Computer Failures

Do you back up your files online or what do you do to guard against losing everything if your computer croaks?

It's not "if." It's "when."

Get an external device. Flash drive, USB hard drive, whatever, something that is removable and that can be plugged into another computer. It's your backup drive.

Whenever I've done any substantial work, I copy the document to the backup drive. It's a routine procedure. It might be daily, or it might be several times a day.

Because I'm an over-the-hill techno-geek, I was able to set it up for each project as a one-click operation. But however you do it, do it. Because some day, if you keep it long enough, your computer will crash and burn.

(I'm so paranoid that I have two separate backup disks going. In the land of Florida Flicker and Flash, both devices can be zapped by the same bolt from the blue. And because I'm expecting a Tsunami or a buglary any day now, I also make a weekly backup to a server on the net in a faraway place.)

Do it. Don't just talk about it. Do it.

Thank you, Al. You are so right. My computer failed and my hubby's did too.
Fortunately he had his stuff on a flash sitck.

By the way, Al, I can't get his flash stick to transfer stuff to my computer. Why would that be?

2 Gb of free storage here: www.dropbox.com

It's pretty awesome.

alice wrote:

By the way, Al, I can't get his flash stick to transfer stuff to my computer. Why would that be?

Usually what you do is put the device in a USB port and open My Computer. The flash drive is listed among the drives. Open it and drag the files from the drive to a place on your computer. If that isn't working, I don't know what's happening. Not something I can diagnose from afar. You need to get a geek to look at it.

Thanks,

Zizban and Al, You have been most helpful.