Computers and lost data

Computers and lost data go together like gambling and losses or old age and forgetting. Eventually, it will likely happen to you. In the case of gambling, the secret is to quit while you are ahead. I did that 40 years ago. With computers and old age, the solution isn't as easy. As I suffer from both the remaining maladies, my solution is proper data storage. If I need to remember something, I write it down. My bills all go on my Outlook calendar and when they are paid on line the confirmation is also embedded into the Outlook notation. This works very well for me until I have a computer crash. You will notice here I didn't say if I have a computer crash; I said when I have a crash. So, why do you find this posting on a photography Blog? Because even more important to me than notes of things to do, are the thousands of unreplaceable picture files. If I loose my Outlook files, I might have a few overdue bills and some late payment charges; if I loose my picture files, I loose a wedding or a vacation to some far off place. I also would loose the babies first step or the last picture of a missed loved one. These things can never be replaced. While picture losses are not limited to digital pictures because more than one old family picture has been accidentally thrown away or stored in a damp place but the likelihood of loosing not just a few but all of them is much more possible.

You need a storage plan and there are many options from on line storage to book shelf back up hard drives. Here is my strategy learned from over 25 years computer use:

1) The most likely computer crash is the loss of the primary "C" hard drive. It gets the most use and is often the target of virus programs. This is the normal drive holding your "My Documents" file which usually holds e-mail, picture, music, and many other personal files. I don't have "My Documents" on the "C" drive. I have it on a separate drive. And because I have so many pictures, I have one drive just for pictures. These drives see less use because they are only accessed for these particular files. Program files, page files and other operating system files are on the primary "C" drive. This is my fist line of defense. Some people partition a single drive into several partitions to separate files in a similar manor but this will not help protect the data. If a drive containing 3 partitions fails, all thee partitions fail. With the newer OS, I see no need to partition a drive into multiple logical drives.

2) Again because of the quantity and value of my picture files, I have a second networked computer used just for back-up files. When I download pictures from my camera, I put one set of files on the picture HD on the primary computer and then a second copy of the same files on the back up computer. I check to be certain I have two copies BEFORE I delete them from the camera memory. I also use this back up computer to make a copy of the "my Documents" folder on a regular basis.

3) You might think this should cover my poential losses but just to be on the safe side, I also back up on DVD media. While they don't last forever, they make a good "ace in the hole" for picture file restoration.

I don't bother to back up program files because I can always reinstall them. If you download sofware as I often do, be sure to back up those files for recovery. That is a good use for CD or DVD back-ups.

I have had compute crashes more times than I care to count and most of the time, I have been able to recover needed data. The only exception had been two occasions loosing my address book from Outlook. Now hose files are backed up automatically every time I shut down Outlook. They are backed up to the backup computer if it is on and to a second backup hard drive on the primary computer. Yes, I do have many hard drives. That is one reason I build my own computers rather than buy off the shelf from Dell or any other computer manufacturer.

I am not suggesting everyone should go out and buy multiple computers but when you upgrade that old slow machine, it might be just what you need for a back-up computer. It doesn't need to be fast or even have the most recent operating system. It just needs some storage space. Back your files up to it and then turn it off.

Well, the "T" on this keyboard is no working properly so I'll qui for now and go ge a new one.

Happy New year and may your New Year's resolution be "Don' loose it; back it up!"