your Recycle Bin (Trash) or right-clicked+delete, you may recover your file with an undelete tool.. just so long as too much time has not elapsed.
* It is a very good idea to install an undelete tool on your computer before you need it. If you haven't done so and you don't already have an undelete tool installed, use an online scanner/recovery tool such as Softperfect File Recovery to try to effect your recovery.

Other reasons for missing ("inaccessible") files are varied and numerous.. and I could fill a book book with detailed steps for each variant. (If you've had to reformat your hard drive, for example {try an "unformat" tool}. Data recovery is a large-- and costly --business.) Fortunately, I don't have too write it, it's already been written.

Tip of the day+Today's free link: Visit and bookmark the following Webpage.
PC World Magazine and MSN Tech have teamed up to bring us Kirk Steers' How To Recover Almost Anything, a three page primer on data recovery steps, and advice for which tools to use.
This information is first place to look when you run into a file recovery situation.. having it bookmarked ahead of time is a good idea, because timeliness is a factor in your success or failure.

*** Disclaimer: you may have noticed that I used the words "may" and "can try"; this is because recovering damaged/corrupted, deleted, or "lost" files is as much luck as it is science. Certain things improve your chances of success.. but the only sure method is making copies of your stuff, and keeping them somewhere else.. like in a safe-deposit box.

Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix